answered a molasses-rich voice that sounded very familiar.
On the other side of the little girl, behind the steering wheel, a man tipped his Stetson in her direction. Alexandra recognized that handsome profile and those mile-wide shoulders.
“This has to be more than a coincidence running into you twice in one day.” John Corey shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”
“Neither can I.” She blinked and he was still there. The truck’s door felt steel-cool beneath her fingertips. “I thought you had a store to run. What are you doing out here?”
“Since I’m my own boss, I can close up shop for a few minutes. Folks know to wait or give me a call if it’s an emergency. Hailey, here, spent the morning out at a friend’s place and gave me a call to come pick her up.”
“Yep.” Hailey swiped wayward curls from her eyes, waving her neon-green sunglasses as she talked. “We had a barbecue picnic and potato salad for lunch. I didn’t like the potatoes one bit ’cuz they were the red kind and Stephanie’s mom put in those black rings.”
“Olives,” John informed Alexandra from across the cab. “We’re not olive people. We flick them off our pizza if they get on by mistake. The pizza people hear about it, too.”
“Rightly so.” Not everyone shared her opinion of olives. Okay, so maybe it was all right to let herself like him, just a little. “It’s good to meet you, Hailey. I’m Alexandra.”
John leaned over the steering wheel to get a better look at her. “Alexandra, huh? I couldn’t help noticing your car alongside the road a few miles back. Figured I might come across you on the way to town.”
“You seem awfully sure of yourself. How many women fall for your knight-in-shining-armor act, Mr. Corey?”
“Thousands.”
“None.” Hailey frowned. “My daddy only dates the TV.”
“The what?”
“Now don’t be revealing all my secrets. A man’s relationship with his sports channel is sacred.” He flushed a little. “Hailey, open the door for the lady. It’s a long walk to town and it’s fixing to rain.”
“I’m not afraid of a little rain,” Alexandra argued, because it had been so long since she’d accepted help from anyone.
Hailey moved back on the seat, as if to make room. “You gotta come with us. It ain’t right to let ladies walk.”
“You said it better than I could.” Leaning past his daughter on the bench seat, John fixed his deep hazel gaze on Alexandra. “Come on aboard. You’ll be perfectly safe with us. If you’re worried at all, I just want to put your mind at ease. My daughter doesn’t bite, and on the off chance she forgets her manners and does, she’s vaccinated.”
“Daddy.” Hailey scowled, scrunching up her freckled nose. “I haven’t done that since last year at Sunday school, and Billy Fields bit me first.”
“See? We’re as trustworthy as can be.”
“Trustworthy, huh?”
“Absolutely.” John reached over and opened the door.
“We got lots of room,” Hailey added.
“You two make it impossible to say no.” It wasn’t as if she was alone with a stranger. Clearly John had a daughter, so that meant he was married, right? A dependable-father type, so she figured she might as well spare herself the long walk to town.
Something wet smacked against her forehead. The first drop of rain. Drops pelted the road and she dodged them by climbing into the cab.
“Looks like we came along just in time.” Keeping his attention on the road, John flicked on the wipers and put the truck in gear. “I told you your car was going to break down. I won’t say I told you so.”
“You don’t have to look happy about it. You were right, but it’s only a cracked hose. Easily fixed.”
“Really? Did you diagnose the problem yourself?”
“Sure. I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’ve had to learn to do minor repairs here and there. It’s no big deal.”
“Let me guess. You’re one of those independent types?”
“Something like that.”
He continued watching the road and never looked her way once.
Yep, definitely the dependable-father type. There wasn’t a thing to worry about. Alexandra relaxed into the leather seat. She’d never been in such a fine vehicle. Warm heat breezed over the toes of her sneakers.
Hailey snuggled close. “Alexandra, do you got a dog?”
“Not anymore. I had a little terrier when I was about your age.”
“Cool. Did you love him lots and lots?”
“I sure did. He slept at the foot of my bed every night and watched over me while I slept.” Alexandra sighed, softening a little at the rare good memory from her childhood, and secured the seat belt. “I miss him to this day. When I was eleven, we moved to a different house and couldn’t take him with us, so I had to leave him with the neighbors.”
“I bet that made you real sad.”
“It did.” Alexandra swiped an unruly lock of brown hair behind her ear, looking down at her scuffed tennis shoes. She couldn’t help noticing Hailey’s brand-new ones, already scuffed, with bright purple laces. “Why don’t you tell me about your dog?”
“Don’t got one. Daddy is really mean and won’t let me have one.” Hailey grinned.
“That does sound mean.” Alexandra never knew it was so easy to tease.
John’s dark gaze warmed with mild amusement as he lifted one thick-knuckled hand from the steering wheel to ruffle his daughter’s unruly hair. “Alexandra, don’t get the wrong opinion of me. Hailey isn’t quite old enough for the responsibility of taking care of a dog. She still can’t pick up her room every day.”
“Can, too.” Hailey’s chin jutted out. “I don’t got a lotta time. I’m very, very busy.”
Alexandra stifled a chuckle. “Busy, huh? I bet a pretty girl like you has a full social calendar.”
“Yep. I got swimming lessons and ballet lessons and piano lessons, ’cept I’m not so good at that, but Gramma says I gotta keep practicing my scales, even if I hate ’em.”
“Wise woman, my mother.” John found his gaze straying from the road again and in Alexandra’s direction. “You can see how lonely a dog would be waiting for Hailey to get done with all those lessons.”
“I’m not taking your side.” She shook her head, scattering those rich brown locks that seemed shot full of light. “No way. I’m sticking firmly with Hailey. A girl needs a dog of her own. It’s one of those rules of life.”
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