Harlequin Love Inspired December 2018, Box Set 1 of 2 by Vannetta Chapman

Author:Vannetta Chapman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

“I don’t see any stores here,” Dovie said as she swung Jessica’s arm when they walked through town midday Friday.

“Me, neither.” Jessica pondered that as they completed their loop. “Most little towns have at least a couple of businesses.”

“Where can we shop?”

She’d promised Dovie they’d go grocery shopping together, always a treat for the four-year-old. “Let’s grab the car and we’ll find food.”

“And now we’ve got nice clean cupboards to put it in.”

“We do.” They’d scrubbed out the cupboards and the fridge with cleaning supplies she’d brought with them. She hadn’t left Ben’s family a forwarding address. They saw her as a turncoat.

She was nothing of the kind, but Dovie was her priority now. She could raise her to respect the dignity of her Native American heritage, but she wanted her to respect her European ancestry, too. That was no longer possible around Ben’s family. Dark, simmering anger had overtaken them once Ben was gone. And greed.

She grabbed the car keys while Dovie fastened her seat belt around the booster seat. Then she climbed in and turned the key.

Nothing happened.

She frowned, gazing at the dashboard signals. She wasn’t good with cars. She was good with computers. Graphics.

Car engines? Not so much.

She pulled out her cell phone to find a nearby repair shop.

There were no nearby repair shops. The closest ones were a half hour away, and they were both marked “Closed for Holiday Weekend.”

This couldn’t be happening. Nobody closed for the full weekend, did they?

She bit back panic and considered what they had on hand. A tiny portion of hen breast and half a stick of butter. They’d eaten the last of the bread for breakfast. She’d planned on shopping once they’d got to Idaho, but there had been long lines on the day before Thanksgiving, so she’d waited. Big mistake…

No people. No stores. No food. No car.

Now it was okay to panic.

A dusty green sedan rolled up and parked along the curb. A woman climbed out. She spotted Jessica in the car and waved to get her attention. Jess climbed out.

“Ty sent me over.” The middle-aged Latina woman flashed Jess a broad smile as she came up the walk, carrying a large box. “Normally we have so many people on the ranch that we go through these leftovers fast.”

“Leftovers?”

“From dinner yesterday. A fine feast, a blessed day. I’m Sally Ann Montroya. Or just Sally, either way. I’m from Carrington Acres. It’s a ranch south of town. So nice to meet you!”

Food from the ranch that had purchased the empty houses in town. It was a kind gesture, but she wasn’t poverty-stricken, just a little light in the wallet. No one had ever brought around charity baskets before, and embarrassment gripped her throat.

She led Sally Ann into the house and called for Dovie. When Dovie skipped up the steps after them, Jessica faced Sally Ann. “You said Ty sent you? The cowboy that wants me to give up my house?”

“What a mix-up!” Sally Ann didn’t seem all that bothered, but, then, it wasn’t her house on the line.

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