Special Delivery. Laura Browning

on, Jenny. He’s my best friend and my next-door neighbor. Besides, I was running just a bit late and he was waiting for me.” He needed to change the subject. “I was up this way last night. Dropped a kid home on Mistletoe Lane. Tyler Morgan. Lives with his sister, Holly. I guess y’all are neighbors of sorts.”

      “Oh. Then you’ve met her,” Jenny said with a smile. “I hoped Ernie would remember to give you my message.”

      “What message?” Jake asked in confusion. “When I saw him today, he just said you wanted to talk to me about a patient.”

      Jenny tucked her short blond hair behind one ear. “Yes. Holly Morgan. Didn’t you stop at her house?”

      “Well, yeah, but only because I gave the kid a ride home yesterday. Why’d you want me to check on her? It’s not my jurisdiction. I can give Sam a call, though.”

      Jenny sighed. “I know it’s not your jurisdiction. I wasn’t talking about official business. Ernie didn’t listen. Sam had already left the courthouse, so I left a box of food at the station for you to take by. There’s no way my car will make it down her road, and I knew you were headed out here anyway.”

      Jake quirked a brow. “You’re feeding your patients now?”

      Jenny punched him in the arm. “I had to put her on bed rest. She’s only worked at Crawford’s pallet warehouse for a couple of months or less. I think he’s arranged some work-at-home stuff for her, but still. She’s got no family and few resources. I mentioned Medicaid and food stamps to her, but she shut me down cold.”

      Jake’s brows drew together. “Where’s the dad-to-be?”

      “She has a protective order against him. I know his name and a medical history, but I can’t talk about it. Her file is no information.”

      He had his own sources for information, and he’d get some too. She and Tyler needed help. Jake didn’t even want to examine why he felt compelled to be the one to give it.

      “She did seem a little spooked when she saw me in uniform,” Jake offered to fill the silence. “Wouldn’t even let me get past her front door.”

      “She was lying down wasn’t she?” Jenny’s golden gaze sharpened.

      He thought about the way Holly had flung the door open when they’d stepped on the porch. “Not exactly.”

      “I was afraid of that. At this rate, she’ll go into premature labor. I’ll give her a call Monday. I’d like to get her out of that house and closer into town. I have some real doubts about the safety of Crawley’s house. There’s no telling how old the well is, not to mention the paint, probably loaded with lead.”

      “Well, there are those apartments not far from your clinic…”

      “I checked. They have a waiting list.” She eyed him. “You’ve got extra room in your place.”

      “So do you, Doc, and I’m not in the market for either boarders or roomies. What about some of the church ladies?”

      “She already said no when I mentioned moving closer in.” Jenny shook her head. “You know our town. I’m guessing she’s already come in for the evil eye. I mean, get real. Can’t you just see her boarding with Betty Gatewood? Your place would be a perfect solution. What better way to make sure her PO is enforced than to board with the police lieutenant.”

      He saw the glint in her eye. No, sir. As sexy as Holly Morgan was, even pregnant, that was too much. He’d just keep an eye out, make sure Sam knew about the protective order so he could send guys by more often.

      Just the thought of a woman invading his house made him shudder. She’d want to watch sappy chick flicks or get pissed off when he wanted to watch football. She’d find out I cry like a baby every night from nightmares. There must be something closer in, and he could pull a few strings, maybe get her a break in rent. He doubted Crawley had done anything as formal as a lease. Hell, he was surprised she got the old man to rent the place at all.

      The doorbell pealed and Jake saw Evan open the door to one of the young nurses. The perfect diversion to save him from Jenny’s well-meant meddling. As soon as the thought occurred, Jake was sorry about it. Fireworks were a forgone conclusion whenever she and Evan crossed paths. Playing host in her house was bound to get the sparks flying.

      He supposed he should try to head Evan off. He knew his best friend far too well. Evan was never one to back down from a confrontation, and Jake should have realized what Evan had been angling for when he’d kept nagging Jake to let him come with him.

      Jake started to move in for the interception, but he was already too late. Jenny was ahead of him. She smiled at the nurse, but the look she gave Evan would have made most men turn tail and run. Her golden eyes narrowed.

      “I didn’t get a chance to greet you earlier, Counselor. Did you stop by to see if I’d taken over running Daddy’s still?”

      Evan’s gray eyes were as cold as chips of ice. “Moonshine wasn’t the only thing your daddy ran, Dr. Owens. Last time I was by this place, it resembled a turnstile for the basketball team. But then you always were popular with the boys, weren’t you?”

      Jake winced. Well, now. That was taking things just a little too far a little too fast. Evan wasn’t even attempting an end run, he was plowing straight through the defensive line. Jake stepped in to block. “Hey, Evan! I’m working on a case I need your advice on. I forgot to ask you about it on the way over. Got a second?”

      He noted Jenny’s tense expression and dragged Evan away from her. No one would ever believe they had lived in each other’s pockets all through high school. Since his return to Mountain Meadow, he’d juggled his relationship with them. Both were good friends of his and he didn’t want to lose either one. He pulled Evan over to the refreshments.

      “What the hell were you thinkin’, Evan? Do you go out of your way to make her mad?”

      Evan arched one thick brow and let his shuttered gray eyes survey the room. “I didn’t go out of my way at all. You invited me.”

      “Don’t be an asshole! You know what I mean. And you invited yourself.”

      Evan stared Jake dead in the eye. “I don’t make it a point to have anything to do with her at all, Jake, but neither am I going to avoid her. Meeting in a social situation was inevitable. I won’t be driven out of my town just because she’s decided to return. So, I chose the turf. Hers.” His lip curled as he took in the comfortable surroundings. “Looks to me like the good doctor’s done pretty well for herself. I’m sure she can handle a little heat.”

      “It’s the holidays, Evan. For God’s sake, leave it alone for one night.”

      Evan’s mouth thinned and he said nothing, but nodded acquiescence. Jake sighed. It would take a miracle to bring those two together. He kept an eye on Evan, noting just how often his eyes tracked Jenny’s movements. Say what he wanted, Evan wasn’t over her, and Jake was sure she was the same.

      He was not much surprised, when Evan found him later, wanting to leave. That was fine with Jake. He had plenty on his mind but hoped he’d get a decent night’s sleep for a change.

      * * * *

      Jake picked up the box of food for Holly and her brother the following morning when he stopped by the station. He shook his head. Ernie was starting to get forgetful. It seemed to him the chief had a lot on his mind these days, and played most of it pretty close to his chest. Jake hefted the box, which contained some nonperishable snacks—healthy of course. Doc wouldn’t load her patient with nabs and Moon Pies. Though if you asked him, they’d taste a whole lot better than squirrel food. Maybe he’d stop by Tarpley’s on the way and grab a couple of bags of chips and some candy bars for Tyler. A boy needed decent guy snacks, not the granola crap Jenny stuck in there.

      It would be easy enough to drop it by before he drove the additional hour along the interstate to ski on his day off. Fresh