Sleigh Bell Dreams (Mistletoe Meadows Sweet Christmas #1)

Chapter 29

It came as no surprise to Terry when her patients came in and started talking about the Christmas tree that had been put up in the town square.

She knew immediately what Judd had been doing the previous night.

Why hadn’t he told her? Didn’t he trust her? Why did he feel like he needed to keep it a secret from her? Like he could kiss her, and that was fine, but he couldn’t tell her he was the Secret Saint?

Although to be fair, she had kissed him.

She tried to focus on her work, but the excitement in the air was palpable, since almost everyone she saw was planning on going to the Christmas parade or else were going to be in it.

She had just finished up with a patient and was looking at her iPad to get the information on the next one when her nurse, Ashley, touched her arm and leaned in.

“There’s someone in the waiting room who would like to see you,” she said softly.

That was odd. It was the first time that had happened, and she immediately looked up, searching Ashley’s face and trying to figure out what was going on.

“If it’s an emergency—”

“You’ll know when you see him. Just go talk to him.”

Her eyes got big, but she clicked off her iPad and tried to orient herself before she hurried to the door.

The waiting room was empty, except for Judd, who was at the far end, standing beside a woman who sat with a small child in her lap.

His head came up as she came to the door.

She looked at him, then at the woman and child, and then hurried over, her brows drawn.

He met her halfway, meeting her gaze with an unwavering one of his own. She’d left without talking to him about last night and the kiss that they’d shared, which she’d run away from. And maybe he wondered why, but he had to know. Had to understand that he was so new and different and... That wasn’t the way she usually was, and maybe he didn’t understand.

She probably shouldn’t assume that he understood that she just needed some time to process and didn’t know what to say.

“This is Dana. Her daughter woke up this morning with a fever, and she didn’t want to call, because she knew she couldn’t pay. Whatever it costs, you can bill me.”

He waited until she looked him in the eye and nodded, and maybe the knowledge of who he was showed on her face.

He pressed his lips together but didn’t acknowledge that. “I have to leave. There are some things I need to do, but whatever it costs, her medicine, everything.”

“Normally I send perscriptions to the pharmacy. So I technically am not involved in that part of it.”

“Right. Of course.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“But I just have the patients that are waiting in the exam rooms right now, and then I’ll be taking a lunch break. I can...take her to the pharmacy and pay for it myself.”

“I usually have cash set aside for this type of thing, but... I don’t today. I’ll pay you back,” he said, his expression hopeful as he turned back toward her.

“We’ll see what it is. I’ll text you.”

“Thanks. I might be out of service, but I’ll respond as soon as I can.”

Where was he going that he would be out of service? And why was she constantly wondering what he was doing? What did it matter to her?

Except she knew it did, because she cared about him. A lot. When a person cared about someone else, they wanted to know.

She nodded, and he started to walk away, then he touched her arm. With a glance over his shoulder at the woman who held her small daughter tight, he lowered his voice even further and leaned down. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She could hear him swallow, and then he moved around her and walked out the door.

He apologized, when it was her fault. She appreciated the fact that he was willing to be humble, to take the blame, to try to move them past this, and she gave him all the credit in the world for that. But she couldn’t allow him to do that, when it was her fault.

She wanted to grab him and stop him, but there was a worried mother with a sick child in front of her, and she had more people to see back in the exam rooms.

“Hello, Dana. All of my rooms are full right now, but the nurse will bring you back as soon as she can, and we’re going to get your daughter fixed up, okay?”

She nodded, looking relieved.

Terry walked back, knowing that she probably was not going to get a lunch break today, or she was probably going to be running around on it, but she wouldn’t change it for anything. She would have to thank Judd for bringing the woman, because it felt good to be able to help someone who needed it. And then she and Judd were going to have to talk. She was pretty sure he wanted to, and she needed it. But first, they had a parade to get through.