Salem’s chest tightened. My, wouldn’t that be a nice relief? But she needed to tread very carefully here. He’d made no commitment to her, and she certainly didn’t want to take advantage of his money. “That’s very kind of you. I’m sure we’ll get things figured out.”
His look said that he knew she was putting him off, but he only tipped his head toward the living room. “I’ll get the movie started.”
“Be right there.”
And as Salem locked the door, she couldn’t help but feel that her life would never be the same from this moment forward. Whether that would be because her heart ended up even more shattered, or that she ended up happy, she wasn’t quite sure.
CHAPTER 13
At the back of her store, which sat along the main street of Riversong, Zaire Breckinridge hung up the phone and stuffed it back into her purse. She smiled softly. Of course she’d happily agreed to sit with Salem’s gran all day on Saturday so that Salem could go to Seattle with the hunky Jett Hudson.
Her smile turned a bit wistful. It was wonderful to see Salem stepping out and testing the dating waters again. She’d been worried about her after the fiasco that was her breakup with Dale.
The man was a positive jerk. She’d known that even before he wrote Salem a ticket two weeks after their breakup, but then offered to make it go away if she would go out to dinner with him just one more time. Thankfully, Salem had stood her ground. Just because they’d been together since high school didn’t mean he owned her, for goodness sake.
The thought of high school crushes made her even more wistful. She and Salem didn’t have the best track record when it came to high school crushes. But the pain that brought up was much too close to home. She pushed those thoughts away.
With a little grunt of despair, she sank into her desk chair and moved her mouse to bring up the order form she’d been filling out before Salem called. She needed to get that restock request placed with her supplier tonight.
The bell at her front door jingled.
“Hi and welcome to Riv—” Her brows lifted and her mouth went dry. Her thoughts of the man must have her seeing things. She blinked and refocused, sure she would realize the man was just a tourist with an uncanny likeness. But she was wrong. It was definitely him.
Landon Breckinridge. Her ex-husband. Standing in her shop, hands thrust deep into the pockets of his worn jeans, and looking for all the world like a lost puppy.
Her hands clenched until her nails bit into her palms. “L-Landon. What are you doing here?”
He looked down. Scuffed the toe of his hiking boot against a knot in the old barn wood of her floor. “I’ve come home, Zai.”
Home.
Her mind couldn’t quite make heads or tails of his proclamation. Home as in back to Riversong? Or home as in…he wanted to move back in with her? Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. It would be a hot day at the peak of Mount Rainier before she would ever let that happen. “You are not moving back in with me, Landon.” Her eyes fell closed. She’d heard distinct echoes of her mother in those words.
He tilted his head down. Scuffed at the floor again.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
He looked at her from beneath his brows. “I deserved it.”
Her heart hammered at that. Surely she hadn’t heard right. The great Landon Breckinridge admitting he’d done something wrong? She’d better carry an umbrella on her walk home, because pieces of the sky were likely to start falling at any moment.
“And I didn’t mean moving back in with you. No. I meant home to Riversong. And”—he shrugged—“home…spiritually.”
Zaire felt her eyes widen at that. How long had she been praying that he’d return to his relationship with the Lord? And yet…how many times had he lied to her in the past as an attempt to manipulate her? Skepticism rose to the fore. Time will tell.
His fathomless blue eyes softened. “I just wanted to let you know I was back in town. Say hi.”
Zai nodded. But the dryness didn’t recede from her mouth. If anything, it got worse. Because the look he was giving her wasn’t the look of someone just dropping by to say hi to an old friend. It wasn’t even the look of a friend who had committed a wrong dropping by to apologize. No. The look he was giving her was one she was well acquainted with. It was the look that had wooed her when they were both nineteen and fresh out of high school. The look he gave her when she made his favorite breakfast in bed and they ended up not eating till it was stone cold. The look that could turn her insides to jelly and make her promise him the sun, moon, and stars before she even realized her mouth had opened.
Her whole body trembled, and she forced herself to look down. “Where are you staying?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m going to crash at Mom and Dad’s for a while. Just till I…get things sorted out.”
What things was he here to sort out?
What could Mr. Rock-Climber-With-His-Own-TV-Show have to sort out? Other than the fact that he’d walked out on his wife of two years without so much as a hint of warning?
Zai clenched her hands together beneath the desk. That was better than launching across the desk to slap him, and scream that she didn’t believe a word he’d said. “Okay. Well…I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.”
“I hope so.”
The gentle look in his blue eyes was almost her undoing. It sent a churn of confusion swirling through her. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work I need to finish up.” Deliberately, she returned her focus to her computer screen.
She heard his feet shuffle. And then the quiet sound of his cat-like tread receded toward the door. The bell jingled. The door shut.
And Zaire collapsed onto folded arms, feeling warm tears spilling across her skin.
God, you cannot ask this of me. Please don’t ask this of me.
The heavens remained silent.
Saturday dawned bright and clear. Zaire had said she would gladly stay with Gran for the day, which Salem had actually known she would do, because Zaire was one of the most giving people alive. She always had to be careful not to take advantage of her friend’s generous spirit.
Salem got Gran’s usual breakfast of one egg and two slices of bacon, and had Gran eating at the table when Zai arrived.
Salem’s eyes widened, as she glanced at her watch. She and Jett had agreed to leave at seven and eat breakfast once they arrived in Seattle, two hours away. And it was already nearly time to leave. “Wow. Time warp. Uh…” She fluttered a hand toward Gran’s pill box on the counter by the coffee pot. “All her meds are premeasured by the day. Just open the slot for Saturday and give her everything now.”
Zaire took her by the shoulders. “Take a breath.”
Salem obeyed orders.
“Good. Now…go.” Zai pushed her toward the stairs. “Gran and I are going to be fine. You just finish getting ready and enjoy your time today.”
Salem frowned. There was something not quite right about Zai’s expression. Not quite as upbeat as normal. “You okay?”
Zai smiled, but it was soft and wistful. She waved a hand. “I’m fine. Nothing we can’t talk about later, honest. Especially when you are late.” She made a shooing motion with her hand.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Salem knew Zai well enough to know that forcing her to talk when she wasn’t ready wouldn’t work. So she left her in the kitchen and practically sprinted up the stairs. Dale had hated it when she was late for anything.
Thankfully, she’d decided what to wear the evening before, but she hadn’t wanted to wear it while cooking Gran’s bacon and egg. Nothing like making the poor guy ride two hours in her cramped car with her smelling like a short-order cook. She flung off her clothes and changed as quickly as possible, then eyed herself in the mirror. Her nose wrinkled as second guesses about the outfit washed over her, but there was no time to change now. With a sigh she darted toward her bathroom. Jett would have to take her
the way she was. She just needed to do the quickest makeup job and teeth brushing in the west.
Despite her hurry, she was ten minutes late returning downstairs, and Jett was waiting for her. Shoulder planted into one wall, a suit bag draped over one shoulder, and keys twirling around one finger, he looked her up and down and his face lit up.
A measure of relief sapped some of her tension. He didn’t seem upset. Quite the contrary, he seemed happy to see her.
She smoothed her hands over her outfit. She’d chosen jeans, her favorite calf-height caramel leather boots, and an autumn-toned plaid, asymmetrical-hemline dress-top with roomy pockets. She hid her hands in those pockets now, feeling self-conscious at his approving scrutiny. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Not a problem.” He lifted the suit bag to draw her attention to it. “You look great for the game, but there will also be a dinner banquet afterward. Do you have a dress you could bring?”
Salem’s eyes widened. “How fancy of a banquet?”
He winced and gave her an apologetic look. “Black tie.”
“Uh…” Did she even have an appropriate dress? “I’ll have to run up and grab a few things.”
He held out the suit bag to her. “Just hang it in here. We’ll have a box at the stadium, so we will be able to change in there before the banquet.”
Salem took the bag and dashed back to her room. The navy lace sheath dress with the matching sweater would have to do. She tossed in her navy heels and grabbed her make-up bag and brush off the counter.
Five minutes later she was back downstairs.
Jett glanced at his watch and gave her a teasing look. “Back down in record time. I better hang on to you.”
She felt her face heat, even as she wrinkled her nose at him.
With a grin, he stretched a hand toward the door. “Shall we?”
She took a breath, debating if she could get away with asking her next question. After only a moment, she decided to take her chances. “Would you mind if I checked with Zai one last time?”
Jett stepped out of her way. “Of course. We have plenty of time.”
Salem eased out another breath of relief. “I’ll only be a moment.” She held out her keys. “If you want to start the car, I’ll be right there.”
He held up his own keys. “Would you mind if we drove my truck?”
She remembered him hunched over and plastered into her little sedan and chuckled. “Yes. Of course. I should have thought of that. No problem. I’ll be right out.”
He took the clothes bag from her and headed out to his truck.
She double checked with Zai, showed her where the soup she’d made that would simply need heating at lunchtime was, and then took a fortifying breath.
Zai took her by the shoulders once more. “Salem, look at me.”
Salem complied.
“He’s not Dale.”
Salem pursed her lips.
Zai tilted her a stern look. “Say it.”
Salem huffed a breath. “He’s not Dale.”
Zai nodded reassuringly. “Good. Now go have a good time.”
Salem was nearly to the kitchen doorway when she heard Gran say, “Dale is such a nice boy.”
Both she and Zai laughed.
Dale Schmidt was sitting at his desk when he heard a horn honk at the west intersection of Main Street. He leaned back in his chair to peer out the window. His eyes narrowed as he craned to watch the blue truck turn left out of Riversong. His jaw jutted to one side. For several weeks now he’d bided his time. He hadn’t interfered when he’d seen them eating with Salem’s grandmother at the Golden Loaves. He hadn’t bothered Hudson when he’d discovered him frequenting several local fishing holes. Because really, what did he have to worry about? Salem would eventually come back around to seeing that they were meant for each other. She had to. He’d been stupid. Made a little mistake by letting his eye wander to Monica. He probably shouldn’t have done that. But Salem would forgive him. She always did.
But now… The truck had headed out of town. Where was Salem going with a man who was practically a total stranger? Didn’t she know how dangerous that was?
He made a snap decision and snatched his hat from the rack by the door.
“Merle, I’m running out on a traffic stop. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Merle raised a hand and grunted from his desk, but he didn’t lift his gaze from whatever article he was reading on his computer.
The door slammed satisfactorily in Dale’s wake. Maybe that would jolt some life into Merle.
Dale was practically running by the time he got to his cruiser. He yanked open the door, leapt up to the seat, and punched the button for the ignition.
It would take him a few minutes to catch up, but he figured mile marker seventy-nine ought to be about right. There was a place there where the creep from Florida could pull over, and then Salem would see just what kind of a personality this guy had.
Gravel spun from beneath his tires as he gunned it out of the lot behind the police station.
No sirens yet. But in due time. In due time.
CHAPTER 14
Jett glanced over at Salem. She must have had a short night, because she had hardly said a word, and her head kept drooping and then snapping up. She was fighting sleep.
“Gran have a bad night?”
She grimaced. “Yeah. She was up at least four times. Maybe five. I’m sorry. I’m not much company.”
“No apology necessary.” They were only ten minutes out of Riversong, with a long drive to go. She might as well take a nap.
He propped his arm along the truck’s bench seat and cupped the back of her neck, massaging circles into her tight muscles.
“You’re hired,” she moaned.
He grinned. A guy could get used to this—driving on a beautiful sunny day with a gorgeous woman at his side and stunning scenery streaming past. He slowed as he crossed a bridge, taking in the serene splendor of the rushing waters of the Wenatchee River. An eagle, perched high in a tall pine along one bank, caught his eye momentarily before it disappeared from sight.
Salem angled her back to him and tilted her neck away from the muscle he rubbed with an exaggerated sigh of satisfaction.
He chuckled.
He was certainly going to miss her when he went back home. In fact, he was dreading tomorrow morning’s departure, knowing that it would put thousands of miles between them.
He considered the questions she’d asked him earlier this week. What are you going to do when you get back home? He’d been on the verge of telling her he’d decided to take the job coaching the high school team, but then a verse had popped into his head. Even now as he thought about the verse it didn’t seem to make any sense to him. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Why had that verse come to mind when she’d asked about his future plans?
He studied the center line of the road slipping away beside the truck. He didn’t plan to move here, did he? A warm sensation tingled through his chest, unlike anything he’d felt before. Lord, what are You doing with me?
Silence.
He sighed. He might not be sure of the future, but he did know that he wanted Salem to be part of it. So he’d planned to keep things going with frequent visits, maybe even arrange to fly her down to Florida a time or two. And just see where their relationship went from there.
Relationship? He eased out a breath. Slow down, Hudson.
He had a feeling, based on his short encounter with her ex, that she hadn’t been comfortable in a relationship for a long time. And he knew how hard she worked, dawn to dark with short nights in between.
He’d forced himself to keep things between them superficial and slow. The last thing he wanted was to rush into something and leave Salem hurt and confused when he left. But he could honestly say that he’d never felt quite as strongly for a woman as he did for one Salem Finn.
For the past two nights they’d stayed up late, watching movies and simply chat
ting. Though he’d wanted to, he hadn’t touched her on either occasion. Now he nudged her toward him. He patted his shoulder. “My shoulder makes a good pillow.”
She laughed self-consciously. “No. I’d hate to drool on you or something.”
He grinned. “I highly doubt you drool, but you can just use my sweatshirt as a pillow.” He tipped a nod to the extra sweatshirt he’d tossed on the seat when he climbed in.
She chuckled and tilted him a sleepy smile. “I wouldn’t want a poor Florida boy to freeze to death on my account.”
He gave her ribs a playful poke. “I’ll crank up the heat. Just try and get some rest. I can listen to the radio. You’ll feel better if you get a little more sleep.” He massaged her shoulder for a moment before he reluctantly released her.
She did settle into the corner and rest her head against his wadded up sweatshirt after that.
He smiled softly a few moments later when her deep inhalations filled the car. He reached for the radio and kept the volume low. Summer was the pits for good sports to listen to, so he flipped through the stations and finally settled on one playing Christian music.
The mountain road was incredible this time of year. The evergreens that lined each side of the interstate were interspersed with deciduous trees, and the varying shades of green and brown were amazing to take in. To their left the river meandered along the side of the highway, and waterfalls cascaded down hills on both sides of the road at frequent intervals. Ferns, moss-coated rocks, and salal created mini landscapes that filled him with appreciation for God’s creation. Of course, all of it was enhanced by the company of the beautiful woman sleeping next to him.
The sound of a siren squawked from behind. A glance in the rearview mirror revealed a cruiser, lights flashing.
He immediately darted a glance at his speedometer. Nope. Not speeding.
Beside him, Salem jolted awake and craned to see what was going on. She grunted and curled her hands into the fabric of the sweatshirt that was now on her lap. “Dale.”
Jett’s jaw hardened. Ahead there was a pull-out along the side of the road. He put his blinker on and eased to a stop as far from the edge of the highway as possible in the narrow space.
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