Page 24 of Last Chance Love

“Wait,” I said, turning to track him as he walked away. “Seriously? You believe in them that much?”

He opened the gate and stepped through with a laugh. “Absolutely not. I mean, come on. Elliot is a good guy, and I really think he’s a sweetheart when he learns to slow down, but he will try most people’s nerves before he gets there. And Reno is one of the angriest people I’ve ever seen come into this program, probably the top spot if we’re honest. All logic points toward the two of them eventually coming to blows and the whole thing being ruined.”

“Okay, Mr. Logic,” I scowled. “Then why the fuck did you bet on them?”

“I didn’t,” he said, closing the gate behind him and flashing me a smile. “I bet on your gut feeling, and no matter what happens, Leon, I will always bet on you.”

It seemed he knew not only how to have a hold on me after all these years, but apparently, he was still good at leaving me speechless as he walked away, humming to himself merrily.

REED

“Alright, just a couple of things left,” I said as I tucked the pressure cuff into the bag. I had to admit, I preferred the bags over the kits people used nowadays. There was a charm to using the leather bags with their soft interiors that separated all the tools and medicines.

“Am I allowed to hand over the expense report for this week?” Mona asked dryly from behind me.

I chuckled. “I think he can manage it now.”

Mr. Isaiah shook his head, making his thick mustache quiver slightly as he held out his hand. “Now, Mona, you’re the first to tell me we should trust and listen to people when they’re experts in their fields.”

“I wouldn’t call myself an expert,” I said with a shrug, grabbing the small bag tucked into a pocket. If there was anyone on this ranch who had any idea about my background, it would be these two, and Mona might be quick to point out my past if she was feeling spicy enough. “Especially considering I barely held onto my medical license.”

It was either lose it or go straight to prison. The problem with losing my license was it closed off any possibility of ever being able to practice medicine when I got out. I still wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted to do, but it was better to keep the door open than to slam it shut forever. Felony charges would undoubtedly make it…well, saying it would be challenging to use that license would be an understatement, but at least the possibility still existed.

Mona snorted harshly. “The fact that you have it means you have the knowledge. And so, expert.”

“I barely had time to put it into practice,” I said as I set the bag down and drew out the needle and bottle.

“That still leaves you more knowledgeable than us,” Mr. Isaiah interrupted, casting his gaze sideways at the needle. “Now, what in the hell is that for?”

I smiled at the edge in his voice. “Mr. Isaiah, you have a policy that everyone on the ranch must receive a rabies booster shot yearly. You are about four, going on five months overdue.”

“Ain’t I supposed to come down to the clinic for all that?” he asked, still watching the needle instead of the report in his hand.

“Technically, yes. But I was asked to do this, and since you’re the ranch owner, exceptions can be made.”

“What kind of exceptions?”

“Garrett,” Mona began, but I shook my head.

“Not the kind of exception you’re thinking,” I told him, catching his gaze and holding it. “You need the booster. And since I’m apparently the expert that needs to be listened to?—”

His mustache quivered for a second and then drooped with a muttered, “Damn it all.”

Mona chuckled at that. “Nicely played.”

“Patients are patients, even when they’re blue-blooded millionaires,” I said, swabbing his arm. “This won’t take a moment.”

“At least you aren’t telling me it’ll only be a pinch,” he muttered, returning to the report.

I continued to smile as I gave him the booster. A fear of needles was one of the most common phobias, and despite not having had a career for long, I had run into it several times. I’d seen the toughest-looking, gruffest men quell at the sight of a thin needle coming toward their skin, and the ranch was no different.

Funnily, it made me think of Leon’s ‘little’ pet project with Elliot and Reno. I had been the one to give Reno his initial shots when he’d first come to the ranch, and the same with Elliot. Reno hadn’t shrunk from me, but I had seen the way he glared at the needle, the way his jaw tensed as it drew close. On the other hand, Elliot continued to chat merrily, not missing a beat when I finally jabbed him a few times.

“There,” I said after getting rid of the needle and tucking everything away. “You might get some achiness and swelling, but it should pass. If you end up nauseous, get a headache or dizziness, or the ache turns into the whole arm hurting, come to the clinic. Otherwise, you should be fine for another year.”

“What fun,” he said with a sigh, and I would have bet good money he was resisting the urge to rub his arm. “Anything I should know?”

“Well, I’d advise cutting down on the drinks and cigars,” I told him, knowing full well that advice would fall on deaf ears. “And some more veggies wouldn’t go amiss either.”

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