Lisa nodded. “I heard the great lawn mower battle happened this afternoon. Sheriff won’t let them drive cars anymore. Jimmy’s eyesight is very poor and he’s had enough accidents that no insurance will cover him, and Abe has both road rage and a deep need to rage at the machine by not paying his tickets. Now they go all over town on their lawn mowers. They can move surprisingly fast. Don’t mistake them for the scooter brigade. They’re trying to form their own MC. I don’t think they understand what an MC is. Abe and Jimmy gave you trouble?”

She’d seen the outcome of their speed. “They seemed to hate each other, but after I patched them up and was certain no one had a concussion, they were going to get a beer together. I told them they shouldn’t have a beer after I gave them anti-inflammatory meds, but they said something in French about bon temps and went to a bar anyway.”

“Laissez les bons temps rouler,” Lisa said with a smile. “Let the good times roll.”

“The good times could have drug interactions,” Lila pointed out. They hadn’t been interested in hearing about how alcohol could intensify the drugs’ effects on the central nervous system.

But they’d paid in cash. There was that.

“I don’t think Abe and Jimmy care much about that. Are they giving you a hard time? Not Abe and Jimmy. The rest of the town. Remy was surprised when Doc decided to go fishing this morning. He thought Doc was going to stay and oversee the first couple of weeks at least.”

“I don’t think he’s big into the protocols we’re supposed to follow.” It made her nervous. She followed the rules. Always. She’d played it safe.

Lisa waved the concern off. “I’m not worried about that. We’re a tiny town with one healthcare provider. We can skirt the rules a bit. No, I was worried that the townsfolk can be a little nervous around strangers.”

“Almost everyone canceled when they figured out Doc Hamet wasn’t there.” She hated admitting to her sister that she was failing. “I had a couple of minor emergencies, but all of my scheduled appointments canceled. I was supposed to have four appointments tomorrow, but we’ve got two cancellations, and I’m sure number three will do the same. Although Noelle LaVigne assures me she’s coming in.”

Her heart had nearly broken at the sight of that young woman in her wheelchair. She’d read the report about how she’d injured her spine. It had been a car accident, one in which she’d lost her mother and her ability to walk.

How hard had it been for the sheriff to make the transition to single dad? How difficult had it been for Noelle to go from normal teen to wheelchair bound in a heartbeat?