Chapter Nine

"Good morning, Maple." June looked up from the receptionist desk as Maple walked into the pet clinic the following morning with Lady Bird prancing at her heels. "Good morning to you, too, Lady Bird."

Lady Bird's tail swung back and forth. Maple shifted the bakery box and coffee carrier she held in her arms and breathed a little easier. She thought she'd braced herself for anything. Not this, though. The last thing she'd expected was a friendly morning greeting delivered with a smile.

"Good morning, June." She handed the older woman a steaming cup of coffee in a paper cup with the Cherry on Top logo printed on its side. A peace offering, since Maple hadn't exactly been the easiest person to get along with the last time she'd breezed through the door.

"Oh, my. Thank you." June accepted the coffee and took a small sip. "Is this Cherry on Top's famous Texas pecan blend?"

"It sure is," Maple said. Points to Adaline for suggesting her house signature blend.

Maple had been nervous about showing up here again today, especially since everyone in town thought she'd gone back to New York yesterday, as planned. She'd walked to the bakery as soon as they'd opened and picked up treats for the office, figuring they couldn't try and turn her away again if she came bearing pie and coffee. Mission accomplished.

The funny thing was, Adaline hadn't been surprised to see her, either. She'd even invited Maple to a book-club meeting later tonight, and despite the fact that spending an evening with a new group of total strangers would ordinarily be an automatic no-go, Maple had found herself saying yes. If she was going to stay in town for a while, she might as well try and make some friends. Get a little involved.

It's what Percy would have done.

"You know we have one of those fancy K-Cup machines here, right?" June nodded toward the area behind the reception counter. "You don't have to walk all the way to the town square just for coffee."

"I figured. I just wanted to do something nice for you and Dr. Hayes." Maple felt her determined smile wobble a bit.

A fresh wave of dread washed over her at the thought of facing that man again, even though he was technically her partner. They were equals. There was no reason for her to be intimidated by him...

Except for his overall grumpy demeanor, along with the fact that this was his home turf and he clearly considered Maple an unwelcome interloper. Other than that, things between them should be just peachy.

June's face creased into a sympathetic smile. "Do you want to hear a little secret, sweetheart?"

"Um, okay."

"Grover's bark is a lot worse than his bite," June said in a mock whisper. Then she winked and shifted her gaze over Maple's shoulder as the bells on the front door chimed. "Good morning, Grover. Maple is here for work, and she's brought us coffee and pie. Isn't that sweet?"

Great. He was already in the office. Any second now, he'd be standing right behind her.

Maple had hoped for a few minutes to get her bearings before her grump of a partner showed up. At the very least, she'd wanted to put her things down and slip a white lab coat over her flippy black-and-white polka-dot dress. No such luck.

She straightened her shoulders, pasted a smile on her face and turned around to face her partner.

"Hi there, Grover." She shoved one of the coffees at him and pretended she belonged there. Because she did belong. This practice was half hers now, whether he liked it or not.

Maple really needed Grover to get on board, though. The ink on her veterinary school diploma was barely dry. Last night, she'd made the decision to stay in Bluebonnet and work at the clinic...at least for a while. She just couldn't go back yet, and she certainly couldn't leave Lady Bird. Ever. Now that she knew the dog's backstory, keeping her was one-hundred-percent nonnegotiable. Maple had informed her adoptive parents of her decision via text and then she'd turned off her mobile phone like a complete and total coward.

But at least she'd done it. She'd made her own decision about her own life, and she was sticking by it. So far, Maple's plan consisted of little more than staying in Bluebonnet for a bit and learning more about her birth father and the place he'd called home all his life...plus working alongside Grover Hayes.

All she needed now was his cooperation.

He plucked the coffee from her hand with a harrumph. "I hope this is decaf."

"Totally," she lied.

Note to self: no more caffeinated beverages for Grumpy McGrumperson.Maybe he needed to rethink that position. If anyone stood to benefit from a little caffeinated pick-me-up, it was Grover.

He took a gulp from his cup and glared at Maple for what felt like an eternity. Lady Bird started to drift off.

When Grover finally deigned to speak to her again, the dog's head jerked up with a start. "There's a kitten coming in at nine o'clock this morning for a routine checkup and her first round of shots. Do you think you can handle that, Dr. Leighton?"

Dr. Leighton.

He'd called her Doctor!

"Absolutely," she said, beaming.

Grover sighed mightily, but Maple couldn't have cared less. She'd take what she could get. At least he was willing to acknowledge her place at the clinic and give her a chance.

"Any questions or problems at all and you come find me. Understood?" He waved his coffee cup at her, and a drop sloshed out of the hole in the plastic lid. Lady Bird licked it up the second it hit the floor.

Grover sighed even harder.

Maple bit back a smile. "Understood."

After a cursory greeting aimed at June, Grover stalked past the reception area, headed for his office.

The instant the door slammed behind him, Maple shifted her gaze shifted toward the receptionist. "You're right. His bark really is worse than his bite, isn't it?"

"Told you," June said with a chuckle.

Maple glanced at the old-timey clock hanging beside the felt letter board that still listed Percy's name alongside Grover's in the reception area. Her feline patient was due in forty-five minutes—just enough time to locate the archaic file and familiarize herself with the kitty's history. How old was she? Where had the client gotten the cat? Was this their only pet?

But Maple lingered in the lobby, not quite ready to get to work.

"Can I do anything for you, Maple? Is everything okay?" June's forehead creased with concern. "Percy's office is yours now. Don't hesitate to get settled in there. If you need help clearing things out, I'd be happy to assist."

Maple shook her head. She wasn't ready to get rid of Percy's things yet. Not here, and not at home. She wanted to study them first. Who knew what sort of hidden treasures she might find?

"It's not that, but thank you for the offer." Maple cast a curious glance in Grover's wake. "He didn't seem all that surprised to see me here this morning. Come to think of it, neither did you."

At Cherry on Top, Adaline hadn't been fazed. She'd greeted Maple like an old friend, and now Maple had an entire novel to read before the book-club meeting tonight.

June peered at Maple over the top of her reading glasses. "Come on now. You've been in Bluebonnet long enough to know that nothing stays secret here for long."

"But I didn't tell anyone I'd decided to stay," Maple countered. Not even Ford.

Especiallynot Ford, lest he think that her decision had anything to do with him. Because it didn't.

Not much, anyway.

"You didn't have to, sweetheart. You kissed Ford Bishop right in the middle of the town square yesterday." June tutted, but her lips twitched with amusement. "Did you really think that would go unnoticed in a place like Bluebonnet?"

Maple hadn't been thinking at all. She'd acted with her heart, not her head, which was something that had always terrified her. She knew all too well what happened when people threw caution to the wind and let their feelings go straight to their heads. A year or three later, they ended up sitting in her mom or dad's law office, fighting tooth and nail over everything under the sun. There was an awfully thin line between love and hate. Razor thin, honestly. After everything Maple had seen and heard, particularly within the walls of her own childhood home, she preferred to stay as far away from that line as possible. Besides, she liked being in control of her emotions. Things were safer that way...more predictable.

But after Ford told her the story about Percy and Lady Bird, she'd hadn't been able to stop herself.

Who even was she anymore?

All her life she'd been Maple Maribelle Leighton—dog lover, introvert, perpetual good girl and overachiever extraordinaire. Now she was starting to think she might be another person entirely. The trouble was, she had no idea what Maple Maribelle Walker was really like. The more Maple got to know her alter ego, the more dangerous she seemed. This new version of Maple had a penchant for straying far, far outside her comfort zone. She did things like purposefully miss flights, defy her family's expectations without thought to the consequences, and willingly throw away a shot at her dream job—not just once, but twice.

Oh, and she also kissed the local Hallmark hunk in the middle of the town square for all the world to see.

"That wasn't a regular kiss," Maple said primly. "That was a thank-you kiss. There's a difference."

"Oh, honey. Not from where I'm standing," June said with a knowing gleam in her eye. "I'm not sure how these things work up in New York, but here in Texas, a kiss is a kiss. Plain and simple."

There was nothing simple about it, though. Quite the opposite, in fact. Maple's feelings for Ford were growing more complicated by the hour, especially considering she shouldn't be having any feelings for him at all.

She blamed Bluebonnet for this entire mess. Everyone here seemed to think Maple was someone that she wasn't, and now she'd jumped right on the bandwagon and begun to believe it herself.

Even worse, she liked it.

Maple Maribelle Walker might be dangerous, but she was a heck of a lot of fun.

"Ford!" Oliver's hospital gown dipped off the child's bony shoulder as he struggled to sit up. "You're here! On a Wednesday!"

"I'm here. How's it going, bud?" Ford held up a hand for a high five.

Oliver gave it a weak slap. "Things are great now that you're here. Mom's at work again."

"I heard." Ford nodded.

He'd also heard that the child wasn't feeling well. Ordinarily, that wouldn't have been too much cause for concern. Chemotherapy treatment could be brutal, but according to the call Ford had gotten earlier in the day from Nurse Pam, Oliver had started running a fever after undergoing a bone-marrow biopsy early this morning.

Fever was always a concern for cancer patients. Chemo weakened the immune system, which sometimes led to infections. Oliver's fever had been running right around 100 degrees all day, and as long as it stayed low-grade, things would probably be just fine.

But a constant low-grade fever had also been one of Oliver's first symptoms when he'd been diagnosed with leukemia. His mom had brought him into Ford's office worried he might have an ear infection. Ford had assured her his ears were fine, but looking at the child's pale skin and the smattering of bruises on his extremities had sent a cold chill up and down his spine. He'd known something was wrong—something far worse than a simple childhood ear infection.

He'd been devastated to find out he'd been right.

"I also heard you weren't feeling so great." Ford glanced at the beeping monitor at the head of the bed. The body temperature reading flashed 99.3, and he breathed a little easier.

As soon as they got the bone-marrow biopsy results back, he could relax. Oliver was midway through treatment, and the test had been a routine check to monitor the effectiveness of the chemo. His oncologist expected good news, and Ford had taken the specialist at his word. Oliver was going to live a long and healthy life.

"I'm fine." Oliver's face spread into a hopeful grin. "Fine enough to play a board game."

"You got it." Ford nodded. An evening of board games with his favorite patient sounded great. Maybe it would help get his mind off the fact that Maple had kissed him silly yesterday afternoon.

He'd been busy all day today with back-to-back appointments and a quick lunch at the senior center with Gram. Adaline had called, but he'd ignored her voice mail. Knowing his sister, she'd heard about the kiss and wanted a thorough debrief...with a side of lecture about not letting himself fall for City Mouse.

Ford just wasn't in the mood. What difference did it make, now that Maple had gone back to New York? She'd kissed him, and then she'd fled.

Did she really, though?

He gritted his teeth. Nope, he wasn't going to let his thoughts go down that troublesome road. She'd missed one flight already. The odds weren't great that she'd willingly missed another. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.

Namely, keeping Oliver company.

"What's it going to be?" Ford scanned the collection of games, puzzles, and stuffed animals piled on the shelf below the window overlooking the rolling landscape of the Texas Hill Country. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, spilling liquid amber over the hills and setting the wildflowers aflame. "Apples to Apples? Candy Land?"

Oliver groaned. "Candy Land is for kids."

"Noted." Ford swallowed a laugh. "My sincerest apologies. How about Yahtzee?"

"Yes!" Oliver punched the air.

See? The child is fine.

"Yahtzee it is, then." He grinned, feeling just a little bit lighter, a little bit more hopeful as he got the game set up on the bedside tray.

Then Ford noticed a small, greenish bruise on the child's forearm, and a weight settled on his chest.

He frowned at the tender spot on Oliver's arm and wondered where it had come from...how long it had been there. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

It's just a bruise. Kids get them all the time. A bruise doesn't have to mean anything.

Oliver spilled the dice onto the table, and the clatter pulled Ford back into the moment.

"Look, I got three fives already." The boy's eyes lit up as he pointed to the dice. "I'm so lucky. Right, Ford?"

Ford tensed at the choice of words, but he pushed down his worry and flashed Oliver a smile and a thumbs-up, even as his throat constricted, making a response almost impossible.

"You sure are, kiddo. The luckiest."