Strange Medicine (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #1)(8)

I faced him. “I gather you’re upset.”

He wiped his sweaty face with a paper towel he tore off near the sink. He leaned against the counter. “Do you swear you haven’t been talking about me with people in town?”

I held up my right hand. “You bet.”

Tension drained from his face, and he looked a little embarrassed. “Shit. I’m sorry.” He hung his head and muttered, “I didn’t mean to lose my temper with you. This town is hard for me.”

“Meaning what?” I asked softly.

He waved his hand. “Everybody is so interested in me.” He sighed. “I didn’t expect that. I just want to work and be left alone.”

“I’d love to tell you that’s possible.” I gave a gruff laugh. “But I’d be lying. You’re new and people around these parts like new.”

He flicked his uneasy gaze to mine. “Too bad you stopped that kid from breaking into the parking meter. Maybe that excitement could have distracted everyone from me.”

“You want me to go get Riley back so he can finish the job?” I smirked.

He laughed grudgingly. “Would you mind? I’ll pay you.”

I was happy to see him smile. “Don’t worry about the gossips. Even if they do know something, whatever it is, I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”

His shoulders stiffened. “It’s not important. Thank you for helping me carry my groceries home.”

“My pleasure.” I wasn’t sure why he intrigued me so much, but he did. I wanted to know what he was hiding. I wanted to know more about him. But I also knew better than to push. “You’re opening for business tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.” He didn’t look thrilled.

“I hope it goes smoothly for you.”

“Thanks.” He ran a hand over his perfect hair. “Since you’re an expert on this town, how long before people lose interest in me?”

“Depending on whether you give them any new reasons to be intrigued, I’d say in about a month or so they’ll start moving on. Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone will get a DUI or divorced earlier than that. That might do the trick.”

He slumped. “God.”

“The people here mean well.”

“If you say so.”

“Give us a chance. We’re not so bad.” I moved toward the hallway to make my exit.

He sighed. “You seem okay.”

Pleasure rolled through me at his restrained compliment. But I played it down. “Wow. High praise indeed.”

He smiled. “If you knew me better, you’d know that truly is high praise.”

I held his gaze. “I think you’re okay too.”

There was a glimpse of vulnerable surprise in his gaze, and then it was gone, leaving me to wonder if I’d even seen it at all.





Chapter Three


Maxwell

“When I move my arm up and down, it really hurts,” Francis Brown complained, waving his arm around and wincing.

Doctor, it hurts when I do this. Then don’t do that.

That old Henny Youngman joke came to me unwillingly. Probably because, after the parade of people I’d seen today, my entire life felt like a joke.

“We’ll take an X-ray and make sure nothing too terrible is going on.” I kept my voice even, hoping I didn’t sound as bored as I felt.

“Do you think it might have anything to do with the arm wrestling contest I entered last week?” His gaze was earnest. “I came in third. I had to compete against twenty other guys.”

I frowned. “Well, yes. I think it could easily have something to do with that.” Why hadn’t he mentioned that when he first came in? Was this a joke? There had to be a hidden camera somewhere, I was sure of it.

“Oh, huh.” He held his arm against his body.

“How about you try icing your arm twenty minutes every hour for a few days? See if it feels better. If not, we’ll do an X-ray.”

“Okay.” He slid off the examination table. “Thanks, Doc.” He left the room.

I slumped and rubbed my pounding head. Glancing at my phone, I saw it was only two in the afternoon. I had many patients still left to see. The waiting room had been packed when I came downstairs this morning to have a quick breakfast and some coffee.

I looked longingly out the window at the crystal clear pool that rippled in my backyard. I’d enjoyed swimming every evening since I’d got here. It was the one thing that I had in my new life that comforted me and helped me feel centered. I’d always loved swimming. It was so peaceful and private under the water.

There was a knock on the door and Ned Tinkerson came in the room. “My turn. Finally.”

I exhaled and plastered on a polite smile. “Sit. Let’s talk about why you’re here.”

He settled in a chair and held out his arm. “I still have that rash.”

“Have you tried any creams like I suggested?”

He nodded. “My buddy gave me a tube of something called Itch Relief. It didn’t help. It made it itch more.”

I frowned. “Hmmm. That’s usually a great cream.” I stood and moved closer, slipping on my glasses. I grimaced once I had a closer look. “That’s poison ivy.”