Chapter 7
Heat radiated from the asphalt of the parking lot as Hailey pushed a cart filled with groceries and her daughter to her SUV.
Sweat beaded at her temple, and she swiped it away with the back of her hand.
She’d parked in the back, intending to get this Saturday chore finished before the temperature skyrocketed, but apparently half of Kincaid had the same idea.
It had taken almost twice as long as usual to get through the store and check out.
Jenna was already starting to look flushed by the time they reached the Explorer.
Hailey would need to get the groceries loaded in quickly, and she might have to rethink their planned excursion to the Ark.
She used her key fob to pop the hatch, then positioned the cart at an angle with the front wheels wedged against the curb so it couldn’t easily roll away and Jenna would be at least somewhat shaded by the liftgate.
Moving as quickly as possible, Hailey began transferring the grocery bags from the cart to the car, placing the perishables together in a large cooler she kept in the trunk for that purpose.
When she was nearly finished, one of the bags ripped, and a container of blueberries popped open, spilling across the floorboard.
She groaned and leaned over the edge to gather as many of them as she could so they wouldn’t get crushed by heavier items sliding around on the drive home.
When she turned around, she found herself face-to-face—or, more accurately, face-to-chest—with a hulk of a man.
She gasped and tried to backstep, but there wasn’t anywhere to go with the cart and the SUV forming a solid V behind her.
Though she’d never actually spoken to him, she recognized the local contractor who had a reputation as a hothead.
Before she could say a word, he let loose a stream of curses, catapulting her apprehension to alarm.
“You need to back off, Oscar.” Hailey placed a protective hand on the grocery cart and raised her voice to be heard over his tirade. She tried to look around him to see if anyone was near enough to intervene, but he stood so close he blocked her view as well as any escape.
He leaned in and pointed a thick finger at her. “You should have left town when your no-good husband died.” He threw in a couple more vulgar words for good measure.
“I had nothing to do with any of that. You need to back up. Now.” Somehow, she kept her voice strong and even. She didn’t want to have to scream, but if this guy didn’t back off, she would do whatever it took to keep herself and her daughter safe.
Jenna started to wail, and Hailey cut her eyes toward her. She was staring up at the man, obviously distressed by his demeanor, though she couldn’t hear his words. That was enough to shift some of Hailey’s fear to anger. She drew herself up to her full height and glared at Oscar.
“You’re scaring my daughter. Move. Back.”
His face turned a deeper shade of red. “You think you can steal from this town and then strut around with no consequences? Some of us work for our money, and people like you think you can just take what you want. Well, not on my watch. You—”
Suddenly, he stumbled back from her.
Hailey immediately took the opportunity to move so she couldn’t be trapped again. Before she could decide whether it would be faster to take off with the cart or try to get Jenna unbuckled and out, she heard a familiar British accent.
“I don’t think you want to do that, mate.”
She spun, keeping her body between Jenna and Oscar.
Several feet away from them, the security guard from work squared off with the man, who had his hands raised to fight.
Though Peter was smaller than her accuser, he apparently had a lot of strength to have jerked Oscar away like he was a dandelion.
Oscar, who still faced her, wasn’t amused. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“I think it does. You’re scaring a woman and a baby. If you’ve got a problem with the lady, there are better ways to handle it—being a bully’s not it.”
Hailey wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the enraged man’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. Instead of answering, he threw a punch.
Peter was ready for it. He dodged the meaty fist and latched on to the man’s extended wrist. The next second, Oscar was lying on his back. Peter repositioned himself to again block access to Hailey and Jenna. He stared down at the man.
“You need to shove off.”
Oscar blinked, and his face returned to a normal hue, or perhaps even a bit pale. He staggered to his feet, shot one last murderous glare toward Hailey, and retreated to a dusty blue pickup the next row over.
They both watched until the truck roared away, then Hailey turned to release Jenna from the cart. Her little girl was still sobbing, and she pulled her close.
“You all right, love?”
She twisted back toward Peter and noted the concern on his face. “We’re okay.” Her legs started trembling, and she sat on the edge of her still-open trunk. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“No worries. What was his problem?”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “Something that I had no control over. I’m glad you intervened when you did.”
“Wish I could have stepped in sooner. I tried calling out, but he was going on so loud, I guess he didn’t hear me.”
She hadn’t either. She glanced at the space the man had vacated. His truck hadn’t been there when she and Jenna crossed the lot a few minutes ago. Had their meeting been a coincidence? Or had he come looking for her?
PETER KNELT in front of the woman and her still-bawling toddler. “Hey, little one. It’s all right now.”
“She can’t hear you.” Hailey tapped the girl’s shoulder, but her daughter just buried her head deeper into her mom’s chest. She shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry, she’s pretty upset. That guy didn’t hurt her, but he scared us both.”
“No apology necessary.” Peter stood. He swayed a bit and grabbed on to the side of the SUV to steady himself.
“You okay?”
“Right as rain.” During a hurricane.
“You don’t look like it. Here.” She scooted to one side. “Sit.”
He wanted to refuse, but his pounding head made him reconsider. Trying not to scowl, he lowered himself to a seat beside her.
“Are you sick?”
“No. I—” He debated whether he should share about last night’s incident, but why not? “I got conked on the head at work last night. Just a mild concussion, but I’m feeling it today.”
She gaped at him. “Are you serious? What happened?”
“The cameras caught someone skulking around the building. I went outside to check things out and got ambushed.” Man, that was embarrassing to admit.
“That’s awful!”
“Not my best night on the job.” Then again, it wasn’t his worst either. “This isn’t my first concussion though, so I know the ropes.” He stole a glance at the little girl. She still held fistfuls of Hailey’s blouse, but she’d ceased crying and was now peeking at him.
Hailey followed the direction of his gaze, and her face softened. With her free hand, she tapped the girl’s shoulder, then signed, Good man.
Wait. A few minutes ago, she’d told him the girl couldn’t hear him, hadn’t she? His head must be more off than he thought if that was just now sinking in.
The girl was still watching him, so he signed, My name is Peter. What’s your name?
“You sign?” Hailey sounded delighted.
“I’m no expert, but I can hold my own in a conversation.” He signed and spoke simultaneously this time. “My grandmother is deaf, so most of my family knows some degree of ASL.”
“I’m surprised you use ASL.” She paused, her forehead wrinkling. “You are British, right? I didn’t totally misidentify your accent?”
He chuckled. “Yes, I’m from Southampton. But my dad’s American, and we spent most summers in Ohio. It’s his mum that’s deaf. So, yes, we learned American Sign Language, not British.”
“Makes sense. Jenna is the first in our family, so we’re all learning together.”
“Very good.” Sweat trickled from his brow.
Even in the shade, it was insufferably hot out today.
Hailey and Jenna were both flushed, and he doubted it was all from their recent scare.
He stood and motioned to the shopping cart.
“I’d best be going. How about I finish loading your groceries, and we can all get out of this heat? ”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’ll only take me a minute.” Before she could protest again, he transferred the last few items into the back of her SUV, then pushed the cart to the corral.
That done, he returned to collect his own bags from where he’d dropped them to intervene.
Thankfully, no one had run over them, but he might have to toss the steak he’d planned to have for dinner.
It would take him almost a half hour to get home, and the extra ten minutes sitting in the sun couldn’t have done the meat any favors.
Hailey pulled up next to him in her Explorer, the passenger-side window down. “Thank you again.” She scanned the lot around them. “Where are you parked? I can drive you to your car.”
He waved her off. “No need. I walked here.”
“You live close?”
“About two miles.”
She fixed him with what he could only guess was her mom-stare. “Walking two miles in this heat with a concussion is unacceptable. I’m driving you home.” She reached across the vehicle and opened the passenger door. “Get in.”
Reluctantly, he complied. He gave her directions to his place, and they set off. As they turned onto the main road, Hailey set the AC to full blast. The cold air was a welcome relief.
“So you spent summers with your grandma in Ohio, but you’re from the UK. How did you end up here in Kincaid?”
Now that was a complicated topic. One he didn’t plan to go into.
But Peter offered her an easy grin. “My siblings and I have dual citizenship, and my brother settled in Cincinnati after a stint in the US military, though his current job keeps him traveling more often than not. I always liked it here, and I decided to follow him. Being near enough to enjoy Gran’s cooking every now and again didn’t hurt. ”
“But why here? Why not in Ohio?” She side-eyed him.
He tried not to show the uneasiness that question triggered. “I did settle there at first, but I decided I needed a change.”
“Kincaid is quite the change from Cincinnati.”
He laughed. “Just a bit. And what about you? Have you always lived here?”
“I’ve never lived outside Pendleton County. I grew up around Butler though, not Kincaid—moved here when I got married.”
His eyes settled on her left hand. No ring.
She caught the look, and her voice was tight when she said, “He’s dead.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Same.” She glanced in the rearview mirror. “Even more for Jenna than for me. But at least we have each other, and I have plenty of family in the area. She’ll never want for love or attention.”
“A blessing for sure.” He meant the words. A strong family support system meant so much more than many people realized. His had been amazing in some ways but sorely lacking in others.
Hailey slowed the SUV in front of his bungalow. “This it?”
“This is home. Much obliged for the ride.” He grabbed his grocery bags and climbed out of the vehicle.
“No problem.” She frowned at the empty driveway. “Where’s your car?”
“Still at work. Not supposed to drive until Monday.” He had not been happy when the ER doc had made that recommendation.
She made a face. “That’s a pain. Here.” She pulled a business card from her purse and leaned across the seat to hand it to him.
“If you need to go anywhere else before then or need a ride to get to your car to pick it up, give me a call. You don’t need to be walking in this heat, and it’s not supposed to let up for several more days. ”
“Thanks.” He took the card, but he had no intention of taking her up on the offer.
“I’m serious,” she said. “This town has its issues sometimes, but we try to take care of each other around here.”
He nodded, more touched than he was willing to admit.
After he made it inside and got his groceries put away, he picked the card back up.
Studied the professional smile that almost hid the sadness in Mrs. Nieland’s eyes.
The woman wasn’t more than thirty, if he had to guess.
So young to be widowed, and the loss had to be semi-recent.
Jenna didn’t appear to be over two years old at most, so the man must have died sometime in the last few years.
He doubted it had happened since he moved to Kincaid.
He would have seen a news report or at least an obituary. But he’d only been here since January.
Her situation had his curiosity piqued. Maybe he’d grab a sandwich for lunch and see if he could find an article on her husband’s death.