Chapter Three
Lesley stared after Cole in shocked disbelief. “I can’t believe that man,” she muttered incredulously. As his car advanced
down the street, Lesley became more scornful. He wouldn’t really leave her, would he? All he wanted was the satisfaction of
having her beg. But she refused to play his game.
Both arms hugging her waist, she shuffled her feet anxiously. “It’s all your fault anyway,” she shouted into the empty street
after Cole, willingly placing the blame on him.
A couple of minutes passed, and still the street remained deserted. She could be stuck out here all night. Even the few houses
in the immediate vicinity didn’t have any lights on. The inhabitants were probably gone for the evening, so it wouldn’t do
any good to trek up and see about using the phone.
Another few moments, and Lesley looked around her helplessly. If Cole happened to drive by again, she’d be more apt to smile
sweetly.
“Darn!” She kicked at the radial tire, stubbed her toe and wanted to cry with frustration.
Everything was going wrong. Everything! What was she supposed to do?
Walk down Harrison Avenue garbed in a white sheet as a pillar of salt?
That would cause quite a stir. She’d be the laughingstock of Coeur d’Alene.
A pair of headlights could be seen shining in the distance. Hope sprang as Lesley straightened and stepped into the middle
of the street. When it looked as if the vehicle might turn, Lesley groaned and gave a shout.
“Here. I’m here.” She waved her arm high above her head. “Don’t leave, please don’t leave.”
The car seemed to hesitate, then came her way. Lesley heaved a giant sigh. As it approached, she saw that it was a tow truck.
The vehicle pulled up beside her. “Evening, miss, would you be needing help?” An older man was speaking with a soft southern
drawl. He sounded like an angel.
“Yes, yes,” Lesley cried eagerly. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you. I was getting worried—there doesn’t seem to be
anyone home around here.”
The gray-haired man climbed out of the truck’s cab, grinning widely. He tipped his hat back with one hand as he surveyed Lesley’s
vehicle. “This doesn’t look like it’ll take much.”
“Oh, good.” Relief washed over her.
“I’ll just attach the cable and haul her out. No problem.”
“Wonderful,” Lesley murmured and stepped aside as he climbed into his truck and backed it up across the road to position it
to the best advantage.
On the street again, he regarded Lesley with curious eyes. “You always dress like that?”
“These? No, I’m on my way to church.”
“Church,” he repeated with a laugh. “On Halloween? You’re likely to get mugged on a night like this.”
Her good mood rejuvenated, Lesley responded with a light laugh. “I think I’ll take my chances. But next year I’m not changing into my costume until I arrive at the church. I had visions of walking into town in this getup. Can you imagine the looks people would have given me?”
“Man said you’d be real eager to see me.”
“Man?” Lesley repeated, slow comprehension seeping into her thoughts.
“Yeah, the guy that pulled into the service station. He said he saw someone in trouble but thought they were dressed funny
and that I should be careful. That’s why I came up real cautious like.”
Cole Daniels, Lesley seethed. Of all the nerve. “I don’t suppose this man was driving a new car.”
“That’s him,” the tow truck operator responded without looking up, his gaze fixed on the rear bumper of her car. “Real knowledgeable
about cars, too.” He paused and wiped his hands on a greasy rag that hung from the back of his coveralls pocket.
“How do you mean?”
“Had this foreign job in the garage all week. Couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was wrong. Then this guy in the
new car pulls up while I’m working on it and listens to the engine running. Next thing I know, he walks over and moves a couple
of wires, and bingo, that baby was purring like a well-fed cat.”
“Nice of him,” Lesley muttered caustically under her breath. Cole had no difficulty lending a stranger a helping hand, but
it didn’t seem to bother him to leave her helpless on a deserted street with an empty canister of salt hanging around her
neck. Her neighbor was a real jewel, and when she saw him next she’d tell him exactly what she thought.
Lesley’s little car came out of the ditch without a problem. She wrote a check to the tow truck operator and thanked him again.
Within a couple of minutes they were both on their way. As much as Lesley tried to put the incident with Cole behind her, she couldn’t. He had left her like that on purpose. What kind of brute was he?
The church parking lot was full by the time Lesley arrived, which didn’t help cool her indignation. Hurriedly she delivered
the cookies and lemonade to the kitchen and was on her way to the recreation hall when she bumped into Terry.
“Where have you been?” Terry asked in an anxious, high-pitched voice. “I was beginning to get worried.”
“Don’t ask.” Lesley responded with a half groan. “It’s a long story.”
“I love the costume.” Lesley’s sister took a step back to examine her.
“Thanks. What have I missed?”
“A few games. Bobbing for apples and the treasure hunt. Nothing much.” A brooding look came over Terry’s face. “Something’s
wrong. I think you’d better tell me about it.”
“Not now,” Lesley said with a sigh. “I’m too angry.”
“I don’t suppose this has something to do with your new neighbor?”
Lesley could feel the color invade her face. She’d never felt such intense dislike for anyone. All her life her parents had
taught her to look for the good in every person and situation. But after tonight she could think of nothing to like about
Cole Daniels.
“Yes, it’s my neighbor,” Lesley admitted after a meaningful pause. “I don’t like him, Terry. The two of us seem to clash against
each other. My life’s going to be miserable until he leaves.”
“Les?” Terry’s blue-gray eyes probed hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you react this strongly to anyone. You’ve always
been tolerant and good-natured.”
“That’s what I used to think.”
A burst of laughter and applause erupted from the hall.
“Come on.” Terry glanced away from her. “If we don’t get going, we’ll miss the whole party. But promise you’ll tell me everything later,” she coaxed.
“I promise,” Lesley agreed reluctantly. She wasn’t looking forward to relaying the incident, mainly because she recognized
that her role that evening hadn’t been entirely innocent. But if she was completely honest with herself, it wasn’t the fact
that Cole had left her in the street alone, it was his parting words that irritated her. No matter how they felt about each
other, if their roles had been reversed she would never have left him.
The recreation hall was alive with young and old alike as they gathered together for the All Saints’ Eve costume party. The
gaily dressed youngsters had been divided into age groups and were involved in variety of games. A long table in the rear
of the hall was full of carved pumpkins. Robert, wearing a badge that designated him as a judge, was closely examining each
one. brIBES ACCEPTED was sketched in large letters on the bottom of his badge.
“Come on, Robert may need a little help deciding.”
The two women weaved their way through the large crowd.
“We thought you might like our opinion,” Terry said as she slipped an arm around her husband’s waist.
“Nope, my mind’s set.” He was dressed as one of the apostles. A fake beard was glued to his face. A long brown housecoat was
cinched at his middle, and he carried a fishing pole.
“Clever outfit,” Lesley commented, her bad mood dissipating under the shouts of laughter and the gay mood of the others.
“What about me?” Terry rotated slowly, her eyes smiling.
Lesley had been so caught up with her anger, she hadn’t noticed her sister’s outfit. Terry wore a long, draping white gown
and a blue head scarf that flowed halfway down her back. Bare feet in sandals, she carried a ceramic pitcher.
“Martha from Bethany. Lazarus’ sister?”
“Nope.” Terry laughed. “I thought for sure you’d know.”
Lesley shrugged in defeat. “I give up. Who are you?”
“The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well in the Gospel of John.”
“You mean the one with five husbands,” Lesley teased.
“Five husbands,” Robert echoed loudly.
“That’s the one.” Lesley watched as her sister lifted laughing eyes to her husband. “So you’d better shape up or I’ll move
on to husband number two.”
Lesley smiled, too. Terry and Robert were so much in love that she could almost be envious. It didn’t seem fair that her sister
should find someone so easily when she attracted men like Dale Wylie. Terry and Robert had met at church camp on Coeur d’Alene
Lake their first year of college. Both were serving as counselors for the fourth, fifth and sixth graders for the summer.
In the fall, Robert had gone back to Seattle Pacific University in Washington State while Terry attended the local community
college. They wrote one another every day, and Terry lived for the holidays when Robert would be back in town. They were married
two years later. Why couldn’t she have met someone at summer camp? The thought was so ridiculous that it prompted one side
of her mouth upward to form a lopsided grin.
“. . . And you look ridiculous.” Lesley picked up on the second half of Robert’s statement.
“I look what?” she choked.
“You know, Les, you really do.” Apparently, Terry must have noticed the outrage in Lesley’s flashing blue eyes.
“That what Daniels said.” She grew angry all over again.
“Is that what you’re so hot about?” Terry quizzed her with open curiosity.
This was probably the first time in several years that Lesley was reluctant to share something with her sister. They’d always been close, but she felt a strange reluctance to tell Terry about Cole Daniels.
“That and more.” She realized her attitude was absurd. Terry was her sister. So, as unemotionally as possible, Lesley related
the events of the evening.