Healing Hearts: A Second Chance, Small Town Romance Novel

Chapter 5

Logan

I'm having a totally rubbish morning. First, my dog, Hector an Airedale terrier decided he was going to run after some rabbits on our walk this morning. We headed off early, seven in the morning as we usually do. Behind my log cabin here in the foot of the hills in Virginia is a trail. You can hike for miles along it and up into the mountains. Hector and I always take the same walk every morning and it always takes us thirty minutes. This is the allotted time for a morning walk, before I have to shower, make and eat breakfast and run him over to Daisy, my sister in Willowbrook.

Not this morning. No. This morning, Hector decided that chasing rabbits was the best thing ever and when I called him he continued to chase them. All I could make out was a wagging tail and his hind sticking in the air. He knows better and usually is not so disobedient. What could I do? Eventually he tired of chasing the rabbits that were much quicker than him and came back to me. You'd think he'd at least have had his head hanging down and his tail between his legs. But no. Of course not.

At three years old, Hector still has the puppy quality about him and loves nothing more than to run along the trail, use my sofa back at the cabin as a trampoline and get up to mischief at a drop of a hat. He's my best friend.

After nearly forty minutes we ended up back at my cabin where I slid off my walking boots and wandered inside, naturally he bounded in front of me and straight to his water bowl in the kitchen. I put the coffee on and headed down the hallway to my master bedroom to have a nice shower. To discover that the water was cold. The darn system needs checking again and I don't have the time to do it. Being the only doctor at the medical centre in Willowbrook has me working some long hours when I have house calls to attend too. What we need is some help only nobody seems to work in a small-town practice like Willowbrook.

They all want these high city hospital jobs or centre of city placements. I can't understand this. Who'd want all that noise, pollution, hustle and bustle when you can have a quaint village practice with all the locals coming in, some with absolutely nothing wrong with them at all only being there for a chat. Mr Willis being one of them. That old man is hitting eighty-five this year and loves nothing more than to come in and chat about his arthritis, the weather, what's in the local newspaper and then bid his goodbyes. I make time for the likes of Mr Willis. He's on his own now that his boys have gone off and married and working. One in Boston and one in New York. Sure they come to visit him frequently, but there's nothing like being there on the doorstep.

Personally, I'd never leave home. I've lived here all my life. Being born in Willowbrook thirty-eight years ago to my proud parents Bert and Ida. Dad's a retired doctor, he used to run the practice and I guess it's fair to say that ever since I was a boy I always wanted to work in his practice. My practice now. My mother Ida was a seamstress and had her own shop on main street where all the locals would come in for alterations, wedding gowns, prom dresses, suits and the like. Daisy my sister runs it now and she's equally as good a seamstress as my mother was.

Daisy looks after Hector during the day for me, he loves to hang around the shop and the customers and the town folk adore him. We have a stipulation not to feed him too many treats, however.

I made a mental note to call Larkin later today to see if he can come out and fix the damn plumbing. Even though it's summer here in Virginia, I still enjoy at least a warm shower in the morning. Not sure how those people do all these ice showers and jumping in ice water, it's definitely not for me.

Upon entering my kitchen I found Hector sitting with egg yolk smeared all over his chops. Egg yolk. Yes folks, that's right. He'd only managed to get to them from the counter top where I'd whisked them before our walk to make breakfast. Needless to say the morning wasn't going quite as planned, with a dog's face to wash, a kitchen floor to mop and breakfast that turned out to be a bowl of sugar puffs in the end, we're running a bit late.

I message Daisy. "Running late, sis."

"No problem." She fires back almost instantly. "Bring him to mine first then we can grab coffee and heaver over to the shop." Thankfully, I don't have any patients until after half past nine so at least I won't be letting anyone down standing outside the practice.

Running my hands through my dark hair, the same hair that could do with a trim I turn around and assess the kitchen. Floor mopped. Tick. Dishes done. Tick. Dog on the lead and seatbelt harness. Tick. Car keys, nope. I search for them in the fruit bowl I always throw them in, moving aside the satsumas and apples to retrieve them.

"C'mon boy. Let's hut." I say as he trots obediently behind me instead of bounding out as usual. At least he respects that eating a man's breakfast ingredients is not acceptable dog behavior. I ruffle his head once he's jumped into the front seat and make my way towards Daisey's house, all the while thinking I need to extend our reach out for a new doctor to help me.

I have Luke Combs playing, When It Rains It Pours. It kind of sums up how I'm feeling right now with one thing and another going on around me. Hector sensing I'm on a bit of a low ebb nudges my arm and rests his head on it. "You're my best pal, do you know that." I tell him and continue to drive along the densely tree lined road towards Willowbrook just ten minutes away.

I pull up in front Daisy's blue and white two up, two down house, with her white wrap around porch and her small garden out front. It's so typically Daisy. Cute and adorable, pots of flowers out front and fairy lights around the porch. She has a couple of tall candles that are planted into the earth and in the pots leading up her porch steps.

"Hey big fella." She comes trotting down from the porch her arms open wide as Hector flings himself towards her.

"Traitor." I mutter.

"Some one's in a good mood. Again." She says with the beamiest smile on her face ever. Daisy always has a smile on her face.

"Time for coffee before you start?" She asks me all the while ruffling up Hector's fur on his head. I take a quick look at my mobile, it's just before nine.

"Sure, I guess I've got time. Let's do it."

She clicks her fingers, Hector breaks into stride next to her and I walk on her opposite side as we make our way down the path and onto main street with all its colorful store fronts. Bluebell diner is right on the corner. Daisy pushes the door open to allow Hector to go in first and I follow behind.

"Hey girl. How ya doin?" Calls out Barb, she owns Bluebell café. Her hair is the reddest red I've ever seen, it can't be natural. Can it?

"Hey Barb. Two black coffees please." Daisy scoots behind one of the tables and takes a seat on one of the blue sofas. Hector lays down by the table as I slide in opposite her.

"You gotta try to cheer up, Logan. It's been a year and that is sufficient time to get over it. Don't you think?" Maybe she's right only I am struggling with getting over it to be quite honest. I wasn't this grumpy before, I used to be upbeat, joke a minute, lively you know a regular happy kind of guy. That was before and this is now.

I look up as Bluebell's diner door chimes. A woman enters, my breath catches.