Feels Like Home: A Southerland Family Contemporary Romance Book 1 by Evelyn Adams Read Free Book Online Page B

door.
    “ Yes, dear?” The older
woman turned to face her but didn’t take her hand off the door
knob. “Can I help you with something?”
    Autumn glanced around the room even though
she knew there were no patients in the waiting room. “It’s about
your bill, ma’am,” she said in a stage whisper.
    “ What about it?” Mrs.
Dunman’s friendly smile vanished, replaced by pursed lips and a
sour expression.
    “ I need you to take care of
it, ma’am.” Autumn met the woman’s steely glare with her own
determined one.
    “ Nonsense, dear. I have
insurance.” She turned back to the door.
    Her family was old money and her late husband
owned the town’s only car dealership. She inherited everything. She
had money. It was getting her to part with any of it that was the
challenge. “I know, Mrs. Dunman, but I need you to take care of the
part the insurance doesn’t pay.”
    The older woman walked back to the counter
where Autumn sat, a cloud of Chanel leading the way. “You’re new
here, dear. You must not know. Bless your heart.” She said it in a
way that showed she thought being new was the least of Autumn’s
sins. “Kristen always sends me a bill.”
    “ Oh, I know that.” She set
a thick folder on the counter and flipped it open to the first
page. “I just need you to take care of the co-pay for today’s visit
and your past due balance from your last.” She flipped through
pages. “Three visits. Here’s your total.” She slid a paper across
the counter to Mrs. Dunman. “I’ll be happy to take a check.” She
smiled pleasantly and waited. And waited.
    Mrs. Dunman’s lips pursed tighter and tighter
until they were a thin line. Finally she set her hand bag on the
counter and undid the clasp.
     
    Autumn was holding the check and smiling when
Jude came out front.
    “ What’s that?”
    She handed him the check and watched his eyes
go round when he read the name.
    “ You got old lady Dunman to
pay us. You are a miracle worker.”
    “ She can afford to pay her
bill.”
    “ Of course she can. She’s
got more money than Midas. I’ve just never been able to get any of
it.”
    “ Well, she doesn’t have to
like me. I don’t imagine I could get more than pity and
condescension from her anyway. I’ll be the bad cop.”
    Jude arched an eyebrow and looked puzzled.
“And the effective one.” He locked the front door and flipped the
closed sign. “That’s a cute kid your sister has.”
    “ I know. She’s smart, too,
and funny. I’m crazy about her.” Autumn was still amazed at how
easy it had been to fall in love with the little girl.
    “ Your sister seems like a
good mom.”
    “ She is,” said Autumn,
thinking to herself. “Amazing really, considering our mother.” Oh
God, she did not just bring up her irresponsible, alcoholic mother
in front of Dr. Jude Southerland. Great. Way to highlight the chasm
between their families. She was sure Mrs. Southerland had never
gone off with a man and left her kids to fend for themselves or
tried to lose herself in the bottom of a bottle.
    The Southerland kids didn’t live in the
trailer park or have regular run-ins with the law. Hell, they were
the law. They’d grown up to be a cop, a soldier, business owners,
an executive and of course, a doctor.
    They’d all grown up. None of them had gotten
drunk and wrecked their car, killing themselves and their baby
brother.
    What was she thinking? It didn’t matter how
many years had gone by, there was no way Jude Southerland would be
interested in a Maddox. In her.
    “ You were really good with
her. I bet she’s still looking for that frog.”
    He came up behind her, stopping to look over
her shoulder at the computer screen. She felt the heat of him
against her back and smelled his aftershave, warm from his body.
Her heart drummed so loud she was sure he could hear it and would
prescribe blood pressure medicine for her.
    “ You’re really good at
this. I mean it. I know I haven’t said it often enough,