Page 32 of An Uncertain Road

Jumping up from the chair—and almost repeating the way Flora had knocked hers backward—Jensen stalked around the corner of the hotel and leaned against the railing where he could see the cars lined up along the front of the property. Without speaking a word, he let his heart cry out a prayer to the Lord, the only one who could help him out of this mess. The desire to pray again had been building in him for days. So he uttered a prayer for guidance, for an opportunity to show itself clearly enough that his dense mind would get the point.

He spent a long time like that, letting God’s presence soothe his battered spirit for the first time he could remember. And when he finished, he felt better—more hopeful and less worried—than he’d ever felt before.

His life might still be a mess. And he’d likely made it worse by kissing Flora with that urge to rescue her.

But he had to hold on to the truth that with the Lord’s help, something good could come out of the mess he’d made.

CHAPTER 15

Straightening her hat in the small mirror on the wall of her room for the fifth time, Flora paused and rested her fingertips on her lips. Three days later, she could still feel Jensen’s mouth on hers as they sat on the veranda that first night, could feel his hand buried in her hair and his arm around her. She couldn’t shake the desire to run downstairs, find him, and continue what they’d started.

Flora squared her shoulders and headed for the door. Time to leave her room and find the others whether she was ready to face Jensen again or not. The last three days had been excruciating, working on the car alongside him while they both refused to acknowledge that their entire relationship had changed. Yes, she’d loved every minute as he guided her through the steps of filling the oil tank, cleaning and replacing lines, checking connections, and tightening bolts. He’d never once been condescending as she’d thought he would be. It had been lovely enough that dreams of a lifetime doing that very thing started creeping into her mind.

Neither of them had mentioned that kiss. It had seemed too intimate to bring up the next morning. But as the days passed, the moments when their hands brushed as they exchanged a tool, or when he moved close behind her to lean over and watch her work, or when his face ended up so very near hers as they peered at the engine together…those moments would have been so much easier if there was some definition to what had happened between them.

Leaving her room, Flora tried not to think about how long it had taken her to get ready that morning, or how much extra care she’d put into choosing an outfit for the day. She told herself it was because she wanted to appear professional and competent, not because she wanted Jensen to notice. Despite Jensen’s hesitation, he hadn’t argued when she brought up joining many of the other teams in a local hill climb that had been established the year before. Climb to the Clouds, they called it. She needed to represent the Harrison Goods racing team well.

That was definitely the only reason she pinched her cheeks to add a little color on the way down the stairs.

Flora was conflicted when she found Fred and Beth waiting in the lobby with no sign of Jensen anywhere. Fred stepped forward and greeted Flora with a nod. “Jensen is already outside. He said he needed to see to something on the car before you race it again.”

Nodding, Flora swallowed a surge of disappointment. Some part of her must have been hoping Jensen would be there to greet her, as anxious to spend more time together as she was.

How ridiculous. One kiss didn’t have to mean anything. It didn’t have to change the way they’d been working together. After all, she was the one who’d rushed off right after, as if she regretted it. She could have stayed and worked on the car as he’d suggested. Had that given him the wrong idea? Did he think she had spurned his kiss?

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Sliding her arm around Beth’s waist, Flora examined her face. “Beth, you don’t look well. Are you sure you want to attend today? You and Fred could stay here and rest. We’ll have to get back on the road tomorrow whether we’re up to it or not.”

A slight smile broke through Beth’s pallor. “I can’t deny I’m not feeling my best. But I want to go. The excursion will be a nice way to celebrate a surprise we’ve been wanting to tell you about.”

“A surprise?”

Fred and Beth exchanged a meaningful look, hesitating to answer her. For the first time, Flora noticed Beth’s hand resting on her stomach in a significant way. The paleness, the quieter demeanor, Fred’s increased concern for her comfort on the last leg…

“Beth, are you expecting?”

Beth nodded and Fred grinned. Delighted, Flora hugged them both. “Oh, how exciting. Have you told anyone else?”

Beth shook her head. “We plan to tell Jensen when we find him. We wrote to our families when we arrived here, so you’re likely the first to know.”

Flora embraced Beth again, so pleased for the sweet couple. She ignored the pang of emptiness in her own body that always accompanied another woman’s happy announcement. There was nothing to be done about what hadn’t happened when Henri was alive.

Except this time, a tendril of hope stirred. She’d assumed she wouldn’t feel the desire to marry again after things had been so disastrous with Henri. It hadn’t seemed worth the risk of being tied to someone she couldn’t get along with, this time likely for much longer.

But when Jensen kissed her…imagining their relationship deepening into marriage didn’t seem so outrageous anymore. If only he’d been there next to her to share in Fred and Beth’s happy news. When he heard, would he imagine a family with her? Would such an idea excite or terrify him?

Fred and Beth led the way outside with Flora trailing behind. Her heart pounded most ridiculously as if she was nervous about coming face to face with Jensen when she’d spent more than a week with him at her side. They’d even been together most of the last several days since the kiss happened. It was silly to be so anxious.

Be that as it may, she still had to work not to straighten her hat again, or tug at her skirt, making sure it hung in perfect folds. What should she do with her hands? Finally, she clasped them behind her back, just to keep from worrying about it anymore.

Jensen was taller than most of the other men, and she could pick him out from the crowd of teams clear across the expansive hotel lawn. Fred and Beth reached him first, and Flora hung back a moment to let them reveal their news how they wanted to. Fred was talking, waving his hands in animated accompaniment to his words. Then Jensen broke into a rare grin and pulled his friend into an exuberant embrace. As he released Fred, Jensen’s eyes scanned the lawn, stopping when they found Flora.

Every nerve in her body started to tingle. She couldn’t look away even as his grin faded into an intense, searching expression. What did that mean? Was he unhappy to see her? Or was he thinking the same kind of life-changing, forever-centered thoughts that she’d been having that morning?

Several drivers started their engines, and everyone else headed for their cars so they could get to the mountain where the race would take place. It was now or never to join Jensen in the front seat of the Decauville. Flora forced her feet into motion, wondering with every step if she should turn back and spend the day in her room. No. She’d gotten through the last few days working with him and it had been fine. But her heart still argued that if Jensen regretted kissing her or was upset by her reaction, it would be miserable to finish the tour sitting next to him every day.

Unlike the days since their kiss, his expression was easier to read as she grew closer. There was heat in the depths of his eyes. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach for her. At least, she hoped that’s what it meant, because she wanted to reach for him. Fred and Beth were already settling in when Flora reached the car and stood in front of Jensen, her mouth going dry.