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“How long is it going to take to do the repairs?” she asks.
Jedd cuts a look in my direction, and I nod for him to explain.
“The front end is damaged. I haven’t been able to get back to the shop long enough to take a good look at it, but you’re leaking oil, radiator fluid and transmission fluid. The side that landed on the embankment is all bent and dented to shit, and that’s not counting the two blown tires.”
Maisie sucks in a deep breath and blows it out. “Okay. But you can fix it right?”
Instead of nodding, and assuring her that he can fix it, he shrugs. “Not sure yet. Gotta look at it and then figure out what parts to buy, but I can try.”
“How long is that going to take?” she asks, her breath hitching.
Why is she in such a hurry? If she is in fact on vacation, what’s the rush?
He shrugs again. “No idea. I’ll know more when I figure all of what’s wrong with it.”
She nods. “Okay. I’d appreciate it if you could let me know as soon as possible.” She glances to where her purse is. “Is my phone in there?”
Rhett steps forward, and minding his manners, doesn’t open the thing, just passes it to her. She wraps her left arm around Audra and tries to undo the clasp with one hand.
“Here. Let me take her for you.” I hold out my arms.
Instead of letting her daughter go, she hands me her purse. “Thank you.”
I unclasp it and pull the sides apart so that she can reach in and retrieve her phone.
“Do you guys have somewhere in town that we can stay until my camper is repaired?” she asks while her gaze is locked on the device in her hand.
I nod. “There’s a bed and breakfast in the square. I’ll call over and see if Holly has a room.” I stand and start toward the door.
After stepping into the hallway, the busy sounds of the hospital get louder. I pull my own phone out of my pocket and hit the contact for the bed and breakfast.
“Sleepy Mountain Bed and Breakfast, this is Holly, how can I help you?”
“Hey, Hols. It’s Harlan.”
“Hi, Harlan. How’s it going?”
Holly took over the bed and breakfast when her parents retired, and she’s the only hospitality joint outside of the big resort. To say business for her is brisk is an understatement.
“It’s going. Listen, do you have a single room for a woman and a baby?”
“Oh jeez. Har, I’m sorry. I just checked in the last guests. I’m booked solid for the next four weeks. What’s going on?”
“The woman ran off the highway late last night on her way to Shelley, she’s here in the hospital, but her rig is fucked, and she doesn’t have anywhere to stay.”
“Well shit. Let me call up to the resort and see if they have anything — but don’t get your hopes up, they referred the guests I just checked in over to me.”
Fuck. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.” She disconnects the call, and I run a hand through my hair.
I step back into the hospital room. “Holly doesn’t have a room, but she’s checking with the resort.”
As if her ears were burning, my phone vibrates in my hand with a text from Holly. I glance at the screen and stifle a curse.
“The bed and breakfast doesn’t have a room, neither does the resort. There’s a big country music festival in town for the next couple of days. So everything is booked.”
Maisie’s silver eyes flash to me, and I see the dismay in them seconds before she covers the reaction.
