Montana Love Letter. Charlotte Carter

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      “Good for you, Peanut.” He turned toward Janelle. “Hailey, meet Mrs. Townsend and her daughter, Raeanne.”

      The girl had the same friendly smile as her father and sun-pinked cheeks. “Hello. Are you staying in town for a while?”

      “It’s looking that way,” Janelle said.

      “Well, if you want to go swimming, there’s a beach right near the municipal dock. Lots of kids go there.”

      “I’ll remember that. Thank you.” The July day had been more than warm under a cobalt-blue sky. Now, however, clouds were building over the mountains, threatening a summer shower.

      The youngster glanced toward Janelle’s battered car. “Boy, you sure hit something hard.”

      “It was a big tree, I’m afraid.”

      “I’m glad you weren’t hurt bad. My dad can fix cars up like new.” She shrugged as though her statement was the obvious truth, and she grinned. “He’s the best.”

      “Hailey, you’d better go get yourself cleaned up and changed.” Adam gave her a little nudge.

      “Okay. See you later.” She waved to Janelle and Raeanne, then jogged off, her flip-flops smacking the concrete floor with every step.

      “Your daughter is cute and very outgoing,” Janelle commented when the girl was out of sight.

      “Yeah, I don’t think she’s ever met a stranger.” He was still looking in the direction his daughter had vanished around the side of the garage. “Her mother was the same way up until she got sick and passed on.” Residual grief laced his words.

      “Oh, I’m sorry for you loss.” Her own spasm of grief mixed with residual anger arrowed through her. She gritted her teeth to block the sensation.

      He shrugged off her sympathy. “I’ll go get that estimate now.”

      Janelle watched him walk away until Rae tugged on her hand. “What is it, honey?”

      Raeanne pointed toward the soda machine.

      “Ah, of course. Let’s see what kind of sodas he has.” Although she tried to watch Rae’s sugar intake, today was not the day to make an issue of it. Janelle could use a little sugar boost herself. Caffeine would help, too.

      Rae picked an orange soda, and Janelle selected a cola.

      They settled onto the chairs, Raeanne still clasping Ruff in her arms. Cars streamed by on the road out front. The garage was a mile north of the small town of Bear Lake they had driven through in the tow truck. Janelle had noticed a whole raft of motels and a diner. A billboard they passed promoted local B and Bs. Another sign announced that the Rotary met Wednesday at noon at Sandy’s Lakeside Restaurant, which featured fresh fish and steaks.

      A nice little town. About as different from Seattle as any she could imagine.

      Adam returned to give her the bad news about the repairs. The cost estimate was higher than she’d expected. Worse, he indicated it would be the end of next week before she got her car back.

      “I can tell you were hoping for better news,” he said.

      “True. I’m not worried about the money. My insurance will cover most of that. But a whole week?” She shook her head in dismay. “I hate being without a car that long. Is there a car-rental place in town?”

      “Afraid not. I can loan you one of mine. I keep it around for my customers who get stuck without transportation. It looks like a clunker, but I’ve got it running pretty good and it’s insured. You can do some touring, up to Glacier National Park, come back in a few days.”

      “That’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you. I’d appreciate that.” A clunker car would be better than none. As was obvious from her three-year-old sedan, driving a luxury car had never been her thing. “But I hadn’t planned on being a tourist. I was going to do some house hunting, get acquainted with this area, see if it would be a good place to settle down.”

      He lifted his brows. “You’re planning to stay in Bear Lake? Permanently?”

      “If things work out.” She’d left Seattle with no particular destination in mind and a prayer that God would lead her to the right place to start a new life for herself and Raeanne.

      “Well, that’s great. We can always use new blood around here. I’ll help you get your things out of your car and into mine. Where are you staying tonight?” He started walking toward her car.

      “I have no idea. I saw lots of motels in town.”

      He stopped abruptly. “You don’t have a reservation?” He made it sound like an accusation.

      She frowned. “No. I was sure I’d arrive early enough to find a place to stay. I’m not fussy.” She did, however, require clean and neat.

      “Maybe not, but I think you’re going to have a problem.”

      An uneasy feeling crept down her spine. “Why is that?”

      Hailey came running back into the garage, now wearing shorts and a tank top. She’d washed her hair and it was still wet. Janelle noticed she had the innocence of childhood and wasn’t yet into the awkward adolescent stage.

      “We’ve got a big Country-Western Festival going on this weekend,” Adam said. “The whole town is booked solid.”

      Janelle’s stomach sank. “Everything? Even the B and Bs I saw advertised?”

      “As far as I know. The festival’s a sellout every year. Great for the tourist business.”

      Not so great for Janelle. “How about the next town? Maybe they’ll have something?”

      “Not likely. I can call the Visitor Center for you. See if they know of any vacancies.” He plucked his cell from a pocket and punched in the number. “Hey, Ariel. It’s Adam. I’ve got a customer here looking for a room tonight. You got anything?”

      He kept looking at Janelle while he listened. She noticed that his eyes were an interesting shade of gray, and there were crinkles at the corners as though he spent a fair amout of time outdoors. From the look of his physique, he probably did some hiking and camping in the woods around here.

      “Thanks, Ariel. Take care.” He snapped the phone closed and shook his head. “The closest available rooms are in Missoula.”

      Janelle’s shoulders slumped. That would be at least an hour’s ride in a clunker. She blew out a sigh. She didn’t seem to have much of a choice.

      Hailey piped up. “Dad, they could stay in our cottage.”

      Janelle frowned and so did Adam.

      “I don’t know, kiddo,” Adam said. “I’m not sure—”

      “Grandma put fresh sheets on the bed last time she was here,” Hailey interjected, ignoring her father’s objection and directing her attention to Janelle. “It’s got a СКАЧАТЬ