Love Came Unexpectedly. Ruth Scofield
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“Yes, but I can turn in my rental car now. I won’t have that cost and I won’t have to depend on—I was using my savings—oh, never mind that now. A truck! And only three years old?”
It was the most excitement she’d shown.
“If I had known it would create such unbridled excitement, I’d have told you about the truck the other day,” he said, letting his grin spread wide.
She glanced at him, flushed with embarrassment, and grinned back. Her mouth curved in such a way, it reminded him again of the way old Nathan’s mouth made the same curve.
That was it. She had her granddaddy’s smile.
Only on Sunny, it had a sweetness he hadn’t counted on seeing. It charmed him out of his shoes. In spite of himself, or memories of Heather.
“I’ve never driven a truck, but I can learn. Ol’ Winnie, huh? Well, how hard can it be? And it’s only three years old. My old car barely got me to work and back, and I prayed every day that it would hold out just a little longer.”
She finished her last bite, chewing thoughtfully, her eyes full of stars. Finally she turned to him. “Now what were we discussing? The yard?”
“Yeah, well, um, yard stuff… Nathan couldn’t use a rider mower, you know. Ground isn’t level enough. He walked the whole site, when his knee wasn’t hurting him. The part that is kept mowed anyway.”
“I guess I could manage that.” She was a bit doubtful. Her voice grew pensive. “He had a bad knee?”
“Yeah. He, um, he’d get shots once in a while for it. He saw a doc in town.”
“I see.” Her face took on a still, faraway look again. Her mouth, in repose, was sweetly bowed. “Well, I suppose Sunshine Acres doesn’t have much in the way of grass,” she said, pushing back her chair. “But I noticed there were an awful lot of rocks.”
“That’s right, the soil is far too rocky for a real lawn, I guess.” He chewed the last of his sandwich. “Gotta build up a layer of dirt if you want a lawn. Shirley had a few old flower beds when she was alive and could care for them.”
Sunny turned to stare at him, a vulnerable, lost look on her face that she couldn’t quite hide. “You knew Shirley, too?”
“Yeah, a bit. Not as well as I knew Nathan.”
“What…what was she like?”
“Oh, friendly…worked hard, but she liked to laugh. She had the kindest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. She loved being outside, and would stay out till dark most days. She loved talking with her customers. And she loved those flower beds.”
Sunny was silent a moment, staring at her glass. Then almost as if she didn’t want to ask, she did. “Did you ever meet my dad?”
“No.”
The single word seemed to send her into stone. He was sorry he had nothing to tell her, but Johnny hadn’t been in the picture when he’d come into Nathan and Shirley’s life. Nathan hadn’t talked of Johnny much. Shirley spoke of her son on occasion, but very little. His death seemed to cause her too much pain for long discussions.
Sunny shook herself, and smiled. “Will you have some ice cream?”
Chapter Four
The garage was huge, but the only vehicle in there was the shiny black truck, Ol’ Winnie. Sunny stood and stared a moment. Her granddad really liked Ol’Winnie; the care he’d given the truck showed.
Was this really hers? Just a gift from the blue?
Not really from the blue, but it was another gift from a grandfather she had never known. Imagine…a truck!
“Wahoo!” She let out a shout. A truck would solve her most pressing problems.
Grant let out a chuckle. He observed her carefully, but she didn’t care. Elated at finding a working vehicle, Sunny hoisted herself up and into the seat. She turned the key, starting the motor. It hummed like a top.
Her granddad must’ve enjoyed a good running engine, she mused. From habit she looked over her shoulder to make sure the drive was clear, then carefully backed Ol’ Winnie out of the garage. Ol’ Winnie, hmm… Secretly, she found her granddad’s whimsy amusing. Naming the truck—it was an aspect of the old man she hadn’t suspected.
She parked it, hitting the brakes a bit too hard, jerking her forward in her seat. Uh-oh. This truck would take some adjusting to.
“Wonderful! I’ll have to get a pillow to put at my back,” she crowed, looking at all the instruments on the panel in front of her. “And learn what all this means. Will you drive into town with me to return the rental car?”
She’d asked the question spontaneously, as though he had nothing better to do than help her. Glancing up at him from the seat, she held her breath.
“Sure,” he said and nodded. The corners of his mouth twitched, and his eyes sparkled. It made her want to smile in return, but all she could do was stare at the corners of his mouth. “But we’d better do it this afternoon because I have things to do tonight.”
“That’s great timing,” she caught her breath to say. “Then I can do some more grocery shopping.”
She patted the steering wheel, then with resolve, got out of the truck. The rest of the garage was filled with tools, laundry equipment and the discarded treasures of a lifetime.
Turning her attention to the garage, she inspected the washer and dryer, whistling under her breath. “Boy, these are old. I suspect I’ll have to replace them soon.”
He watched her wander to the push lawn mower. “I suppose this is still okay…” She pushed it a few inches in its place. “And there are plenty of garden tools. I won’t have to purchase anything new here.”
Against the back wall was the work counter with cabinets beneath. Parts of boat engines, old life jackets, and a collection of various old license plates lined the wall. Didn’t her grandfather ever throw them away?
She ran a hand down the counter. Her fingers felt the polished wood. A fine sand filled the corners. Her grandfather spent a lot of time out here, she thought.
She’d have a job to clean it up, but it would look tidy by another month, she vowed.
While she looked around, Grant lounged against the hood of the truck watching her. She tried not to notice, but she caught a quick, appreciative gleam when she turned to him.
Over the years, she’d dated a few men who’d openly admired her, yet she hadn’t fallen in love with any of them. She hadn’t had time, what with school, work and her church involvement.
Yet she didn’t mistake Grant’s gaze. She hardly knew what to do with it. Before now, her goal had been to grow up, study hard and make something of herself before getting involved with anyone. That drive had been constant.
The Larsons’ influence had solidified her thoughts, too. Boyfriends could come and go if she wanted them, but the Larsons had encouraged her hard-working habits. They’d said that steady work, a solid career in something she was good at and her church would ground her.
And there would be no hopping from place to place, city to city for her, Sunny privately thought, not like the kind of life she’d led with her mother.
Her co-workers knew enough to keep their relationships just friendly. She’d keep this friendly, too, she decided.
She cleared her throat, then asked tentatively, “All right…can you go into town now?”
“I suppose so. Let me make a phone call, and I’ll be set.”
“Okay, you can use the phone in the office.”
“I’ll use my cell phone.”
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