“I see.” The rich chocolate smell was enough to die for. Her mouth watered as John put the truck in gear and circled around to the shaded picnic tables.
Random raindrops plopped onto the windshield from the trees reaching overhead. “This looks like a good place to have a car picnic,” John announced. “What do you say, Hailey?”
“A truck picnic, Daddy,” she corrected with a roll of her eyes. “My Grammy loves car picnics. Don’t you, Alexandra?”
“A car picnic, huh?” She’d never heard it called that before, but it wasn’t hard to see at all, sitting in this comfy truck with the heat breezing over their toes as father and daughter picnicked right here, out of the weather. It was way too much for her and far too tempting to stay.
A gust of breeze buffeted the side of the truck, reminding her that she was like the wind. On the move, with no place to call home and no reason to linger.
There was nothing else to do but to tuck her purse strap firmly on her shoulder. “You two enjoy your picnic. This is where I go my own way.”
“No! Wait,” Hailey protested. “You gotta eat your ice cream.”
“I will, I promise.” Alexandra popped open the door and her feet hit the rain-sodden ground. “I hope you get your puppy. John, thanks for the ride.”
“Wait.” He bolted out the door. “You don’t have to run off. You’re going to need a ride back to your car.”
“I don’t think your wife will appreciate your driving strange women all over town.” Alexandra took a step back, putting safe distance between them. “Don’t you have a job at the hardware store to get back to?”
“I own the store, and my part-time hired help can handle things while I’m chauffeuring Hailey around.” The wind tousled his dark hair, drawing her attention to the look of him, and the way his shoulders looked as dependable as granite. “I’m not married. Not anymore.”
“My mommy died when I was just a baby,” Hailey added around a mouthful of ice cream.
“I’m sorry.” The words felt small against the size of their loss. Somehow knowing John was a single father made it easier for her to take another step away and another, her heart feeling as heavy as stone.
“It’s a long walk back,” John called after her.
“I don’t mind.” She waved goodbye across the gravel lot and disappeared before he could say anything else.
Crunching the last bite of his cone, John had to admit the chocolate didn’t taste as good as usual. That was Alexandra’s fault.
When he’d happened along her broken-down car on the road, he had to wonder if he was meant to help her out. A woman alone like that… Surely the Lord was watching out for her. Surely it had been no coincidence John had been the one to find her walking toward town. The good Lord knew John had debts to pay and never turned down an opportunity to do so.
It troubled him now. He tried to put thoughts of Alexandra aside as Hailey told him all about her morning at Stephanie’s, but his mind kept drifting back. God hadn’t intended for people to be alone. That’s what families were for, neighborhoods, churches and towns.
He couldn’t help wondering if Alexandra was about ready to walk alone back to her car.
The clouds overhead had broken, but the real storm hadn’t hit yet. He could feel it in the wind and smell it in the air.
“Let’s get going, Hailey. We can’t leave Warren in charge of the store for much longer.” The high school kid he’d hired was reliable, but he was young. “Look at you, all covered with chocolate.”
“I made a real mess,” she agreed cheerfully as she rubbed her hands on a wadded napkin. “Is Grammy gonna come pick me up now? ’Cuz I’ve got lots of stuff to do.”
That was his daughter, always on the go. “Yep. All I have to do is give her a jingle. Turn your head that way. You really smeared yourself up good this time.” John grabbed the last paper napkin and wiped the chocolate smudges from his daughter’s face.
“It was really melty. Hey, Daddy?”
“What?” He gathered the trash and tossed it into the garbage bin. “This isn’t about getting a dog again? You’re wearin’ out my ears on that one.”
“Oh, I don’t want a dog. I want a puppy.” She climbed into the cab and plopped onto the seat. “A puppy.”
“That’s just a little dog.”
“Yeah, but you let me have a horse.”
He got into the truck, turned the key and listened to the engine rumble. “That’s it. I forbid you ever to visit Stephanie again.”
He gave her head a ruffle, and she giggled, light and sweet—his most favorite sound of all.
Back at the store, Warren was helping a customer, so John grabbed the phone and dialed. He counted nine rings—Mom must be outside in her garden.
She was out of breath when she answered. “Hello?”
“Hailey’s ready for you.”
“Oh, John, perfect timing. I was starting to wonder about her. Say, grab a container of rose food for me. I just ran out.”
“Will do. And since I never charge you a penny—”
“Uh-oh, I’m in trouble now. I can hear it coming.” On the other side of the phone, his mom had to be smiling. “All right, I’m sitting down. What do you want now? Don’t tell me you finally folded on the puppy issue.”
“Not yet. I’m still waging that battle. Listen, on your way to town, you’ll see a woman walking. She’s medium height and slim with dark brown hair and wearing a sweater and jeans. Give her a ride back to her car, will you? Don’t take no for an answer.”
“I should hope not! A woman walking alone. This country is safe, I’m proud to say, we’re a fine community, but a woman shouldn’t be left alone. And walking on that long road. Why, I’ll leave right now.”
“You’re a good woman, Mom.”
“Don’t I know it.”
John punched the button, ending the conversation. Problem solved. Alexandra wouldn’t be able to refuse his mother. Few people could. Alexandra would get the help she needed, and his conscience could finally stop troubling him.
End of story, he told himself, heading back to the garden section. The phone rang and more business walked through the door, enough to keep him busy. So, why couldn’t he stop thinking about Alexandra and the way her smile never quite reached her eyes?
Chapter Three
“I just can’t leave you here.” Bev Corey set her jaw, sounding as formidable as a federated wrestler instead of the tiny slip of a woman standing alongside the country road. “What if your car doesn’t start? Dear, I truly believe we should call a mechanic.”
Alexandra couldn’t help liking the woman. Bev Corey may be a stranger, but in the ten-minute trip from town, she almost felt like a friend. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this before. I’ll show you.”
“That’s what men are for—to keep cars running smoothly. And it’s my belief that’s what we should let them do. My Gerald is a hop and a skip up the road. Let me go hunt him down, and I’m sure he’ll be happy to fix this for you.”
“Thanks, but I can handle it. All I have to do is replace this hose, and I’ll be on my way.”
“That simply seems dangerous.” Bev took a tentative step forward,