The woman must have read his mind, because she slipped him a piece of paper that read,My name is Beth Aguilar. Thanks again.
Turning to her, he winked before starting the truck and smiled at the kids sitting on her lap. “Well, Beth, ready to go?”
For the first time, she smiled. “Yes, I am.”
In less than ten minutes, the road conditions had declined considerably—though he hadn’t thought they could get any worse than when he’d stopped. “If you’re a praying woman, Beth, you might want to start. It’s going to be a long three miles.”
“I hate to tell you, but God hasn’t listened to my prayers in a long time. I’ll say one, but I doubt it will do any good.”
He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but this wasn’t the time for a theological debate. “It can’t hurt though.”
Whispering a prayer of his own, he turned the steering wheel and pressed down on the pedals to creep onto the road. He shifted gears and started driving, bracing himself for the treacherous roads.
“Where are you from?” he asked, sensing the palpable fear in the cab.
“Lake Placid area.”
“Mommy said we’re moving somewhere new.” April clung to her child-sized bookbag. “She said there are too many bad memories there.”
“Shh.” Beth pressed a finger against her daughter’s lips. “Remember what we talked about?”
“Not everyone needs to know everything,” April recited in a bored tone.
Landon had to suppress a chuckle. Though nothing about the situation seemed funny, he’d been embarrassed on a few occasions by his niece sharing more than was appropriate. “Where are you headed?”
“I, um…” She became fascinated with a strand of Dex’s hair, curled the toddler’s blonde tendrils around her finger.
“Ever been to Jasper Lake?”
“No.”
“It’s a nice town. I discovered it by accident last summer.” He held his breath as an especially strong gust rocked the trailer. “I have a friend there who lives at a bed and breakfast. We’ll try to make it there.”
“They won’t mind the intrusion?”
“Nah. Jessa will be glad to see me, and Mrs. Addy loves people.”
“A girlfriend, eh?” A hint of amusement seeped into Beth’s voice, an improvement over the fear and caution.
“Something like that. It’s new, but I have a good feeling.”
Beth sighed. “To be young and in love again.”
He raised a brow, sending creases to his forehead. “With all due respect, you don’t look any older than me. I’d guess a few years younger.”
“I’m twenty-four, but age is only a number. In life experience, I’m decades older.”
What was her story? He would like to probe further, but he had to focus on the road. Driving into town, he realized he had another problem. The vacant lot behind the library was too far for Beth to walk with the children in this weather.
Jasper Lake was a ghost town. Not a car moved on the streets, wisely so. Landon stopped in the middle of the road in front of Addy’s, not worried about another vehicle coming along. He’d call Jessa, explain what was going on then drop Beth and the kids off. Once they were in and warm, he’d move his truck and walk back.
He checked the time before making the call. 8:17. The entire ordeal from the time the blizzard began, to arriving at Addy’s, took five long hours that he never cared to repeat. “Please answer,” he whispered.
She picked up on the second ring. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until later.”
“Surprise.”
“Did you make it home safely? The storm turned bad here.”
