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Tina
Tina woke, feeling better than she had in days. She still wasn’t one hundred percent, but there was a definite improvement.
Doc was gone, having slipped out at some point. She had a vague memory of him carrying her to bed sometime in the wee hours of the morning. She wasn’t sure when exactly, but it must have been pretty late—or pretty early, depending on how she looked at it. All she knew was, each time she’d woken on the couch, it had been to find herself snuggled against him with a different movie playing.
She wasn’t complaining. Doc’s presence had been unexpected but very much appreciated. Sure, it had been humbling for her to have him see her at her worst, but on the plus side, if he could handle that, he could probably handle anything.
As she fixed herself a cup of tea, the thought made her smile, as did the clean dishes drying in the rack and the neatly folded sheets he’d left on the table. Unexpected bonus: he knew how to fold a fitted sheet to perfection—a skill she had never quite mastered.
A girl could get used to that kind of pampering.
Tina was sipping her tea and pondering the benefits of the friendship-plus plan when she heard the telltale crunch of gravel outside, indicating an approaching visitor. A moment later, she identified the distinctive roar of her brother’s truck, followed shortly thereafter by his beefy hand pounding on the door.
“Bert! Open up.”
She took her time in getting up and walking to the door, opening it just a crack. “What do you want?”
Rick pushed open the door and walked in like he owned the place. Technically, she supposed he did since it was on Obermacher property, but it annoyed her more than usual.
His gaze swept over the small interior, coming back to rest on her accusingly. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Did he know about Doc’s visit?
She tightened the sash on her robe and crossed her arms as she pretended to think about it. “No, I don’t think so.”
“I was just down at The Mill, looking for you. Aggie said you didn’t show up the last couple of days. And why the hell are you still in your pajamas?”
“Because I’m sick,” she told him. “And I didn’t go to The Mill because I didn’t want to get anyone else sick.”
“Yeah, well, just because you’re taking it easy doesn’t mean your crew should be. I told you firing Eddie was a mistake.”
Rick had just blown past the I’m sick part. No how are you. No can I do anything or how can I help.
“Firing Eddie was not a mistake,” she told him firmly. “The crew’s idle because the supplier sent the wrong fertilizer, and I refuse to spray that toxic crap on my trees.”
“So, I’m supposed to pay them for hanging around the barn and drinking coffee?”
“Last I checked, their salaries come from the orchard budget, which, if I’m not mistaken, brought in more than any other division last year. But if it bothers you so much, poach them like you usually do until I get this mess straightened out.”
When Rick continued to glare at her, she prompted, “Was there something else?”
His mouth twisted into a grimace. “Someone told Bonnie they saw you driving up the mountain last Sunday.”
“And?” Tina driving around wasn’t exactly prime gossip fodder.
“And,” he said with exaggerated patience, “they saw you heading up the mountain. Alone. And it wasn’t the first time. Where’d you go, Bert?”
“Whoever someone is, they need to mind their own business. And I’ll start telling you my whereabouts when you start telling me yours.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You weren’t at Sanctuary, were you?”
She lifted her chin defiantly. “What if I was?”
“Goddammit, Bert! I told you to stay away from there.”
“First of all, last time I checked, you weren’t my keeper. And secondly, get your head out of your ass and stop listening to window lickers like Eddie. You’ve known Matt Winston all your life. You know he’s not the paranoid, unstable guy some people say he is, and neither are the others.”
“Jesus. You have been going up there, haven’t you?”
Tina had been hoping to put this battle off for as long as possible, but it appeared as if she would be fighting it sooner rather than later.
“Not that it’s any of your concern, but Matt asked for my advice on the old orchard, and I gave it to him. And while I was there, I saw Kate Handelmann and Sandy Summers, and they invited me for coffee. It was nice. They were nice.”
Rick’s face darkened even further. “You want girl time? You’ve got two sisters-in-law. You don’t need to go up to Sanctuary for that shit.”
She snorted. She had no desire to spend time with either of her brothers’ wives. Bonnie was wrapped up in her own issues, and Giselle had her nose too high in the air to be bothered.
“What do you have against them anyway?” she asked. “Because I’ve heard the rumors, and I can tell you that Sanctuary is nothing like the mercenary stronghold some people make it out to be. In fact, it looks a lot like it did when we used to go up there as kids. Matt’s even restoring the—”
“God, you’re so gullible. They were just putting on a show for you. Can’t you see that?”
“Oh? Where’s your proof, huh? Have you actually been there? Talked to them?”
His teeth ground together. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
“And you do?”
His body stiffened. “I’m not going to tell you again. Stay away from Sanctuary.”
“Or what?”
“Or you’re not going to like the consequences,” he said darkly.
“Don’t threaten me, Friedrich. You have a hell of a lot more skeletons in your closet than I have in mine.”
Rick shot her a look of such rage that she felt a frisson of fear run up and down her spine. But she’d been dealing with his tantrums for a long time, and she stood her ground, knowing that any indication of weakness would be her downfall.
“We’re done here. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.”
The standoff lasted for a full minute, maybe two, before he turned on his heel and stomped out of her cottage. Tina sagged against the door and let out a big exhale. As the sound of his truck faded away, Tina picked up her phone and sank down onto the couch.
The first call she made was to Lottie. “Gram, Rick was just here. He knows I’ve been going up to Sanctuary.”
“How?”
“He didn’t say, only that someone told Bonnie.”
“Figures. That woman’s not happy unless she’s ruining someone else’s day. Well, I suppose that cat had to get out of the bag sometime,” Lottie said on a sigh. “How bad was it?”
“Bad. I can’t remember when I’ve seen Rick so angry.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
Tina wasn’t crazy about it either.
“I don’t think he knows about Mr. O’Farrell.”
“Oh, I don’t care about that,” Lottie said dismissively. “I’m more worried about you. How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
“You sound better. I take it, the good doctor had something to do with that?”
“He’s a medic,” Tina said with a smile, remembering Doc’s correction.
“Close enough. I like him for you.”
“I do, too. We’ll talk later, okay? I’ve got to take care of a few things.”
“All right, dear. Don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t.”
Tina ended the call and considered her next move. She had planned on visiting the warehouse, but just the thought of getting dressed and driving down there was exhausting, especially when she could accomplish the same thing with a phone call.
Thankfully, Otto answered the phone. Otto had been managing the warehouse for as long as she could remember.
“Otto, it’s Tina. Could you do me a favor?”
“Anything for you, Peaches.”
She smiled at the familiar nickname. Her grandfather had given it to her a long time ago because of her obsession with them. Otto was the only one who still called her that.
“Would you check the shipment of pesticide that came in for the orchards?”
“Sure thing. Give me an hour. Three tractor trailers just pulled up.”
“No problem.”
While Tina waited for Otto to call back, she dressed in comfortable lounge pants and made herself some scrambled eggs and toast. She just sat down when a text came through from Doc.
Doc: How are you feeling?
Tina: Much better, thanks. I’m taking it easy today.
Doc: Glad to hear it.
Tina: I learned my lesson.
Doc: Kate’s making loaded baked potato soup. Want me to bring you some tonight?
Tina bit her lip, debating on whether or not to tempt fate, especially after the morning’s visit from Rick. However, the desire to see Doc outweighed the potential risk.
Tina: That depends.
Doc: On ...
Tina: If you’ll share it with me.
Doc: That’s a given. Anything else you want me to bring?
Tina: Just you. Even the soup is optional.
As had happened before, three dots appeared and then disappeared before his response popped up on the screen. She couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to say but didn’t and why.
Doc: See you tonight—after dark.
Tina set the phone down, feeling markedly better than she had only a few minutes earlier. Not only had simply exchanging texts with Doc lifted her spirits, but she also wasn’t going to have to wait until Sunday to see him again.
She decided to make the most of her rare time off with a bit of pampering. A long, hot shower with moisturizing body wash and sinus-clearing essential oils, followed by an exfoliating scrub and a long-overdue manicure and pedicure. By the time Otto called back, she was almost feeling human again.
“The stuff we got isn’t the stuff we ordered,” Otto told her, confirming her suspicions. “Not sure where things got messed up.”
Tina had a pretty good idea. “Who else has access to place orders?”
“Besides me and Hank? You and the boys, of course, and the field supervisors.”
Field supervisors. Like Eddie. “Thanks, Otto.”
“No problem. I put a call in to the supplier. He assured me he’ll have good stuff here by the end of the week.”
“We don’t pay you enough.”
“You pay me plenty,” he said. “But while we’re on the subject, any word on when the new checks are getting cut?”
“What new checks?”
“The payroll checks. My last one bounced. Gunther said there was some mix-up with the bank and he’d take care of it.”
“I didn’t know. I’ll look into it, okay?”
“I’d appreciate that.”