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She rifled in her purse for her phone Where had the years gone? Her boy had turned thirty-four on his last birthday
It was getting real cold, real fast in the cab of the truck, but she had to pull off her gloves to dial, and her fingers fu on the , and Marlene jumped about a foot off the seat "Oh!"
She wiped the condensation off with her sleeve, revealing the new sheriff He was a bigher view, and adrenaline exploded in her chest She glanced at the rearview ht up behind her, the white four-wheel drive looht of a police car make her panic? She told herself to cal, she hadn’t even beenMarlene rolled down the"Did I…is there soht, Mrs Jessup?" Billy Preston’s eyes arm and concerned
She put a hand to her chest, relieved She wasn’t in trouble--he orried about her This new sheriff was a nice young gentleman
"Please," she said "Call me Marlene Jessup was my husband’s name There’s another Mrs Jessup now" That last bit had coht, Marlene," he said slowly His eyes went to her hands, and she realized they were shaking even more than before "Are you okay?"
"I think I aers, then tried to put her gloves back on Why was her body not cooperating? "It’s hell growing old Beats the alternative, I suppose" She gave a shake to her head Maybe the cold was getting to her--she was ra like a crazy woman
The sheriff opened the door and escorted her out "Let’s get you in et you on your way"
She looked back over her shoulder at her pickup The snowbank wasn’t high, but she’d et her front wheels fir all over the place," she explained
Cars whooshed by as they walked along the shoulder, and she found her legs were tre, too
"Easy, Marlene" He chafed warly solid man at her side "I think I’m just cold is all"
"I’ll blast the heat You’ll feel better in no time" He settled her in the front seat, and as promised, he cranked the heat all the way up
She put her hands over the vents, relieved to feel the hot air blowing up the sleeves of her coat How had she gotten so jittery? She wasn’t a jittery sort of wo sweet is what you need" Billy pulled a foil-wrapped sack from atop the dash "Apple cinnamon bread Still warm frohed "Not e She baked it" Seeing that she took a bite, he gave her a firm nod, and shut the car door
Marlene chewed slowly It was good bread, just a little bit of sweet, yet substantial, too Now the question was: how did the sheriff end up with hoirl’s kitchen? Sorroith Dairl would be a fool to step out on the rich and handsome Simmons boy She’d pelt Sorrow’s mama with questions next time she saw her, that was for sure
A bite of food spiced with a bit of speculation perked Marlene up, both in body and spirit
Billy grabbed a bag of gravel and a s her front wheels It was a testament to the Sierra Falls coot more action than his sidearravel evenly at the base of the tire Marlene tilted her head…my, my, but the man had a fine set of shoulders He was built like a bull A strong, solid sort ofanother slice of bread from Billy’s stash, she nestled deeper in the front seat, nibbling at the snack like it was popcorn at the ot into her truck, and sure enough, he was able to back it out Marlene was al freed fro better?" His cheeks were flushed and da a er
Marlene gave him a broad smile as she let herself out of his truck "Much"
He returned her sht she rin "You’ve been too kind, Sheriff Preston, and I thank you for it"
"If I get to call you Marlene, then you’ve got to call ave her a wink, and her heart thuhter she could foist onto the man
"Then thank you, Billy" Marlene handed him the aluminum foil She’d folded it into a careful square "Hoood for what ails you, I always say Sorry I didn’t leave you any"
"Don’t you worry," he said as he walked her back to her truck "I hadthe stuff, it’s hard to stop" He opened her door, and the old hinges creaked "You sure you’re all right to drive?"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>