“Hey, the eggs are ready.” Lisa stepped in and gave her another hug. “I’m glad you’re okay, and I will see you the day after tomorrow? Remember? We’ve got a day of beauty scheduled at Miss Marcelle’s.”

“I might need to work.” She didn’t need a day of beauty. She needed patients. She needed to not step on the land mines that seemed to be buried everywhere in this town.

“You don’t.” Lisa took her husband’s hand. “I already had Mabel clear your calendar.”

That probably hadn’t taken much. But yesterday had proven that even though the people in town might not like her, they sometimes needed her. “Emergencies. I need to be available for emergencies.”

Lisa shrugged. “It’s okay. The beauty parlor is a block away from the clinic, and Mabel can call. She has your full schedule for the rest of the week and she’s ready to take care of everything. I’ll be by to pick you up for lunch.” Her voice went low. “And don’t think we won’t talk about this. Because we will. All of it.”

There might not be much to talk about given how grim Armie looked.

Remy frowned the sheriff’s way. “You think before you say anything you can’t take back, because you do not want to have a talk with me. Remember who she is.”

“Why would you forget who I am?” She watched as Lisa and Remy headed out.

Armie sighed. “He didn’t mean it that way. He meant if I hurt you, he’ll kick my ass.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because you’re his sister-in-law, and that’s how we do things down here. I’ll be honest, though—I’m more worried about Lisa. Now tell me what’s going on.”

“Dad, it’s private.” Noelle shifted, her frustration at not being able to move evident.

But she moved more than Lila had seen her move before. Her hips actually shifted a bit. With some serious PT, Noelle might be able to have more freedom. She needed to do some research. Armie hadn’t liked her talking about this yesterday, but maybe if she came to him with hard facts and a plan, she could convince him. Of course, he might not talk to her at all after this morning. “Noelle and I had a talk. She had a few questions and I answered them.”

“What were the questions?” Armie asked, looking from her to his daughter.

Damn, that man could be intimidating. She’d worked with law enforcement a lot over her years, but she’d rarely met one who could make her think about backing down. “She wanted to know what the normal flow for a period is. She’s worried hers is quite heavy.”