Ranch At River's End

Then she sobered, as if remembering just how dramatic things had gotten back at North Star Middle School in Northglenn.

CHAPTER TWO

DARCI THANKED AUNT STELLA for the chili, and for watching Chris, then hurried out to the car after him. It had begun to rain harder now, quarter-sized drops pattering down in cold splashes against her skin as she rushed toward her red Chevy Cavalier.

Christopher sat in the front seat, listening to his iPod. It was one of the privileges he’d recently earned back for good behavior. Darci shoved the container of leftovers Aunt Stella had sent with them into his lap before sliding behind the wheel. The windshield wipers swished out a steady rhythm as she drove, making her way down the county road and on through town. She hadn’t gone more than the few blocks that made up the downtown area, when she spotted a familiar figure at the side of the road.

Jordan Drake stood next to a black Ford Explorer, examining a flat rear tire.

Oh, dear. Should she stop? Or did he have things under control?

Darci glanced in her rearview mirror and saw him kick the flat in frustration, then head back toward the driver’s door. No spare? She supposed he could walk to the gas station, but it wasn’t in her to ignore someone in need of help, and besides, who wanted to walk in the rain?

Beside her, Christopher paid no attention to the fact that Darci had slowed the car. His head nodded to the beat of what was likely Southern-country-rock—his favorite. She turned into the parking lot of a church, flipped a U-turn and headed back out onto Main Street.

Christopher frowned, pulling off one earbud. “Hey, where are you going, Mom?”

“To help someone,” she said.

“Huh?” He yanked out the other earbud. “But I want to get home and watch TV.” His favorite reality show was coming on, another privilege he’d regained.

“Chris, we can’t leave someone stranded at the side of the road.”

“But you’re always telling me it’s not smart to stop for strangers.”

“He’s not a stranger. I work with him—well, sort of.” She wrinkled her nose, remembering the way Jordan’s hands had felt as he’d tended to her head injury.

“Whatever.” Chris rolled his eyes and bounced back against the seat.

Suddenly, Darci remembered seeing a similar black SUV parked down the street from her and Chris’s place, in front of the blue split-level. The one with a neatly landscaped front yard she envied, and a couple of acres behind it. At least, it looked like the same SUV, with an Honor Student bumper sticker.

Darci pulled up beside the Ford and rolled down her window.

“Hi,” she said. “Need some help?”

Jordan looked sheepish. “Thanks, we’re fine.”

Darci noted he had a little girl—his daughter?—with him. The kid was cute, with long, light brown hair and big blue eyes.

“You don’t look fine,” Darci said.

He shrugged. “I picked up a nail—” he gestured toward the flat “—and, uh, apparently I didn’t maintain my spare tire very well. It’s low on air.” He glared at his cell phone. “And I’m not getting a signal in this spot for whatever reason.”

“Mountains,” Darci said, pointing to the surrounding peaks. “My service comes and goes in the oddest places.”

“Reception’s normally pretty good here.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s the weather.”

“Need a lift to the gas station?”

“It’s closed.” He grunted. “Believe it or not, Harry—the owner—took off for the Labor Day holiday weekend to go fishing. You’d think he’d stick around for the tourists coming through.”

“How about the convenience store? They have an air pump, don’t they?”

Jordan’s face went instantly pale, and Darci thought for a minute he was going to pull the same fainting stunt she had done in the E.R. earlier.

“You okay?”

“Not there,” he said.

“Pardon?”

“I don’t use the convenience store.”

“O-kay. Oh, wait. I forgot. I’ve got a portable compressor in my trunk.” She’d bought it for the four-hour road trip when she and Chris had moved here. “I’ll pump up your spare for you.”

“I’ll do it,” he said. “Thanks.”

“Okay. Let me turn around and park. Be right back.” Once more, Darci drove down the street and found a place to change direction, then pulled in behind Jordan.

A honey locust tree grew near the edge of the curb where she’d parked, its overhanging branches offering shelter from the steady rain. That way she could leave the windows down to let in some air. The rain had turned the August evening muggy. “If it gets too stuffy in here, Chris, you can get out,” she said.

“Can’t I walk home?”

“No. You can wait. Stop being rude.”

“Whatever.” He stuck his earbuds in and slumped down in the seat again.

From her trunk, Darci retrieved the portable air compressor. Compact in size, it plugged into a vehicle’s cigarette lighter. Still, Jordan reached to take it for her as she neared the Explorer. His hand brushed hers, and Darci bit her lip.

“Thank you,” he said. “Michaela and I appreciate it.”

“No problem.” She grinned. “It’s the least I can do to return the favor of you stitching up my noggin.”

He chuckled, and the sound washed over her, much warmer than the rain.

Jordan had lowered the spare tire rack from underneath the vehicle and removed the thick-treaded radial, laying it on its side. While he hooked up the compressor to an accessory adaptor beneath the SUV’s dashboard, Darci clamped the air hose onto the spare. As she straightened back up, she glanced inside the vehicle and frowned. The huge SUV was equipped with enough seats for seven people, yet they were all folded down, except for the two up front. It was as though Jordan Drake and his daughter were the only people who rode in it. Did he have a wife? she wondered again.

The cargo area was practically bare, other than a couple of odds and ends—a small tool box, a pair of kids’ tennis shoes, a rope like the kind you might use on a boat.

Odd.

Why would anyone bother to drive such a big, environmentally unfriendly vehicle if they weren’t going to utilize its potential? Darci realized Michaela was staring at her over the back of the passenger seat, and she smiled at the girl, giving her a small wave. Michaela smiled back shyly and returned the wave with a lift of her hand, then turned to face forward once again.

Darci couldn’t help but notice the scar on the child’s face and wondered what had happened. Had she been in a car accident? Cute kid. She seemed about Christopher’s age.

“Looks kind of bare, doesn’t it?”

Jordan’s voice startled her as he stepped up beside Darci.