Shed forgotten all about that. I dont know, she called over her shoulder. That depends onhow far I get with this story.

With her life, was more like it.

Come on, Hannah urged as Chloe reached the door. Dont reporters get to have R & R?

Rest and relaxation. Rock and roll. Randy and randier. Thinking both she and Mack had experienced too much of the latter, Chloe hurried back up Main Street to her Yugo, then drove to the munic.i.p.al fields where two teams of Peewee players were already running up and down a soccer pitch in organized chaos. When she pulled into the parking lot, she could see Tanya with Wayans perched on her hip, cheering on Pete and Emma from the sidelines. Mack was nowhere in sight.

Hey, Tanya, Chloe said, getting out of her car. Whos winning?

Who can tell? There was color in Tanyas cheeks today, and some sparkle in her eyes. I wanted to let you know Frank Hudson called. Hes going to let me stay in the house. We worked out a reduction in rent based on the repairs Mack did, and ones I promised to do in the future. He called it the GI Package. Ill still have to get a job, but my sister will help with the kids, and Mack helped me figure out a budget.

Thats terrific. Although instead of the GI Package, I think Id call it the Mack-Convinces-Frank Package.

Mack? I thought it was the threat of press coverage that did it. You.

Chloe blushed at the thought she might have had something to do with Franks turnaround. Whatever. Im just glad you wont have to disrupt your home.

You and me both, Tanya said as Wayans began making goo-goo eyes at Chloe.

B-by the way It had been a very long time since shed put herself in contact with children. Deputy Breckinridge said I might find Mack here.

I havent seen him, Tanya replied, nuzzling her sons neck. He registered Pete and Emma in the soccer league, and he said hed try to attend their first game. But with all he has to do in the aftermath of the storm, I dont know where he could be.

He worked the eleven-to-seven shift and went right back out. Does the man ever sleep?

The deputies say no. A look of motherly concern suffused Tanyas features. Boy, he must be beat. So dont give him a hard time about the kids game when you do catch up with him. Therell be others. But do tell him our electricity finally came back on. One less thing for him to worry about.

At that moment Wayans reached his pudgy arms out to Chloe. Startled, she asked, What does he want?

Why, he wants a hug. Tanya stepped closer. Hes my cuddle-bug. Spreads love wherever he goes.

Clasping her hands behind her back, Chloe tried not to look horrified. IIm sorry. Im not very good with children.

Tanyas eyes opened wide. Thats not what Wayans thinks. But we wont push. Will we, cuddle-bug? She gently tickled him until he turned his full attention back to her.

I guess Illsee you around, Chloe said, backing away.

I hope so. Tanya regarded her intently. If I didnt tell you before, dont be a stranger after your a.s.signment here is finished.

Ill try not to be. Shed been thinking she might ask her editor if she could do a series on military families. But that would involve getting close toduhfamilies. How could she do that if she couldnt even hold a toddler?

With a nervous wave in Wayanss direction, Chloe escaped to the Yugo, where she tried to focus. Think of other places she might find Mack. It troubled her that she didnt know him well enough to know his haunts. Whistling Meadows came to mind. If he wasnt there, his G.o.dson might point her in the right direction.

As she drove to the McQuires farm, she tried to formulate what it was she actually wanted to say to Mack, but all she could think about was Wayanss dimpled hands reaching out to her.

She switched on the radio and searched the dial. She found a static-filled AM station out of Brevard1980s country. When the DJ played Jose Cuervo, Chloe let loose with an off-tune singalong that rattled the dashboard all the way to Whistling Meadows. This kind of letting loose wasnt like her. But it felt good.

As she turned into the private lane, she saw the small herd of llamas cavorting in the field closest to the road. Apparently an overnight hard frost made them frisky. She shivered to think of what shed almost succ.u.mbed to in the bracing chill last night.

Pulling into the barnyard, she saw Rory and Red repairing the paddock gate. Hows it going? she asked in greeting.

Were making sure everythings A-okay, Rory replied. That way Samantha will feel she can leave us in charge anytime.

And the sheriff will feel he can take some of his acc.u.mulated vacation time, Red added. Can leave Mack in charge until Mack finds a reason to take off.

Chloe ignored the invitation to banter. Speaking of Mack, Im finishing up my story and have someissues to clear up. I know hes off duty. Have you seen him?

He dropped by earlier to borrow some tools. Sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth, Rory gave the last screw on the paddock-gate hinge a twist.

Apparently he was going to help his father repair the barn roof today, Red elaborated as he leaned on the fence and studied Chloes face. But when Mack got to his parents, he discovered that MelI believe you met our mechanichad organized a crew of Main Street business owners. A real community repair bee. Im not sure Mack appreciated the surprise. He can give, but has a hard time ta Were going over as soon as were finished here, Rory interrupted Red with a warning scowl. You should check it out for your article.

Yes. A crowd was just what Chloe needed. She could clear the air with Mackwithout risk of intimacy.

h.e.l.lo? Red stared at her. I asked if you wanted to ride with us.

Startled, Chloe shook her head. No. Thanks. I need my own car. For mobility.

Rory glanced at the Yugo and chuckled. If mobilitys what youre after, Id choose something other than Red poked the kid in the ribs. Well see you over there.

On the road again Chloe heard a ping, along with the intermittent rattle and faint grinding noise her car usually made. Maybe a follow-up visit to Mel was in order No.

She had a perfectly good mechanic in Brevard. Applegate was nothing more than a temporary a.s.signment.

As the Whittaker farmhouse came in sight, Chloe could see this was no small gathering. Trucks and cars were parked all over the front yard, including a panel trucka mobile refreshment standwith Rachels Diner emblazoned on its side. A couple of teenagers set up trestle tables with sawhorses and sheets of plywood while Lily Whittaker, Sarah Culpepper and several other women hurried between the house and the tables with pies, cakes, platters of sandwiches and pitchers of tea. A half-dozen young children were playing tag, it looked like, around a big oak with a tire swing hanging from it. At the barn, volunteers climbed ladders, carried roofing supplies, put down underlay, then shingles, in a well-organized work chain.

Chloe got out of her car and looked for Mack.

Chloe! Lily waved with great enthusiasm. How wonderful youve come!

Now what? Would she be expected to stay and help?

Mack! his mother called. Chloes here.

She saw him then. Hed been coordinating the repair effort from the top of the barn, striding back and forth across the roofline with the agility of a mountain goat. The look he shot in Chloes direction was not one of welcome. He kept working.

Still staring skyward, she stepped forward. Her foot came down on a loose stone, her ankle twisted and she buckled under the pain.

First the storm, then this, Lily clucked as she rushed to Chloes side. Please dont think my home has it in for you, she pleaded, offering her arm for support.

Its my fault. Chloe waved off her help, but when she tried to take another step, she winced.

Lets get that ankle elevated and some ice on it right away. No argument now. Lean on me.

Chloe did, and the two women, running a gauntlet of concerned volunteers with plenty of advice, made their way into the house, where Macks mother helped Chloe recline on the living-room sofa, pillows under her injured leg.

Thank you, Estelle, Lily said to a very tall woman with stunning silver hair who brought a bag of frozen peas from the kitchen for Chloe to apply to her ankle.

Lily will have you good as new in no time, Estelle declared. She has such a way with injured livestock, she should have been a vet.

Estelle! I do believe youve just called my guest a heifer!

Chloe chuckled in spite of the persistent pain in her ankle.

I only meant Estelle sputtered to a stop.

We know what you meant, dear. Lily plumped pillows behind Chloes back. Now, bring this lovely young woman a gla.s.s of sweet tea and a couple of my cheese biscuits.

Red-faced, Estelle returned to the kitchen.

Please, dont inconvenience yourself for me, Chloe urged, beginning to feel uncomfortable as the object of all this attention. Ill rest for a minute and then Heavens, were just standing in for your mama, Lily replied as she pulled a small table close to Chloes elbow. If she were here, shed be fussing up a storm.

No, she wouldnt. From her home office, shed ask if there was blood or any protruding bones, then shed get back to her work with the caveat that Chloe should seek medical attention if ice didnt take care of the pain or swelling.

Let me see where Estelle is with those refreshments, Lily said, heading for the kitchen.

From the other room Chloe heard Estelles stage whisper, Is she the one?

Could be, came Lilys breathy reply.

But that blouse! I had one of those back in the Truman era!

Stop it. Shes frugal, is all, Lily replied, her voice rising. An excellent trait. Plus, she has beauty and brains.

Then go get Mack off that roof. If you want grandbabies anytime in the next century, you need to do some serious matchmaking.

Alarmed, Chloe cleared her throat, and the women in the other room dissolved into shushes and giggles. If she didnt think the cold pack and the elevation were helping her ankle, shed have scarpered without goodbyes. She took heart in the thought that Mack would most definitely not come down off the roof to play nursemaid.

The back door slammed.

Ooh! Estelle murmured from the kitchen. Just as if wed conjured him.

Seconds later Mack stood in the doorway to the living room, gla.s.s of iced tea in one hand, plate of biscuits in the other. Are you okay?

His hair was rumpled, his chiseled features kissed by the sun and his T-shirt stretched tightly across muscles taut from rigorous physical labor.

Y-yes. Her pulse ragged, she pushed back into the relative safety of the pillows. Im fine.

He strode across the room, placed the biscuits on the table by her side, then handed her the tea and two tablets.

What are these? she asked, eyeing them.

Ibuprofen. Take them or Im calling the surrogate mothers back in.

Dutifully she washed the pills down with the oh-so-sweet tea, which she almost spilled when, as if he had every right, he lifted the bag of frozen peas to examine her ankle.

Oh, I bet youre an expert on the care and feeding of livestock, too, she muttered.

He gave her the most curious look. What are you doing here? he asked, his tone brusque.

Chloe averted her eyes. I needed to talk to you about last night, but youre busy.

He looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen, which now seemed unnaturally quiet. After a pause, he pulled up a straight-back chair and sat down. There are enough people out there that they wont miss me.

Chloe looked down at her hands. Through the open window, she heard a mockingbirds song along with the rat-a-tat of roofing hammers.

He waited.

Sure. Make her do all the work. Stubbornly she set her jaw.

Mack could sense Chloes whole body tense. He knew her trepidation. In the light of day, how did they talk about last nights craziness?

He ran a thumbnail down the side seam of his jeans. Examined a tar stain just above his knee. Things got out of hand, he said. As far as Im concerned, its between you and me. Off the record. Besides, were both adults.

Thats the way I feel. She caught his eye, and he didnt see the regret hed expected, but desire. There was no mistaking it, and it stunned him. Made him want to throw away all the resolutions hed made this morning. But she said, playing with the condensation on the gla.s.s.

But?

We both know it cant happen again! Im on a.s.signment. Youre my subject.

An uncomfortable pressure radiated up the back of his neck. Pinched the place between his eyebrows. She might be talking about nearly having s.e.x, but he was thinking about the sense of vulnerability that came with his having opened up. Something he hadnt even done at his AA meetings. Today he not only kept his own secrets, but hers, as well. The weight threatened to bring on a migraine.

Of course we cant let it happen again, he agreed.

Now that were both on the same page about that, she said, lowering her voice even further, I also wanted to talk to you about what you told mebefore No, he said, leaning forward, elbows on thighs. My army experience was a one-time discussion. I got it off my chest, but its not to go into print.

It wont. ButIm concerned about you.

Dont be. The last thing he wanted was her concern.

I know how difficult it was for you to tell me about Nate. About Joe. The names grated on his nerves. I could sense the horror. I can even understand your guilt.

You cant. Why did she persist in picking at the scab?

Im not going to argue with you, because theres a bigger issue now.

Im sure youre going to tell me what it is. He looked out the window and wished he was back on the barn roof.

What I cant understand, she said, is how you choose to live half a life. As he tried to push his chair away from the sofa, she reached out and grasped his arm. You say you wont let me write about how youve helped Tanya and her family. Probably not about helping the sheriff, or Burt or your parents, either.

He wrested his arm from her.

Tanya told me you chip in with expenses on the farm, Chloe said.

Im an only child. Giving back to my parents isnt news.

I guess not. But I understand Mel had to surprise you with a repair bee. It looks as if youre using the secrecy of your very generous acts as a shield. A shield that prevents you from giving and taking. From forgiving yourself and moving on.

He glared at her. Its not up to me to forgive.