you won’t even notice they’re here. But if you need anything, my cell number is on the fridge. So is Kitty’s. She and Henry live just down the road, so she can be here in a matter of minutes. A lot faster than me.”
Especially if Hannah ended up with a flat tire or some other roadside emergency. “You’re taking the truck?” he asked.
“It has a lot more cargo space than Annette’s car and pulls the trailer better. I figured it was best to plan for a big haul. Power of positive thinking and all that.”
He opened his mouth to comment, then thought better, shaking his head.
“What?” Her hazel eyes narrowed. “Were you about to make some snide comment about my truck?”
“About you. Not snide,” he backpedaled. “I was just wondering if this is something you were born with or a learned behavior—your sunny disposition, I mean. Does everyone in your family see the world in such a rose-colored view?”
She jerked her head away abruptly, reaching into her purse and pulling out the sunglasses she’d mentioned. When she turned to face him again, the dark-tinted frames obscured her expression. “I was an orphan, actually.”
They’d both lost their parents? The revelation of more common ground threw him for a loop. He and Hannah Shaw were polar opposites. He wouldn’t have guessed that their backgrounds shared many similarities.
“Your parents are dead?” he heard himself ask.
“I honestly have no idea. Never met them,” she said matter-of-factly. “I was abandoned as a newborn and grew up mostly in foster care. But to answer your question, the ‘sunny disposition’ was self-taught. I suppose I could moan and sulk my way through life, being bitter about anything that went wrong, but what kind of example would that be for my son?”
Her words had an edge to them. Because the topic was upsetting for her, or because she’d taken his question as criticism?
Or was she perhaps criticizing him? Colin may not have been flashing smiles left and right for the past three days, but he sure as hell wasn’t sulking.
“I should go,” she said briskly. “Annette is sacrificing most of her Saturday for me. It would be rude to keep her waiting.”
He didn’t like watching her go, her posture rigid as she climbed into the cab. He’d wanted to say something else, but nothing came to mind. Goodbye would have been insultingly trite after she’d shared something so personal, and I’m sorry felt like overkill when he wasn’t even sure why he’d be apologizing.
It wasn’t until the truck disappeared from sight that words formed in his mind, belatedly shaping the questions he wanted to ask. How?
How do you do it? Where do you find the strength?
But the sentiments were difficult to even think. There was no chance he’d be voicing them aloud.
No matter how much he ached for the answers.
* * *
“I HAVE TO hand it to you.” Annette spoke over the hard rock station that was Hannah’s guilty pleasure. There were a lot of songs she enjoyed listening to that weren’t Evan-friendly. So she indulged in suggestive lyrics and some heavy metal when he wasn’t riding with her. Annette paused. “You mind if we turn this down?”
Yes. The angry-sounding electric guitar riff suited her temper. “Of course not.” Hannah reached for the volume knob. Annette was a fantastic friend and didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of Hannah’s dark mood. Damn cowboy. She’d stepped out of the house in such an upbeat mood and seeing Colin’s smile—as rare and awe-inspiring as a unicorn—had seemed like an omen of good things to come. And then it had all gone down the crapper.
Annette started over, her tone admiring. “As I was saying, I’m impressed. I thought you were crazy, bringing home some stranger off the road to solve your problems—especially when it seemed like he didn’t want to be there. But somehow you’ve kept him there.”
“It’s not like I took him hostage,” Hannah grumbled. “He’s free
Especially if Hannah ended up with a flat tire or some other roadside emergency. “You’re taking the truck?” he asked.
“It has a lot more cargo space than Annette’s car and pulls the trailer better. I figured it was best to plan for a big haul. Power of positive thinking and all that.”
He opened his mouth to comment, then thought better, shaking his head.
“What?” Her hazel eyes narrowed. “Were you about to make some snide comment about my truck?”
“About you. Not snide,” he backpedaled. “I was just wondering if this is something you were born with or a learned behavior—your sunny disposition, I mean. Does everyone in your family see the world in such a rose-colored view?”
She jerked her head away abruptly, reaching into her purse and pulling out the sunglasses she’d mentioned. When she turned to face him again, the dark-tinted frames obscured her expression. “I was an orphan, actually.”
They’d both lost their parents? The revelation of more common ground threw him for a loop. He and Hannah Shaw were polar opposites. He wouldn’t have guessed that their backgrounds shared many similarities.
“Your parents are dead?” he heard himself ask.
“I honestly have no idea. Never met them,” she said matter-of-factly. “I was abandoned as a newborn and grew up mostly in foster care. But to answer your question, the ‘sunny disposition’ was self-taught. I suppose I could moan and sulk my way through life, being bitter about anything that went wrong, but what kind of example would that be for my son?”
Her words had an edge to them. Because the topic was upsetting for her, or because she’d taken his question as criticism?
Or was she perhaps criticizing him? Colin may not have been flashing smiles left and right for the past three days, but he sure as hell wasn’t sulking.
“I should go,” she said briskly. “Annette is sacrificing most of her Saturday for me. It would be rude to keep her waiting.”
He didn’t like watching her go, her posture rigid as she climbed into the cab. He’d wanted to say something else, but nothing came to mind. Goodbye would have been insultingly trite after she’d shared something so personal, and I’m sorry felt like overkill when he wasn’t even sure why he’d be apologizing.
It wasn’t until the truck disappeared from sight that words formed in his mind, belatedly shaping the questions he wanted to ask. How?
How do you do it? Where do you find the strength?
But the sentiments were difficult to even think. There was no chance he’d be voicing them aloud.
No matter how much he ached for the answers.
* * *
“I HAVE TO hand it to you.” Annette spoke over the hard rock station that was Hannah’s guilty pleasure. There were a lot of songs she enjoyed listening to that weren’t Evan-friendly. So she indulged in suggestive lyrics and some heavy metal when he wasn’t riding with her. Annette paused. “You mind if we turn this down?”
Yes. The angry-sounding electric guitar riff suited her temper. “Of course not.” Hannah reached for the volume knob. Annette was a fantastic friend and didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of Hannah’s dark mood. Damn cowboy. She’d stepped out of the house in such an upbeat mood and seeing Colin’s smile—as rare and awe-inspiring as a unicorn—had seemed like an omen of good things to come. And then it had all gone down the crapper.
Annette started over, her tone admiring. “As I was saying, I’m impressed. I thought you were crazy, bringing home some stranger off the road to solve your problems—especially when it seemed like he didn’t want to be there. But somehow you’ve kept him there.”
“It’s not like I took him hostage,” Hannah grumbled. “He’s free
Similar Books
