An Accidental Hero. Loree Lough

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СКАЧАТЬ rim of her mug. “I made arrangements to meet with the Board of Ed first thing tomorrow. There are some openings in the Amarillo School District.”

      “Good plan.” He slid his chair back and got to his feet. “Baked an apple pie today….”

      “Baked a pie? You?” Cammi laughed. “What’s this world coming to!”

      “If you call following directions on the box ‘baking,’ then I baked a pie.” He chuckled. “It was Patti’s day off, see, and I got a hankering for something sweet.” Unceremoniously, he plopped the dessert on the table. “Care for a slice?”

      Cammi went around to his side of the table, gently shoved him back into his chair. “You tore open the package and put it in the oven, all without your housekeeper’s help, I might add. Least I can do is serve it up.”

      She wasn’t surprised, as she rummaged in the cupboards for plates, silverware and napkins, to find everything right where her mother had kept them. “More coffee?”

      Lamont held out his mug, and, smiling, she topped it off.

      “Did I tell you it’s good to have you home?”

      She folded a paper napkin and laid it beside his mug. “Yes, you did.” Bending at the waist, Cammi kissed his cheek. “Did I tell you it’s good to be home?”

      Cammi didn’t miss the slight hitch in his voice when he echoed her response. “Yes, you did.” She slid a wedge of pie onto a plate. As he speared an apple with one tine of his fork, he added, “I sure have missed you.”

      She looked at him, smiling nervously, blinking. What was going on here? Her stoic, keep-your-feelings-to-yourself dad, admitting a thing like that? “Heard from Ivy or Vi lately?” she asked carefully.

      “Your sisters will be here for a welcome-home celebration as soon as we can arrange it. Patti will be whipping up a special dinner for us.

      Cammi had been fairly sure that, like most everything else in her life these days, her homecoming would be a fiasco. In fact, she’d been dreading the whole miserable scene so much that she’d been distracted and run the red light in Amarillo.

      Memory of the accident brought Reid Alexander to mind yet again. Cammi pictured the handsome, tortured face. She knew precisely what event from her past haunted her, but what had painted the edgy, troubled look on his—

      “So, what happened to your car?”

      Cammi gave a dismissive little wave. “Little fender bender in town is all. No big deal.”

      Thanking God yet again that no one had been hurt, she remembered the napkin, tucked into the front pocket of her purse, that Reid had given to her in the diner. “The mechanic will call you with an estimate,” he’d said, looking as if he’d been the one responsible for the damage.

      Cammi braced herself, waiting for her dad to ask whose fault the accident had been, waiting for the safety lecture that would surely follow once she admitted she’d been one hundred percent to blame.

      Instead, Lamont said, “Important thing is, you’re home now, safe and sound.”

      And so is your grandchild, she thought, thanking the Almighty again.

      He shoved his empty pie plate to the center of the table. “Not bad for store-bought and frozen, eh?”

      Not bad at all, Cammi thought, looking into his loving face. Not bad at all.

      And pie had nothing to do with the sentiment.

      As she made her way up to bed around 2:00 a.m. after having a heart-to-heart with her sister Lily in the barn, Cammi’s mind drifted back to Reid. His voice and manly stance, and the bright green of his eyes set her heart to pounding, as if she were a teenage girl in the throes of a first crush.

      She dreaded going to bed because she knew she wouldn’t be having a peaceful night’s sleep.

      More than likely, she’d have nightmares induced by worries about her condition—and how Lamont would react to the same news.

      Chapter Three

      Reid stood beside his rumpled bed, staring at the napkin bearing Cammi’s name and phone number. Thinking about her had kept him up most of the night. Shaking his head, he slapped the napkin onto the nightstand, because there didn’t seem to be a single legitimate reason to call her.

      Couldn’t use the car repairs as an excuse, because he’d already told her the mechanic wouldn’t have time to assess the damage until Monday, at the earliest. Couldn’t say the tow truck driver needed information, because she already knew their vehicles had been delivered to Wilson’s Garage.

      What was wrong with honesty? he wondered. Why not just tell her he enjoyed her company and wanted to see her again. He could suggest a movie, or a quiet dinner, someplace where he could get to know her better.

      Reid held the receiver in one hand, the napkin in the other, then noticed that his alarm clock said five-thirty. Groaning, he blew a stream of air through his teeth. What was he thinking? Not everyone got up with the cock’s crow! She’d driven all the way from L.A. to Amarillo and had had a car wreck, all in one day. Surely she’d be sawing logs at this hour.

      Still, he thought, palming the napkin once more, hadn’t she said this was her cell phone number? More than likely, it was turned off and recharging. He could leave a message, and if she didn’t return the call, he could tell himself it had somehow been lost in cyberspace….

      Holding his breath, Reid punched in the digits. After three interminably long rings, her lyrical voice said, “Hi. This is Cammi.”

      He could almost see her, smiling, bobbing her head, big eyes flashing as she recorded the message. The mental picture distracted him so much that he didn’t hear the beep. “Uh, hey, Cammi. It’s Reid. Reid Alexander. From last night, and, uh, y’know, the accident?” He looked at his watch. “It’s just past five-thirty, Saturday morning and, well, I was just wondering if…”

      What if he suggested a date and she rejected him? “…if there’s anything I forgot. Y’know, phone numbers, or…whatever. So, call if you need anything.” He rattled off his cell phone number, even though he had seen her tuck the napkin he’d written it on into the front pocket of her purse. Reid glanced at his watch again. “I hope you’re okay, ’cause, well, I’ve heard that sometimes a person doesn’t feel the after-affects of an accident till the next day, or even the day after that.” He rubbed his face and winced. “I hear-tell aspirin is good for what ails you.” Shut up, you idiot! he told himself. “Anyway, I hope you’re all right. Thanks and—”

      “You’re welcome. And I’m fine. How’re you?”

      He felt like a colossal birdbrain, a jerk, a sappy blockheaded schoolboy. He could only hope Cammi didn’t agree. “I, uh, thought I was leaving a message.” No wonder he hadn’t heard a beep!

      “I got into the habit of answering the phone that way, so I’d sound in demand in case a producer ever called.”

      When she giggled, Reid’s heart beat double time.

      “I guess since I’m no longer in demand, I can start saying СКАЧАТЬ