Page 99 of Pretty Little Scars

“Are you seriously arguing with me about this?”

Her mouth opens and closes, and then she huffs out a laugh. “No.”

“Good girl. Come on.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders as we walk into the house, where I grab some peanut butter and celery and cheese with crackers, and then lead her upstairs.

“Snacks and a shower. Fancy.” She winks at me and takes a bite of the celery. “Yum. So hungry.”

“This will tide you over for a little while.” I kiss her forehead and turn to leave her be, but she catches my hand in hers.

“Where are we going?”

“Out.”

Darby rolls her eyes, and I lean in to whisper in her ear.

“Roll your eyes at me again and see where it gets you.”

“Yes, you’re very scary. I need to know what I should wear, Hotshot.”

“This one is casual. Wear whatever you want, baby. You always look fucking amazing.”

Her cheeks darken with the compliment, and she looks away while chewing her celery.

“I just need an hour or so.”

“No rush.”

Once I hear the shower turn on, I pull my phone out to make a call, but instead it rings with Trent Fisher’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Doc,” I say as I pad down the stairs.

“Tucker,” he replies. “Just calling for an update on Darby to see how she’s doing out at the ranch.”

I huff out a laugh and lean back against the kitchen counter, staring out the window over the sink. “Well, she hasn’t been here much over the past few weeks because you’ve had her out on emergency calls.”

He blows out a breath. “I know. Spring is busy, and I want her to get as much experience as possible. A year really isn’t all that long.”

“I get it. She’s doing well out here. Honestly, I don’t have anything to report since I told you about how she handled Ellie’s foot. She’s finding homes for the barn kittens, and besides that, you see her almost more than I do.”

“Why do you sound a little bent out of shape over that?”

I take a breath, but don’t say anything for a moment, and then Trent chuckles in my ear.

“I see. Well, I guess I’m not surprised, she’s great. But I’m still going to work her ass off because that’s her job, Tuck.”

“Yeah, I get it. She wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Iamgiving her the next couple of days off from the on-call list,” he tells me, making my spine straighten.

This is perfect.

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” I reply, keeping my tone even.

“I’ll text her and let her know. If anything comes up that I should know about, just call me.”

“Will do. Talk to you next week.”

I hang up and then call Bridger Blackwell, the fire chief of Bitterroot Valley and Darby’s brother-in-law.