The Return. Dinah McCall

the woman and understanding for the men. Superstition was as much a part of these people as the air they breathed. Although he didn’t believe in such gossip, he’d heard plenty of stories about the witch, and the curse she’d put on Jubal Blair and his sons. He watched the woman, wondering what she would do next.

      “Is there anyone in this place you could recommend to me?” she asked.

      At that point Luke knew she wasn’t going to quit. A part of him admired her persistence, while the rest of him worried what kind of hornet’s nest she was bound to stir up. With the rash of thievery that had been going on in the mountains above Camarune, he already had more trouble than he cared to cope with, but he had always been a sucker for a woman in need.

      “Hey, Maynard, can I borrow your truck for about an hour?”

      Maynard looked startled, but not as much as the woman, who pivoted suddenly, unaware there had been another man at the back of the room.

      “Well, sure, I reckon so,” Maynard said, and started digging out his keys. “But Pete will be through changing the oil in your Blazer pretty soon.”

      “Yeah, I know,” Luke said softly, staring intently at the fear on the young woman’s face. “But the patrol car isn’t long enough to hold a casket.”

      Maynard cursed beneath his breath as he handed Luke the keys.

      “You wash it out before you bring it back,” he muttered. “I don’t want no death marks on it.”

      Luke pointed out the window. “You haven’t washed it since the day you bought it. Thanks to the rain, I can guarantee it’ll come back cleaner than when we started.” Then he tipped his Stetson to the woman. “Ma’am, my name is Luke DePriest, sheriff of Taney County. I’ll be glad to help you.”

      He felt her relief as her expression softened. “I’ll pay you after we’re there.”

      “No charge, ma’am. Consider it part of my job.”

      “My name is Catherine Fane,” she said quietly, then took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

      “No need, and I’m sorry for your loss.” Then he put his hand under her elbow and guided her out the door. Within minutes, the transfer had been made from hearse to truck.

      “I’ll follow you,” Catherine said, and started to get in her car.

      “I’m not sure you’ll be able to drive all the way up,” Luke warned.

      “I’ll take it as far as it will go,” she said. “I’ll need a way to get off the mountain when I’m done.”

      For the first time since he’d made the offer, Luke wondered how he would get the casket out of the truck. It had been fairly simple to get it from the hearse to the truck bed. He’d just backed the truck up the open door of the hearse and slid it from one to the other, but there was no way he and this slender young woman could lift it out on their own.

      “We’re going to need some help unloading,” he said. “And there’s the grave. What about digging the grave?”

      Her gaze was steady, her voice confident. “Help will be waiting.”

      His eyes rounded. “Are you sure you know what—”

      “Just get me and my grannie there and leave the rest up to me.”

      He shook his head at the foolhardiness of it all, gave his cargo one last check to make sure it was safely in place, then crawled into the cab of Maynard’s truck. Moments later, he was on the way out of town with the woman not far behind.

      As they passed by the city limit sign, the rain began to lessen, and by the time they were out of sight of Camarune, it had stopped.

      The relief Catherine felt was overwhelming, but she was starting to shake. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten, and sleep had been scarce this past week. But she’d made her grannie a promise, and she wasn’t about to quit on her now. She’d come this far. She could hold out a little while longer.

      And there was another thing—something that had happened to her when she’d seen the man’s face. It had been a true but quiet knowing that he would matter.

      

       “Grannie, do you believe in love at first sight?”

       Annie tried not to laugh. It was a pretty serious question from a girl who’d just turned ten.

       “Well, now, I suppose that I do,” she said.

       Catherine giggled. “Did you know you were in love with Grandpa Billy when you saw him?”

       “Lord, no, girl,” Annie said. “But you have to remember that I knew Billy Fane all my life. You don’t fall in love with a boy who puts frogs down your shirt. That comes after he becomes a man.”

      

      Lord, where had that come from? Catherine thought, and then caught herself staring at the breadth of the sheriff’s shoulders in the truck in front of her. Nerves tightened, knotting her belly and bringing tears to her eyes. Oh, Grannie, she thought. I would like to believe in such things as destiny, but I don’t think I do.

      It was only after they drove out of town and started up the mountain that she began to take note of her surroundings. The trees over the road were tall and dense, often forming heavy canopies that prevented both rain and sun from getting through. The bare ground that was the road was heavily rutted and in places quite rocky, making her thankful for the durability of her Jeep. The pain between her shoulder blades was moving toward her neck. She took a deep breath, rolling her head to loosen the muscles and hoping it went no farther. She’d had a few migraines before. This wasn’t a day to have one.

      The truck ahead slowed down for a pothole. She hit the brakes, waiting while he negotiated the obstacle, and again caught herself focusing on the back of his head and the set of his shoulders. She squinted her eyes, trying to remember what he looked like.

      His eyes had been dark, probably brown. And what she’d seen of his hair was thick and short, but she couldn’t remember if it was brown or black. His face was something of a blur, but she had an impression of strong features. What she did remember was his voice. It had been kind. So kind.

      Tears spiked, but she blinked them away. She was so tired of crying. But after what Annie had told her, would she ever be able to let go of the pain?

      Suddenly, she realized that he’d made it on through. She straightened her shoulders and followed. Gradually, the incline began to steepen. She downshifted once, then again, until she was driving in first gear, bouncing in and out of rock-laden ruts and often just missing being stuck on high center. The forest around her now was so thick it was impossible to see more than a few feet past the trees at the edge of the road. It was daunting to realize how far away from civilization a mere four miles could be. But before she could panic, the truck ahead of her pulled over. She followed suit, wondering if they were already there.

      Catherine got out. “What’s wrong?”

      Luke was already out and shuffling through the jumble of objects in the truck bed.

      “There’s a tree down in the road. Surely Maynard has a…oh, good…here it is.”

      Catherine stepped backward, her eyes widening as he hauled a chain saw over the rim of the truck bed.

      “What are you going to do?”

      He paused, giving her a slow, curious look, then pointed past the truck with his chin.

      “Move the tree, ma’am,” he said.

      Catherine nodded. As he started to walk away, she hesitated, then spoke.

      “Call me Catherine.”

      He stopped then turned, giving her the full force of a dark, silent stare. Then he smiled, and she caught a quick flash of white teeth and what looked like a small dimple