Page 6 of Unexpected Temptation
Amelia cringed a bit at the cautious tone of her voice.“I just need to give him a message.”
“Jaylen is kind of a loner and doesn’t care to have many people around.”
“How well do you know him?”Amelia asked.
“Not well.He moved here about six or seven years ago and bought some land from a family member of his further up the mountain.We could go months without seeing him.He comes down for supplies, but usually, he goes right back up his mountain.Sometimes he’ll stop in here, but he’s not one you can easily have a conversation with.”
“Do you know why he’s like that?”
“Now, I don’t like to gossip, but I’ve just been told he was a soldier and went through some hard times overseas.”
Tears burned against Amelia’s eyes.“Oh, that poor man.”How in the world is she going to tell this man he doesn’t have a wife coming as he expected, after all he’d been through?
“I hear a lot of men and women have been severely affected by what’s happening overseas.If they don’t have a family when they come back, they tend to isolate themselves, sometimes becoming homeless because they can’t cope with regular life.It’s a damn shame.”
“He doesn’t have any family?”Amelia asked.Damn, it just kept getting worse.
Sandra shrugged.“I have no idea.The person who would know anything about him would be Kane at the feed store.I see them talking a lot when he comes to town, and I have heard he’s been to Jaylen’s place several times, helping with stuff.”
Amelia pulled out a few bills and laid them on the table.“This should cover the meal and your tips, right?”
“Oh, Hun, that’s too much.”
“No, it isn’t.You’ve been incredibly nice to me, and I appreciate it.Thank you.”
She took a few steps toward the door when Sandra called out to her.“Amelia, you didn’t tell me why you needed to see Jaylen.”
Amelia turned back.“I don’t feel right telling you something he might not want people to know.I’m sorry.”
Sandra nodded and waved her hand.“No.You’re right.Go and see Kane.The feed store is a couple of blocks north of here.He can tell you the best way to get to Jaylen’s place and answer any questions you might have.”
Amelia wasn’t used to being touched or touching others, but she impulsively hugged the older woman.
“You’ve been very kind.”It was something she wasn’t used to.
Amelia pulled in front of the feed store, shut off her car, and stared.
It looked like a big grey steel warehouse.It had massive garage doors open to the side, where one man was loading bags of something into the back of a truck.Other than him, the place was quiet.
Hell, she needed to get this over with so she could move on.
