“You k
now me so well,” she quipped, returning to what she’d been doing.
“I wish I did know you better. Then maybe I’d understand why I find you so fascinating.”
A ripple of pleasure went through her at his statement. She resisted placing a hand on her stomach when it quivered. “It might be that I don’t fall at your feet like other women do.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“They used to. I figured now wasn’t any different. In fact, I saw and heard the ER nurses swoon when you came in the other day.”
“Swoon. That’s an old-fashioned word.” He leaned in close so that only she could hear. “Did you swoon over me, too, Laura Jo?”
She had but she wasn’t going to let him know that. Straightening and squaring her shoulders, she said with authority, “I did not.”
He grinned, his voice dropping seductively. “Something about that quick denial makes me think you did.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Would you please go? I have work to do.”
He chuckled. “I’m flattered. I had no idea girls swooned over me.”
I bet. Laura Jo glared at him.
“I’m going. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your work. See you later.”
She glanced up to see him disappear through the crowd. Their conversations had been the most thought-provoking, irritating and stimulating ones she’d ever experienced. And that didn’t count how he’d made her feel when he’d kissed her. She had to think fast to stay ahead of him. Somehow that made her life more exciting and interesting.
* * *
Mark made one more circle around his patrol area along the parade route. He’d not worked patrol in three days and his muscles were telling him they had noticed. Busy at his practice, getting his patient load up, it required late hours to accommodate people coming in after work hours. As the newest man in the six-doctor general practice, it was his duty to cover the clinic for the hours that were least desirable.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a boy of three or four standing in the middle of the street. The child looked lost. Mark parked his bike and scanned the crowd for some anxious parent. Finding none, he went down on his haunches in front of the boy. “Hello, there, are you looking for someone?”
“My mommy.”
“Can I help you find her?”
The boy nodded.
Mark offered his hand and he took it. They started walking along the edge of the crowd, Mark looking for anyone who might claim the boy.
A woman clutching her cell phone stepped out from behind the barriers just ahead of them and hurried toward them. “Lucas, you shouldn’t have walked off.”
The woman looked at Mark. “I was talking on my phone and then he was gone,” she said with a nervous little laugh.
Mark nodded. “I understand. Little ones can get away from you when you aren’t paying attention.”
The woman’s lips tightened. She took her son’s hand and left.
He went back to patrolling. Returning to Mobile so close to Mardi Gras season, he had social obligations to consider. He’d been king the year he’d left and now that he was back in town he was expected to attend certain events. He’d once lived for all the fanfare of the season but now it held no real thrill for him. Still, certain things were expected of him. He just wished doing so didn’t bring on such heavy guilt.
Mark hadn’t expected to find Laura Jo working the same parade as he was but he wasn’t disappointed either. He’d missed their sparring. It was always fun to see how she’d react to something he said or did. Especially his kiss. He’d kissed enough women to know when one was enjoying it.
He wasn’t disappointed with her reaction today, either. When he’d asked her about swooning over him he’d have to admit her pretty blush had raised his self-esteem. She had been one of those teens who’d wanted to be noticed by him. The sad thing was that he would’ve crushed her admiration with the self-centered attitude he’d wore like his royal cloak if he’d even noticed her.
Clearly he had noted the woman she’d become. There hadn’t been another female who kept him on his toes or stepped on them more than she did. There were so many facets to her. He still didn’t understand what made her tick. He couldn’t count the number of times she’d been on his mind over the past few days despite his efforts not to let her intervene in his thoughts.
He compared the mother who’d been too busy talking on her phone to show any real concern for her child with Laura Jo’s motherly concern over a skinned knee. She won. Laura Jo had seen the humor when he’d had to carry Gus. He could still hear her boisterous laughter. Under all that anti-society, I-can-do-it-on-my-own attitude, she hid a power to love and enjoy life.
From what he’d heard and read between the lines, she hadn’t had much opportunity to take pleasure in life in a number of years. She been busy scrapping and fighting to keep Allie cared for. To go to school, then work and start a shelter. It had to have been hard, doing it all without family support. What was the deal with her family anyway?
No wonder she was so involved with the single mothers’ house. She identified with the women, had been one of them. As if she didn’t have enough going on in her life now, she was trying to raise funds to buy the house. Was there anything Laura Jo couldn’t do?
Mark made another loop through his section of the parade route. He wasn’t far from the med tent when he pulled over out of the way to let the parade go by. One girl in a group of dancers he recognized from other parades. She was limping badly. Seconds later, the girl left the line and collapsed to the curb.
To help her, he had to cross the parade route. He raised his hand and the driver of the next float stopped. Mark pushed his bike over to where the teenage girl sat. She was busy removing her tap shoe. Mark noticed that her foot was covered in blood.
He parked his bike and crouched beside her. The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I just couldn’t go any further.”
It wasn’t unusual to see members of the dance groups abusing their feet. Some of the dancers did up to four parades a day when it got closer to Fat Tuesday. More than once Mark had wondered how they kept it up. Almost everyone in the parades rode while these girls danced for miles.
“I don’t blame you. That looks painful. How about we get you cleaned up and ease that pain?”
The girl nodded then started to stand. Mark picked up her discarded shoe and placed his hand on her shoulder. “The med tent isn’t too far. Do you mind if I carry you? That foot looks too painful to walk on.”
The girl nodded. Mark handed her the shoe and scooped her into his arms. The crowd parted so he could get through. “Would someone please follow us with my bike?”
A middle-aged man called, “I’ll bring it.”
Mark headed for the med tent a block away. As he walked people turned to watch. He was within sight of the tent when he saw Laura Jo look in his direction. It was as if she had radar where he was concerned. She seemed to sense when he was near. He would have to give that more thought later. He hefted the girl closer in his arms. This was turning into a workout.
Laura Jo moved away and when he saw her again she was pushing a wheelchair across the dirt and grass area between them. Mark faltered. The girl’s arms tightened around his neck. The blood drained from his face as Mike crossed his mind.
When Laura Jo reached him, he lowered the dancer into the chair.
Laura Jo mouthed over the girl’s head, “Are you okay?”
He nodded. But the look on her face had him doubting he’d convinced her.
“What happened?”
“Blisters.”
“I’ll get things ready.” Laura Jo turned and hurried back toward the tent.
Mark let his hands rest on the handles of the chair for a moment before he started pushing. He wished he could have let Laura Jo do it. Bringing the wheelchair up on its two back wheels, he maneuvered it across the rough ground. When he arrived at the tent Laura Jo was waiting with a square plastic pan filled with what must
be saline. He lifted the footrest off the chair. Going on one knee, he removed the girl’s other tap shoe. Laura Jo then slipped the pan into position and the girl lowered her feet into the water with a small yelp of pain.
“Do it slowly and it will be less painful. It’ll hurt at first but as soon as they are clean we’ll bandage them and you’ll feel a lot better. Are you allergic to anything?”
“No,” the girl said.
Laura Jo then offered her a white pill and a small glass of water that had been waiting on the table beside them. “That should ease the pain.” She looked at him. “I’ll take care of her from here, Dr. Clayborn.”
Had he just been dismissed? He had. Grinning at Laura Jo and then the girl, he said, “I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Nurse Akins.”
“Thank you,” the girl said.
“You’re welcome. I hope you get to feeling better. I’ll miss seeing you in the parades.”
The girl blushed a bright pink then looked away.
Laura Jo gave a dramatic roll of her eyes.
Mark smiled. He looked around to find his bike leaning against a nearby tree. He climbed on and prepared to ride off. He glanced back at Laura Jo. She looked away from caring for the girl’s feet to meet his gaze.
He grinned. Maybe he could still make her swoon.
Two hours later, after the last parade of the day, he pulled up beside the med tent. He would leave his reports of the minor injuries he’d handled with them. The city officials liked to keep a record of anything that happened during Mardi Gras season in order to plan for the next year.
Allie came running toward him. “Hey, did you bring Gus with you?”
“No, not today. I couldn’t get him to ride the bike.”
Allie giggled.
“Had any king cake this week?”
Allie nodded. “I even found the baby.”
“Then I guess you’re planning to take a cake to school.”
“We’re out of school today. It’s our Mardi Gras break.”