Detours Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’m getting a cramp in my back.”
    “Go ahead. Here, I’ll stuff these pillows under your foot to keep it elevated.”
    Ellis scooted up to brace her back against the arm of the sofa. “Is there anyone else in your family I’ll need to put on the payroll? So far I’ve got nurse Mary, Natalie the dog sitter, and Nathan the emergency shrub tender.”
    Mary reclaimed her seat. “Swiffer would probably like honorable mention as bedside sentry.”
    “Swiffer?”
    “Natalie’s cat. Big gray and white fluffy creature. Looks kind of like a giant furniture duster. She was really giving you the hairy eyeball when I helped you in from your truck this afternoon.”
    “Come to think of it, she was on the back of the sofa when I first woke up earlier. I haven’t seen her since she and Sam tore out of here like they had firecrackers up their butts. Probably a good thing I took Sam to obedience school, or we’d be looking for the both of them in the next county.”
    “Nah, Swiffer would have put Sam in her place with one quick left hook. I have to say, though, Swiffer and Sam were pretty funny when they met this afternoon.” Mary laughed at the recollection.
    “Which reminds me once again—there’s a whole chunk of this day that’s still a total mystery to me. Any chance you’d fill me in on what I missed?”
    “For a fee.” Mary offered another of her mock-evil laughs.
    “Like I have a choice. Name your price.”
    “Geez, you’re easy.” Mary smiled warmly. “I like that.”
    “As I said, what are my options? I can’t dash out the door, claim my dog, climb in my truck, and cruise on home. And let’s not forget, you’ve already seen me in my birthday suit.” Ellis gazed into Mary’s eyes.
    “Just the bottom half.” She looked away, avoiding Ellis’s stare.
    “And to think you accused me of being a pushy broad.”
    “Maybe we’re a matched set.” Mary stole a glance at Ellis.
    “Maybe. Now, tell me what happened this afternoon.”
    “We left the hospital and came here. I got you situated on the sofa, which was a little like hauling a sack of potatoes around, but I managed.”
    Mary smiled again, and the light in her eyes made Ellis’s heart catch in her chest.
    “Okay, so I’m doing my tuber impersonation on this very sofa, and then?”
    “Natalie was spending the day with Nathan, but I called him and explained about your accident and your fate-of-the-free-world shaggy shrub situation. He brought Natalie home, and then he went to Fredrick’s house.”
    “I want to hear more about Nathan, but first I need to ask how he knew what house to go to.”
    “When I was driving you to the hospital, I saw your appointment book and your address book in the console of your truck. One of the first things you told me this morning when we were stuck in the traffic backup was that the house you were trying to get to was on Ponderosa Lane. The appointment book said, ‘Fredrick. Holly bushes. A.M.’ I thumbed through your address book until I found a Fredrick Nyegard on Ponderosa.” Mary twirled her right hand in the air and then made a seated, half-bow from the waist. “Voilá.”
    Ellis whistled a two-note appreciation. “Does the CIA know about you? That was pretty clever.”
    “Flatterer.”
    “Merely the truth.” Ellis tipped her head in Mary’s direction. “So tell me the rest of it.”
    “You’d given me your wallet to hold when they took you for x-rays at the emergency room. I knew you were too banged up to manage for yourself, and I didn’t know if you had anyone you could stay with, so I decided the easiest thing would be to bring you here, at least for tonight.”
    Ellis tried to interrupt, but Mary kept talking.
    “It was a simple matter to check your driver’s license for your address. I already had your keys, so when Nathan got back here after doing the bushes, I had him stay to keep an eye on Natalie and an ear out for you while I dropped off your prescriptions and ran to your place