didn’t know how to answer that, because she wasn’t exactly sure what he intended by the invitation. Before she could think of anything to say, he went on.
“Did you hear about the fire at school today? They say the Lacey kid set it. Now, I don’t know folks in the county as well as people who’ve lived here all their lives, but I did see that girl a lot around the church, and she always seemed like a good kid to me.”
“She is. One of the best.”
“Well, I just can’t figure it.
Now, if it’d been Bobby Reilly, I would have thought it was just what you oughtta expect, but not that girl.”
“I know.” She felt her heart accelerating as they edged near a topic she didn’t want to discuss with him—or with anyone, for that matter. She didn’t want to have to tell anyone what she suspected Lorna’s problem was—at least, not unless she got some proof of it.
“You ask me,” he said, “there’s something wrong there, and it isn’t that girl.”
They eased to a careful stop at the corner, then turned onto Anna’s street.
“Gettin’ slippery,” Hugh remarked. “Guess I oughtta put the chains on after I drop you off.”
“That might be wise.” God, how she hated this stilted conversation. How she hated being so uncomfortable with men that she couldn’t think of anything to say to keep the ball rolling. How she hated being the prisoner of hurts that were so old they ought to be almost forgotten.
He turned into her driveway, and she felt the tires slip and spin on the icy pavement as he braked to a halt and switched off the ignition.
“You stay right where you are,” he said. “I’ll come around and help you out. Those shoes you’re wearing don’t look like they’ll give much traction.”
They wouldn’t, she thought. They were a pair of cheap pumps she’d bought just because she had to keep up appearances at work.
Hugh climbed out and came around to her side. He opened the door and reached for her elbow to steady her. “It’s like a skating rink. Hang on to me.”
Even with all her caution, her feet slipped anyway, and he caught her around the waist. All of a sudden there was nothing between them but a squirming puppy and the layers of their clothing.
He smelled good, Anna realized with astonishment. He smelled really good, like freshly cut wood and soap. His arm around her felt powerful, but the way it held her was not at all frightening. She ought to feel trapped and terrified, but instead she felt…strange. As if the world had stopped between two heartbeats.
Then he backed off a little, giving her space but keeping his arm around her waist.
“Let’s get you onto the porch. I’ll bring your groceries in.”
A few moments later she was safely inside her snug little house, watching Hugh Gallagher carry her groceries and the puppy cage inside. It took him two trips, and he insisted on putting everything in the kitchen while she stood there like a dolt, silent, clutching the puppy to her breast as if the poor little thing was a lifeline.
She ought to do something, say something. Make some gracious gesture to thank him. Instead she was feeling shell-shocked by today’s events, and by the realization that she didn’t want Hugh to go. She wanted him to stay. For the first time in her life, she actually wanted a man to stay. Was she losing her mind?
“Would you…would you like some coffee?” she asked in a rush as he prepared to leave.
He smiled, and she was struck by the warmth of that simple expression. “Thanks, but I drank four cups at Maude’s. Tell you what. Promise to have lunch with me tomorrow. I’ll bore you to death with my plans for the youth ranch, and we’ll call it even, okay?”
She couldn’t say no. The word absolutely refused to come to her lips. “All right,” she heard herself say.
“One o’clock?”
“That’s fine.”
Then he walked out into the night and left Anna alone with the realization that she had just made a date with a man.
She, Anna Fleming, had made the first date of her entire life. She should have been exhilarated, but instead she wondered if she’d just made another one of her gargantuan mistakes.
Jazz appeared to be pleased with her new environment. As soon as Anna set out bowls of water and food, the puppy dug in, in her eagerness making a minor mess that made Anna smile.
But she couldn’t smile for long. It was as if the shadows in the corners of the room were whispering to her, trying to call her back into the nightmares of her past. It was because of Lorna, she decided. She was watching her own nightmare unfold again through the child.
Remembering the roster she had put in her purse, she left Jazz eagerly eating and went to get it. She had to call the other girls from the youth group, to see if any of them had a hint of what was wrong in Lorna’s life. If she could find a key, any key, she might get the girl to open up to her.
The first two girls had nothing new to offer, but then she got through to Mary Jo Weeks.
“It’s awful, Miss Anna,” Mary Jo said. “I’ve been crying on and off all day. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know how bad it was.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, bad enough that she would set a fire. I heard one of the teachers say he thought Lorna meant to stay in the room until the fire killed her. It’s terrible!”
Anna hesitated, aching for Mary Jo, but not wanting to give the girl empty platitudes. Finally she said, “We can’t know that, Mary Jo. That’s just somebody’s speculation.”
“But what’s going to happen to her now?
Is she going to jail?”
Jail, Anna thought, could be better than some things, but not many. She couldn’t say that to Mary Jo, though. “At present she’s going to be staying with Sheriff Tate’s family, until we find out what’s going on.”
“That’s not so bad, then. But what do you think is wrong?”
“I don’t know, not for sure.
But I need you to help me, Mary Jo. I need every little thing you can remember that might give me a clue to what’s wrong here.”
“You’re trying to help her?”
“Of course! There are a lot of people who want to help her. I don’t know anyone who wants to see her go to jail. But unless we find out what the problem is, she may have to.”
“Oh, no! I don’t want that to happen to her—ever!” Mary Jo started crying again, and Anna waited patiently, making soothing sounds. There was never just one victim, she thought bitterly. There were always others.
When the young woman had her tears under control, Anna asked her if she remembered anything, anything at all, that seemed unusual.
