Page 44 of An Uncertain Road

Once again, Jensen’s heart turned to silent prayer. Lord, I hate that it had to come to this, but I guess I should thank You for the push to get this out in the open. Please protect us as we finish this tour. Keep Archie from achieving his plans to harm us.

What a relief to entrust his worries to someone else, for the first time in a long time…the only one who could do something about them. After a little more time spent in the quiet of the morning, he and Fred went to join the ladies at the car. It was time to run the penultimate leg of the tour and face whatever Archie would throw at them next.

CHAPTER 20

Standing with Beth by the Decauville, Flora had never been so relieved as the moment when she saw Jensen and Fred exit the hotel together, grinning like old friends again. She smiled at Beth. “It looks as though you were right. They managed to talk through the situation, after all.”

Beth’s shoulders relaxed and her smile returned. “I so hoped they would. They’re both good men, and they care about each other. Now that it’s all coming out into the open, the whole family can start to heal.”

Flora’s heart beat a little faster as the two men approached. Grumpy Jensen had been quite attractive in his own way. But smiling, relaxed Jensen took her breath away. Shyness enveloped her. What would they talk about today with last night’s kisses hanging in the back of her mind—and presumably his too? The first kiss at Bretton Woods could have been played off as an accident, a moment they got caught up in. But last night…

Flora’s face burned at the brazen way she’d planted her lips on his cheek before retreating to her room. What must he think of her?

As if privy to her introspection, Jensen glanced straight at her, and his peaceful expression turned into a warm smirk. It reminded her of the day after their first kiss when everything he said made her think of what came after a kiss like that, and how much she longed to experience that with him.

Heat flamed to life, fanning through her entire body. There would be no repeat of yesterday’s excellent driving if she didn’t get her mind back where it belonged—on the day ahead. Climbing into her seat, Flora busied herself with securing her hat to withstand the wind and arranging her skirts so they were out of the way of all the handles and the pedal.

The car shifted as Jensen settled in next to her. So close, yet also farther than her traitorous heart wanted him to be. He leaned close to speak for her ears alone. “Good morning. You’ll be happy to know we’re starting this part of the journey with less anger and fewer secrets. Largely thanks to your excellent advice last night that I should talk to Fred right away.”

Flora forced herself not to get lost in those intense hazel eyes. “I’m glad you two were able to talk. Now that you know how much better it feels to reach out and include people who care about you in your pain, I hope you’ll do the same with Mr. and Mrs. Harrison when we return.”

“As long as you’ll be there to support me, I intend to.” He leaned back against the plush seat, settling one arm along the top so that it was almost wrapped around her, his fingers grazing her shoulder.

Another rush of desire hit her unbidden. She immediately turned her attention to the line of cars in front of them. Only four teams stood between her and a first-place finish on this leg.

Then there was no more time for Flora to think about the feel of Jensen’s fingers lightly catching the fabric covering her shoulder. The lead cars lurched into motion, and the smell of gasoline filled the air. Flora’s body hummed in anticipation of the rush that accompanied moving up in the race field. This was not the time to let a man distract her. She had a job to do, and nothing would keep her from doing it well.

At least, that was the thought that sustained her for the first few hours of the day. Not long into the drive, they passed Mr. Franklin and Sam, who were stopped on the side of the road changing a tire. Flora and Jensen exchanged a look, and she knew what he was thinking—that if they could stay ahead of those two, they wouldn’t risk a fight to pass them later on. There was no doubt Mr. Franklin would make it difficult for them if he was in front.

They decided not to stop for lunch, and soon enough, another car was in Flora’s sight. But the team ahead was fast, and the roads in the area were filled with sharp curves and deep ruts that made passing difficult. Despite being forced to follow them for at least another hour, it bolstered Flora’s confidence that the Decauville was fast enough to keep up with the front-runners.

Finally, Jensen looked up from the map and pointed ahead. “It looks as though there’s a nice straight stretch coming up, and the road conditions here are as good as we’ve seen. If you can stay close to this team until the bend by those trees, you’ll be in a good position to pass them on the other side.”

Adrenaline poured through Flora’s body. The beginning of the tour had been so difficult, and they were due for some good luck. This felt like the solid run she’d been waiting for.

Flora accelerated until they were only a car’s length behind the other team. One of their passengers looked back and waved with a grin. Flora returned the gesture, optimism permeating the atmosphere. This was racing. Not dealing with teams who cheated and destroyed property or angry locals or mechanical problems that could be prevented if the team communicated better. Just two skilled drivers ready to see whose car was the best.

As the bend approached, Flora readied herself for a quick pass, knowing the other driver was aware of their presence and preparing himself to block her. What she didn’t expect was for him to slam on his brakes the second they rounded the blind curve.

As both cars came to an abrupt stop, Flora couldn’t believe her eyes. The road ahead was completely blocked by cows.

“Cows?” Jensen must have been as stunned as she was. “Why are there cows on the road?”

The other team members had disembarked from their car and were walking around, trying to figure out how to get through. The closest cows stared at them for a moment, then returned to chewing at the grass growing between the ruts in the dirt surface. One lifted its head and mooed mournfully. They didn’t seem interested in moving one bit for the cars to get through.

Fred and Jensen were staring at the scene with wide eyes, as if trying to sort out if what they were seeing was real. Beth had covered her mouth with one hand, mirth evident in her glowing eyes and the upturn of her lips. Before Flora could say a word, a snorting laugh burst from Beth, drawing the men’s attention.

An answering laugh bubbled up in Flora’s chest. She turned away to try to stem it, but it wouldn’t be contained. Once she started, she could hardly catch her breath, the laughter came on so fast. After a fight to get herself back under control, Flora made the mistake of looking up. Next to her, Jensen’s eyes were watering, and his face was red as he, too, tried not to lose control. Which made Flora’s giggles start up all over again.

It wasn’t long before the other team was watching them guffaw like mad while stranded and helpless in the blocked roadway. But Flora didn’t care in the least if they looked as though they were losing their minds. After so much heartache on the tour and the emotional revelations of the previous day, all four of them needed a moment of pure levity.

Eventually, they pulled themselves together. Fred was the first to hop out of the car and start trying to help the other team encourage the cows to move by waving their arms and shouting. As Flora climbed out to see what could be done, another car approached from behind them, and her heart sank. They would have to work so hard to avoid losing positions when they got back on the road.

If they got back on the road before time ran out for the day.

When Jensen groaned, Flora looked closer. The car coming around the bend belonged to none other than Mr. Franklin and Sam. She offered a friendly wave to Sam, but Mr. Franklin only glared at them all.

He held out one arm, blocking Sam from getting out of the car. “What’s the holdup here?”