Paul’s questioning expression demanded she explain.
“Oh, okay, the bulldozer dug up the porch and died. I climbed into the hole it made and found this.”
Paul’s blue eyes shone with amusement. “You pilfered this from the house site?”
She frowned. “You make me sound like a thief.”
“I’m just assessing the facts. But the bulldozer died? Again?”
“At present, it’s stuck in the middle of Dogwood Lane.”
“Maybe you’re Honeysuckle Hollow’s good-luck charm, Ms. Tessa.”
She smiled at the thought.
Paul studied the spear. “This is old. Really old. It’s highly unusual to find a wooden artifact in such good shape. You’d think the wood would show signs of rot, but I don’t see any.”
“You think it’s a fake?”
“If it is, it’s a damn good one, and I’d ask why someone would go to the trouble of burying it. I’ve never seen this type of carving on a spear before. It’s definitely Native American.”
“I snapped a few photos and sent them to a friend who works at UGA,” she said. “He’s a professor of anthropology.”
“I think you might have found something special here,” Paul said. “I’m interested in what he thinks.”
Tessa glanced toward the back seat at Paul’s bag. “Aren’t you leaving?”
“Soon enough,” he said. “Now where should I take you? Home?”
Home. The word crept into Tessa’s chest and pushed out her breath. “Which would mean you’re taking me nowhere,” she said, aware of how sullen she sounded.
Paul shifted the car into gear. “The apartment it is.” He pulled away from the curb and drove back toward town.
Tessa rolled the spear round and round between her palms, dirtying her hands and fingers.
“Hey,” he said, reaching over to pat her leg, “it could be worse.”
“A swarm of locusts could descend on us?” Tessa said, unable to stop her smirk.
Paul laughed. “Let’s stop by and grab a dozen balloons for that pity party, shall we?”
She met his teasing gaze. “Only if we can toss confetti.” They both laughed.
Chapter 13
Thieves on the Run
TessamarveledatPaul’sability to adapt and live without the need for a permanent home. As though reading her mind, he interrupted the silence. “A temporary home is better than no home.”
Tessa stared out the window at the walls of fog surrounding them. “You’d know,” she said before she realized how rude the truth of it sounded.
Paul parked in front of the diner. “Better than anyone.” He got out and shut the door without saying another word.
Guilt forced her out of the car in a hurry. She clutched the spear and slung her purse over her arm. “Paul,” she called. He stopped on the sidewalk and turned to look at her. “Thank you for the ride, and . . . I’m sorry. What I said was rude.”
Paul lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “You think the truth is always kind?”
“But you like your life. All the traveling and not having a permanent place, right?”
