“Sorry,” Russell said as he glanced at her. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Kim said you didn’t want the whole town to know about you, but she told me you were coming because she married my brother.”
Sophie let out a sigh of relief. “And you’re a pastor.”
“Newly,” he said, smiling. He was a very handsome man. “In fact, everything about me seems to be new. New town, new job, newly married, new to being a father.”
At the words married and father Sophie felt a bit of a letdown. It looked like she wasn’t dead after all.
“I’m even new to having a brother,” he said. When that tidbit sparked no interest in Sophie, he changed the subject. “How did you get here?”
“Car. I pulled off the road and it quit working. I’m surprised it ran as long as it did.”
“I’ll call the sheriff and he—”
Sophie drew in her breath sharply.
A quick frown momentarily creased Russell’s forehead. “The sheriff’s family owns Frazier Motors,” he explained. “They’ll fix your car or tow it or do whatever it needs.”
“My clothes are in it,” she said, looking down at her dirty skirt. On her lap, her hands tight on it, was the tattered envelope. When she saw that her knuckles were white, she tried to relax them.
“Sophie,” Russell said softly, “if you need someone to talk to, I’m always available.”
“Thanks,” she said, “but . . . ” How could she tell a man of God that she’d stolen something that was the backbone of a very large company?
“Whenever you want to,” he said. “How about if I take you to Kim’s house tonight instead of Mrs. Wingate’s? Kim has closets full of clothes, and maybe it will feel more familiar to you being around her things.”
Quick tears of gratitude came to Sophie’s eyes but she blinked them away. “I would like that,” she said softly. The thought of soaking in a tub full of very hot water and putting on clean clothes made her begin to relax.
“Do you have plans for your visit?” Russell asked cautiously as he glanced at Sophie. She was extraordinarily pretty, with hair that looked to be naturally blonde, big blue eyes, and skin as perfect as a camellia petal. As for the rest of her, he’d seen the way everyone in the tavern had watched her walk. She had a figure that people did double takes on.
But her physical appearance aside, he could see that she was extremely upset. She was holding on to the big envelope with the tire tracks across it, as though it were the key to life. Her clothes were torn and dirty, there was a big smudge on her chin, and one knee was bloody.
Whatever had happened to her seemed to have been caused by Reede Aldredge.
Russell had to work to cover his smile at the sight of this beautiful young woman pouring beer over Reede’s head. Russell knew he’d go to his grave with that image in his mind.
Not long before, Reede had entered the restaurant looking like he wanted to murder someone. Russell and Roan had been having an interesting conversation on the religions of the world, but Reede’s bellyaching took over.
“He said it was a heart attack so I went running,” Reede said. “Never mind that I hadn’t been to bed in two days. It was only indigestion. You know what his eldest daughter did while I was there?”
“Come on to you?” Roan asked. He and Reede were cousins and had a long history together. “She’s a pretty little thing and she’s not that young.”
“Not interested,” Reede said as the waitress put a clean glass in front of him and a new pitcher of beer on the table.
“Not interested in her specifically or in any woman?” Russell asked.
“If you’re implying what I think you are, be glad you’re a preacher or I’d deck you,” Reede said.
“I’d like to see that fight,” Roan said.
“Russell here is younger than you are and from the look of you, healthier. When did you last take some time off?”
“I think that was when I was in college.”
“Before Laura dumped you?” Roan asked.
Reede groaned and took a deep drink of his beer. “Don’t you start on me too. Everybody in this town thinks I’m pining away for a girl I barely remember.”
“They like the romance of the story,” Russell said.