Mike smiled sympathetically. “No interest or...?”
I gazed out at the empty horizon. “Just never foundthe one."
“He’s out there somewhere. Mine was. You could always come have a drink in town,” Mike suggested.
“Ah, the old saloon. It’s still open, right?”
Mike laughed. “Oh please. It can’t bethatlong ago that you ventured off your property.”
I noticed that he had the same peppering of freckles across his cheekbones as his son did in that baseball picture. Something clenched in my stomach. I ached to have a companion, to have kids of my own like Mike did, but I didn’t know how to go about finding one. It wasn't like I was sitting on my ass doing nothing all day long. I was a busy man. I had a ranch to run. In my spare time, I preferred tinkering with machines in my garage workshop instead of drinking myself silly at the local saloon like some other folks. Not that I was judging.
It wasn't an easy life, but it was mine, and I loved every second of it.
If only I had that special someone to share my little slice of heaven with...
Mike glanced up at the sky. The late afternoon sun was setting over the horizon, turning everything harsh orange.
“Well, I better get going,” Mike declared, cupping one hand over his eyes to shield from the light, but then his head swiveled back in my direction. “Ah. I almost forgot."
“What's that?"
“Saw a broken down car on my way here. Didn’t have time to stop and check it out."
I frowned. A busted car in the desert was never good, especially not this close to evening. The desert was brutally hot during the day and bone-chillingly cold at night.
Mike went on. "Hubby's gonna be wondering where I am if I'm too late. And the car's in the opposite direction of my way home."
My forehead wrinkled. “You didn’t see anyone around to help?”
“Nope.” Mike shook his head and shrugged. “Strange, don’t you think, for a car to be broken down on these back roads? This is a pretty remote area. Unless they had a specific reason to drive back here."
I rubbed my hand over my stubbly jawline in thought. "They weren't trying to fix the problem?"
Mike sighed. "I'll be real with you, Jake. This fella didn't look like he was from around here. I doubt he'd know how to fix it."
Something leaped inside my stomach. Was it excitement? Nerves? A bit of both?
An out-of-towner stuck in the desert as twilight approached was a problem. No way could I enjoy my cola knowing there was a poor soul out there who needed help.
Mike squinted in the sun, peering at me. “You gonna check it out?”
I was already grabbing my keys. “Yup.”
Mike smiled knowingly, like he knew I'd jump at the opportunity. “I figured it was worth a shot to tell you. The access road where the car broke down isn’t on your property exactly, but it’s close enough.”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Be careful out there."
"Always am. See you next week?"
"Until then." Mike nodded and turned around, trekking back to his carrier van.
I watched him depart, his tires swirling up dust and sand that danced around my dirt-path driveway. Once the sound of Mike’s van disappeared completely, I was swallowed whole by the desert's silence.
I glanced at the groceries littered on my front porch. I clicked my tongue. They'd have to wait. It wasn't anything that would wilt in the heat for an hour or so anyway. The stranded stranger was more important than a sun-microwaved box of instant mac and cheese.
But Iwouldmake an exception for my cola. I grabbed a bottle, quickly threw the rest in the fridge without taking off my cowboy boots in the house, then hopped into my pickup.
