Page 3 of True North

“Ah, thanks, Ma,” I mutter as heat floods my cheeks. Goddammit. Not the state I wanted to be in picking up Lou. She hands me the keys to the old buckboard truck.

“Oh, wait, I put something together for Louisa.” She ducks from the front room to the kitchen, reappearing seconds later with a small cluster of wildflowers pinned to a silk ribbon in her palm. “You tell her I’m so proud of her.”

“I will, Ma.” I glance down at the suit I’m wearing—the product of Ma’s thrift shopping with her skilled tailoring to make it more fashionable and a better fit. She rests her hands on my shoulders and tilts her head to the side. Silver lines her eyes. “I am so proud of you. No matter how things turn out tonight.”

Yup. She found the ring.

I swallow as my heart kicks up.

“Well, isn’t this cozy.” The hard drawl snaps into the air a few feet away.

Ma stiffens immediately.

The slurred drawl tells me all I need to know. Hell, I can’t leave her here with him like this.

“Go, Harry. I’ll see you later.” She forces a smile, ushering me toward the front door.

“I can stay, Ma.”

She shakes her head fiercely. “No, this is important. Go.”

Her hand squeezes around my upper arm as she gives me a stoic nod. Reluctantly, I walk through the door. It closes behind me, and I stand motionless for a moment, listening.

“You’re up. Hungry, my love?” Ma placates him, the words muffled through the door. I wait for his answer.

“Starving, woman, bring a tray over to the box.”

“Won’t be long.”

If she feeds him, hopefully he’ll leave her be. I rush down the steps and head for the lean-to on the side of the house. The blue buckboard sits under the rusted sheet metal roof. I make a mental note to add it to the repairs list for this place. I slide into the driver’s seat and fire her up. She rattles where she stands before I slide the stick into reverse.

The truck rounds the driveway backward, and through the window, I see Ma handing the old man a tray of food. He doesn’t look at her, taking the cutlery and shoveling food into his mouth. Hope he chokes on it.

I make Lou’s house in under ten minutes. Double-checking the small velvet box I have been hiding away for months is still, in fact, in my right pocket, I kill the engine outside her house. Nervous as hell, I grab Ma’s corsage gift and walk up the path to her front door. Pressing a finger to the doorbell, I step back and slide my hands into my pockets.

A heartbeat later, the door opens, and my world stands over the threshold.

Lou’s blonde hair hangs in pretty waves over her shoulders. Her bright green eyes lit up with excitement. Her prom dress, a long, floating pink one that reaches the ground. A shawl is draped over her shoulders. Cream. Silk? She looks a dream.

So damn beautiful.

“You’re here,” Louisa breathes.

And like that, my day got instantly better.

“Where else would I be, darlin’?” I smile at her, ignoring my thundering heart and the lightning rushing through my veins as she steps over the threshold and into my space. She floods my senses. Like she always does. The last twelve months of going steady have given me a focus and perspective I’ve never had before. I take my hands from my pocket, remembering the corsage. Damn, I hope it’s not busted.

“Here, Ma made you something.” I wrap my fingers around her thin wrist and slide the ribbon over it. Her eyes don’t leave my face as I tie it around her wrist. She purses her lips, breaths stopped.

Her touch sends my head fuzzy. Where my fingertips graze her skin, something sparks to life. I turn her wrist over and inspect the final product. “She also wanted me to tell you she’s proud of you.”

Her face twists with emotion. The feelings Ma has for Lou go both ways. Another reason I love this woman so damn much. I drop her hand and crook an elbow. “Time to go? Don’t wanna be late.”

She smiles as her fine hand slides past my elbow and grips my bicep.

“Take me to prom, Harry.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

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