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“No, please,” Nova cried. “Not now!” She tapped her van’s instrument panel with one finger, though she knew full well that her van had bigger problems than a faulty gauge or two.
It was making a death rattle.
The gas pedal didn’t do anything. She told herself to be grateful that she still had brakes, but she didn’t need them now—Old Yeller was slowing down on its own.
She looked up from the console to see a curl of smoke escape from under her hood. The death rattle gave way to silence, and the van coasted to a stop.
Nova guided it to the edge of the empty road and then laid her head on the steering wheel.Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
She took a deep breath and sat up. She had enough problems. Being emotionally stable was pretty much the only thing she had going for her. So she had tostayemotionally stable.
It was already warming up in the van.
She rolled the window down and took off her outer shirt. There, that was better. This was tank top weather, anyway.
She checked her ancient prepaid phone, not expecting to have a signal. She did, though. But, who was she going to call?
She had friends, sure, but none within five hundred miles.
She closed her eyes and whispered, “I don’t think I’ve ever needed you more than I need you now. I don’t know what to do. Please tell me. If you want me to give up, please tell me. If you want me to keep trying, please send me a sign.”
She sensed more than heard someone coming up behind her. She looked in the rearview mirror to see a pickup coming. “Lord, please let him be kind.” Rich, handsome, and single would be good too, but kindness was all she really needed.
The truck slowed and then crept by her. Between the window and the cowboy hat he wore, she couldn’t get a good look at his face. Then she laughed out loud when he pulled over in front of her van, and she saw that he had two goats in the back of his truck.
He got out of the truck.Whoa.That was one tall drink of water. And he looked familiar.
“Having trouble?” he asked. His voice was deep but soft, masculine but gentle.
She told herself to get a grip.
“It made a loudclunk clunk clunk, and then it just stopped. And there’s smoke.”
“I see that.” He patted the hood. “I’ll take a look.”
She popped the hood and got out of the van, checking him out while his eyes were too busy to catch her doing so. He was older than her, a gift to blue jeans, andwheredid she know him from?
Sure, she’d grown up around here, but she’d forgotten most everything and everyone from her childhood. Most of it on purpose.
“Looks like you’ve got some head gasket trouble,” he said, straightening.
“Sounds serious.”
He wiped his hands on his pants. “I suppose that’s up to you.”
Huh?
“I know a good mechanic in West Hope, but you’re headed in the wrong direction.” He looked up the road. “Are you trying to get to Rapid?”
“I’ve been camping at Bear Creek?”Why did I just say that like it was a question?
He nodded. “Well, I can give you a ride there. I can call Rodney for you, and have it towed back to West Hope, to his place, or if you’re pressed for cash, I’m sure he’d tow it to my place.”
Wow, that was really generous of him.
He stared at her, waiting for her answer.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered. “You look so familiar ... I feel like I should know you.”
