Page 4 of Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
Note to self: Never again wear a skirt on a winter road trip.
He nodded as his throat rippled from swallowing. Without so much as a glance in her direction, he turned the ignition and the truck roared to life.
They rode in awkward silence for the first few miles.
Fallon cleared her throat. “Thanks again for this. I’m Fallon, by the way. Fallon Gale.”
He gave her a once-over and a quick, impersonal smile before his attention turned back to the road. For a second, she thought he wasn’t going to say anything.
“Kade,” he answered simply.
“Do you live in Hendricks?”
He glanced again at her and took a moment to answer. Then he nodded. “Yes.”
Obviously, he wasn’t the talkative type. At least the drive was a short one. She settled back into the seat and watched the snowy landscape drift by.
They arrived at a red-roofed building on the outskirts of town fifteen minutes later. Fallon expected Kade to drop her off and that would be that, but to her surprise, he unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck.
Inside, the lobby smelled of pine cleaner and exhaust. A young woman with a purple streak running through her otherwise chestnut hair hunched over a computer behind the counter. She looked up as she and Kade came in and gave a quick wave, her thick silver bangles clanking together.
“Hi, Kade.”
“Hey, Sara. I take it Bart hasn’t been in much today.”
Sara shook her head, her straight bangs falling over one eye until she pushed them back. “I haven’t seen him since I got here.”
Kade nodded. “This here is Fallon. Her car is fifteen miles west, right off the highway, within a half mile of the Lakeshore Mini-Mart. She’ll need a tow. Might have a bent axle.”
Sara winced. Even she knew Fallon’s situation sounded bleak.
“I’ll give him a call. I think he’s in Twin Rivers, so he can stop on his way back.”
He acknowledged Fallon for the first time since they’d gotten back on the road. “Do you know anyone in town? For a place to stay?” he asked.
Fallon could ask Agnes. They were to meet within a half hour at the chamber building anyway. She wouldn’t be surprised if June tried calling her old friend again once she learned of Fallon’s predicament to give her a heads-up.
“Yes, I do.” She said it hurriedly in case Kade thought she wasn’t sure.
“Good.” He backed toward the door. “I hate to cut and run, but I’m late for something. Sara here will take good care of you.”
Fallon followed him outside. “Kade?”
There was a rise and fall to his chest like he was impatient to leave.
“Yes?”
“Sorry for the inconvenience. Here. Take this for your trouble.” Fallon thrust forward the twenty-dollar bill she’d slipped from her wallet when he wasn’t paying attention. She eyed the mass of balloons taking up the back seat of his truck again. “I hope I didn’t make you too late for your event.”
The look on his face wavered between surprise and indignation. He thrust his hands in his coat pockets.
“No, thanks,” he said. “I didn’t help you to get paid.”
She shook the bill that already fluttered in the wind. “I know that. But you saved me from freezing to death in my car.”
His hand was on the door handle and he yanked it open. “Keep it. You probably need something hot to warm up.” He nodded in the direction of downtown. “Two Tree Coffee has the best coffee around. If you’re a coffee drinker.”
“I am.”
