that explained the free-spirit element. “How long have you lived in Whisper Falls?”
“A long time for me.” She looked upward, calculating. “Nearly seven years. What about you? Is Whisper Falls your hometown?”
Thomas played a lose-a-turn card. Creed’s hard-eyed scowl earned a giggle.
“Lived here all my life.” Well, most of his life. The only home he’d ever known was three miles out of town nestled in a grove of trees with a view of Blackberry Mountain. “Mom and Dad have lived in the same house for nearly forty years.”
Again that wistful expression. She gnawed the side of her thumb. “I can’t imagine staying in the same place all my life.”
“Don’t you like this town?”
“I love Whisper Falls, but you know how it goes. Nothing lasts forever.”
He cocked his head, interested, curious. Was she a will-o’-the-wisp that could flit from one situation to another, never putting down roots? “Some things do.”
She leaned forward, elbows on her knees and chin in her hands. “Like what?”
“Love, for one. God, for another.”
A beat of silence occurred, broken only by the snick of Thomas’s card against the discard pile.
Haley’s brown-sugar eyes studied him. The wheels were turning in her head. He could tell and wondered.
“You take your faith very seriously, don’t you?”
“Try to.” He slid a yellow two atop Thomas’s yellow six. “God took me seriously when He sent His Son to die for me. I figure the least I can do is love Him and let Him love me. What about you?”
She shrugged. “I believe in God, but most of the time I think He gets people started and then we’re pretty much on our own until we get to heaven. Church just makes us feel like we belong to something.”
Heavy topic, but he was never one to shy away from discussions about God. In truth, he never shied away from much of anything. But his faith was number one.
“Not me. I take people’s lives up in my chopper every day. I need to know God is up there with me.”
“Christians die in crashes. How do you explain that?”
“I don’t.” He reached for his glass and downed the last of the water. “If I understood the mysteries of life and faith, I’d be God. I leave the hard stuff to Him.”
“Don’t you ever get scared?” She sat back against the couch, her reddish hair blending with the wild flowers on the couch. “Up there, I mean.”
“Not usually. God is with me whether I live or die. I have that promise. So, it’s all good.” He was down to two cards. Thomas still had three. “I’ll get you on the next round, Thomas. Better look out.”
The boy stared at his cards, saying nothing and for half a beat, Creed regretted his threat. He probably should let the kid win.
“UNO!” Thomas yelled as he slapped down three cards in fast succession.
“Hey!”
Thomas giggled.
“Told you he was good.” Haley leaned forward and patted Thomas on the back. “Great job, bud.”
“Want to play again?” Thomas’s blue eyes danced with pleasure.
“Will you let me win this time?”
The answer did exactly as Creed intended. Thomas tumbled backward onto the floor. Arms over his middle, he drew his knees up and belly laughed.
The adults exchanged amused glances, the heavy conversation tabled for the time being. The next time he was here, he wanted to talk more. Creed caught himself mid-thought. Would there be a next time?
While he mulled the idea, torn between wanting to be here and wondering what had come over him, someone knocked at the front door.
Haley glanced at the clock. “Who would that be this late?”
With a shrug, she popped up from the chair and went to answer.
When she opened the door, a man stepped inside. He was dressed in a business suit and carried a bouquet of brightly colored flowers.
Thomas, busy organizing his cards, made a soft hissing noise. Creed shot him a questioning look.
“Mr. Henderson,” he whispered. “I think he’s Haley’s boyfriend.”
Chapter Four
“Brent.” Haley bit back a sigh. Her evening had been going unusually well. She should have known something would happen to spoil it.
“May I come in?”
What could she say? He was her landlord. The house belonged to him. She stepped to the side and let him in.
“I hope you aren’t still upset with me,” he said.
She was, but she was smart enough not to say so.
He held out a bouquet. “Your favorite.”
Haley had lots of favorites but Brent wasn’t one of them. The flowers, however, were a rainbow of gerbera daisies. She took them, stuck her nose in and sniffed. “They’re nice. Thank you. I’ll get them in some water.”
Bouquet in hand, she was eager to make the escape and figure out a way to avoid the topic of rent. Or eviction. She owed him money and Brent wasn’t one to be patient. Her close friend Cassie Blackwell would loan her the rent money, but she’d borrowed before. Haley didn’t want to ask again.
Creed extended a hand to the newcomer. “Brent Henderson, right? Creed Carter.”
Well, of course they’d know each other. They’d both grown up in this tiny place, though Brent was maybe ten years older.
“Carter,” Brent said, his eyes questioning. If Creed noticed, he chose to ignore the obvious. Brent wanted to know what he was doing here. Haley wasn’t going to satisfy him with an answer. She hoped Creed wouldn’t, either.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
She returned to find Brent ensconced on her best chair—the only one she hadn’t bought at a thrift shop—and Creed Carter standing at the front door.
“You’re not leaving?” she said before she realized how that sounded.
“My day starts early. Thanks for the evening.”
Thomas had followed him to the door. Creed scuffed the boy’s wild blond hair and winked. “Thanks for the UNO lesson.”
Thomas grinned. “Wave at me tomorrow?”
“You
