All Chapters of Diagnosis: Love: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

DEACONMiss Sissie and my grandmother disappeared through the door, leaving Emma and me alone with the bleating goats. "I hear you're the one responsible for the new residents at the farm." I raised my eyebrows. "Just so you know, I petitioned for years for horses or lambs. I was told we were not that kind of farm, and they were too much work. I'm not sure how you managed to sweet-talk Pop into these rascals." She laughed softly. "It was an ongoing conversation over the course of several months, and I didn't use sweet talk. I used facts, ideas and common sense. In the end, Jimmy made up his own mind, thank you very much." She stroked the velvety nose of the nearest kid. "But you have to admit that they're darling." "They're not bad," I admitted grudgingly. I watched her as she petted each one in turn, crooning to them and giggling when they climbed all over her. She looked so relaxed and completely natural, at home in this place that had always been so much my own. I remembered

EMMAA grin split his face. "Don't let me stop you, baby." I laughed and angled my head, lowering my mouth to his and pressing my center to the ridge beneath his pants. Noah grunted slightly and slid his arms around me, holding me close as he nudged my mouth open and began stroking my tongue with his. We broke the kiss just long enough for him to pull my shirt over my head. "Take yours off, too," I urged. "Your chest is gorgeous. I want to set up camp and live there." "You're welcome to do that any time you want." With one hand, he reached back, grabbed the neck of his T-shirt, and wrenched it over his head and off. "Any of my body parts are at your disposal." "Good to know." I flattened my palms against his pecs, reveling in the feel of the hard muscles beneath. "You are built like a sculpture, Noah. Just utter perfection." "I'm not perfect, baby, but if my body makes you hot, I'm happy about that." Two of his thick fingers curled around the cup of my bra, gently easing i

DEACONIt was only just nine o'clock by the time I arrived at the hospital, but I already felt as though I'd lived through an entire long day. I was exhausted and grieving, a particularly nasty combination; I knew I had no business thinking about practicing medicine today, not in my present state of mind. Still, I didn't want to go home to my empty, silent house, nor did I feel like driving out to the farm to be with Gram and Pop, both of whom were heartbroken over the loss of their long-time friend. Neighbors and friends would flock to be with my grandparents, and the idea of sitting around for hours while they all reminisced and offered up their casseroles, cakes and cookies didn't appeal to me. Even if I didn't see patients, at the hospital I could be around people who would understand my need to keep busy. And then there was Emma, who I knew had jumped in to cover for me but who was also mourning our friend, I was certain. As I'd stood in Miss Sissie's kitchen early this morni

EMMAWe ate in silence. Or rather, Noah ate, and I poked at the food in front of me, which included breaded eggplant, despite my request. At least there wasn't any cheese on top, so I was able to try some of the pasta and sauce. My stomach was rebelling, though; between the audience around us, the tension of our conversation and the food issues, I wasn't feeling well at all. I'd just managed to choke down a few bites when Noah tossed down his fork onto his plate with a clatter."Fuck!" he muttered, staring out the window. "I was afraid of that." "What is it?" I was afraid to look outside. "What's wrong?" "That woman from the bar-she said she saw us on social media. So did some reporters, I guess, because there's a group of them at the door to the restaurant." Any appetite I'd had disappeared. "What are we going to do?" Noah shook his head. "I guess we'll have to just get through them and say no comment. Once we get home, we'll be all right. I think so, anyway." He was quiet f

EMMA"I always forget how beautiful the sunsets are here." I sighed a little and wriggled down in my Adirondack chair, bunching the cushion behind me to get more comfortable. "Or maybe more accurately, I think I remember how amazing they are, and then I come back and realize my imagination doesn't do them justice.""This is an especially pretty one," my mother, sitting in the chair next to mine, agreed. "But I'm fairly sure they have sunsets in Florida, too.""True, but not over the mountains," I countered. "Florida is flat." "I'll give you that." She paused. "But the day we were at the beach on the Gulf last year was pretty damn amazing, if I remember correctly.""It was. I'm not arguing with you. I guess there's just something about this place, though, that holds so many fun memories . . . it feels like everything here is better than anywhere else." I drew up my feet to tuck them under me, hugging my knees to my chest. "I was thinking the other day about what Nana used to say-t