The Waitress's Secret. Kathy Douglass

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       Chapter Two

      “You’re taking me home with you?” Arden asked the minute they were alone in his truck. “There has to be somewhere else I can stay the night.”

      Brandon glanced over at Arden. She was watching him almost as closely as she had when he’d picked her up on the highway. He could understand her unease although she had nothing to be afraid of. “You heard Kristina. Both bed-and-breakfasts are filled. There’s not another place in town. There are a couple of chain hotels twenty or so miles down the highway, but I’m not sure all the roads are passable. And, even if we make it, there’s no guarantee they’ll have rooms available.”

      She nodded, but she didn’t appear pleased by his answer. Still, she couldn’t argue the facts. The rain showed no sign of letting up anytime soon. Truth be told, he wished there was somewhere else she could spend the night. He’d rather be done with the whole thing, too, but he had picked her up and now bore some responsibility for her welfare. He couldn’t just dump her on the side of the road in the middle of a storm and bid her adieu. He’d arrange for her to get her car towed to town first thing in the morning so she could go on her merry way. Surely that would be enough chivalry to satisfy even his parents.

      He started the truck and drove down the street, passing the town’s lone gas station. The lights over the pumps were dim, casting odd shadows on the street. Not a soul was around. “You’ll be perfectly safe. My sister, Joni, lives with me.”

      “And she’ll be there?”

      He nodded and stopped at the corner. He grabbed his cell phone, punched in his home number and put the phone on speaker. Joni answered on the third ring.

      “Hey, Brandon.”

      “Joni, I’ll be home in a couple of minutes. I’m bringing someone with me.”

      Joni laughed. “I know. I just got off the phone with Kristina.”

      “That woman is in the wrong business. She should be a reporter.”

      Joni laughed again. “Can your friend hear me?”

      “Yeah.”

      Brandon looked at Arden, who smiled tentatively.

      “Don’t worry. My brother is perfectly harmless. And I know you’re soaked to the skin. I have dry clothes ready for you to change into.”

      “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

      “Not a problem.”

      Brandon ended the call and looked at Arden. “Better?”

      She smiled and for a second the sun seemed to break through the clouds. He felt a stirring where his heart used to be and immediately quashed it.

      “Much better. Thanks for calling her.”

      “Sure. I can’t have you worried about your safety like some woman in a horror story.”

      Arden glanced at the dark street. The wind was blowing the trees every which way, casting shadows that shifted so much they looked like arms reaching out to grab something. “It does look kind of creepy out here. Like some chainsaw-wielding maniac could jump from a dark corner and attack us. Well, me anyway. You’re kind of big for someone to mess with.”

      Brandon continued driving. “Don’t worry. There’s no one hiding in the shadows or anywhere else. And if someone did try to hurt you, I’d protect you.”

      The grateful look she sent him made his chest grow tight and warmed the cold bitterness in his soul. He rubbed his hand across the raised scar near his heart as a reminder to keep his emotional distance. The last time he’d gotten close to a woman he’d ended up in intensive care. It was okay to be friendly—Arden needed that to be at ease. But genial chatter was one thing; an emotional connection was something entirely different.

      “My brothers always said I have a vivid imagination. Which is why I never watch scary movies.”

      “Never?”

      “Not ever. Afterward, I’d be so busy checking under my bed and jumping at every bump in the night that I’d never get any sleep.”

      He nodded. “That’s our house right there. Third one on the left.”

      Arden leaned back in her seat and sighed. “It looks normal from here.”

      “We keep the dragon in the basement.”

      “That’s good to know.” She leaned forward and peered out the window at the rising water. “What I really want to know is where you keep the rowboat.”

      “Not interested in wading through the water again?”

      “No.” She looked down at her ruined sandals. “Once was enough for me. I think I can cross that off my bucket list.”

      “Walking СКАЧАТЬ