Michelle stepped discreetly away from the scene to give Brody his privacy. She probably should go home now that she knew he was all right and could go on his way. Shed tell him where his bike was, and hand over his bikes saddle pack. Yep, that would be the sensible thing to do.
Are you able to pay the bill in full? Mo demanded.
Yes, but I need an ATM machine.
Do we look like a bank?
The big man sighed in exasperation as he rubbed his brow. His head had to be hurting him.
Just walk away, Michelle. Thats what her mom would say. Sure, he looks nice and hes handsome, but hes still a stranger.
A stranger stranded in a city without his own transportation, she remembered. The sheriff had called the local towing company to have the bike hauled away.
What should she do? Maybe the angels could give her a sign, let her know if this man was as safe as she thought he was. He didnt fit the stereotype of a biker, if there was one. He was youngish, probably in his late twenties. He wore a plain black T-shirt and a pair of Levis jeans. But it was his boots that made her wonder.
They were special order, handmade and cost more than she made in three months. Not just anyone could afford those boots to ride a motorcycle. Just who was this handsome stranger? Maybe he was a software designer on a vacation. Or a vice president of a financial company getting away from the city on an always-longed-for road trip.
There she was, off on her romantic daydreams again. The question was, did she help him or not?
As Brody leaned forward to thumb through the contents of his wallet, a gold chain eased out from beneath the collar of his T-shirt. A masculine gold cross, small but distinctive, dangled at the curve of the chain.
He was a man of faith. It was all the sign she needed. Michelle stepped forward, intending to help.
Are you going to pay or not? Mo demanded.
Ill give you whats in my wallet, hows that? One-hundred-dollar bill after another landed on the counter.
He had that much cash? Michelles jaw dropped. Didnt he have credit cards? It was a travesty. Ill take you to the bank, if you need a ride.
Brody shoved the pile of bills at the somewhat mollified Mo and pivoted on the heels of his boots. His dark eyes surveyed her from head to her painted toenails. Youd help me out, just like that?
Sure. I dont think youre dangerous and you are in need. I dont think you should walk very far being hurt like that. She reached into her purse and started rummaging around. Where had her phone gone to? She pushed aside her sunglasses and kept digging. Oh, here it is. Is there someone you should call? To let them know youre okay?
He stared at the cell phone she offered him. No, thanks. Ive got my own phone. Besides, theres no one waiting for me.
Someone has to be concerned about you. A mother? A wife? Since he wasnt wearing a gold band, it didnt hurt to ask. A girlfriend?
He blushed a little and stared at the ground. No, theres no girlfriend.
There used to be one? Okay, call her curious. But she had to know. Maybe hed had his heart broken. No, wait, maybe hed been jilted at the altar, and hed taken off on his bike not knowing where he was headed only that he had to get away and try to lose the pain.
The shadows in his eyes told her that she was close. The poor man. Anyone could see how kind he was. How noble. It was in the way he stoodstraight and strong and in control of himself. A real man.
She sighed as she stuffed her phone back into her purse. Which bank do you need to go to?
I dont care. Nearest cash machine is good enough. Brody crumpled his receipt and jammed it in his coat pocket.
No problem. Do you want to get your prescription filled, too?
No. Wheres my bike? My pack?
The town mechanic towed your bike to his shop in town, but I thought to grab your bag. I told the sheriff Id look after you. Since I feel responsible.
It wasnt your fault.
I know, but I was there. I saw you fall. Ive got to know that youre all right. She had the energy and grace of a young filly, all long-legged elegance as she led the way toward the electronic doors. Youve got to be hungry, too. And youll need a place to stay. Unless you have reservations nearby?
Things couldnt be working out better if hed planned it this way. What seemed like a disaster was a godsend. How many times had that happened in his missions over the years? Brody knew, beyond a doubt, thats what happened when a person followed his calling. The Lord found a way to make everything work out for the good.
Brody decided to ax his plans and improvise. Go with the flow. No, I dont have a place to stay.
Then well find you something.
Excellent. He couldnt ask for more. He didnt mention the local classifieds hed pored through on the Internet at his office in Virginia. Or the fact that hed already chosen a place to stay in town not far from the McKaslin ranch. A dirt-cheap hotel with convenient kitchenettes that rented by the week. What a biker like him would be expected to afford.
What would Michelle McKaslin suggest? This opportunity was too good to turn down and adrenaline pumped through his blood. He forgot that he was hurt. That pain was shrieking through his ankle and up his leg. With Michelle McKaslin willing to help him, it could only help his mission.
He fell in stride beside her, only to have her dart away from him in a leggy, easy sprint. Where was she going?
Oh, Ill be right back, she called over her shoulder. She trotted down the brightly lit sidewalk in front of the emergency area.
Away from him. What was going on?
He watched Michelle dash up to a gray-haired, frail woman. The two spoke for a moment. The elderly woman dressed neatly in a gray pantsuit and a fine black overcoat looked greatly relieved.
Someone she knew? Brody wondered. From his records hed already ascertained that Michelle had a grandmother. But the woman Michelle was speaking to didnt look anything like Helen, whose picture hed seen in the local paper as a member of the Ladies Aid.
To his surprise, Michelle escorted the older woman toward him and pointed to the wide doors to the desk where Mo was now collecting information from another patient. Right there, she can help you, Michelle said.
Oh, you are a good girl. Thank you so much. Looking seriously grateful, the older woman made her way to Mos counter.
She was lost. It is confusing around here, Michelle said easily as she hopped off the sidewalk onto the pavement. They need more signs.
Brody was speechless. Michelle really was a sweetheart. Shed stopped to help an elderly woman find her way with the same good spirit as she was helping him tonight. Unbelievable. Yet, true. He didnt see that often in his line of work.
He recognized the somewhat rusty and slightly dented 1992 Ford Ranger as the same one hed been passing this afternoon. Dust clung to the blue side panels and someone had written wash me on the passenger door.
That was probably one of my sisters, Michelle commented as she unlocked the door for him. When I find out which one, she will regret it.
Michelle looked about as dangerous as a baby bunny. Still, he recognized and appreciated her sense of humor. A cruel retribution?
At the Monopoly board, of course. We play board games every Sunday night. Fridays, when we can manage it.
Michelle looked about as dangerous as a baby bunny. Still, he recognized and appreciated her sense of humor. A cruel retribution?
At the Monopoly board, of course. We play board games every Sunday night. Fridays, when we can manage it.
How many sisters do you have? Although he already knew the answer.
I have four older sisters. She didnt mention the oldest sister, although she sounded sad as she walked around the back of the truck to the drivers side. They are great women, my sisters. I love them dearly. They are so perfect and beautiful and smart. And then theres me.
He settled in on the bench seat. Whats wrong with you?
What isnt? She rolled her eyes, apparently good-natured about her shortcomings and dropped into place behind the steering wheel. First of all, I didnt go to college. Disappointed my parents, but Ive never liked school. I got good grades, I worked hard, but I didnt like it. I like working with hair.
Michelle yanked the door shut with an earsplitting bang. I like my job at the Snip & Style. Im fairly new at it, and it takes years to build a clientele, but Im doing pretty well.
Youre a beautician?
Yep. The engine turned over with a tired groan. What do you do?
I used to ride rodeo, he lied, and his conscience winced.
It was his job, and being dishonest had never bothered him like this before. Hed justified it all knowing it was for the greater good. He was trying to bring justice, right wrongs, catch bad guys.
As he gazed into Michelles big blue eyes, where a good brightness shone, he felt dirty and ashamed.
Rodeo? Oh, cool. I used to barrel race. I was junior state champion two years in a row. Im not as good as my sister, though. Her old room at home has one whole wall full of her ribbons.
You have a horse?
Yep. Keno. I ride him every day. Ive been riding since I was two years old.
I was eighteen months. Brody couldnt believe it. Not everyone he met had been riding nearly as long as they could talk. My dad was a cattleman. Hed take me out in the fields with him as early as I could remember. Id spend all day in the saddle on my pony, Max. I rode better than I could walk.
Me, too. All my sisters had horses, and so I had to ride, too. My mom has pictures of me sitting on my sisters horse, Star, when I was still a baby. I got my own pony for my fifth birthday.
I traded in my pony for an American quarter horse. My dad and I would pack up after a day in the fields and head up into the mountains. Wed follow trails up into the wilderness, find a good spot and camp for the night. Just like the mountain men used to do. Those were good times.
I know what you mean. Before my oldest sister died, my family used to take trips up into the mountains. Wed ride up into the foothills and wed spend a few days up there. Catching trout and having the best time. Real family times. We dont do that anymore.
Sadness filled her, and Michelle stopped her heart because it hurt too much to think about how the seasons of a persons life changed. It wasnt fair. She missed the closeness of her family. It seemed like everything shed ever known was different. Her sisters had moved out on their own. Karen and Kirby had gotten married. Michelle couldnt believe it. She was an aunt now.
Thats what I like about taking off on my motorcycle.
Camping?
Yep. Thats what Ive been doing, but not tonight. Brodys rumbling baritone dipped self-consciously. As if he were embarrassed hed wiped out.
No wonder. It took a tough man, one of determination and steel and skill, to survive on the rodeo circuit. One who wouldnt like to be seen crashing his motorcycle, even if it was practically unavoidable. Youre probably a little sore from hitting the pavement so hard.
Thats an understatement. His grin was lopsided, and the reflection of the dash lights made him impossibly handsome. It sounds as if you miss going camping.
Not so much. Im sorta fond of hot water and plumbing. It was hard to talk past the painful emotion knotted in the center of her chest. I guess what I miss is the way things used to be. How close we all used to be. The fun we used to have. I know everyone grows up and everything changes, but it just seems sad.
Some days I think the best part of my life is behind me. Times spent with my folks on the farm. Those were good memories. I havent been that happy again.
I hope that I will. One day.
Me, too.
Amazing that this perfect stranger understood. That they had this in common. The knot of emotion swelled until her throat ached and her eyes burned. It was grieving, she knew, for the better times in her life. Pastor Bill had told her that the best was still ahead of her. To have faith.
Is that the way Brody felt? Did he look around at other people who were starting marriages and families or raising their children and see their happiness? Did he long to be part of that warm loving world of family and commitment the way she did? Did he feel so lonely some nights it hurt to turn the lights out and hear the echoes in the room?
Maybe Pastor Bill was right. Maybe life was like a hymn with many verses, but the songs melody remained a familiar pattern. One that God had written for each person singularly. And maybe she was starting the second verse of hers.
She had faith. She had no patience, but she had faith. And knowing that a perfect stranger, and one as handsome as the man beside her, was walking a similar path helped.
She pulled up to the well-lit ATM at the local bank and put the truck in Park. As Brody ambled up to the machine, rain began to fall. Small, warm drops polka-dotted her windshield and felt like tears.
Chapter Three
The plump woman behind the motels front desk cracked her gum and tilted her head to the side, forcing her bleached beehive at an angle that reminded Michelle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Honey, were booked up solid. Its tourist season. There are no vacancies from here to Yellowstone, but Ill call around for you, if youd like. See if there was a last-minute cancellation somewhere.
Id sure appreciate that, maam. Brody sounded patient and polite.
Michelle noticed he was looking pasty in the bad overhead lighting. He was in pain, she realized with a cinch in the middle of her chest. Much more than he was letting on. She remembered the prescription he didnt want to fill.
So, he was a tough guy, was he? She wasnt surprised.
But she was shocked at the dark patches in the womans hair. Someone had done a bad joba seriously sloppy coloring job. Shameful, thats what it was.
That was something she could fix. Michelle dug around in her purse and found a business card. This side of Bozeman wasnt far at all from the pleasant little town she lived and worked in, and so, why not?
God had given her a talent for hairstyling, and maybe she ought to do good where she could. She dug around for a pen, found one beneath her compact and wrote on the back of her card, Free cut and coloring. Just give me a call.
Maybe youd better sit down before you fall down. Michelle eyed Brody warily. He stood militarily straight, but dark bruises underscored his eyes. The muscles along his jaw were rigid, as if it took all his will to remain standing.