Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 10) by Laylah Roberts (good book club books txt) 📗

him then noticed he was grinning. “You’re having me on.”

“Sort of.” He closed the door behind him before she could reply. What did he mean, sort of?

16

Ed grabbed his phone and called Xavier. It went to voicemail.

“Need to talk to you about Georgina’s health and care.” After ending the call, he gathered up a bottle of water then cut up some apple and put it on a plate with cheese slices and crackers. He wasn’t exactly a gourmet cook, but it was healthy.

His phone rang. That was quick.

“I can’t talk to you, Ed,” Xavier said immediately. “Patient-doctor confidentiality.”

Patient-doctor confidentiality could take a flying leap out the window as far as he was concerned.

“I have her permission, asshole.”

“Wow, this is going to be a fun conversation if you’re name-calling already. I need to hear that from her.”

“All right. But she’s about to have a nap so you’ll have to make it quick.”

“You got her to agree to a nap and to staying at your place? I’m impressed. She’s not tied to your bed, is she? Should I send one of your deputies out to check?”

“Haha, keep it up, asshole, and I’ll have them ping you every time they catch you speeding.” Xavier had a lead foot.

“Now, now, no need for that,” Xavier said hastily. “Is she there?”

Ed put the plate of food and water down on the bedside table. He looked over at Georgie where she sat in his bed, wearing his T-shirt, sheets around her.

They were going to smell of her when he climbed in there tonight.

Hell. Yes.

Satisfaction unlike anything he’d known before filled him. He sat facing her then put the phone on speaker and settled it on her lap.

“Right, she’s here.”

Xavier sighed. “I’m on speaker, aren’t I?”

“Yep. Georgie, tell Xavier that he can talk to me about your health.” He hated this. He didn’t want to have to ask permission to find out what was going on with her.

Georgie was his.

“You can talk to him, Xavier. Make him stop worrying so much. When he hears there’s nothing actually wrong with me, then he might give up this ridiculous idea that I need to take daily naps.”

“I wouldn’t say that there was nothing wrong, sweetheart,” Xavier said cautiously.

She moved her hand through the air dismissively. “Yes, but nothing serious.”

Xavier sighed. “Sweetheart, this is still serious.”

“But I don’t have a heart condition or anything.”

“Yes, but stress and anxiety can all impact your health negatively. You need to take this seriously. Stress can kill you prematurely. You collapsed the other day. I wish you’d consider speaking to someone, there are things that can be done—”

“I don’t want drugs.”

“There are other ways,” he soothed. “Techniques you can use to help. Running until you’re at the point of exhaustion and collapse isn’t a good coping technique.”

She sighed, but looked unsure.

“Can we table that for the moment?” Ed asked. “Is there anything else we can do?”

She sent him a grateful look. Oh, if only she knew that he intended to revisit the therapy idea. But after he’d talked to Xavier about who he would recommend and done his own research. Then he’d talk her into going. Because she was going to get everything she needed. Even if he had to use a bit of gentle pressure.

Or not so gentle pressure. But he’d use that as a last resort. With Georgie, he needed to tread carefully until she trusted him more.

“Anything to help her relax. Exercise is good, but not to the point of exhaustion. Something like yoga or Pilates might help. Sleeping and eating right is imperative. A good diet. Plenty of rest. But it can be hard to sleep well with anxiety. Naps are a good idea. Particularly as it sounds like you haven’t slept well in a while.”

“Darn it, you weren’t supposed to back him up,” she grumbled.

“So keeping her relaxed and her mind off negative thoughts,” Ed reiterated.

“Right. If you can think of ways to do that, great. Also cutting down on caffeine. That won’t be helping the heart palpitations or the headaches. Drink lots of water. Did you fill the ‘script yet for her iron tablets?”

“No, I was going to go out and do that soon,” Ed replied.

“Try to take them with vitamin C to aid absorption. They can upset some people’s stomachs, so just watch out for any nausea, constipation, or vomiting.”

“Xavier!” she protested, going bright red.

“I’ve got to know what to look for,” Ed told her firmly. “It’s my job to keep you safe and healthy.”

“I’ve been doing that myself for over twenty years.”

He thought it probably wasn’t prudent to remind her that she’d just ended up in the hospital because she’d collapsed. And that she was underweight and stressed.

“Call me if you need me, all right?”

“Thanks, man,” Ed told him gratefully, putting him off speaker and holding the phone to his ear.

“So I’m no longer an asshole?”

“Nah, you’re always an asshole,” he replied. “Gotta go. Got to take care of my girl.”

“I’m glad you’ve found her. I’m off speaker?”

“Yep.”

“There’s a prescription for sedatives with her discharge papers. She’s not keen on taking them, but if she’s having real problems sleeping she might need to.”

“Got it. Don’t worry I’m going to take good care of her.” He stared down at Georgina as he told Xavier that.

“Never doubted you, man.”

He ended the call then put his phone down. She tried to smile for him. “See? Nothing that bad.”

“Bad enough, Georgie-girl.”

“I’ll have to think of a nickname for you. Maybe pumpkin lips.”

“Pumpkin lips?” He gaped at her with pretend-horror. No, wait, that was actual horror. Because if she ever called him that in front of Kiesha, then he’d never live it down. “You best do better than that, brat.”

She just grinned. He was enjoying this light-hearted side of her too much to tell her that he’d put her over his knee if she ever called him that in public.

Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to go grab your stuff from the motel. I know