Read Online A Home in Hill Country (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Roxanne Rustand - Free Book Online
Authors: Roxanne Rustand
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state senator? ”
“One and the same. His son made him come, but he wasn’t happy about it. He seems to be in denial regarding his health and hasn’t been compliant with medical advice.” She nudged Clint’s patient file with a forefinger. “His old medical records just came from Austin. Hyperlipidemia, with a cholesterol of 325 and elevated triglycerides of 550. A history of angina, with a few E.R.visits. He was started on a beta blocker, Lipitor and aspirin therapy two years ago, but he’s never followed through. Today’s EKG showed occasional PVCs.”
Max whistled under his breath. “A walking heart attack.”
“And he’s not going to listen to me, either. He made that clear enough today. His family and mine have some…history, so Dr. Lou will probably have to talk to him.”
“He’d better get over it. She isn’t here that often, and in an emergency he’ll have to see you anyway, the fool.”
Max’s disgust made Kristin laugh. “I think he’d have to be unconscious.”
“Sounds like quite a guy. Now he’ll have to deal with a female doctor, a P.A. he dislikes and a tattooed ex-trucker. He’ll probably decide he’s safer at the vet.”
C ODY STOOD on the sidelines with his fists clenched, watching the other fourth grade boys gather around the football coach. He’d been given a time-out for the last half of the practice just because stupid Ricky Garner was a big fat baby. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t, wasn’t fair.
And now, because he couldn’t walk home like most of the other kids, he had to wait here for Mom…and she was at work, so she might be late.Fighting back tears, he blinked hard and watched the coach—one of the fourth grade teachers—clap Hayden Gallagher on the back.
At the edge of the schoolyard, a bunch of dads leaned against the hoods of their pickups. They’d been there the whole time, cheering and shouting, as if they were watching the Dallas Cowboys instead of some stupid grade school practice, where hardly anyone caught the ball and some of the kids cried if they got tackled just a little too hard.
“Come on over here, Cody,” the coach called out. “You need to hear this, too.”
A surge of rebellion made him want to stand still, but somehow his feet started moving. A couple of the kids snickered and elbowed each other when he reached the group, and he felt his face heat.
“…so tomorrow, be here right after school. We have enough boys so we can divide into two teams for practice. Got that? Three-thirty sharp, in uniform. And remind your parents, because we don’t always meet on Thursdays.”
The town boys raced for their bicycles. Others headed for their dads in the parking lot. Cody kicked at a clump of dry grass as he watched them go. Hayden’s dad came out onto the grass to meet his son halfway and—oh, boy—so did the neighbor guy who’d given Cody a ride on his horse last Friday night. Ryan somebody.
Jealousy burned through Cody. How fair was that? He had a dad, too, but he lived in Dallas and never found much time to visit. And when he did…
A single tear burned down Cody’s cheek, so he turned his back and angrily rubbed it away with the back of his hand, glad everyone was too far away to see.
“Hey, son, do you have a ride home?” The voice was deep and familiar, and Cody turned to find Ryan standing by the open door of a silver pickup. “Do you need to use my cell phone?”
The guy was sooo cool. Hayden had taken over Show and Tell for three days running, blabbing on and on about his uncle who went on secret missions for the army and had been badly hurt. Just having Ryan notice him made Cody feel warm inside, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Mom’s pickup coming down the street. “Nah, my mom’s here.”
Ryan looked up the street. “Is that her?”
Cody nodded, wishing she hadn’t showed up so soon.
“You did a great job at practice today. Keep it up.” He got in his truck and shut the door, but didn’t
“One and the same. His son made him come, but he wasn’t happy about it. He seems to be in denial regarding his health and hasn’t been compliant with medical advice.” She nudged Clint’s patient file with a forefinger. “His old medical records just came from Austin. Hyperlipidemia, with a cholesterol of 325 and elevated triglycerides of 550. A history of angina, with a few E.R.visits. He was started on a beta blocker, Lipitor and aspirin therapy two years ago, but he’s never followed through. Today’s EKG showed occasional PVCs.”
Max whistled under his breath. “A walking heart attack.”
“And he’s not going to listen to me, either. He made that clear enough today. His family and mine have some…history, so Dr. Lou will probably have to talk to him.”
“He’d better get over it. She isn’t here that often, and in an emergency he’ll have to see you anyway, the fool.”
Max’s disgust made Kristin laugh. “I think he’d have to be unconscious.”
“Sounds like quite a guy. Now he’ll have to deal with a female doctor, a P.A. he dislikes and a tattooed ex-trucker. He’ll probably decide he’s safer at the vet.”
C ODY STOOD on the sidelines with his fists clenched, watching the other fourth grade boys gather around the football coach. He’d been given a time-out for the last half of the practice just because stupid Ricky Garner was a big fat baby. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t, wasn’t fair.
And now, because he couldn’t walk home like most of the other kids, he had to wait here for Mom…and she was at work, so she might be late.Fighting back tears, he blinked hard and watched the coach—one of the fourth grade teachers—clap Hayden Gallagher on the back.
At the edge of the schoolyard, a bunch of dads leaned against the hoods of their pickups. They’d been there the whole time, cheering and shouting, as if they were watching the Dallas Cowboys instead of some stupid grade school practice, where hardly anyone caught the ball and some of the kids cried if they got tackled just a little too hard.
“Come on over here, Cody,” the coach called out. “You need to hear this, too.”
A surge of rebellion made him want to stand still, but somehow his feet started moving. A couple of the kids snickered and elbowed each other when he reached the group, and he felt his face heat.
“…so tomorrow, be here right after school. We have enough boys so we can divide into two teams for practice. Got that? Three-thirty sharp, in uniform. And remind your parents, because we don’t always meet on Thursdays.”
The town boys raced for their bicycles. Others headed for their dads in the parking lot. Cody kicked at a clump of dry grass as he watched them go. Hayden’s dad came out onto the grass to meet his son halfway and—oh, boy—so did the neighbor guy who’d given Cody a ride on his horse last Friday night. Ryan somebody.
Jealousy burned through Cody. How fair was that? He had a dad, too, but he lived in Dallas and never found much time to visit. And when he did…
A single tear burned down Cody’s cheek, so he turned his back and angrily rubbed it away with the back of his hand, glad everyone was too far away to see.
“Hey, son, do you have a ride home?” The voice was deep and familiar, and Cody turned to find Ryan standing by the open door of a silver pickup. “Do you need to use my cell phone?”
The guy was sooo cool. Hayden had taken over Show and Tell for three days running, blabbing on and on about his uncle who went on secret missions for the army and had been badly hurt. Just having Ryan notice him made Cody feel warm inside, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Mom’s pickup coming down the street. “Nah, my mom’s here.”
Ryan looked up the street. “Is that her?”
Cody nodded, wishing she hadn’t showed up so soon.
“You did a great job at practice today. Keep it up.” He got in his truck and shut the door, but didn’t
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