Deal Of A Lifetime

CHAPTER TWO

AS HE HEADED for the front doors, the big overhead lights dimmed, leaving the terminal lobby in shadows. The young woman in the yellow poncho was his only option. Despite the nagging feeling of uncertainty in his chest, he followed.

That quick, she had disappeared. The sidewalk and road in front of the terminal were empty. His cousin owed him big-time after this. The least he could do when requesting a favor would be to pick him up at the airport. A sign read Taxi Stand, but the space was empty. Not unlike Scooby’s car rental agency.

He was wondering if he should try to call Cy when a truck badly in need of a paint job jerked to a stop in front of him. Smoky exhaust poured out the back, blending with the rain. He looked around for a shiny pickup truck. But the parking area was dead.

The window rolled down. Serafina Callahan propped her elbow in the window. “You aren’t waiting for me to open the door for you, are you? Because that’s not part of the service.”

Alex continued to stare at the monstrosity. Silver duct tape rimmed the front wheel well. The original bed had been replaced with a wooden flatbed. “Is this thing safe?”

“Old Blue works just fine. She gets me where I’m going.” She rolled up her window, her shoulder rising and falling with each rotation of the handle.

Alex took a breath. He walked around the front of the truck and pulled open the passenger door. The floorboards were about three feet off the ground with no running board. He set his carry-on on the seat, grabbed the edge of the dash and jumped in. “I guess that’s all that counts.” The door screeched as he pulled it shut.

The lights over the main terminal door dimmed. Inside the ticket agent leaned against the glass doors and waved. “Interesting characters.”

Sera shrugged. “What’s your point?” She turned the truck out of the parking lot and onto the narrow road. The truck stalled in the middle of the two lanes.

Alarmed, Alex looked over his shoulder for oncoming traffic. “We’re in the middle of the road.”

“No kidding.” Sera tried the key. The engine turned over once, twice, coughed, died.

“Do something.” He was wishing more and more he had opted for the plastic seats in the lobby. At least he wouldn’t be roadkill.

She switched off the headlights.

Alex pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. He hadn’t called his mother in three weeks. He would die without saying goodbye.

The engine turned over, coughed and caught. Sera flipped on the headlights and shifted into first gear. “You’re a nervous sort, aren’t you?”

Alex put his hand to his chest. “Only since I arrived here.”

With the rain and the overcast sky, darkness had come early. The headlights lit up trees and shrubs close on both sides of the narrow road.

Looking for his phone, his hand felt the Hershey’s bar in his coat pocket. Maybe she was low on sugar. He offered her the candy bar. “From Mike. He seems to think you like chocolate.”

Her eyes lit on the bar held in his hand. She snatched the bar from his fingers. “And he would be right.”

They both saw the tree branch in the middle of the road at the same time. She slammed on the brakes. His hand shot forward and gripped the dash.

“Sorry. Tree branch. Middle of the road.” She ripped the paper from the candy bar and bit off a huge chunk. And then glanced his way guiltily. “I haven’t eaten all day.” She downshifted.

Except for the roaring of the big engine, the hiss of the tires on the wet road and the ripping of the candy bar wrapper, the next few miles passed in silence. The old truck seemed to find every pothole, which didn’t help his headache one bit. Alex held on to an overhead handgrip as they bounced down the road in the dark. “There’s no interstate highway between the airport and Clover Hill?”

In the glow of the dash lights, he thought he detected a small smile. “There is, but I don’t think my truck will float. This way gives us the best chance of getting home without ending up in the Chesapeake.” She cut him a quick glance. “Is that okay with you, Mr. Kimmel?”

“Call me—” His eyes widened as he saw the obstruction in the road while at the same time realizing she was looking at him. He opened his mouth to warn her but nothing came out. When she jerked her gaze back to the road, she twisted the wheel to one side, steering them toward a tree on the side of the road. Alex’s head slammed sideways and bounced off the window.

He caught a brief glimpse of a white tail and a big tree as his hand again reached for the dash. He wasn’t fast enough. His forehead hit the dash before his hand.

The engine rattled twice and then quit. Rain drummed on the roof of the cab. The headlights shone on a tangled mass of wet green. The tree they had been heading for was just outside the driver’s-side window.

“You just had to devour that candy bar while driving in the middle of a monsoon.” When he heard no response, his gaze slid from the tree to the driver, grimacing and rubbing her right knee. “Are you all right?” He looked her over for bleeding, but in the dim light provided by the headlights, he couldn’t tell which dark spots were water and which were blood.

“Deer.” She leaned her head back against the seat and shut her eyes.

“Deer?”

Opening her eyes, she said to him slowly, “I thought they’d be bedded down in this rain.”

“I see.” He didn’t see. All he cared about was whether they both survived the crash. Then, as he looked around, he cared even more about how they were getting out of this mess.

* * *

STARING AT THE blur of rain on the windshield, she was glad she was driving the sturdy, indestructible old pickup, because the tree would’ve done a lot more damage to a car than to the twenty-year-old truck. As far as her passenger... She glanced sideways. “I’m all right. Are you all right?”

The man rubbed his forehead. When he took his hand away, Sera saw a goose egg already forming above his right eyebrow. Leaning forward, she pressed her hand to his head.

As he jerked away, his head bounced off the window. “Ouch. This thing is a death trap.” He pushed on the door, which gave a loud whine.

Sera leaned back against her door. The man wasn’t very appreciative. “I was just trying to help.”

He held up his hands. “You’ve done enough already, trust me.”

She huffed out a blast of air. “Fine.” She turned the key. The engine sputtered and died. She closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer. She turned the key again. The engine ground over and over... Please... The engine caught and she breathed a sigh of relief. She would have to rock the truck out of the ditch. Alex could get in or get out. She gave up trying to be nice. He pulled the door shut just as she put the truck in first gear, pressed the throttle and then quickly moved the handle to Reverse. The truck rocked forward, then backward, then stalled. She tried twice more but with no luck. She looked at her companion and tried to adopt what she thought was a hopeful tone. Maybe she had been too harsh. “We’re a little bit stuck.”

“What was your first clue?” Alex rubbed at the growing bump on his head before sending her a look. “So now what?”

Sera stared out at the branch pressed across the entire width of the windshield, blocking her view. Reddish buds were just pushing into leaf. The engine ticked in the silence.

She cleared her throat. “We walk.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him turn to look at her, but her gaze remained on the windshield. “Can’t you call a tow truck?” he asked.

She debated how to break the news to the newcomer. “I don’t have a cell phone.”

“You don’t have...” His hand slapped his coat pocket. “I have a cell phone.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed a button. The interior of the cab lit up. He swiped the screen and waited. The light went out and the cab returned to darkness. “What the heck?”

Sera drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. If anyone was going to get them out of this dilemma, it was she. He was obviously totally dependent on technology. “Probably no signal.”

Alex looked from the phone to the woman and back again. “What do you mean, no signal?”

“I mean, there are no cell towers on this side of the valley.”

Mumbling under his breath, Alex shoved the phone back into his pocket. “This phone can do everything, he says. When I get my hands on that guy...”

The rain pounded a beat on the metal roof of the cab. Already the windows were steamed up. Sera waited until his mumbling faded before stating what she thought was the obvious. “I’ve got a bush on my side. Can you open your door? The sooner we start walking, the sooner we’re home.”

Alex pushed on the door with such force it slammed into the tree trunk they had just missed.

“Hey, you just dented my door.”

He gave her a steely-eyed glare. “How can you tell?”

“You might have a point.” The man was getting cranky. And could she blame him? Maybe she should’ve shared the candy bar. At least then his sugar level would be up. She slid across the seat, where, although his feet were outside, he still leaned against the truck. “Excuse me, can you move? I can’t get out.”

Rather than move away, he turned, putting him much too close for comfort. Perching on the edge of the passenger seat, Sera waited for him to move away. Rain pattered the leaf-strewn ground around them. When his arms reached forward, she leaned back into the cab. His voice was gruff as he pulled up her hood. “It’s raining out here. Can’t have you getting wet.”

His hands pulled the hood tight around her face. She took a deep breath to slow her heart rate. “I won’t melt.” Suddenly realizing his jacket had a hood as well, she reached over his shoulder to return the favor, which would have been fine if the truck weren’t at a slight angle. When she reached forward, she started to slide off the seat, Alex automatically reached out to stop her fall. Her forward momentum, though, pushed Alex backward and they both landed in a patch of leaves with a soft splash. His arms wrapped around her waist, she lay motionless on top of him. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay? Lady, ever since I met you it’s been one disaster after another. If you hadn’t—”

Not wanting to hear any more about the candy bar, she kissed him. And wonder of wonders, he finally stopped complaining. Which was all she wanted to do. So she kissed him again.

* * *

ALEX LAY IN the wet leaves. Suddenly the icy water trickling into his ears was of less consequence than what had just happened in the last few minutes. This woman, this monster-truck-driving woman who he had known for a grand total of two hours, had just kissed him. In the cold rain. With warm lips. He tightened his arms around her waist just as she pushed herself away. The only sound was rain pattering down. “What was that about?”

She stood and, gripping the edge of the truck bed, worked herself up onto safer ground. “Let’s go, city boy. The sooner we start walking, the better.”

He lay back and stared up into the tree. Raindrops splatted the middle of his forehead. Had he been dreaming? She acted as if nothing had happened. And that kiss was definitely not nothing.

Putting the confusing double negative to the back of his mind, he jumped up, retrieved his carry-on, and then slammed the truck door, the exertion only partially alleviating his annoyance. He was with a completely irrational woman. His Italian leather loafers squished through puddles as he gripped the sides of the truck bed to pull himself up onto the road. At her touch on his sleeve he wheeled around. “Where did you come from?”

Her brow furrowed. She pointed to the right. “Ready?” She took off down the road. Alex looked back at the truck, hopelessly mired in the muddy ditch. He could stay here and pray for a passing vehicle, or he could follow the country girl. Heavy trees and shrubs crowded the road on both sides. He hurried to catch up. “How far to your place?”

“Maybe two miles.” The woman had quite a stride. She could give Manhattan pedestrians a run for their money. “So you live in the country, as well.”

“Yep.”

He wondered if she had taken offense. “I just meant like my cousin. Do you live on a farm?”

She stopped and faced him, poked his chest with her finger. “Look, I’m tired, I’m hungry and I don’t feel like chitchat. Okay?”

“Fine. I was just making conversation.” He continued on, lengthening his stride with determination. “But what was the deal with that kiss back there?”

Again with the finger in the chest. “First, I don’t know what you’re talking about. And second, we will never speak of this again.”

Despite his best city-block-eating pace, she caught up, and they continued along the road until they left the thickest trees behind.

In the distance he saw a brief flicker. “Is that—” He squinted. “It is. Headlights. Maybe we can get a ride.”

“They’re going in the opposite direction.”

“Aren’t you the epitome of positive thinking? Are you telling me the locals won’t stop for a couple of drowned rats in the middle of a monsoon?”

“I wouldn’t. Look what happened to me. If I hadn’t agreed to take you home—”

He stopped, indignant. “Me? You’re blaming this on me? You’re the one who took her eyes off the road to focus on a Hershey’s bar.”

Sera wheeled around. This time she gripped both shoulders with her hands and stood on her tiptoes. “Cool it with the Hershey’s bar. I wouldn’t have taken my eyes off the road...”

Nose to nose in the middle of the road, Alex had forgotten all about the oncoming vehicle until the headlights blinded him. But he could still see Sera’s wet, white face, her dark, curly hair and lips, made red by her constant biting. He heard the whir of an automatic window and then a woman’s voice. “Hey, you guys need a ride?”

Still absorbed in the stark color contrast of his companion’s face, Alex was reluctant to answer. But of course, he had to. “I do. I mean, we do.”

The side door of the van slid open. When he gripped Sera’s arm to help her into the back seat, she shot him a look. Whether of surprise or consternation he couldn’t tell in the dim light of the van. She climbed over a couple boxes and settled into a bucket seat.

The woman peeked over the front seat and reached out to shake hands. “Hi, I’m Wendy Valentine.”

Alex shook her hand. “Thanks for stopping.”

Sera leaned forward and also shook her hand. “Hey, you’re the local weather girl, aren’t you?”

With a sideways glance at the driver, Wendy laughed. “Up until last year I was. I’m on temporary assignment for an Atlanta station now.” She punched the man in the shoulder. “Josh is my driver.”

The look they shared and the ring on her left hand told Alex the young man with the dark beard was a lot more than her driver.

Peering into the rearview mirror, he spoke over his shoulder. “Josh Hunter. Where are you two headed?”

Sera responded before Alex could answer. “Not far. Last Chance Farm.”

Irritated at her attempt to control the situation, Alex spoke up. “Actually, I’m headed to Clover Hill Farms.”

Josh glanced over his shoulder. “You won’t be getting to Clover Hill Farms tonight. We can get you to Last Chance Farm, but the bridge over the creek is flooded. That’s what we were doing, getting camera footage of the bridge for the local station.” He executed a neat three-point turn and headed back in the direction from which he had come.

“Where’s your vehicle? Were you in an accident?” Wendy’s sharp eyes looked them over, presumably for signs of trauma.

“I... My truck ended up in a ditch.” Her voice lowered to a mutter. “So much for doing a good deed.”

“What did you say?” Alex looked at the woman huddled on the bucket seat, her feet propped on a suitcase on the floor. But he couldn’t see her face since she was looking out the window.

“Nothing.” Sera leaned forward. “There’s a big white mailbox at the end of the lane. You can just drop us off there.”

“I know where your farm is. Wendy’s parents’ house is a few miles farther down this road.”

The vehicle slowed as Josh turned in to the lane. Alex saw the white mailbox and then a long line of white board fence. A huge tree marked the end of the fence and then a big bush next to a small building. As Josh swung the vehicle around to the back of the big white house, the headlights lit up the earthen ramp leading to two big white barn doors. Swirling wisps of fog surrounded the cupola at the roof’s peak.

Wendy gasped. “You have a bank barn. How beautiful. You know, you can’t really see your place from the road.” When the lights hit the white brick and blue shutters of the back of the house Wendy exclaimed again. “Gorgeous! When was your house built, Sera?”

“In 1855. We don’t get much traffic out this way. Most people use the interstate.”

Alex detected a note of pride in Sera’s response. He slid open the side door. After dismounting, he turned and reached for Sera’s hand to help her over the boxes. She hesitated.

“Now you’re shy?” He felt a brief triumph as her cheeks pinked.

She took his hand but directed her comments to the couple in the front seat. “Thanks for the ride.”

“You’re welcome,” Josh called out to them. The sliding door shut on its own, and Alex stood in the foggy mist with Sera, watching the van disappear down the drive.

“So the bridge over the creek is flooded and my cousin’s place is on the other side.” He turned and observed the big white barn building almost evaporating into the mist. “I can stay in the barn.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She led the way to a trellis leading into a fenced-in yard. A cobblestone path extended to the back porch. Sera mounted the steps and pulled open the screen door. She pushed on the door with her shoulder, but it didn’t budge.

Alex, reluctant to follow and still hoping his cousin would somehow miraculously appear, was only halfway down the path. He watched as she bumped the door with her hip. “Is it locked?”

She gave him a look as if she thought he wasn’t very bright, then shook her head. “The door sticks when it rains.” The third time she used her entire body to slam the door, which finally opened. Hand on the doorknob, she stopped, then looked back over her shoulder. “I should warn you. I have a dog. He’s not fond of strangers.”

Alex walked to the foot of the wooden steps and hesitated. He noticed her knit brow and turned-down lips and wondered what in the heck he was getting into. “Really.”

She glanced away, avoiding his eyes. “Don’t make any sudden moves around him, okay?”

He nodded, but the effort was lost. She was definitely avoiding his gaze. “What kind of dog?”

“Saint Bernard.”

He pictured a big, stout animal with a barrel fastened under his chin. “What’s his name?”

Her eyes narrowed. Her lips twitched. “Cujo.”

CHAPTER THREE

SERA DIDN’T USUALLY run in the rain, but the stranger currently occupying the bed in the spare room had thrown her. After a restless night and knowing a stranger slept under her roof, she needed to think. And the best place to think was outside. She stood on the porch and breathed deep of the chilly, damp air. Gray clouds hung low over the fields. She couldn’t tell if the rain was over or if there was more to come.

“What do you think? Is it clearing up?” She glanced at her companion.

A tall, skinny mongrel with a coat the color of slate gazed up with concern. At the distant rumble of thunder, the dog turned and pressed his nose to the door. Of her two dogs, the animal who had appeared just the summer before was the more skittish one.

“The thunder’s moving away, Lucky.” But she opened the door and let him into the house, where he would disappear into the den and hide under the grand piano. Sera stretched and bounced down the stairs. She needed this run. It would relax her. She jogged through the arch and ran past the shed where she parked the truck. The empty space reminded her she had to figure out how to retrieve the old pickup from the ditch. The brushy branches of the big mock orange bush next to the building showed just a hint of green. Soon the shrub would be covered with thousands of snow-white blossoms and perfume the air with their sweet scent.

She ran past the field where tiny green shoots poked through the dark soil. Sweet corn was one of her most profitable crops. Few people grew their own, but most still loved the traditional sweet corn for summer picnics. She breathed deep of the damp air and continued her steady pace. She wondered if the newcomer was awake yet and how soon Cy Carter would arrive to claim his long-lost relative. Her breaths came shorter as she started up the incline to the top of the hill. Leaving the bare fields behind, she slowed and then stopped in the orchard. Fog shrouded the bare apple trees, but at least the rain had stopped. Usually at this point she could see Little Bear Creek, but fog hung so thick over the valley she couldn’t see the bottom of the hill.

Heat rose up her neck and onto her cheeks as she remembered running off the road the night before. She should have been watching for deer, but the man’s presence had distracted her. When she had slid across the seat to get out of the truck, he had reached up for her hood. But for a minute she thought he was standing there, hands up, waiting for her, as if he had lifted her down from the truck dozens of times. She had almost brushed away his outstretched arms. But the offer of help came so rarely she couldn’t resist. Then when she had accidentally fallen against him and they lay there in the dark and the blessed quiet, she had the strangest urge to put her head on his chest and close her eyes. The surrounding darkness and the rain dropping on the leaves had created a kind of comfortable bubble that seemed made just for the two of them. Serafina Callahan and Alexander Kimmel. When he’d begun complaining, she just wanted him to stop talking. Just wanted one more minute of peace and quiet. So yes, she had kissed him. But if she pretended it hadn’t happened...well, then, it hadn’t happened. She shook her head to dispel the image.