Page 34 of A Twist of Faith
“What?” Her words sounded hoarse, a sure sign she was trying not to cry… or scream. “Do you have a car hidden away somewhere? A friend in need of some extra money for their pickup?”
There was an idea. Reese pulled off on Mitchell’s lane and stopped the truck. “I do got a really nice Accord up at the house—”
“Youhavea really nice Accord, not yougota—”
“I’m trying to help you here, woman, and you go off and correct my grammar?” He banged the steering wheel with his palm to emphasize his words. “Do you need a car or not?”
“Well yes, but—”
“Then stop giving me therapy when you’re off the clock and listen a minute.”
She pinched her mouth closed and crossed her arms, like Lou did when she didn’t want to listen. Girls! But it did take the wounded look right out of her eyes, which kept him from taking her in his arms.
“Ihavea nice Accord up at the house. It’s about seven years old, but in good shape. Nobody’s driven it in two years.”
Her brows crashed together. “Why would you keep a car you don’t drive?”
He rubbed his jaw and took in a deep breath. “It was my wife’s car.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dee whispered and touched his arm. “I shouldn’t have—”
He swallowed past his tightening throat. “This pickup fits my needs on the farm a lot better than a car, so I don’t drive it none. I could give you a real good deal on it.”
“None?”
She opened her mouth to say more and he stopped her with a look. “Now here’s what I figure. You need a car and I need the money, so it’s a win-win situation.”
“You’re really not a good salesman.”
“Listen here, Doc. I shoot straight.” He turned his body toward hers. “I wouldn’t be interviewing for a job all the way up in Chicago if we didn’t need the money. Trigg’s got doctors’ bills up to his eyebrows, and since he’s been sick I’ve had to hire help to run the farm. It all costs.”
Dee’s eyes lost their frustrated glint and sobered like a sensible person. “I can imagine.”
If she knew anything about farming, she realized the seriousness of losing a strong hand. And the farm stood as their daddy’s legacy. Important. Especially to his brother.
“Family’s worth whatever sacrifice I need to make. Chicago is a small price to pay.”
A tender look softened her expression and pulled him closer, dark eyes searching his. But he wasn’t immune to failure either. He’d promised Jana they’d only move to Ransom long enough to help out when his stepdad died, but she’d never given him the chance to fulfill his promise. He’d planned to move her back to the city-life she loved. Charlotte or Knoxville, maybe even Atlanta, but waiting pushed her too far. She never gave him a chance to do right by her. It was impossible from the start—and he’d never had sense enough to know it.
What was he thinking trying to encourage any relationship with Adelina Roseland?
He jerked back a little and cleared his throat. “So, do you want to look at the car or not?”
Dee blinked those large eyes of hers and bit at her bottom lip. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Reese nodded and put the truck in gear. “And since you’ll be up at Mama’s house, you might as well stay for supper.”
Why on earth did he just invite her to supper?He was going to force Trigg to give him a mean fist to the head. Maybe it would knock some sense into him.
“Supper?”
He looked at her out of his periphery. “Last I recall, you liked Mama’s cooking pretty good.”
“Well.”
“Pretty well,” he ground the corrected phrase out through clenched teeth and focused on the narrowing dirt road. “And I think it’s meatloaf.”
“Does she cook for you every night?”
