Read Laying Down The Law (#4, Cowboy Way) (The Cowboy Way) for Free Online

Her mother’s air conditioner must be on the fritz, because it definitely wasn’t conditioning the stale, humid heat in the upper story of the house.  Down in the guest room, where Mel’s old bed was still set up, her mother was probably sleeping like a baby, because if it hadn’t been replaced, her old mattress was like a big feather pillow.  Melanie wanted to cry like a baby because she was so damned tired, but absolutely couldn’t sleep since she was too hot. 
    Tomorrow, she’d call someone to come and look at it, because there was no way she could stay here six weeks otherwise.  She stood and walked to the window, pushed back the sheers and jerked the bi-fold window open.  A fresh gush of cool night air washed over her heated face and she sighed.  The absolute silence of the night here soothed her.  She’d forgotten just how damned quiet this town was. 
    Sitting on the wide sill, she swung her feet up and hugged her knees to her chest.  Above the trees in the distance, the moon glowed like a bright white disco ball in the sky with just a slice missing on the left side.  A waxing moon, according to her mother who thought all of life’s cycles were regulated by the moon phases.  It surprised her that she remembered that.  A lot surprised her about her memory.  I’m not crazy—eccentric, yes—but definitely not insane . 
    When she left home at eighteen to go to California for college, Melanie would’ve argued that point with her.  She didn’t know if living in the state of tolerance for eight years had mellowed her judgmental younger self or if she’d just grown up, but today Melanie thought she was right.  Her mother was entitled to her idiosyncrasies and who the hell was she to judge?
    Just because you don’t believe, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist .
    Melanie didn’t believe, but her Aunt June’s words about what her spirit guide told her just would not leave her alone.  More than the heat upstairs, that was probably what was keeping her awake.  Medical puzzles intrigued her, and she took them as a personal challenge.  The worry and confusion on Brock Cooper’s face when he looked at his son told her they didn’t have a firm diagnosis that told them what was going on with the boy. 
    She wondered why that was, because if his mother drove all the way to Mountain Ridge to take him to the doctor, she knew the level of care there, the diagnostic tools, was better than was available locally. 
    Dr. Carter practiced up until three years ago, according to Lucy.  The child was somewhere between four and six years old, since he was underweight it was hard to pinpoint, but that meant when his symptoms first presented, Dr. Carter, as the local family doctor, was most likely the first to treat him.
    He’d only been out of practice four years and the kid was a minor, so she knew his medical records would still be around, even if they were in storage somewhere.  When Melanie went to see Mrs. Carter tomorrow, she’d ask if she could look for them.  Because this was a small town, there wouldn’t be the red tape she’d normally have to go through to gain access to the records and she knew Mrs. Carter wouldn’t think twice about giving her that access.
    Melanie also knew she really, really shouldn’t be getting involved, but she just couldn’t help herself.  The puzzle would eat at her until she solved it, and she needed to put her mind at rest if she ever expected to get any. 
    This wasn’t about helping Brock or Lucy, it was about helping that child find some relief or answers.  Her conscience just wouldn’t let her not help him if she could—and she knew she could.  If she found something, she’d just pass off that information to Brock, and he could relay it to the doctors treating his son.  
    That thought quieted the edginess inside of her, and after a wide yawn, she padded back to the bed, stripping off her clothes as she walked.  With the window left open, it should cool it