The crowd laughs, taking Rhett’s comment about his father as a mere teasing jab, but it’s almost comically sad how much he’s probably not joking.
“For the rest of the evening, I invite you to get settled in your rooms, all assigned on the cutesy little cards there on the dining table,” Rhett continues with a gesture, making everyone in the crowd glance to the side where the huge lodge kitchen is located. “Dinner’ll be served around seven, and then tomorrow morning, we’ll see you bright and early to work on getting everyone all set with horses that match your skill level for the tour.”
“Woo-hoo!” one exuberant twentysomething man in the crowd hollers, but an older woman on the opposite side of the room with a concerned look on her face raises her hand.
Rhett nods toward her. “You have a question, ma’am?”
“Yes,” she responds, a slight nervous lilt to her voice. “I…uh…I don’t have that much experience with riding horses. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Not at all.” Rhett shakes his head. “Don’t worry. We’ve got ’em all, rangin’ from peppy to practically lifeless, and we’ll make sure we pair you with the right one. Normally, I’d be helpin’ y’all, but as you can see,” he says and grabs his braced leg with two hands. “I’m recovering from a bit of an injury. But don’t worry, you’ll be in good hands with Rodney, one of our ranch hands and all-around horse expert.”
“So, what you’re saying is that we’ll be safe out there, even if we have no experience?” the woman probes further, and Rhett nods.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Besides making you feel like family, it’s our top priority to ensure your safety, and Rodney will do just that tomorrow while you’re horseback ridin’. I promise you have nothin’ to worry about besides havin’ fun, all right?”
His words appease the woman’s nerves, and she responds with a nod of a head and a relieved, “Sounds great.”
“But, speaking of safety,” he announces, and I don’t miss the way his eyes flit across the room to mine for a brief second. “We have our very own doctor on staff here for the next few months, so if you need any medical assistance, medical advice, have any medical questions this weekend, please don’t hesitate to direct them to Dr. Leah Levee. She loves to help. Loves to offer medical advice. And it won’t cost ya a dime. It’s all on the house while you’re here.”
Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“Dr. Levee, mind raising your hand in the air so the crowd can see ya?” Rhett requests, and the bastard has the audacity to smile at me as everyone looks around the room to figure out who this loves-to-give-free-medical-advice doctor is.
I really want to flip him the bird.
But, of course, I simply lift my hand in the air and force a smile to my lips.
“Nice to meet you, everyone,” I say. “I’m Leah.”
“Hi, Leah!” the older woman who just asked the horseback-riding question greets a smidge too enthusiastically.
Oh boy, I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot more of her over the next few days.
It’s not that I mind helping people out. I am a doctor, and I took an oath to do just that.
But it’s more the fact that finding ways to treat Rhett Jameson’s knee injury is a full-time job in and of itself. I can’t imagine tossing the task of giving out medical advice to a group of thirty-plus strangers into the mix.
I’m more than aware this stunt of his is all in the name of distraction and keeping me from being on his ass about taking care of his leg.
Crafty, conniving bastard.
“Now,” Rhett says, grabbing the attention of the crowd again. “I’ll hang around for a bit if y’all have any questions, but other than that, please make yourselves at home.”
I watch as the group disperses, most heading toward the long dining table near the lodge kitchen to grab their room assignments, and to my utter enjoyment, Joey comes running toward me with a big grin on her face.
It’s certainly a welcome distraction from strangling her father.
“Leah! Leah!” she exclaims as she closes the distance between us. “Are you gonna go ridin’ tomorrow?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Horseback riding?”
“Yeah. With all the new guests,” she answers, nodding so fast it makes her blond pigtails bounce up and down.
“Oh, honey, I’ve never been horseback riding before,” I admit honestly.
“That’s okay! Rodney will be there, and he’s one of the best! Almost as good at teaching ridin’ as my daddy! And he’s so nice and funny! You’ll love him!”
Her exuberance makes me grin. “Well, I don’t know. I think I might be busy helping your daddy out tomorrow.” More like, chasing him down in between all the fucking free medical advice I’m probably going to have to give out this week.