“That’ll be Roy,” Caleb said, already reaching for the door handle. “Once he hooks the car up, we can ride in the cab with him into town.”
She blinked. “Oh. I assumed you’d be heading off.”
He paused, then glanced at her, something almost like amusement in his expression. “I’m riding along. Just to make sure things get sorted for you.”
“Right. Of course.” As if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be by her side.
She wasn’t used to that. Someone looking out for her.
“Come on,” he added. “You’ll like Roy.”
He stepped out into the rain, and for a moment, Hannah felt the loss of his presence.
She took a moment to compose herself before she got out of the car; the cold rain immediately seeped through her jacket once more. The cocoon of warmth and quiet they’d shared dissolved the moment she closed the door, replaced by the raw bite of weather and reality.
The tow truck was larger than she’d expected, its yellow lights cutting through the mist as Roy climbed down from the cab with a wave.
Caleb approached him with an easy familiarity, clasping his hand and clapping him on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming out, Roy.”
“Anytime, Thornberg,” Roy said, his voice carrying a warmth that suggested years of friendship rather than a business transaction.
Caleb turned toward Hannah, gesturing her forward. “This is Hannah Rigby. She’s on her way to Slateford, took a wrong turn, and hit something that did a number on her tire.”
Roy’s weathered face broke into a welcoming smile as he extended his hand to Hannah. “Nice to meet you, Miss Rigby.” There was a flicker of curiosity in his expression as he glanced between her and Caleb, his head tilting slightly.
“Hi,” Hannah said, shaking his hand. “Thanks for coming out in this weather. I appreciate it.”
Roy grinned and looked up at the sky, raindrops hitting his face. “You sure picked a good day for it.”
Caleb tapped Roy lightly on the shoulder. “Shall we get the car loaded?”
“Sure,” Roy said, moving toward her vehicle. He slowed as he reached it, running his hand along the roof with unexpected gentleness. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of these for a long while.”
Hannah felt a sudden, unexpected surge of protectiveness as Roy examined her car. It wasn’t just a vehicle to her; it was one of the few constants in a life that had seen too many changes.
“She’s never let me down,” Hannah said, more quietly than she intended, trying to keep the defensiveness out of her voice.
Caleb glanced at her, something knowing in his eyes. “Roy will take good care of her,” he said quietly, the words carrying more reassurance than the situation strictly required, as if he understood exactly what the car meant to her.
Hannah nodded, swallowing against the unexpected tightness in her throat. She’d only known Caleb for less than an hour, but it felt as if he knew her better than anyone else ever had.
The two men moved with practiced efficiency, Roy operating the winch while Caleb guided her car onto the flatbed and then secured the vehicle with chains and straps. Hannah watched, arms crossed against the chill, rain trickling down her neck despite her best efforts to stay sheltered under a nearby tree. She told herself it was just the cold making her shiver.
“All set,” Roy called finally, giving the chains one last check. “Let’s get out of this weather.”
As Hannah climbed into the tow truck’s cab, she felt off balance, unmoored.
This hadn’t been her plan, her route, or even a choice made the way she usually made decisions—by weighing options and choosing the most efficient path forward. Instead, she’d been carried along by rain and road and the quiet accumulation of small, practical choices.
Yet as the truck pulled away, she didn’t feel the usual tightness that came with disrupted plans. No spike of urgency. No need to wrestle control back immediately. There was something unexpectedly peaceful about having the next few hours decided for her. Bear Creek wasn’t her destination, but it was the logical next step. When her car was fixed, she would recalibrate and get back on course.
This was temporary. Like everything in her life.
Chapter Two – Caleb
The tow truck’s engine hummed as it wound through the rain-slicked roads toward Bear Creek. Caleb sat in the middle of the bench seat, hyperaware of every inch where his thigh almost-but-not-quite touched Hannah’s. His body felt both too large and not large enough...too bulky in the cramped cab, yet somehow insufficient to contain the storm quietly gathering inside him.
The bond had hit him without warning.
