Chapter One – Hannah #2
She glanced up the empty road, the rain falling steadily through the mist. “Which brings me to a question,” she added, trying to sound more curious than accusing. “Where did you come from? I didn’t hear a car. I don’t see a car.”
Caleb didn’t hesitate. “I was out for a run,” he said easily. “I heard the tire pop and thought I’d better come see if there was anything I could do to help. That’s when I saw you.”
That answered part of it, though not all. Because he might have been dressed for the outdoors, but he was not dressed for a run.
However, Hannah filed the thought away and returned her attention to the problem in front of her.
The spare would get her moving, but she didn’t want to risk further damage to the car. Added to that, the road ahead was narrow and unfamiliar, already slick with rain, and the light was fading fast.
A garage meant someone who could tell her exactly what she was dealing with instead of guessing and hoping for the best.
“I can call Roy for a tow, if you want,” Caleb offered. “Saves you having to drive on that spare in this weather.”
It was the sensible option. Hannah nodded. “That would be helpful. Thank you.”
Caleb made the call, his side of the conversation brief and practical, giving directions and little else. When he finished, he slid the phone back into his pocket. “Twenty minutes.”
Hannah nodded, then glanced at the rain coming down harder now, the cold already seeping through her damp jacket. “You don’t have to wait,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head once, easy and unbothered. “It’s no trouble.”
She hesitated, then gestured toward the car. “We might as well sit inside. It’s warmer. And drier.”
The invitation hung there between them long enough for Hannah to realize what she’d said.
Had she really just invited a complete stranger into her car?
But it was too late now. When Caleb nodded and then opened the passenger door and climbed in, Hannah had no choice but to do the same.
Inside the car, the air quickly fogged as she turned the engine back on, and the familiar hum settled her nerves. The windows steamed, blurring the world outside into soft shapes and muted light.
Next to her, Caleb folded himself into the passenger seat, and Hannah became suddenly, unhelpfully aware of him. The warmth, the closeness, the way his shoulder was only inches from hers.
She ignored it. Or tried to.
“So,” she said, because silence had a way of letting thoughts wander where she didn’t want them to go. “Do you live in Bear Creek?”
“All my life,” he replied. “It’s a good place. Friendly. Not like other small towns. People look out for each other without getting into your business.”
She nodded, watching rain trace slow paths down the windshield. “That sounds... nice.”
“It is.” He smiled, his gaze distant. “The mountains help. They give you space. To think. To breathe. To slow down and enjoy life.”
She could picture it then... a life shaped by weather and routine instead of constant motion. The idea of belonging in a place like this settled in her mind and felt unexpectedly right.
Like...
The tow truck’s lights cut through the fogged glass before she could finish the thought.
“That’ll be Roy,” Caleb said, already reaching for the door handle. “Once he hooks the car up, we can ride in the cab with him into town.”
She blinked. “Oh. I assumed you’d be heading off.”
He paused, then glanced at her, something almost like amusement in his expression. “I’m riding along. Just to make sure things get sorted for you.”
“Right. Of course.” As if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be by her side.
She wasn’t used to that. Someone looking out for her.
“Come on,” he added. “You’ll like Roy.”
He stepped out into the rain, and for a moment, Hannah felt the loss of his presence.
She took a moment to compose herself before she got out of the car; the cold rain immediately seeped through her jacket once more. The cocoon of warmth and quiet they’d shared dissolved the moment she closed the door, replaced by the raw bite of weather and reality.
The tow truck was larger than she’d expected, its yellow lights cutting through the mist as Roy climbed down from the cab with a wave.
Caleb approached him with an easy familiarity, clasping his hand and clapping him on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming out, Roy.”
“Anytime, Thornberg,” Roy said, his voice carrying a warmth that suggested years of friendship rather than a business transaction.
Caleb turned toward Hannah, gesturing her forward. “This is Hannah Rigby. She’s on her way to Slateford, took a wrong turn, and hit something that did a number on her tire.”
Roy’s weathered face broke into a welcoming smile as he extended his hand to Hannah. “Nice to meet you, Miss Rigby.” There was a flicker of curiosity in his expression as he glanced between her and Caleb, his head tilting slightly.
“Hi,” Hannah said, shaking his hand. “Thanks for coming out in this weather. I appreciate it.”
Roy grinned and looked up at the sky, raindrops hitting his face. “You sure picked a good day for it.”
Caleb tapped Roy lightly on the shoulder. “Shall we get the car loaded?”
“Sure,” Roy said, moving toward her vehicle. He slowed as he reached it, running his hand along the roof with unexpected gentleness. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of these for a long while.”
Hannah felt a sudden, unexpected surge of protectiveness as Roy examined her car. It wasn’t just a vehicle to her; it was one of the few constants in a life that had seen too many changes.
“She’s never let me down,” Hannah said, more quietly than she intended, trying to keep the defensiveness out of her voice.
Caleb glanced at her, something knowing in his eyes. “Roy will take good care of her,” he said quietly, the words carrying more reassurance than the situation strictly required, as if he understood exactly what the car meant to her.
Hannah nodded, swallowing against the unexpected tightness in her throat. She’d only known Caleb for less than an hour, but it felt as if he knew her better than anyone else ever had.
The two men moved with practiced efficiency, Roy operating the winch while Caleb guided her car onto the flatbed and then secured the vehicle with chains and straps.
Hannah watched, arms crossed against the chill, rain trickling down her neck despite her best efforts to stay sheltered under a nearby tree.
She told herself it was just the cold making her shiver.
“All set,” Roy called finally, giving the chains one last check. “Let’s get out of this weather.”
As Hannah climbed into the tow truck’s cab, she felt off balance, unmoored.
This hadn’t been her plan, her route, or even a choice made the way she usually made decisions—by weighing options and choosing the most efficient path forward. Instead, she’d been carried along by rain and road and the quiet accumulation of small, practical choices.
Yet as the truck pulled away, she didn’t feel the usual tightness that came with disrupted plans.
No spike of urgency. No need to wrestle control back immediately.
There was something unexpectedly peaceful about having the next few hours decided for her.
Bear Creek wasn’t her destination, but it was the logical next step.
When her car was fixed, she would recalibrate and get back on course.
This was temporary. Like everything in her life.