North Country Hero & North Country Family by Lois Richer

Author:Lois Richer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-01-17T21:53:14+00:00

Chapter Two

The weight of Cassie’s decision hit when she opened her eyes an hour later and got her first view of Churchill.

She was alone, a single mom with a troubled kid to support in a cold, barren land where she had just one friend, Laurel. Had moving here been the right decision?

The train jerked. They were slowing down.

It didn’t matter now if the decision was right or wrong. It had been made.

“We’re here, M-Mom,” Noah said. For the first time in many months a hint of excitement colored his voice.

The tired old train ground to a stop with much squeaking of brakes. Noah jumped to his feet. Cassie reached up to heft her overnight case from the storage compartment above. A hand slid over hers where it grasped the suitcase handle.

“Yes, Noah. I’m hurrying—”

The words died away when she turned and stared into Rick’s dark green gaze.

“Let me help you with this.”

Odd how his quiet offer made her feel as if she wasn’t quite so alone.

Cassie nodded, swallowing when his warm fingers eased the handle from her hands, lifted the bag free and shifted it so it would roll forward. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His low response, for her ears alone, made her feel cared for. She liked that.

You have no business liking anything about Rick, she scolded herself.

But the scolding didn’t seem to stop her from appreciating the tall, lean man. A slanted smile played on his too-handsome face, warming her like a ray of sunshine. His easy manner made her drop her guard, feel comfortable. The pull of attraction toward him was like nothing she’d known before. She searched his eyes, trying to understand the connection she felt, ignoring the flutter in her stomach when he met her gaze.

“I appreciate your entertaining Noah during the ride,” she said as they waited to disembark.

“He’s a great kid.” The pastor took her arm to help her as they stepped outside, grinning at Noah’s astonished reaction to mountainous snowdrifts that dazzled in the brilliant morning sun. “Welcome to Churchill.”

As they moved away from the crowd and down the platform, Rick stayed by her side, matching his strides to her shorter ones, rolling her case along as if it were a feather. He had the long, lean grace of a distance runner. Though Cassie noticed the many admiring stares he received, Rick didn’t seem to. He smiled and greeted people, totally at ease.

By contrast, Noah stood aloof, surveying the area with a wariness Cassie wished she could help him shed. But how? Noah argued with her constantly over the least little thing. Nothing Cassie had tried seemed to help reduce the stutter that had appeared several months earlier. Not even prayer.

“Noah could go inside to stay warm,” Rick told her. “But it’s better if you wait here for the opening of the container car to ensure all your stuff has arrived. If it doesn’t, you have to make a claim right away. You do have more than this?” he asked, indicating her suitcase.

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