Page 33 of His Wounded Heart

“I like high-handedness. I like it a lot. Makes me sound like royalty.”

This time it wasn’t just a lip twitch, it was a smile.

“Anyway, Roger didn’t charge me a dime. Turns out he never charges Bernie, either.”

That smile turns almost dreamy. I watch as she practically melts in front of me. “That is the sweetest thing I ever heard. I won’t think bad thoughts about his employees for an entire month.”

“It really is sweet. But I can’t make a promise like that.” I grin.

“Well, let’s get the groceries loaded into Zarek’s Jeep. It’s right over there.” She points to the big black Jeep parked in the corner of the lot. I could tell Zarek didn’t want anybody to park near him so his baby didn’t get a scratch.

“Nope, it’s going to be the other way around. We’ll take the food pantry items and put them into my truck. The main reason I bought it was so I could help Bernie out with his runs up in the hills.”

“Mountains,” Trenda corrected me.

“Honey, those aren’t mountains. Those are hills.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Mountains.”

“You poor thing, you haven’t even seen a picture on the internet of mountains. Have Bella look up the Rockies for you, and then you’ll see what a mountain is.”

This time I get a full-blown laugh out of her. Watching and hearing her laugh is more than a treat, it is a warm caramel and chocolate dessert.

“We call them mountain folk, not hill folk, so it’s mountains.”

I just shake my head. “Let’s head into the fire station and get the keys to Zarek’s Jeep.”

“I highly doubt Zarek has locked his Jeep.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Everybody in town knows it’s Zarek’s and nobody would want to get on his bad side. Plus there are security cameras here in the fire station.”

“Yeah, I saw those, but somebody just needs to wear a hoodie and a mask.”

“I go back to my first point—nobody would want to mess with Zarek, just like they won’t want to mess with you. Once they find out it’s you and not Fred Sanderson’s truck, you’ll be able to keep it unlocked.” She smiles.

“Good to know.”

“Let’s go talk to Zarek. He’s probably already asked for time off to make the run with me.”

“With you?”

“Yeah, even though he’s met a couple of the people, he hasn’t met all of them. The ones he hasn’t met won’t feel comfortable having him show up at their door. Even if he is bringing them provisions.”

“So, you think you’re going?” I look up. The sky is getting darker fast and it’s just noon. What’s more, the temperature’s dropped at least ten degrees since this morning. When I go back to my cabin for my winter gear I’ll go to check NOAA again; maybe they’d updated when the ice storm was going to hit eastern Tennessee.

“There’s also a kid up there living in a tent. I really want to get his ass down here to town. But I’m not sure where he is. Apparently, there’s a man named Azariah and a woman named Bertha who know where he’s hunkered down. So, I want to talk to them.”

When we enter the firehouse, everybody shouts a welcome to Trenda.

“Hey. guys. Let me introduce you to Simon Clark. He’s renting Bernie Faulks’ cabin for a while.” She looks around the large space that houses two fire engines. “Where’s Zarek?”

“Right here, Sis.” A big man comes around one of the trucks, wiping his hands off on a blue rag that he then pockets. He goes to Trenda and gives her a big hug. He looks her up and down. “Please tell me that you have a warmer jacket, gloves, and hat in your vehicle.”

Her mouth twists as she shakes her head. “No, Zarek, it never occurred to me to bring winter clothes when we’re going up the mountain during a snowstorm,” she says sarcastically.

I laugh.