Wishes and Stitches by Rachael Herron Read Free Book Online

everyone else? And are they all always that nice ?”
    â€œYou’ve been here often enough over the years—I’ve introduced you to plenty of nice people. It’s just a good little town.”
    â€œEmphasis on the little . There are probably fourteen people I haven’t met, and that’s including the kids who were in school. I don’t even know how this town supports two doctors.”
    â€œYou’re exaggerating. Lots of people to treat.” Jake finally had the trace of a real smile on his face. Maybe now that he was back in town his brother could relax a little bit, have some fun. It had been a long time.
    â€œNo, I’m not. Every single person I met, which was, as I mentioned, everyone, knew you. Had some story about you. I swear to God, most of them say they were saved by you from a burning building at some point or another.”
    Jake grinned. “Nah, buildings don’t burn much anymore.”
    â€œOkay, then you saved their favorite cat from up a tree.”
    Inclining his head, Jake said, “I’ll give you that one. I’ve saved lots of stupid cats who would have come down on their own given a can of tuna at the bottom of the tree and enough time. We even got a goat out of a tree the other day, I kid you not. Other departments mock. But we live to serve in the Cypress Hollow Fire Brigade.”
    â€œCan I have a cat, Dad?” asked Milo, mustard all over his face.
    Jake shook his head slowly and patted his son’s head. “You know we can’t get a cat. Grandpa’s allergic.”
    Rig frowned. “Since when are you allergic, Dad?”
    Frank looked alarmed. “I am? That’s too bad. I always liked cats. So did Margene, didn’t she, boys? Always a cat or two knocking around the garage, bringing in a lizard or a half-dead bird.”
    Milo looked riveted. “Half dead? Which half?”
    â€œZip it, Dad,” said Jake, gesturing with his burger. “You’re just going to make it worse.”
    â€œZip what?” said Milo. “I don’t get it.” He slapped his mustardy hand on the table and dropped his pickle.
    Jake said, “I’m sorry, buddy. I was just trying to tell your grandpa to step off.”
    â€œHe’s sitting down.” Milo looked even more confused.
    â€œFigure of speech,” said Jake and gave Milo another pickle. “Here, try this one. How did you get mustard up your nose, big guy?”
    Milo sniffed. “Put it there.”
    Rig had a hard time not laughing out loud. This was where he needed to be. He didn’t know how he’d been able to stay away so long as it was.
    Being a contract doctor to a large oil company had been a bizarre way to use his degree, at first. If a guy broke his pelvis after skidding three stories off a hoist, they brought Rig in by helicopter. And as the years went on, Rig got better and better at it, got used to living out of one big duffel bag, and the roughnecks looked to him for all the medical needs the rig EMT couldn’t handle. Only when someone was genuinely sick with a serious illness that required specialized attention did the guys head inland, and they usually cursed him out as they did so. He swore back and pretended not to notice when their eyes got wet. Roughnecks weren’t quick to trust, and Rig never took that trust lightly.
    He already missed them.
    But this was the right decision. Family should come first, that’s what he’d been telling the guys all these years. When they retired and went onshore for good, Rig was the first one to tell them how awesome it was going to be. “You can get a cheeseburger whenever you want one. You can give a girl in a bar all your best lines. You can walk up a hill. You can sit on grass. You can sleep and your bed won’t sway.”
    Damn. Rig missed that swaying. But this burger sure was good. And thanks to Elbert Romo, a rancher he’d once pulled a nail out of