Page 29 of Enduring Christmas

#

LUKEopened the clinic door for Xenobia, to find Callie waiting for them in the reception area. In reality, it was one giant room separated by thin sheets of drywall or privacy curtains. Callie was attractive and single. In her mid-thirties, she was a brown-skinned woman with short dark hair, expressive eyes, and a kind smile. She was a hard worker and dedicated to the folks who lived in this remote region of the country. And though she could make a lot more money in a big city like Sacramento or San Francisco he knew that she loved what she did, and that the money wasn’t a driving factor.

Xenobia mumbled a greeting before climbing up onto an exam table. Luke, well he held up the wall.

"So, I hear Luke's been taking good care of you."

It didn't surprise Luke that the nurse practitioner was so direct with her line of questioning. For a woman who had grown up outside of Endurance, she was definitely one of them. Xenobia the other hand looked absolutely flustered. Callie changed the subject.

"How's your head? Any dizziness, vomiting, lightheadedness, incoordination, blurred vision or headache pain?"

Callie asked her questions while checking Xenobia's eyes with an ophthalmoscope. Ears, nose, and the back of her throat came next.

"Not that I've noticed."

"That's good."

Word had spread fast that Xenobia had decided to spend the night with Luke rather than leaving with her friends. That's the thing about Endurance. Folks were friendly, which meant your business was their business. Luke had no doubt that when Owen got back to No Limits, a question and answer session flowed as freely as the tap about what happened out at Luke's place between him and Xenobia.

"Yeah, Luke is good at doctoring me back to health."

Callie gave him a knowing look. "I just bet," she said palpating down the back of Zenobia's neck, for swollen lymph nodes he supposed.

"Luke," Callie gave him an apologetic look. "I need to complete the rest of Xenobia's exam in private."

"Of course." Why hadn't X reminded him to remain outside? They'd gotten so comfortable together, him sticking around for a private exam seemed appropriate. "I will let you two ladies talk. Xenobia, I'll wait for you outside."

He was sure Callie had picked up on their oversight.

Xenobia nodded her head without really looking at him. Stubborn woman. He wasn't sure what happened back at the cabin to make her so salty with him. They’d made love more than once last night. When he’d gone out this morning to chop wood, before the next snow, she'd seemed fine.

"Sure."

Luke opened the door and stepped into the empty waiting room. He was just about to exit the small office Callie had been given off the back of the Methodist church when he heard his name.

"So, what's going on with you and Luke?"

"Who said anything was," came Xenobia's sharp retort.

Luke tried not to get angry, but he was. This morning she'd trusted him with her secret and now she couldn't or wouldn't tell Callie he was off the market?

"Well just about everybody," Callie laughed. "The whole town knows that you've been staying out at his place for the last few days. Cai's told all the kids you two are getting married."

"Well, the whole town doesn't know Jack about what's going on between us. I've been married. It's not for me. Luke is a nice guy."

"Heard he's a good cook."

"He cooks. I eat."

What? His fingers closed around the knob. Now Xenobia was feeding Callie a shovel full of malarkey.

"A nice guy who seems to care a lot about you."

"Maybe. But he's not making any promises, and neither am I."

Luke's hope of a wife, a loving family with a partridge in a freaking pear tree transformed in a lump of coal.

"Nice guys don't just bring you into their house and nurse you back to health. Especially with this little girl."