“You’re going to be safe here, Alexandra.”

John resisted the urge to reach out and brush away the lines of worry from her brow with the pad of his thumb. He knew what it was like to be afraid. To hurt. To want peace. “I’m going to make sure of it.”

“I can’t ask that of you. I’m not even sure I should be here. You’re not my keeper.”

“Someone has to be.” John offered her the cookie bowl. “Just think of me and my family as your temporary guardian angels. We’ll watch over you.”

“A girl can’t have too many angels looking out for her.” Alexandra bit into an iced cookie and let the sweetness melt on her tongue. She thought of her self-esteem, still tender, and tried to put aside the bad memories. She was strong enough to make a new life. With the Lord watching over her and a few extra guardian angels, she couldn’t go wrong.

John’s gaze met hers, full of promise, as unyielding as the strongest steel. “You’re safe with me. You can count on it.”

JILLIAN HART

makes her home in Washington State, where she has lived most of her life. When Jillian is not hard at work on her next story, she loves to read, go to lunch with her friends and spend quiet evenings with her family.

Heaven Knows
Jillian Hart

Dear friends, since God so loved us,

we also ought to love one another.

—1 John 4:11

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Letter to Reader

Chapter One

The warmth of the early-spring sun felt like a promise. Alexandra Sims shut the door of her ancient VW, careful of the loose window, and stared at the little town. She could see all of it from where she stood, with shops on one side of the road. On the other, railroad tracks paralleled the town, and beyond, new green fields shimmered.

She’d grown up in a town like this one along the coast of Washington State. So small, her high school graduating class had been thirty-eight. Maybe because of bad memories, she didn’t like small towns much. They’d never brought her luck.

But today she felt luck was in the air, and that made her step lighter as she strolled along the cement sidewalk. She’d pulled off the interstate to fill her gas tank and, since she was here, maybe she’d stop to eat lunch and do a little shopping. This was as good of a place as any.

This little town of Manhattan was truly no different from the other small Montana towns she’d passed through since recently she’d thrown what little she needed into her car and fled in the dark of the night.

Few of the buildings were new, many dating from the fifties or earlier when agriculture belonged to the family farmer and not huge corporations. The people who lived here took pride in their town—the streets were clean, the sidewalks swept and not a speck of litter could be found anywhere.

Sparkling store windows tossed her reflection back at her as she halted beneath a blue-striped awning. Corey’s Hardware, the sign proclaimed in bright blue paint.

She pushed her sunglasses onto the crown of her head and stepped through the doorway. A bell jangled overhead.

“Hello, there,” called a polite male voice the instant her sneakers hit the tile floor. “What can I do for you?”

Whoever belonged to that molasses-rich voice wasn’t in sight. Head-high shelves of merchandise blocked the way.

“Where are your ropes?” she called out.

“To your right, all the way against the wall.” A handsome athlete of a man came into view behind the long, old-fashioned wooden counter.

She caught a glimpse of dark black hair tumbling over a high intelligent forehead. Brooding hazel eyes, a sharp straight blade of a nose and a strong jaw that looked about as soft as granite. Definitely a remote, unreachable type.

She retreated to the far wall, where everything from braided hemp to thin nylon rope could be found. Lucky thing, because she found exactly what she needed. What she didn’t find was something to cut it with.

“How much do you need?” he asked in that voice that could melt chocolate.

“Three yards.”

He was at her side, taller than she’d first thought. He was well over six feet, and while he wasn’t lean, he wasn’t heavily muscled, either. He didn’t have much to say, which was fine with her. Really nice and handsome men made her nervous and tongue-tied. Probably because she wasn’t used to them—and great guys had always seemed out of her reach.

As gallant as a knight of old, he measured the thin nylon cord for her, giving her an extra foot, before cutting the end neatly and looping it into a tidy coil for her. “Anything else?”

“That should do it.”

He was very efficient—she had to give him that.

“I’ll ring you up front.” All business, he hardly glanced at her as he tucked away the small pocketknife he’d used to cut the rope. “Let me guess. You’re going camping?”

“Something like that,” she hedged. “I had a tent disaster last night, so I need to repair the main nylon cord.”

“Been there.” He led the way down the aisle of kitchen cabinet handles in every size and color, his stride long and powerful. “Figured you for a tourist. This valley’s small enough that sooner or later, you meet everyone in it.”

She’d grown up in a town like that, but she kept the information to herself. Her past was behind her and she intended to keep it that way. “This part of the country is beautiful.”

“Have you been down to Yellowstone?” He was only making polite conversation as he punched buttons on the cash register.

“Not yet.”

“The campsites aren’t booked up this time of year, so you don’t need reservations.” He slipped the rope into a small blue plastic bag. “That will be two seventy-one. If you have your tent in your car, you can bring it in and I’ll repair it for you. Free of charge. Company policy.”

His offer surprised her. She stopped digging through her purse for exact change to stare at him. A familiar panic clamped around her chest. Patrick was hundreds of miles away and he had no idea where she was, but this is how he’d affected her. Even a store clerk’s courtesy frightened her, when there was no reason for it.

The phone rang, and the clerk answered it. “Corey’s Hardware. John, here.” He spoke in the same friendly voice to whomever was on the other end of the phone.

John, huh? He looked like a John. Dependable, practical, rock solid.

There was no danger here. She had to remember that not every man was like Patrick. She knew it—now, if only her heart would remember it, she’d be fine.

Alexandra relaxed and bent to dig a penny from the bottom of her coin purse.

“Well, now, washers are tricky things, Mrs. Fletcher,” John drawled, tucking the receiver against his shoulder. “Maybe I ought to come by this afternoon and put in the right size for you, free of charge, except for the washer, of course. That’d be the best way to get the job done right.”

See what a nice man this John was? He helped all sorts of people. There was no reason at all to feel uneasy. She watched as he swept her coins into his palm as he listened to Mrs. Fletcher.

Nodding, he dropped the money into the cash register till. “Sure thing. I’ll give you a call before long.”

He tore off the receipt and slipped it into the bag. “I appreciate your business,” he told her. “Bring in your tent if you want.”

“Thanks.” She could do it herself. She zipped her purse closed and reached for the little blue plastic sack. The last thing she wanted to do was to rely on anyone else ever again. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

A note pinned to the back wall behind the counter caught her attention. Help Wanted. Full-Time Position.

The rest of the printing was too small to read as she swept past. A full-time position, right there, posted for her to see. She’d been praying for just this sort of an opportunity.

Maybe she should ask about it. Surely it wouldn’t hurt.

She took a look around at the neat shelving, the tidy merchandise and the polished old wood floor. This wasn’t what she had in mind. She’d been a cashier long ago, and she wouldn’t mind being one again, but working alongside a man—no, no matter how nice he seemed. Not after what she’d been through.

“Do you need anything else?” John asked from behind the counter, polite, clearly a good salesman.

“No, thanks.” She grabbed the doorknob, the bell jangled overhead and she tumbled onto the sidewalk. A cool push of wind breezed along her bare arms.

The advertisement troubled her. Was it coincidence that she’d spotted it, or more?

Unsure, Alexandra unlocked her car door, stowed the rope on the back floor behind the driver’s seat and grabbed her hand-knit cardigan from the back. The soft wool comforted her as it always did. Pocketing her keys, she continued down the cracked sidewalk toward the grocery at the end of the block.

The store bustled with activity as weekend shoppers chatted in the aisles and in the checkout lines at the front. Feeling like a visitor in a foreign land, Alexandra headed to the dairy section. The refrigeration cases were the old-fashioned kind, heavy glass doors with handles, reminding her of the small-town store where she used to shop as a girl.

This was not the kind of place where she wanted to live, she told herself as she selected a small brick of sharp cheddar that was marked as the weekly special. She’d left small-town life forever three days after graduating from high school and had never looked back.

Then again, living in a bigger city hadn’t exactly worked out well, either.

She wove around two women who looked to be about her age, chatting in the aisle, with their toddlers belted into brimming grocery carts, and felt a pang deep in her chest. What would it be like to live those women’s lives? Alexandra found a bag of day-old rolls that still felt as soft as fresh.

The Help Wanted sign in the hardware store kept troubling her. It was frightening not knowing what was ahead of her. Worse, not knowing if she would be able to build a new life. She had to trust that if the job at the hardware store was what God wanted for her, then He would find a way to tell her for certain.

“Why don’t you go ahead of me?” A woman with a small girl in tow gave Alexandra a smile. “I have a full cart, and you have only a few things.”

“Are you sure?” When the woman merely nodded, Alexandra thanked her and stepped in line.

She’d almost forgotten what small towns were like—the friendliness that thrived in them. A coziness that felt just out of her reach—as if she could never be a part of it. But she enjoyed listening to the checker ask an elderly woman about her new grandbaby.

Everyone seemed to know everything about a person in a small town, she reflected as she placed her cheese and rolls on the conveyer belt.

Why, if she actually were to interview for the job and got it, she’d be easy to locate. If she stayed here, she would probably be known as the new woman in town, even ten years from now.

No, if she took a job anywhere, it had to be in a larger city where she could blend in unnoticed and be harder to track down.

“Did you find everything all right?” the checker asked.

“Yes.”

“That will be three eighty-three, please.”

Alexandra pulled the fold of bills from her jeans pocket and peeled off four singles.

“Are you enjoying our countryside?”

“It’s very beautiful.”

“This time of year we don’t see too many tourists and Yellowstone is about ready to open some of its entrances, but I think it’s the best time to sightsee.”

Alexandra hardly knew what to say as the checker pressed change into her palm. “Have a good day.”

Even the bagger was friendly as she handed Alexandra a small paper sack.

Taking her purchases, she headed for the electronic doors. Everywhere she looked, she saw people chatting, friends greeting one another, and heard snatches of cheerful conversations.

After the stress and noise of living in a city, she liked breathing in the fresh-scented air. It was so quiet, the anxiety that seemed to weigh her down lifted a little and she took a deep breath. Longing filled her as she headed back to her car. A yearning for the kind of life she’d never known.

Fishing the keys from her pocket, she watched the woman from the checkout line lead the way to a minivan parked in the lot. How content she looked, carrying her small daughter on her hip, opening the back for the box boy who pushed her cart full of groceries. Full of dinners to be made. No doubt she’d drive to a tidy little house not far from here, greet her husband when he came home from work and never know what loneliness was.

That life seemed impossible to Alexandra. Wishful thinking, that’s what it was. Maybe, someday—if the good Lord were willing—she’d have a life like that, too.

In the meantime, she had a lot troubling her. She grabbed her water bottle from the front seat and tucked it under her arm. Clouds were moving in overhead, but the sun still shone as brightly as ever. The weather would hold for a lunchtime picnic.

When she spied a little ice-cream stand through the alley, she headed toward it. At the far end of the gravel parking lot, there was a patch of mown grass shaded by old, reaching maples.

Perfect. There were picnic tables beneath the trees, worse for the wear, but functional and swept clean. No one was around, so she chose the most private one. The wood was rough against her arms as she spread out her rolls and cheese.

A car halted at the ice-cream stand’s window. As the driver ordered, she heard the murmur of pleasant voices like friends greeting one another.

Alone, Alexandra bowed her head in prayer and gave thanks for her many blessings.

John Corey knew the look of someone hurting. Maybe because he knew something about that. For whatever reason, he couldn’t get the woman out of his mind as the minute hand slowly crept up the face of the twenty-year-old clock his uncle had hung on that wall decades before.

She was beautiful, no doubt about that. Not in a flamboyant, look-at-me sort of way, but pretty in a quiet, down-deep sort of way. And those wounded-doe eyes of hers made him wonder what had become of her. She hadn’t been back to let him repair her tent, and that disappointed him.

Only because he wanted to do what he could, that was all. Helping was sort of his calling. Sure, he owned a hardware store in a little town that was so small, a person could blink twice and miss the entire downtown. But being part of a community meant being aware of its needs.

He’d gotten in the habit of helping out where he could, fixing eighty-year-old Mrs. Fletcher’s outside faucet, for instance, because a widow on a set budget might not be able to afford a plumber.

He’d also come to believe that the Lord gave everyone a job in this world. And that his job was doing what he could. Like the beautiful young woman—there he went again, thinking about her. She’d looked as if she had the weight of the world on her slim shoulders, and, in a way, it was like looking at a reflection of himself.

Some might say her problems weren’t any of his business, and they might have a point. But what if she did need help? What if there was something he could do? Lord knew he had a debt to pay this world, and he’d seen her look at the Help Wanted sign he’d posted behind the counter. Did she need a job? But before he could ask her, she’d bolted through the door and was gone with a jangle of the overhead bell and a click of the knob.

And now that it was long past the noon hour and not one customer had been by the entire hour, he had plenty of time to think on what might have been. Plenty of time to notice the little yellow Volkswagen was still parked outside his front window.

Not any of his business, he reminded himself as he finished his microwaved cup of beef-flavored noodles at the front counter. She didn’t want help repairing her tent. Fine. Still, something nagged at him, troubling his conscience.

You’re just thinking of another woman you couldn’t help. John couldn’t deny it, and it left him feeling as if he had to do something, no matter how small, to help even the balance of things.

He was crumpling the noodle container and tossing it into the garbage bin in the back when it came to him. Working quickly, he dug his way through the messy storage room until he found the small kits he’d received a few months ago.

With one of them tucked under his arm, he hurried to the front. Just in time, too. He spotted her through the display window, unlocking her car. Her long dark hair tumbled around her face, a face more beautiful than he’d seen in a long while. Wearing faded jeans and a fuzzy white sweater, she caught his attention and held it.

Like a good Christian man, he ought to be concentrating on his good deed. But what did he notice? Her slim waist and her lean, graceful arms. She’d settled behind the wheel by the time he made it outside and since she’d rolled down her passenger side window, he did what any good man would do.

He leaned on the door and peered through the window. “Need any help, ma’am?”

She squinted at him as she settled her pink plastic sunglasses on her nose. “Ma’am?”

“I’m trying to show off the manners my mama raised me with.”

That made her smile, and it was a sight to behold. Dimples teased into the creases bracketing her mouth as she flipped a lock of molasses curls behind her shoulder.

What was with him? He had no business trying to make a pretty woman smile. No right to notice her beauty.

He cleared his throat, hoping to sound more gruff. “I’ve got something for you. Call it a visitor’s gift for every new customer through my door.”

“I don’t need a gift.”

“It’s a tent repair kit.” He handed her the package through the window. “It’s got everything you need. Since you’ve already experienced one tent disaster, you could have another. It never hurts to be prepared.”

“It certainly doesn’t.” She stared at the kit he offered, her soft mouth turning down in a frown. “How much does this cost?”

“Not a thing.”

“I’d hate to be indebted to you.”

“What debt? I didn’t mention any debt.”

“Nobody does something for nothing. It’s a hard fact of life.”

“The kit was a free sample to me from the manufacturer, trying to get me to order a whole batch from them. My storage closet is full of them. You’d be doing me a favor by taking one off my hands.”

How wary she looked. “All right. Thank you.”

“No problem,” he replied, already backing away. “You take care now.”

That was that. He’d done the right thing, he figured. Funny thing was, he couldn’t seem to turn around and walk away, or even look away as she bent to set the tent repair kit on the floor, her rich brown hair rioting forward to hide her face. Thick, lustrous curls that made him notice. And keep noticing.

He knew it was the wrong thing to do, but he couldn’t drag his attention away from her as she straightened. The amazing fall of hair bounced over her shoulders. He stood with his shoes cemented to the sidewalk as she reached for her keys with long slim fingers.

The hurt—he could see it in her, because it was so like the pain within him.

Maybe that was why he couldn’t lift his feet and walk away. Why he watched as she blew her lustrous bangs from her eyes with a puff. She slipped her keys into the ignition, but didn’t start the engine.

She leaned across the gearshift instead. “It’s odd, because I have a hole in my tent, too. I decided not to patch because I was trying to make do.”

“On a budget vacation?”

“Let’s just say a very tight budget. So tight, I’ve been praying for no rain, and then you hand me a repair kit out of the blue. It’s as if heaven whispered to you.”

“Could be. You just never know.”

“Thank you. I really mean that.” She started the engine, and blue smoke coughed from the tailpipe.

“How much farther do you think this thing will get?” he had to ask her, gesturing toward her Volkswagen.

“I know Baby doesn’t look like much.” She snapped her seat belt into place. “But she hasn’t let me down yet.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

“Absolutely.”

He watched her head east through town, taking the back way to Bozeman.

He couldn’t say why, but it was as if he’d lost something. And that didn’t make any sense at all. The jangle of his phone reminded him he had better things to do than to stand in the middle of the sidewalk. He had his own problems to solve, debts to pay.

Redemption to find.

Chapter Two

Alexandra glanced at her dashboard and the temperature gauge. The arrow was definitely starting to nudge toward the big H.

Great. A serious breakdown was the last thing she needed. Hadn’t she just told the guy from the hardware store that her car was trustworthy? That Baby wouldn’t let her down?

It looked as though she’d been wrong. She glanced in her rearview mirror and watched a trail of steam erupt from beneath the hood and rise into the air like fog. Yep, Baby was definitely having a problem. She nosed the car toward the gravel shoulder alongside the narrow two-lane country road.

There wasn’t a soul in sight. Now what? She killed the engine and listened to the steam hiss and spit. It looked serious and expensive. Expensive was the one thing she didn’t need right now. She hopped out to take a look.

The relief that rushed through her at the sight of the cracked hose couldn’t be measured. It was a cheap repair she could do herself, and she was grateful for that.

A cow crowded close to the wire fence on the other side of the ditch and mooed at her.

“Hello, there.” Her voice seemed to lift on the restless winds and carry long and wide. A dozen grazing cows in the field swung their big heads to study her.

Great. It was only her and the fields of cows. The green grassy meadows gently rolled for as long as she could see. There was the long ribbon of road behind and ahead of her, but nothing else.

No houses. No businesses. No phones.

It was sort of scary, thinking she was out here all alone, but she’d look on the bright side. If she walked to town and back, she wouldn’t have to dig into her remaining funds to pay for a tow truck.

After locking her car up tight, Alexandra grabbed her purse and started out. Dust rose beneath her sneakers as she crunched through the gravel. It reminded her of when she was little, and she’d hike with her younger brothers down the long dirt road to the corner gas station at the edge of town.

Like today, the sun, hidden by clouds, had been cool on her back and the air had tickled her nose with the scents of growing grass and earth. In that little store she’d traded her hard-earned pennies for ice-cream bars and big balls of bubble gum.

Why was she remembering these things? She’d long put that painful time out of her mind. What was coming over her today? It was being here, in this rural place. She’d been careful for so long to live with the bustle of a city around her. Traffic and people and buildings that cast shadows and cut into the sky.

It was a mistake to head east. In retrospect, maybe she should have headed south, through California. A busy interstate would never have brought these memories to light. But in this place, the fresh serenity of the countryside surrounded her. The whir of the wind in her ears and the rustle of it in the grasses. After fifteen minutes of walking, not one car had passed.

The wind kicked, bringing with it the heavy smell of rain. She tipped her head back to stare up at the sky. Dark clouds were sailing overhead, blotting out the friendlier gray ones. After another ten minutes, she could see the sheets of rain falling on the farther meadows, gray curtains that were moving closer. She’d lived in Washington State all her life, so what was a little rain?

The roar of an engine broke through the murmur of the wind. Glancing over her shoulder, Alexandra saw a big red pickup barreling along the two-lane road between the seemingly endless fields.

She prayed it was a friendly truck. That it would pass by and keep going. The closer the vehicle came, the more vast the fields and the sky seemed. The more alone she felt.

Her heart made a little kick in her chest. Come on, truck, just keep on going. No need to slow down.

She didn’t glance over her shoulder, continuing to walk along the edge of the ditch.

She could hear the rumble of a powerful engine and the rush of tires on the blacktop. The truck was slowing down.

This wasn’t good. Not one bit.

Please, don’t let this be trouble, she prayed, eyeing the width of the ditch and wondering just how fast she could get through that fence.

She could hear the truck downshift as the driver slowed down to match her pace. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the polished chrome and the white lettering on the new-looking tires. The passenger window lowered.

Alexandra went cold. Did she expect the worst? Or was it simply that old country code of neighborliness that was at work here?

As if in answer, a little girl leaned out the open window and tugged off plastic green sunglasses. “Hi, lady. My dad says I gotta ask if you need a ride.”

At the sight of the blond curls and friendly blue eyes, Alexandra released a breath. She hadn’t realized her chest had been so tight.

It just went to show how traumatized she’d been this last year. And that deep down, she expected the worst—of life and of people.

It wasn’t something she could brush off lightly. If this past year had taught her anything, it was important to stand on her own two feet. To keep from needing anyone. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t mind walking.”

“That’s what Dad said you’d say, right, Dad?”

“Yep, that’s what I predicted,” answered a molasses-rich voice that sounded very familiar.

On the other side of the little girl, behind the steering wheel, a man tipped his Stetson in her direction. Alexandra recognized that handsome profile and those mile-wide shoulders.

“This has to be more than a coincidence running into you twice in one day.” John Corey shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”

“Neither can I.” She blinked and he was still there. The truck’s door felt steel-cool beneath her fingertips. “I thought you had a store to run. What are you doing out here?”

“Since I’m my own boss, I can close up shop for a few minutes. Folks know to wait or give me a call if it’s an emergency. Hailey, here, spent the morning out at a friend’s place and gave me a call to come pick her up.”

“Yep.” Hailey swiped wayward curls from her eyes, waving her neon-green sunglasses as she talked. “We had a barbecue picnic and potato salad for lunch. I didn’t like the potatoes one bit ’cuz they were the red kind and Stephanie’s mom put in those black rings.”

“Olives,” John informed Alexandra from across the cab. “We’re not olive people. We flick them off our pizza if they get on by mistake. The pizza people hear about it, too.”

“Rightly so.” Not everyone shared her opinion of olives. Okay, so maybe it was all right to let herself like him, just a little. “It’s good to meet you, Hailey. I’m Alexandra.”

John leaned over the steering wheel to get a better look at her. “Alexandra, huh? I couldn’t help noticing your car alongside the road a few miles back. Figured I might come across you on the way to town.”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself. How many women fall for your knight-in-shining-armor act, Mr. Corey?”

“Thousands.”

“None.” Hailey frowned. “My daddy only dates the TV.”

“The what?”

“Now don’t be revealing all my secrets. A man’s relationship with his sports channel is sacred.” He flushed a little. “Hailey, open the door for the lady. It’s a long walk to town and it’s fixing to rain.”

“I’m not afraid of a little rain,” Alexandra argued, because it had been so long since she’d accepted help from anyone.

Hailey moved back on the seat, as if to make room. “You gotta come with us. It ain’t right to let ladies walk.”

“You said it better than I could.” Leaning past his daughter on the bench seat, John fixed his deep hazel gaze on Alexandra. “Come on aboard. You’ll be perfectly safe with us. If you’re worried at all, I just want to put your mind at ease. My daughter doesn’t bite, and on the off chance she forgets her manners and does, she’s vaccinated.”

“Daddy.” Hailey scowled, scrunching up her freckled nose. “I haven’t done that since last year at Sunday school, and Billy Fields bit me first.”

“See? We’re as trustworthy as can be.”

“Trustworthy, huh?”

“Absolutely.” John reached over and opened the door.

“We got lots of room,” Hailey added.

“You two make it impossible to say no.” It wasn’t as if she was alone with a stranger. Clearly John had a daughter, so that meant he was married, right? A dependable-father type, so she figured she might as well spare herself the long walk to town.

Something wet smacked against her forehead. The first drop of rain. Drops pelted the road and she dodged them by climbing into the cab.

“Looks like we came along just in time.” Keeping his attention on the road, John flicked on the wipers and put the truck in gear. “I told you your car was going to break down. I won’t say I told you so.”

“You don’t have to look happy about it. You were right, but it’s only a cracked hose. Easily fixed.”

“Really? Did you diagnose the problem yourself?”

“Sure. I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’ve had to learn to do minor repairs here and there. It’s no big deal.”

“Let me guess. You’re one of those independent types?”

“Something like that.”

He continued watching the road and never looked her way once.

Yep, definitely the dependable-father type. There wasn’t a thing to worry about. Alexandra relaxed into the leather seat. She’d never been in such a fine vehicle. Warm heat breezed over the toes of her sneakers.

Hailey snuggled close. “Alexandra, do you got a dog?”

“Not anymore. I had a little terrier when I was about your age.”

“Cool. Did you love him lots and lots?”

“I sure did. He slept at the foot of my bed every night and watched over me while I slept.” Alexandra sighed, softening a little at the rare good memory from her childhood, and secured the seat belt. “I miss him to this day. When I was eleven, we moved to a different house and couldn’t take him with us, so I had to leave him with the neighbors.”

“I bet that made you real sad.”

“It did.” Alexandra swiped an unruly lock of brown hair behind her ear, looking down at her scuffed tennis shoes. She couldn’t help noticing Hailey’s brand-new ones, already scuffed, with bright purple laces. “Why don’t you tell me about your dog?”

“Don’t got one. Daddy is really mean and won’t let me have one.” Hailey grinned.

“That does sound mean.” Alexandra never knew it was so easy to tease.

John’s dark gaze warmed with mild amusement as he lifted one thick-knuckled hand from the steering wheel to ruffle his daughter’s unruly hair. “Alexandra, don’t get the wrong opinion of me. Hailey isn’t quite old enough for the responsibility of taking care of a dog. She still can’t pick up her room every day.”

“Can, too.” Hailey’s chin jutted out. “I don’t got a lotta time. I’m very, very busy.”

Alexandra stifled a chuckle. “Busy, huh? I bet a pretty girl like you has a full social calendar.”

“Yep. I got swimming lessons and ballet lessons and piano lessons, ’cept I’m not so good at that, but Gramma says I gotta keep practicing my scales, even if I hate ’em.”

“Wise woman, my mother.” John found his gaze straying from the road again and in Alexandra’s direction. “You can see how lonely a dog would be waiting for Hailey to get done with all those lessons.”

“I’m not taking your side.” She shook her head, scattering those rich brown locks that seemed shot full of light. “No way. I’m sticking firmly with Hailey. A girl needs a dog of her own. It’s one of those rules of life.”

“Like death and taxes?”

“Exactly. I’m so glad you understand.”

“Daddy didn’t have a dog when he was little.” Hailey leaned close to whisper. “Don’t ya think that means he’s gotta have one now?”

“Makes perfect sense to me,” she whispered back.

“You’re getting me in trouble, Alexandra.” John guided the big pickup around a curve in the road. “Have pity for a poor beleaguered dad.”

“Yeah, you look like you have it tough.” She didn’t feel an ounce of pity for him—only admiration. For the obviously comfortable and good family life he had. His daughter didn’t sit quietly, afraid to make too much noise. No, Hailey wasn’t afraid to sparkle. The affection between father and daughter was clear.

No, John didn’t have it tough. From where Alexandra sat, she figured he had everything important in life.

Everything she’d never had.

“Hey, enough about us.” John cut into her thoughts. “Tell us where you’re headed once you get your car fixed.”

Alexandra tensed. It was a perfectly innocent question. She knew that. John didn’t mean any harm. She knew that, too. He couldn’t know he was asking the impossible. She couldn’t talk about where she’d been and never where she was going. She had to leave her past behind, and lying was the only way to do it.

The story she’d been rehearsing since that first frightening night on her own was right on the tip of her tongue, but it felt wrong. She couldn’t do it. Not to this man and his daughter, who were being so nice to her.

So what did she say? Her stomach clenched as tight as a fist. Simply thinking about where she’d been sent panic lashing through her. She stared at the road ahead, slick with rain. A wind gust roared against the side of the truck and she wished the winds were strong enough to blow away the bad memories she’d left behind, and she was able to find a way to answer him honestly. “I’m not sure where I’m going. I’m just driving.”

“You’re the adventurous type, is that it?” John slowed the truck as town came into view. “You decide to vacation and go where the road takes you?”

“Exactly.” She said nothing more. She was looking for a new life.

And praying she would know it when she found it.

The rain ended and the wind died down as they drove along the main street of town. Modest shops were open for business, and a few cars were parked along the curb, but no one was in sight. Maybe the rain had scared everyone inside.

“Daddy, can we stop for ice cream? Please, please?”

“What do you need ice cream for? You’re sweet enough already.”

Hailey rolled her eyes. “Gramma says a girl’s gotta have chocolate.”

“Gramma ought to know. She’s a wise woman.”

Hailey didn’t know what a lucky little girl she was, to have a kind man for a daddy, Alexandra thought as the pickup slowed to turn off the street and into the gravel lot. Then again, maybe like Alexandra’s father, this was how John acted in public—polite and deferential.

Home had been a different matter.

She’d learned the hard way it was difficult to really know a person from outward appearances. It was a tough lesson to learn but one she’d never forgotten.

John pulled up to the drive-through window at the same little stand where she’d eaten her lunch in the shade. On friendly terms with everyone, it seemed, he greeted the blond-haired woman by name after she slid open the glass partition.

“Hi there, Misty. We’ll have three chocolate cones, double dipped.”

Before Alexandra could protest, the woman smiled brightly. “Three it is. I’ll be right back.” Then she disappeared into the shop.

“Consider it terms of accepting a ride with us,” John explained easily. “Where there’s Hailey, there’s chocolate ice cream. It’s best not to fight it. Just accept it as a law of nature.”

“Then it should be my treat in exchange for the ride to town.” She peeled a five-dollar bill from the stash in her wallet.

“No, it’s not my policy to let ladies pay.” He held up one hand, gallant as any fine gentleman.

“It’s my policy to pay back good deeds when I can.” She pressed the bill on the dash in front of John and gave him an I-mean-business look.

“This goes against my grain,” he told her, handing the five to Misty at the window in exchange for three huge chocolate-encased cones. “Thanks. Hailey, pass one down.”

“These are awesome.” The girl’s eyes shone with pleasure as she handed the biggest cone to Alexandra. “You gotta be careful ’cuz the ice cream is all melty.”

“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, as if to keep far from the grease. “Engines explode, metal parts can burn you. There’s acid in the battery, you know. I don’t think it’s safe for you to be touching that.”

“The engine is cool and I’m far away from the battery.” Alexandra tugged the damaged hose loose. “Now I just fit this on here—”

“I’m not sure about this at all. Why, those are out-of-state plates. How far have you driven this poor car? I don’t know a thing about engines, but this certainly looks as if it needs a mechanic’s attention.” Bev shook her head, scattering the short, perfectly coiffed curls, which slipped back into place. “What were your parents thinking, to let you take off across country in a car like this?”

It seemed natural that Bev should ask, obviously being a motherly type. Still, it hurt to look back. Remembering couldn’t change the past or the family she’d been a part of. “I left home when I was seventeen and I’ve never went back.”

“Never?”

“No. I’m happier that way.” If it still made her sad, she tried not to feel it. She’d been fine all these years on her own, with the Lord’s help, and even though she’d had a rough time lately, that was all about to change. She was sure of it.

She changed the subject as she wrestled the hose into place. “Have you always lived here in Montana?”

“Goodness, yes. My family homesteaded the land in the 1880s. Five generations of Coreys have farmed that land. We grow potatoes and are proud of it. Montana is a fine place to live. Are you thinking about moving here?”

“It’s a possibility,” she admitted before she realized she’d spoken.

“Are you here looking for work?”

“I’m looking for the right opportunity.” Alexandra slammed the hood and tugged on it to make sure it was latched.

“So you’ve come to interview for a job?” Bev lit up. “Why, that’s wonderful. So many of our young people are moving away to the bigger cities. Are you interviewing right here in our town?”

“I don’t have an interview, not yet,” she corrected, wiping her hands on the edge of a rag. “I’m looking and hoping the right job comes along.”

“Trust in the Lord to see to it, dear. What kind of work do you do?”

“I clean houses.”

“Honest work. And hard work.”

Alexandra pulled her key from her pocket. “Thanks again for the ride. I’m glad I got to know you.”

“Don’t say your goodbyes yet. We’ll wait and see if that car of yours starts.” Bev looked doubtful as she eyed the rusty Volkswagen.

Alexandra unlocked the door, settled behind the wheel and turned the ignition. The engine didn’t roll over, so she pumped the gas—but not too much so she wouldn’t flood the carburetor.

She got out and once again moved to check the engine.

“Just as I thought.” Bev planted both hands on her hips, leaving her fine leather purse to dangle at her side. “That car isn’t drivable. Do you realize what a godsend it was that John gave me a call?”

“John called you? But I thought you were on your way to town—”

“And so I was. But John asked me to keep an eye out for you on my way in and give you a ride back to your car. He’s my oldest son. Always with a hand out to help, that’s our John. Land sakes, what are you doing now?”

“Cleaning off the battery terminals.” Alexandra bent over the engine compartment. “That’s probably why my car isn’t starting.”

It took only a few seconds to wipe the terminals down and tighten the connectors.

“Something tells me you’ve been on your own a long time.” Bev eased closer. “No boyfriend? No husband?”

“No husband. Yet.” But there had been a man who’d proposed to her after three years of dating. A man she’d been ready to marry.

Panic clawed in her chest and she said nothing more about Patrick. She wanted to forget him, to forget she’d ever known him. She slammed the hood and took a deep breath. “This should do it.”

“If it doesn’t start,” Bev warned, apparently expecting the worst, “then you’d best come with me and no arguments. I can’t in good conscience leave you here.”

“She’ll start.” Alexandra gave her car a pat on the dash and turned the ignition. The engine rolled over, coughing and sputtering, but that was normal. “See? I know she doesn’t look like much, but she really is a reliable car.”

“I don’t know about that!” Bev didn’t look convinced. “It’s Saturday afternoon, and it’s sure to be dark soon. What if this car of yours breaks down again?”

“Then I’ll fix it. The great part about having a car this old and uncomplicated is that I can fix nearly everything that can go wrong with it.” She liked Bev, and wished her own mother could have been more like the woman standing before her now. “I’ll be fine, so don’t worry. You’ve helped me more than you know.”

“I feel as if I haven’t done a thing. Maybe you should come home with me tonight. I’ve got a little rental cottage out behind the garage. It’s as tidy as could be.”

Alexandra bit her lip, not at all sure what to think. She’d been too long living in a city and had forgotten what it was like to live in a small town. Forgotten that in small towns, the world seemed kinder. It was hard to trust in that kindness—in the belief of that kindness.

Her chest ached, as if a part of the defensive wall around her heart crumbled a little. She’d learned long ago that kindness hurt, too, because sometimes it hid pity. “Thanks for the offer, but I want to reach Bozeman by nightfall. Once I’m there, I’ll see where my path takes me.”

“But you’re alone. How old can you be? Twenty?”

“I’m twenty-four.”

“Why, my youngest daughter is that age. I’d hate to think of her alone, driving across country in an unreliable car.” Bev opened her leather purse, which exactly matched her shoes. “Let me see…where is it? Here, my husband’s business card. You promise to give me a call tonight, when you get settled.”

“Sure.” Alexandra took the card and ran her thumb across the embossed letters.

Gerald Corey, Potatoes And Soybeans, it said, and listed an address and phone number. There were different logos, probably farmer organizations she didn’t know anything about, but she did know one thing. Bev was genuine in her caring.

It had been a long time since someone had truly cared about her. A long, lonely time.

Bev was a stranger, and she probably treated everyone she met this way. With warmth and concern. As if they were family.

“I’ll call when I’m settled,” Alexandra promised, tucking the business card into her back pocket.

As she settled behind the wheel, she couldn’t help feeling hopeful. That this short stop in this little town was a sign of things to come. Good things the Lord had in store for her.

It was hard to say goodbye, but she managed it. Harder still to put the little car in gear and ease onto the road. Waving, she shifted into Second, watching Bev grow smaller in the rearview mirror.

Alexandra felt as if she were leaving something of great value behind, and she didn’t know why. Bev Corey climbed into her luxury sedan, and then the road turned, taking Alexandra around a new corner and down a new path.

It made no sense, but the feeling remained.

“Here’s Grammy,” Hailey announced from the front of the store. “See ya later, Dad!”

“Don’t forget your bag.” John watched to make sure she grabbed the pink backpack from the counter, damp from the towel and swimsuit inside from her stay at Stephanie’s. “And wait up. I’ve got something for your grandmother.”

The bell above the door jangled and the screen door slammed. Hailey hadn’t heard him. Through the front-window display, he could plainly see his mom circling around the front of her car, dressed perfectly as always, and greeting Hailey with a big hug.

His pulse skipped a beat—then he noticed the passenger seat was empty. Mom hadn’t brought Alexandra back with her. Disappointment washed through him like a cold ocean wave, leaving him troubled.

Had he been looking forward that much to seeing Alexandra again?

Then maybe it was for the best that she wasn’t here. He had no right to feel any caring—however remote—for any woman. Not after how he’d failed.

Through the screen door, he heard his mother talking, and his daughter answering. He could hear a hay truck downshift as it eased through town. It all sounded far away at the memory of his failure long ago now, but yet, in an instant, it seemed like only moments ago. When his world had changed. And a pretty young woman had lost her life.

The container felt heavy in his hand. Praying for the memories to leave him, he pushed blindly through the door, stumbling and dazed. He’d do anything to have the chance to go back and change the past. Anything.

Mom’s merry voice brought warmth to the afternoon suddenly turned cold. “Hailey, that bag of yours is as wet as your swimsuit. We’d better put it in my trunk because I just cleaned my car. Is that everything?”

“Yep.” Hailey took tight hold of Bev’s hand, as she always did, and climbed into the back seat.

A typical Saturday afternoon, like a dozen others so far this spring. Mom’s cheer, Hailey’s charm and his life in this small town—the same as ever. The weight of his guilt made his step heavy and slow.

“John, are you all right? You’re as quiet as could be, and that’s not like you.” Mom peered at him carefully. “You don’t seem flushed.”

“I’m fine. Just wondering if you found Alexandra,” he hedged.

Why was his pulse racing when he mentioned the woman’s name? It was guilt—plain and simple. As if he could help enough people, that would atone for the one person he couldn’t have helped.

“Heavens to Betsy, John, I’m so glad you called me. I found poor Alexandra walking along that road all by herself. That just isn’t safe, not at all.” A deep look of sorrow passed over Mom’s gentle face. She’d always been tenderhearted, caring about everybody.

“I insisted on giving her a ride, and you were right, she was stubborn at first, but that shows sense. A young woman can’t accept rides from strangers these days. So I stayed with her until her car started. But do you know she doesn’t have a soul in the world who cares about her? No family at all. No one to worry over her arriving safe and sound. It’s a shame, it is, a nice girl like that.”

“That’s why I called you.” John’s throat tightened until he could hardly speak. “Thanks for helping her out.”

“She bought us ice cream,” Hailey volunteered from the back seat. “And she had a dog when she was little. Just thought I otta mention it.”

“We heard you, Miss One Track Mind.” Bev tried to hide a chuckle. “We’ll pray Alexandra has smooth roads ahead of her. You were a good man to help her out, John.”

“The least I could do, seeing as she came into my store.”

“You don’t fool me with your modesty act. You’re one of the finest men I know, and I’m proud to call you my son.”

Not true, but it made some of the pain in his chest ease. “I come from good stock,” he told her because he knew it would make her smile, and he turned to his sprite of a daughter playing with the seat belt buckle. “You stay out of trouble, you hear?”

“I’ll try.” Hailey grinned like the angel she was.

Such sweetness. Love for her filled his heart as he set the bin of rose food in the trunk with Hailey’s backpack. She was a good girl, and he was grateful to his mom for the time she spent with Hailey, making up for a mother’s absence.

His guilt felt as dark as the storm clouds overhead.

“Bye, Daddy!”

John watched his mother’s car pull away from the curb. Hailey’s purple-painted fingernails flashed as she waved.

The Lord had forgiven him long ago, or so Pastor Bill assured him time and time again, but that hadn’t erased the guilt. John would never forgive himself for his wife’s death.

Ever.

Because he’d stopped by Mrs. Fletcher’s house, John was late arriving at his Mom’s. The kitchen was a flurry of activity. The oven timer buzzed loud and shrill, and the potatoes boiling too hard on the stove spit sizzling water onto the burner.

“Good, you showed up just in time.” Mom poured water from the green beans at the sink. “Give your dad a shout, would you? He’s out tinkering with that tractor and I can’t get him away from it.”

“Daddy!” Hailey looked up from coloring at the table. Crayons flew as she tore across the room, winding her arms around his knees. “Grammy’s making my favorite potatoes.”

“Good. Those are my favorite, too.”

The phone shrilled again just as Mom was reaching deep into the oven to rescue the delicious-smelling roast. Halfway to the door to find his dad, John lifted the receiver from the wall-mounted phone. “Howdy.”

“Is this Bev’s home?”

Wait. He knew that voice—soft, pretty and gentle. “It surely is. This wouldn’t happen to be Alexandra?”

“Hi, John.”

“How’s the car running? Mom told me you were quite the mechanic.”

“I managed to make it to Bozeman just fine. I promised Bev I’d call when I arrived safely. So she wouldn’t worry.”

“That’s my mom. I knew she’d look after you.”

“I should hold that against you, sending me someone I couldn’t say no to. Thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome. Here’s Mom now. Before I surrender the phone—” he held the receiver high so his mother couldn’t reach it “—I meant to say something earlier, and since this is probably my last chance, here goes. I noticed you taking a second glance at the Help Wanted sign I had posted. You wouldn’t happen to be interested in a job, would you?”

“I’m surprised you noticed. I hardly glanced at it.”

“So you aren’t interested.”

“I didn’t say that.”

On the other side of the line, Alexandra could hear Bev telling John something.

John chuckled. “Is that so? Mom said you were looking for a job. For the right opportunity.”

“How do I know working in your store is the right opportunity? I have absolutely no hardware experience whatsoever.”

“You don’t need experience. I’m not looking for help in the store.”

“You’re not?” Her heart gave a little jump. “You mean you need someone like a bookkeeper?”

“Nope. I need someone to watch Hailey for me during the week. Mom’s only filling in temporarily while I find someone new. The last sitter quit to go to Europe with her family, and how can you blame her for that? But it’s left me high and dry. I don’t think there’s anyone available in all of the Gallatin Valley.”

“But you don’t even know me.”

“I know that you like double-dipped ice cream and you’re good with kids. That’s good enough for me. C’mon—” Hailey’s excited chants filled the background as John laughed. “See? Everyone’s in favor of it.”

The panic returned and Alexandra wasn’t sure why. Wait—maybe she did know. The last time she’d been anything more than strangers with a handsome man, it had ended in near disaster.

This was different, she told herself, but the panic remained. Being responsible for a child with all the worries she had about her own safety, that simply wasn’t the right thing to do.

“I’d love to, John, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

“I appreciate your decision, that you might want to keep your options open in case some better offer comes along. So here’s what we can do. Consider it a temporary position and you’re free to leave for a better opportunity. What do you think now?”

“I think you’re trying to make it impossible for me to say no.”

“True,” he admitted, warm and deep, like richly flowing chocolate, and the sound was enough to make her stop breathing and remember how masculine and strong he’d been without seeming cruel or controlling. Just like a hero out of a movie.

Well, men like that weren’t real, she told herself, sensibly. They really weren’t.

“At least tell me you’ll think about it?” he asked.

She held the phone tight to her ear, wishing a part of her didn’t long to accept. To spend her days taking care of a nice little girl, baking cookies and playing in the sunshine. She wouldn’t be alone—at least for a little while.

And that was almost temptation enough.

“I’m afraid I can’t.” It was hard to say the words. Harder still to think about hanging up the phone. “I appreciate the job offer, really I do, but I don’t think I’m what you’re looking for. Goodbye, John.”

“Wait! Alexandra—”

She hung up. It was the right thing to do. For John and Hailey. And for her.

“If it’s a local call, next time I’ll let you use my phone instead of the pay phone,” the lady in the office offered as Alexandra swept by.

“Thanks.” She smiled at the woman, who then stepped into the back room where she lived with her husband. The aroma of meat loaf lingered.

It was suppertime. Everyone in the campground was settling down to eat. She walked past motor homes, where retired couples chatted over their meals, and tents, where families cooked over open fires. Everywhere she looked, people were gathering in pairs and groups.

One day, that would be her. She was certain of it. Surely the Lord didn’t mean for her to always be alone.

Chapter Four

The wonderful thing about camping was that a person never needed an alarm clock. Nature had its own rhythm, one that felt serene and peaceful as Alexandra punched her pillow, nudged awake by the call of birds heralding the coming dawn, and the downshifting of truck traffic on the highway. But Alexandra was content to ignore that as the first rays of the rising sun cut through the nylon tent and into her eyes.

Good thing she was an early riser. Her nose was cold from the chill in the air, and for one second she snuggled deeper into her toasty-warm sleeping bag. The fabric shivered around her as she turned onto her side. Could she manage a few more minutes of sleep?

But already her mind was racing ahead. It was Sunday—she wanted to find a church service somewhere nearby, and then hit the road when it was over. Would she head east, toward Miles City and North Dakota? Or south toward Yellowstone? The checker at the grocery store had mentioned the park was opening some of its entrances.

Maybe she could find an available campsite, since she’d never had the chance to travel before. This was her first time out of Washington State. Wouldn’t it be something to see Old Faithful? Well, she’d simply have to see where the Lord led her on this beautiful spring day.

Already the sun was boldly chasing away the chill from the air. So why lay around like a lazybones? She crawled out of her sleeping bag, deciding she wanted to hit the showers before they got busy. A quick breakfast, and then she’d find a nearby church. The day already felt full of promise.

She crawled out of the sleeping bag, already shivering in her favorite pair of sweats. It didn’t take long to grab her bag of showering things and her last clean towel from the stack on the back seat of her car. The campground was quiet this time of morning, except for a few travelers beginning to stir. An older woman, opening her door to the pine-scented air, stepped out of a luxury motor home and offered a pleasant good-morning.

Alexandra returned it, feeling better for the momentary connection. The skies were clear and a dazzling blue. The air smelled fresh and crisp, and she couldn’t help feeling full of hope. Surely the happy touch of the sun meant good things for the day ahead. It had been one more night that Patrick hadn’t caught up with her.

She showered quickly, shivering in the cold water. Apparently the water heater wasn’t working terribly well, but she didn’t mind. Cold water was good for the soul, right? She certainly felt invigorated as she toweled dry, pulled on a pair of warm sweats and ran a comb through her hair. Now, to dig out her good clothes from the bottom of the duffel bag, and then she’d go in search of an espresso stand. She was on a budget, but a double hazelnut latte was a once-a-week treat she wasn’t about to miss.

With her bag slung over her shoulder, she pushed through the doors and stepped out into the new day, where the sun was up, so warm and bright it hurt her eyes to look into it. Surely there was an espresso stand close by, and if she could find a local paper, then she could check the church listings—

“Alexandra!”

She froze in the middle of the dirt path. She didn’t know anyone here. For a nanosecond, fear speared through her. Then she realized that it was a child’s voice that had called her name, not a man’s. Not Patrick’s.

“Hey! Alexandra. Remember me?” A little girl skipped along the low fingers of light slicing through the pine trees lining the gravel driveway.

Alexandra warmed from head to toe. “Of course I remember you, Hailey. What are you doing here by yourself?”

“Oh, Daddy and Grammy came, too, but I can run the fastest.”

John was here? And Bev? What were they doing here? Confused, Alexandra squinted into the long bright rays of the rising sun, but she couldn’t see anything. Another flash of panic sliced through her—was she really that easy to track down?

Hailey skidded to a stop, her hair tangled and her purple ruffled dress swirling around her knees. Her neon-green sunglasses were perched on her nose and hid her eyes, but her grin was wide and infectious and adorable.

“How did you find me?” Alexandra tried to keep the panic from her voice. She’d paid cash for one night, and the manager hadn’t asked for more than her car’s license plate number. That didn’t make her easy to track down, right?

“Grammy hit the dial-back thingy. That’s how we knew where to come get you.” Hailey slipped off her sunglasses. “It’s Sunday and you can’t not go to church. Grammy was real worried ’n stuff, so Daddy said we’d take ya with us. Right, Daddy?”

“That about sums it up,” answered a deep rumbling voice.

John. Alexandra felt his presence even before she heard the first pad of his footstep. Even before she caught the faint scent of pine-scented aftershave on the sweet morning breeze. The sun rising in the great sky behind him shot long spears of golden light, casting him in shadow as he strode closer. His broad shoulders were set, his Stetson tipped at an uncompromising angle, his gait slow and steady. Confident.

He looked like a hero out of a movie, the tall, dark silent warrior too good to be real. He strolled into the shadows, the change of light transforming him from shadow to flesh-and-blood man. He looked different today in his Sunday best, still rock solid and powerful, but remote. For the moment, unreachable.

Alexandra’s breath caught, and she was very aware of her long hair wet from the shower and tousled by the wind. She’d run a comb through it once. Who knew what she looked like? She was wearing her favorite pair of gray sweats, of course, the old ones that were baggy and had holes in both knees.

It doesn’t matter, she told herself. It certainly wasn’t as if John Corey was looking at her like a man interested. And shouldn’t she be panicking instead of hoping he did like her?

Right. Except she knew there was no danger here. John was a widower with Hands Off practically pasted to his forehead.

“How about it, Alexandra? Seems we owe you for treating us to ice cream, and Coreys always make good on their debts. We can’t let this favor you did us go unpaid, so here we are, asking you to ease my conscience and let us take you to church with us.”

“It was only ice cream, John. Not a debt to be paid.”

“That’s a matter of opinion. Come to the service with us. You would make Mom happy. She loves to fuss over everyone. It gets tough on a guy. Think of it this way. You would be doing me a favor.”

“Oh? A favor now? I thought you said it was a debt!”

“Semantics.” It was easy to see the good in him, the easy charm that he kept rigidly veiled, but it was there, lurking in the friendly grin that would put Robert Redford to shame. “If you came along, then Mom would fuss over you instead of me and Hailey. Believe me, it’s a lot to endure, and we need a break. Isn’t that right, kid?”

“Yep.” Hailey bobbed onto her tiptoes. “Grammy’s real mushy. She says it’s ’cuz all her kids are all grown-up. And I get too much fussin’. Are you really gonna come, Alexandra? Please? I can show you my horse.”

“Well, I’m not sure—”

Hailey’s face fell. “You don’t wanna see my horse?”

Now what did she do? “Well, sure, but—”

“Don’t bother to fight it, Alexandra.” Amused, John eased closer. “It’s best just to give in. Mom and Hailey together are a powerful force. They scare tornados away. It’s best to do what they want.”

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