Rancher's Refuge (Whisper Falls) by Goodnight Linda

Author:Goodnight, Linda [Goodnight, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Love Inspired
Published: 2013-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

By late afternoon the house project was well under control when Miss Evelyn had the wild idea to load up the crew of volunteers and head downtown to Easy Street.

“Pumpkins,” she explained from her dais on the tailgate of a pickup truck. “Jack Macabee just called and said he had loaded a trailer with pumpkins and was heading our way. Let’s go set up some displays!”

To a person, they were dirty and tired, but only a few refused to help, and those had legitimate reasons. Austin watched, wondering at the spirit of community in Whisper Falls. His hometown had been like this in many ways, but they’d turned on him when the going got tough. He couldn’t help believing Whisper Falls would be the same.

“All right, crew, we’ll meet at the depot in ten minutes. See you there.” Miss Evelyn bustled toward her Lincoln while the rest of the group broke up and headed toward vehicles.

Cassie, Austin, Annalisa, Davis and his children and Creed Carter milled around the work site, finishing up as trucks and cars pulled away from the curb.

Austin tossed a crowbar into the back of his truck when he spotted Annalisa dragging her last filled bag of trash toward the Dumpster. He’d started toward her when she was intercepted by Creed Carter.

“I’ll get that for you.” The good-looking pilot took the bag, muscles flexing as he easily hefted the trash into the industrial-sized Dumpster. Dusting his hands lightly, he said, “Need a ride into town?”

Austin tensed, waiting for her answer.

Annalisa flicked a glance in his direction. “Well, I—I rode in with Austin. I guess I should go with him.”

She guessed? Did she feel obligated?

He crouched to his toolbox and pretended to check the contents. He wouldn’t interfere. She was a grown woman. It was probably best for everyone if she preferred the flyboy’s company to his.

A truck started and then roared away.

Austin slammed the lid with more force than necessary and rose to his feet. As he expected, Creed and his truck were gone.

But then he saw Annalisa striding toward him, ponytail bopping. Her obligation comment soured his stomach.

He opened the truck door for her. “You could have ridden with Creed.”

“I came with you. I didn’t want to be rude.”

Was that the only reason? “Who you ride with is no big deal.”

She gave him a strange look before climbing with agile grace into the passenger seat. “It is to me.”

Austin stewed on the comment for the next two hours while the committee of joking, chattering volunteers carted pumpkins all over the downtown area. Not that they had far to go in Whisper Falls. They’d piled the orange fruit on street corners, atop hay bales, in black kettles and brightly painted wheelbarrows.

“We don’t need streetlights,” Annalisa joked. “The pumpkins are bright enough to glow in the dark.”

The two of them had ended up in the tiny park at midtown where someone had positioned an old wooden farm wagon. Cassie and others were working inside the gazebo while Austin and Annalisa filled the wagon with hay and pumpkins.

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