Dorothy Garlock by River Rising

continued. “One came in yesterday and, after hemming and hawing, finally got around to asking me if I was married or engaged.”
    “Did she leave a pie or s-something?”
    “Dr. Todd Forbes! You’re spoiled.”
    “Yeah, I am. I guess—”
    He cut off his words when the door opened. A tall, lean man came into the office. He removed his hat, revealing thick dark hair. It was hard not to notice the scar that sliced across one eyebrow onto his cheek. It showed a pale, threadlike line through his summer tan.
    “Howdy, Corbin. You sick?”
    “Naw. Sorry to disappoint you.”
    “Damn. None of my so-called friends ever get s-sick anymore. How am I goin’ to make ends meet if m-my friends don’t give me their business?”
    Corbin shook his head and grinned. “I hear this every time I come in here.” He extended his hand to April. “I’m Corbin Appleby, ma’am. Welcome to Fertile.”
    She placed her hand in his. “April Asbury. I’m glad to be here.”
    “Corbin was the police officer here until he got to be as c-crooked as the crooks. Now he owns the r-rag he calls a newspaper.”
    “You see why I’m not going to get sick and let him get his hands in my pockets?”
    Affection between the two men showed in their ability to tease each other.
    “I’m here to get a story about your new nurse, Doc. I might even put her picture on the front page.”
    “Paint a mustache on her. I’m afraid she’s going to dry up the supply of c-cakes and pies the ladies bring me.”
    “So that’s what’s causing that little potbelly.”
    “Smart mouth,” Doc snorted. “I don’t have a potbelly and you know it. Go ahead and interview my nurse. But first, how’s Annabel?”
    “She complains of a backache once in a while.”
    “During this last month she’s not to be lifting Murphy.” “I’ve already told her. Our son is two and a half,” Corbin explained to April.
    “A good-sized boy for his age,” Doc added.
    “Are you wishing for a girl this time?”
    “I’ll take whatever I get and pray that it’s healthy and my wife comes through it all right.”
    “As I’ve told you before—women have been h-havin’ babies for y-years now. You’re as bad as an old woman when it comes to w-worrying.”
    “Boone will bring Tess over in a week or two to stay until after the baby comes. Tess was my wife’s neighbor when she lived over by the big river.” Corbin explained this to April while he was setting up his camera to take her picture.
    When the picture was taken and the interview over, Corbin told Doc that the job of town police officer was going to be open in a few weeks.
    “The council firing Burkhardt?”
    “He got a job as a guard down at the state prison.”
    “Will they b-bring in an outsider like they d-did when they hired you?”
    “They need a man with experience.”
    “You interested in the job?”
    “No. I promised my wife I’d stay out of law enforcement. I would help train a man if it came to that.”
    “How about Jack Jones?”
    “No one thinks more of Jack than I do. But he’s been hitting the bottle pretty heavy lately.”
    “If he had a purpose in life, he m-might not.”
    “He’s local. That’s in his favor, but I don’t know if I could talk the city council into hiring him.”
    “How about This or That Humphrey?”
    “Too young.”
    “How about Joe?”
    “He might take it for a while, but we need a man who wants to make law enforcement a career. Joe wants to raise cattle. Have you seen the bull he’s got out at his place?”
    “I have,” April said. “He calls him Rolling Thunder.”
    “April was s-stuck in the mud out by Joe’s when she first came to t-town.”
    “If you had to get stuck, you couldn’t have chosen a better place.”
    “That’s what
he
said.” April’s eyes were twinkling. “He’s not lacking in confidence.”
    Corbin smiled. “Wait until you see him and Thad Taylor together. They’d put Amos and Andy to shame.”
    “Thad is married to Joe’s