Teaching Ms. Riggs. Stephanie Beck

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СКАЧАТЬ the detectives telling her that word for word. They had never, and would never, waste manpower to chase down a woman who had done a public service.

      Asleep on her feet, Ben finished her attendance papers and locked her classroom door at four o’clock. The sheriff had advised against walking alone after dark, but since it was still early fall, she had a few more weeks until she really needed to use her car. Ben waved to a deputy as he made a drive past her apartment complex just like the sheriff promised.

      Hope filled her for the first time in months.

      She was about to stop at home when she remembered her aunt had asked her to drop by the nursing home and say ‘hi’ to one of her old friends.

      Ben never minded doing her aunt’s bidding, especially if it meant Whilemina Riggs would stay out of her everyday life a little longer. She smiled as she turned toward the nursing home. The good thing about small towns was the distance between places, and of course, the fact that her aunt had sworn never to live in one again.

      She loved her aunt, she really did, but the elder Riggs was a pill and a half. Ben turned onto the path leading to the nursing home. She’d visited often with church groups throughout the years and mentally added it to places to escape to when the evenings in her little apartment got too long.

      A honk came from behind her. She froze, but after she turned and saw who it was, she smiled. Deputy Teddy Williams, the one who answered her call the night before, had kept an eye on her. He waved as he passed. The hope that had started to bubble became something more and she felt safe. It was so foreign it made her feel a little giddy.

      She walked to the front desk and smiled when the receptionist gave her a puzzled look. Ben toned down the wattage on her smile when the other woman showed no signs of warming up.

      “Hi, I’m here to see Mable Hampton.”

      “You must be Ben.” A nurse from behind the desk shuffled paperwork before she finally looked up. “Mable is already sleeping for the night. She had a tough day.”

      “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Ben replied.

      “But I’ll let your aunt know you did indeed come by,” the nurse said with a smirk.

      “She’s called?”

      “Four times,” she answered, and Ben enjoyed the bit of camaraderie that she wasn’t the only one her aunt drove crazy. “I’ll let her know you stopped by, and if you would like to see Mable, and she’s a dear so you’ll both enjoy it, Thursdays are usually better.”

      Ben swung her tote higher on her back and nodded. “Okay, I’ll try back on Thursday. Thanks.”

      She had time she didn’t know what she was going to do with, but suddenly that didn’t seem like such a bad thing. With a lighter heart she headed back into the heat. The building was surrounded by gardens with paths, so she picked one and strolled through the flowers. If she came across one of the residents, well maybe she could visit with them for a while. Otherwise it was just nice to be in the quiet, surrounded by pretty things.

      When she came to a fork in the path, she took a long moment to decide her next direction. Finally, she took a side path and was thrilled when it narrowed slightly and ended at a fountain. Unfortunately, the sweet trickling of water didn’t meet her ears as it should have. She stopped short when a denim-covered butt under one of the electrical panels caught her eye. It was a little naughty, but as she quietly ogled, she couldn’t help but think it was familiar.

      The left pocket was torn, allowing a bit of white from beneath to show. The shoes were nondescript, but very white. So familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on who it was until she saw the baseball cap lying beside him with a few tools. Feeling freer than she had in months, she grinned.

      “Wow, the scenery around here sure has improved since the last time I visited.”

      He jerked hard and when the blunted sound of his head connecting with the metal box rang out she winced even as she bit back a giggle. She stepped into the landscape and offered Mark Dougstat a hand when he shimmied out, his palm pressed to his forehead.

      “Are you okay?” she asked, checking for blood in case he’d really hurt himself.

      He peeked from beneath his hand, and pink tinged his cheeks. “Um, yeah, I’m fine. Just rung my bell a little.”

      “I bet.” She bit her cheek to stop her inappropriate laughter. She felt giddy, though, at being so bold and carefree with a man. “I should have given you a little more warning. Sorry about that.”

      “No problem,” he said and stood up without taking her hand. A small red abrasion showed on his forehead, but other than the scrape he looked fine.

      More than fine, Ben thought, looking him up and down as he reached to the ground for his hat. Mark Dougstat was a handsome man. Older than her usual type, if she even had one anymore. She didn’t even want to think about her lack of dating skills. Instead she smiled again and just let herself enjoy Mark smiling back at her.

      “So, you volunteer for the school board and here too? What don’t you do, Mr. Dougstat?”

      He flushed again, like he was embarrassed by the praise, which Ben found all the more endearing.

      “I help out with maintenance here, along with a few of the other men from my church. The nursing home had to cut one of the maintenance positions because of cost this year, so we’re stepping in when we can,” he explained.

      He was too good to be true, Ben thought as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dusted his hands off. Or maybe it had just been too long since she’d been around a man who wasn’t scum. She worried the latter was true, but at the moment that past didn’t matter.

      “And what are you doing here, Ms. Riggs?” Mark asked, his tone playful. “Doing a little catching up?”

      “I tried to. One of my aunt’s friends lives here, but Mable is snoozing so I’ll be back Thursday.” She tried not fidget under his gaze.

      She felt his focus solely on her, and that wasn’t something she was accustomed to. Even in class when everyone was supposed to be paying attention, she knew they didn’t. Mark’s gaze didn’t waver, and she felt like she was the only one in his world.

      “That’s nice.” He nodded. “It’s great that you’re jumping right back into Flathead Falls.”

      “Yeah, I think so,” she replied.

      “I suppose you walked again?” he asked, maintaining eye contact even as he gathered up the tools and plastic covered manual beside him.

      “I sure did. I thought I might as well make the most of this Indian summer we’re having.”

      He nodded again, and she loved how expressive he was. With Mark, she didn’t have to look deeper because she didn’t think there was a next layer on him; he was just a genuinely caring, playful man. Simple in the best way.

      “I’m through here for now. Can I give you a ride home?” he asked.

      “Are you sure I wouldn’t be out of your way?” she replied, watching his eyes light up at the slight flirt in her voice. It was so nice to tease.

      “Darlin’ СКАЧАТЬ