2. Prescription For Love

Ida said, “Presley, I hope you don’t mind, I raided your laundry room and grabbed some clothes from the clean pile for these two. I recognized Harper’s and figured they’d do better for Blake.” “No, of course I don’t mind.” Presley smiled at Harper and took her hand.

Blake dropped into a free chair and Margie took one beside him. Abby couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him so unselfconscious and confident. She caught her lip between her teeth and swallowed hard. She just had to make everything here work out.

Ida took her seat and everyone attacked the food. The breakfast was delicious, although Abby was almost too tired to eat it. Now that she was sitting, she realized how long it’d been since she’d had to work straight through the night with no relief. Everyone at the table was tired, but an undercurrent of exhilaration filled the room all the same. They’d faced down a crisis and everyone had spent the night doing what they did best. Despite the fatigue, the satisfaction won out.

Abby joined Ida at the sink when everyone had finished and started piling their plates on the counter by the sink. “Really, I’d like to help.”

“Ordinarily, Flannery and Harper would have dish duty,” Ida said, rinsing dishes and stacking them. “Under the circumstances, they’ll get a pass this morning. You too.”

“Oh, really, I’d like to—”

“I’m just going to fill the dishwasher and run it, and the rest of these can wait until later. Everyone should take a nap.”

“That should include you too, then,” Abby said. “You’ve been up all night.”

Ida smiled. “When you raise a house full of medical people, you get used to that. I’ll get my rest this afternoon when you all head back to the Rivers.”

“You’ve raised a wonderful bunch, every one of them,” Abby said.

“I’d be bragging if I agreed, but I can’t argue.” A glow of pride passed over Ida’s strong, bold features. “Your son seems to have handled the excitement of the evening very well himself.”

Abby smiled at Blake. He and Margie were discussing something while staring earnestly into the chicks’ box. “He seems to have fallen in love with all things farm related. I have no idea why. I would have sworn he would always be a city boy.”

“Some just take to it, like it’s in the blood. He might be one of those.”

“Margie’s a wonderful teacher.” Abby met Ida’s steady gaze. “She’s just the kind of friend I was hoping he’d find.”

“It looks like the two of them have taken to each other.”

Abby tensed. Blake hadn’t talked to her about how he identified sexually, but his affection for Margie was obvious. Maybe Ida wouldn’t find Blake ideal friend material if she thought their friendship might become more than that.

“It’s nice to see two kindred spirits connect,” Ida said.

A weight lifted from Abby’s heart. “It is.”

“Although I’ll wager the two of them are capable of raising a bit of Cain, if I know my daughter.”

Abby laughed. “The two of us ought to be able to handle them.”

“Most assuredly.” Ida glanced over to where Flannery and Harper were discussing patients who needed follow-up. “Exactly how serious is Flannery’s leg?” Abby hesitated.

“She was limping when she came in, and she’s favoring it even when she’s sitting down,” Ida said.

“I guess the kids didn’t tell you they were in the barn when it came down during the storm.”

“They were too busy trying to explain why there was a rooster perched on top of one of the kitchen chairs when I came in this morning.”

Abby folded her arms, just the memory of the night before giving her a chill. “Flann went after them when we saw the tornado touch down. I think she probably saved them from serious injury. She sustained a fairly deep laceration on her leg. It should be fine. I sutured it this morning.”

“Did you now.”

“I am an ER physician. It wasn’t—”

“Oh, I have no doubt you’re more than qualified. Flannery, however, isn’t an easy patient. There were times when she was younger I practically had to tie her down so her father could to tend to some injury or other.”

Abby smiled, watching Flann run a hand through her hair, a habit that only left her tousled locks more ruffled and her looking even more attractive. She was dangerously good-looking, and Abby had to work at not staring whenever they were in the same space. “I found threats to be effective.”

Ida chuckled. “You seem to be fitting in very nicely.”

Abby met Ida’s gaze. “I hope so. I want things to work out with

here.”

“I can’t think of any reason why they shouldn’t.”

At that moment, Flannery caught Abby’s gaze, and the dark brooding stare slowly turned to a simmering perusal that bordered on indecent. Deliciously indecent. Abby’s heart sped up, and heat flooded her cheeks. She hoped Flannery’s mother didn’t notice it, but of course not very much escaped Ida Rivers’s notice.

“Now,” Ida said, “a few hours’ sleep will do you good. This place has a slew of bedrooms on the second floor. Presley and Harper have the room on the left at the top of the stairs and Carrie’s is on the right all the way at the back. Any of the other ones are fine.”