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“You think so?”
All the woman’s doubts were evident in her wrinkled forehead, the hesitant expression in her eyes and the hidden hope that he might really be telling her the truth. As before it was important to Chance to make Tanya feel comfortable. “Yes. I’m honored to have seen this. You should show your drawings more often.”
Tanya straightened in her chair, her head cocked. “Samuel tried to get me to have one in the Fourth of July auction this year at church. I told him I would donate my time or something else.”
Chance captured Tanya’s regard. “Next year take him up on the offer.”
She slid her gaze away and started gathering up her plate and utensils. “I’ll think about it.”
“Which means she won’t do it,” Crystal interjected and put her dishes in her lap then wheeled herself toward the sink.
Chance followed them with his place setting. “I hope you’ll let me help you clean up after being gracious enough to invite me to dinner. I might not cook very well, but I can rinse and put them in the dishwasher.”
“Yeah, Mom. Let him.”
Tanya laughed. “You’re agreeing because you’ll get out of your part of cleaning up.”
“I’ve got homework to do.”
“On Friday night?”
Crystal lifted her shoulders. “What else is there to do?”
“Fine.” Tanya watched her frowning daughter and the black Lab disappear into the hallway. “Something’s bothering her. I wish she would tell me.”
“She’s what, fifteen, sixteen?”
“Fifteen.”
“Did you tell your mother what was going on with you at that age?”
“Good point. But still we’ve been through a lot. I…” Her voice quavering, Tanya twisted away so her face was hidden as she stacked the dishes into the sink and turned on the water.
Chance heard the thickness lacing each word and wished he could help her. But he discovered that helping her was going to be harder than he’d thought. Actually he’d had no plan in mind other than to assist Tom’s family. But how? Maybe he could reach Crystal. He had to try something or he would never be able to get on with his life—what was left of it.
Tanya handed him the first plate to put in the dishwasher. “You should come hear us sing in the choir at church this Sunday. As I’m sure you’re aware, Samuel gives great sermons.”
Chance gripped the glass she passed to him. “I’ll think about it.”
Chapter Two
Chance’s clipped words caused Tanya to step back, strained uneasiness pulsating between them. She got the distinct impression thinking was all he would do about going to church.
Without really contemplating what she was saying, she asked, “You aren’t going to come, are you?” The second the question was out of her mouth, she bit down on the inside of her cheek. She’d never confronted someone about not attending church. She didn’t confront anyone about anything, if possible.
His gaze narrowed on her face, every line in his body rigid. “I need to get settled in.”
By his tight tone, evasive answer and clenched jaw, Tanya knew that any further discussion was unwelcome. “I’m sorry I brought up the subject. I just assumed you believed.”
“Because I’m friends with Samuel?”
She nodded.
“I guess Samuel would say I’m the lost sheep he’s trying to bring back to the fold.”
“So you’ve heard him speak before?”
“Yeah. But it’s not going to change how I feel. Simply put, God wasn’t there for me when I needed Him the most.”
His statement piqued her curiosity and made her wonder even more about Chance Taylor’s past. She handed him another dish and let the silence lengthen while she decided how to proceed with the conversation when tension crowded the space between them. “What happened?” She realized she was pushing when she never pushed.
“Nothing I want to revisit.”
His answer hadn’t surprised her. She didn’t think he shared willingly much of himself with anyone. She’d seen that same defensive mechanism in Tom, especially after the riding accident that had left Crystal paralyzed. “You said you were a financial advisor. I wish I had a knack for figures. My budget’s in a terrible mess. I work at a bank, but finances aren’t my strong suit.” There, that should be a safe enough subject for conversation.
“What do you do?”
“I started out as a receptionist, but I’m a teller now. I can count money, just not manage my own very well. There never seems to be enough to go around. I’m still paying off Crystal’s medical expenses.” And her deceased ex-husband’s lawyer’s bill, she added silently, not wanting to go into what happened with Tom. How do you explain to a person you just met that your husband was sent to prison for burning barns in retaliation for their daughter’s accident?
“When was the last time you redid your budget?”
“I don’t exactly have one that’s written down. I pay the most important bills first, then as much as I can on the ones left. That’s the extent of my budget. Some months I do better than others.” She could remember her spending spree several years back where she had bought unnecessary items—expensive clothing, inessential furniture. Thankfully she had been able to take a lot of them back—but not all. She’d finally paid off those bills a few months ago. So long as she stayed on the medication she took for manic depression, she shouldn’t get herself into a bind like that again. She couldn’t afford to.
After he put the last glass on the top rack, Chance closed the dishwasher. “Maybe I can help you with that.”
“Would you? That would be great! If the job with Nick doesn’t work out, I may be able to help you find one. I can ask around.” There was something about Chance that drew her to him. She wanted to help him, especially in light of him offering to assist her with her budget.
He frowned, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “You don’t—”
“Mom, I’m going out on the deck to do my homework. Now that the sun’s going down behind the trees, it’s cooler outside.” With a book and pad in her lap, Crystal wheeled herself toward the back door.
Chance hurried to open it before her daughter could. “What subject are you working on?”
“English. I have an essay to write. I do my best thinking outside.”
“So do I.”
When Crystal was out on the deck, Chance turned toward Tanya. “I’d better go. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow I have that job interview, then I need to buy some supplies.”
“Pretty much whatever you need can be found on Main Street or right off it. There’s a grocery store four blocks from here on Third Avenue.”
“Is that right after Second?”
“Yep.”
“Then I think I can find it on my walk,” he said with a smile.
“You don’t have a car?”
“No, I came on the bus.”
“I’m going to Alice’s Café tomorrow at ten. What time is your interview?”
“Nine.”
“I can give you a lift, if you’d like. I have a few errands I need to run before I meet my friends.”
“Thanks, but I can walk. I like the exercise.”
His half grin appeared, and for a few seconds Tanya’s heart responded by quickening its beat. Her physical reaction took her by surprise. After her ordeal with Tom, men hadn’t interested her—until now.
Chance left and stopped next to Crystal to say a few words to her, then proceeded toward the detached garage at the side of the house. Tanya came out onto the deck and watched him. While he’d talked with her daughter, Tanya had glimpsed a vulnerability leaking into his expression. He had managed to cover it quickly, but she had seen it.
“What do you think of our new tenant?” Tanya asked when she noticed her daughter watching her staring at Chance.
“What do you think?”
“He seems nice. Kinda lonely.”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say to you?”
Crystal tilted her head, screwing up her face into a quizzical expression. “He offered to tutor me in math if I needed it.”
Tanya laughed. “Did you tell him you had a ninety-eight in Algebra I and that you’re taking Algebra II?”
She nodded. “I wonder why he offered.”
“Did you ask him?”
“He left before I could. Maybe I will tomorrow.”
“Speaking of tomorrow, I’d better get a load of laundry done tonight or neither of us will have anything to wear.”
When Tanya entered the kitchen, her gaze fell on the table where Chance had sat for dinner. He was a puzzle. And one of her favorite things to do was put together jigsaw puzzles, the more pieces the better. She had a feeling there were a lot of pieces to Chance Taylor.
“Have a seat.” Nick Blackburn indicated a brown leather chair in front of his large desk.
Chance quickly scanned the spacious office as he sat. The rich walnut tones of the furniture with a navy-and-brown color scheme lent a refined elegance to the room. He’d been in many offices that conveyed power and wealth. This one ranked near the top.
Mr. Blackburn perused the application Chance had filled out, and he knew the second the man read about his time spent in the state penitentiary. To give Mr. Blackburn credit, he finished the application before he glanced up at Chance and asked, “What did you do time for?”
“Murder.”
The man’s eyes widened slightly before he put the paper down, a bland expression veiling his curiosity. “You only served two years?”
“My conviction was overturned when the real murderer was apprehended last month.”
“So you served two years for a crime you didn’t commit.”
Even though it really wasn’t a question, Chance said, “Yes.”
“That’s where you met Samuel?”
“Yes, sir. He took an interest in me and we became friends.”
“You know you’re overqualified for this job. You have an MBA from Harvard. You’ve worked for several top money-managing companies in the country and were on the fast track.”
“Were is the operative word here. That was in my past. Besides—” Chance grinned “—Blackburn Industries is well respected and a multimillion dollar business. I consider this job an opportunity to do something different.”
“Because you don’t see people letting you manage their money after spending time in prison?”
Chance leaned forward. “To be frank, I don’t want to be reminded of the life I once had. I need to start over in something totally different. What are the duties of the job?”
After Mr. Blackburn listed them for Chance, the man said, “Do you think you can handle those?”
In his sleep, Chance thought and nodded.
“There will be some traveling to my Chicago office. The dress is casual here but not in Chicago.”
“I understand.”
Nick Blackburn pushed back his chair and stood. Offering Chance his hand, he said, “Then you’ve got yourself a job. I’ve never known Samuel to be wrong about a person, and he thinks you can do this job.”
“When do I start, Mr. Blackburn?”
“It’s Nick, and you can start Wednesday morning when I get back from Chicago. Be here at nine and I’ll show you around and introduce you to the staff here in Sweetwater.”
A few minutes later as Chance left the building, he couldn’t resist turning his face to the sun, relishing its warmth as it bathed him. He would never tire of doing that.
He had a job. That was one worry taken care of. Now all he had to figure out was how to be there for Tanya and Crystal without them knowing why. After spending time with them the night before, he wasn’t sure he wanted them ever to know his involvement in Tom’s death.
“Okay, you have to tell us about the guy renting your apartment.” Jesse scooted over in the booth at Alice’s Café to allow Tanya to slide in beside her. “We’ve all been waiting with bated breath.”
“Jesse Blackburn, don’t you get any ideas. No matchmaking! He’s only my tenant. Just passing through.” Taking a sip of her coffee, Tanya looked around the group and added, “How did you know I have a man renting my garage apartment?”
Beth Morgan grinned. “Samuel told me. Do you think there are any secrets among us after all these years?”
“What else did your husband say?” Tanya thought about all she wanted to know concerning her tenant, especially what or who was responsible for the pain behind his half smile that never quite reached his eyes. She hadn’t slept much the night before, her mind insisting on playing through all kinds of scenarios.
“Not much. Samuel just told me you rented your apartment to Chance Taylor, a friend from his past. You know my husband. He doesn’t say much about a person he knows. He always likes people to make up their own mind. So spill the beans. What’s he look like?”
An image of the first time she had seen Chance on her porch flashed into Tanya’s mind. Even from the beginning she’d been drawn to his eyes where she’d seen a shadow of sadness in their depths. “He’s very tall, dark hair, blue eyes, nice build, probably in his late thirties. He had an interview this morning with Nick about the assistant’s job.”
Surprise widened Jesse’s eyes. “He did and Nick didn’t tell me.”
“This isn’t a secretarial-type position, is it?” Zoey Witherspoon asked.
