Page 69 of Hollywood
“Okay.” I shifted nervously while we waited. “What could be wrong, though? She played outside with Joyride the other day. It was nice weather. Did I not dress her warmly enough? Or is it bad to have her around so many people? Maybe she got germs from the swing set or the slide or?—”
“Hey.” Tex walked up, Ruby still in his arms, and kissed my forehead. “It’s okay. It’s nothing you did wrong.”
Ruby watched us. “Ruby kiss?”
Tex chuckled. “I think our girl’s jealous. Better give her a kiss, Da.”
I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Love you the most, Roo-Roo.”
She turned. “Teck?”
He laid a kiss on her head. “Me too, munchkin.”
“Maybe she’s feeling better? Maybe this was a false alarm.”
“Maybe,” Tex said, pulling out the thermometer. “Let’s see… Nope. She’s got a fever. It’s not too high, but it’s there.”
“Damn.”
“Get dressed, Holly. I’ll put her in the bath. See if that helps.”
“What if it doesn’t?” I turned to pull open my dresser drawer and yanked out a worn T-shirt. “We should just take her to ER, right? Aiden’s clinic won’t be open yet.”
“Why take her all the way there when we could go a few doors down?”
I turned, surprised. “What, to hishouse?”
“Why not?” Tex said.
“Uh, because he and Knight aresleeping? Because he’s not actually available for house calls? I don’t know.”
“Don’t be silly, darlin’. Knight will kick our asses if we don’t go to them first, don’t you think?”
“I guess it might hurt Aiden’s feelings if I didn’t ask…”
“Exactly.” He carried Ruby out of the bedroom. “We’ll head over as soon as you’re ready.”
I dragged my T-shirt over my head. “You don’t want to try the bathfirst?”
“Nah, I’d rather get an expert opinion,” he called back from the hallway. “You’ll have peace of mind much sooner.”
Well, that was true. Even if the bath seemed to help, we wouldn’t know what was wrong or if it would only get worse later.
I hurried to pull on boxer briefs, jeans, and socks. I dressed in a hurry, only adding a swipe of deodorant so I wouldn’t offend anyone.
Tex was in the living room with Ruby. He’d found a T-shirt and his trusty ball cap, but he still wore sweats. He’d shoved his feet into some flip-flops rather than the cowboy boots he usually wore, and it just looked wrong.
He’d changed Ruby into a fuzzy sweater and sweatpants covered in unicorns. “Ready?”
“Yeah. Should we call ahead?”
“Already did,” Tex said.
“Okay, good.”
We went out the door, and I locked it behind us. Tex carried Ruby, and I walked alongside him. Knight’s trailer was only a few lots down the street. His motorcycle sat at an angle on one side of the driveway, and Aiden’s Honda Accord took up the other space.
The sun was just coming up, painting everything in a pale pink glow. Tex opened the metal gate, and I followed him up the sidewalk to the porch. When we got there, he pulled open the screen door and banged on the front door.
