911 and gave you some first aid before I went back out and found the snake. Now, you should know that Archie thinks it was actually the rougarou, and that will get around town.”
It was starting to come back to her. Zep had been with her in the woods. He’d held out his hand when she’d gotten all tangled up and fell to the ground in ungraceful glory. She’d looked up at him and he’d been so stunningly beautiful in the low light, like some damn prince from a fairy tale offering her a hand up.
She hadn’t taken it. She hadn’t been able to. Instead she’d stayed on the ground for a few seconds too long, and she hadn’t been alone down there.
“My friend’s outside.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket. “He’s a crazy snake dude. I hope this one doesn’t bite him. I’ll be back because I still have to figure out what to do with Daisy.”
He strode out and she tried not to watch him. His backside was as masculinely perfect as his front.
“I hit my head.” It was obvious, but she had to say the words to make them real. She couldn’t remember that part. She could remember the way Zep had looked at her when she wouldn’t even take his hand. She could remember the rush of fear when the snake had struck, but then it was all black. “And who’s Daisy?”
“Daisy is the Lab currently chewing on my dog’s favorite toys.” Lila stared at the equipment she’d hooked Roxie up to and made a few notes. “Zep says you two found her out in the woods behind Archie’s place.”
The chocolate Lab. The poor puppy who’d been abandoned. “Yes. We found the dog. That must have been what the goats heard.”
At least they’d solved one mystery.
“You know if the copperhead had gotten the dog, she’d be dead,” Lila pointed out. “You, on the other hand, are going to be fine because those boots my husband insists are the greatest footwear in the history of time stopped those fangs from sinking in.”
She’d always complained about them. She’d wanted to wear something more comfortable like sneakers, but the sheriff insisted on boots. “I will never wear anything else. And I’m glad it got my boot and not the dog.”
The dog had been staked out and left to die. The person who should have cared for the poor puppy had done that—left her in danger because it was more comfortable for the owner.
Yeah, she understood how the pup must have felt.
“I don’t like the fact that you blacked out,” Lila said. “You were out for longer than I would like.”
There was a knock on the door and then her boss walked through. Armie LaVigne was a solid presence in her life. He’d been both boss and big brother to her for the last couple of years. He’d given her a place to go after her ex had made sure none of the big-city departments would take her. “Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Like a complete moron. “I’m good, sir.”
“She likely has a concussion,” Lila explained. “I would say, given the CT scan, that it’s mild, but I’m not the expert. The neurologist hasn’t sent back the report yet.”
“Whoa.” The parish offered insurance, but a neurologist was expensive and she had a pretty high deductible. “I didn’t need a scan. I’m fine. I’ll take some ibuprofen and be good to go.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Armie said.
“She needs to worry about it,” Lila countered. “It’s her brain. It’s bruised.”
“She’s worried about the cost.” Armie looked at his wife. “She heard the word ‘neurologist’ and saw dollar signs. I know I would. It’s okay. Lila’s brother is a neurologist back in Dallas, and she forces him to work for free. She’s mean that way, but it does save the parish a lot of money. The good news for Will is we don’t have a ton of head injuries.”
Lila shrugged. “My brother makes a godawful amount of money. He can give some back. But he’s whiny about being woken in the middle of the night.” Her cell trilled. She glanced down. “Ah, and there he is. I’ll be right back because he’ll yell at me for a little while before he tells me the results. It’s the price I pay.” She put the phone to her ear as she walked out of the room. “Hey, Will.”
Armie looked down at Roxie. “You need to do whatever my wife tells you to