The Heart's Choice. Joyce Livingston

stalking me for several weeks, trying to figure out a way to meet me, before she came up with that idea of falling down in front of me! She was nearly as good a skater as me!”

      Tavia turned to Jewel and gasped. “You didn’t!”

      “Oh, but I did, and it worked. Look what happened! I’m engaged to the guy!”

      “You are both lucky to have found each other. Adam, I’m sure your parents are going to love Jewel when they finally get to meet her.”

      “Adam has told me so much about them. I think his mother and I must be a lot alike. Even though Adam and his father hate rhubarb, she’s as crazy about it as I am. We both hate scary movies and cry at sad ones and we both love to read in bed. He says his mother always has a stack of romance novels on her nightstand, waiting to be read.” Jewel brushed a lock of hair from her face and anchored it behind one ear. “How about your family, Tavia? You said that man back there was your boyfriend. Or should I say a new acquaintance? I guess that means you’re not married.”

      “No, I’m not.” Tavia stared out the window, the pain of her past as vivid as if it were yesterday. “I—I don’t have a family, either. My mom died of cancer when I was two. I don’t remember her at all.”

      “Your father raised you?”

      “My dad drank himself to death when I was seven. I was sent to live with an aunt and uncle I’d never met. They really didn’t want me. When I was sixteen, I ran away. I’ve been on my own ever since. End of sad story.”

      Jewel’s eyes grew round. “And now this has happened to you? You poor thing! And I thought I had it bad, losing my parents like I did.”

      Adam smiled over the seat at Tavia. “Sorry. I had no idea what you’ve gone through. I’m glad we stopped to help you.”

      “Me, too,” Tavia responded, wondering what would have happened to her if this nice couple hadn’t come along.

      “Adam’s going to be a doctor, like his father,” Jewel announced proudly, as if wanting to change the subject for their passenger’s sake. “Only he’s going to be an ob/gyn. His father specializes in dermatology.”

      “A doctor? That’ll be nice,” Tavia answered, not exactly sure what an ob/gyn did. She cast an embarrassed glance over her shabby jeans and her simple print shirt—clothes she’d bought at the Goodwill store. Rich parents, a new SUV, beautiful clothes. A good future ahead of them. This nice couple has it made and what do I have? Nothing. Absolutely nothing but bills I can’t pay and a lousy job I’m about to lose.

      Adam flipped on the turn signal and moved back into the inside lane. “I sure hope you’ll be able to get someone to come after you soon.”

      “I hope so, too.” Although Tavia was grateful for the ride, she knew she had no choice but to try to hitch another lift into Denver from wherever they’d leave her off. There really wasn’t anyone to call. Not anyone she trusted to show up, and she certainly didn’t have any money for a motel. The waitress she worked with at the café had three kids to support and didn’t even have a car. The woman who lived next door to her was probably too drunk to answer the phone. Her landlord was even less trustworthy than the man who’d let her out on the roadside. Her boss at the video store where she worked part-time was already on the verge of firing her. She’d never call him.

      “You do have someone to call, don’t you?” Jewel prodded, noticing her hesitation.

      “Ah—yeah. I’ll just keep calling that woman I tried to reach on your cell phone until she gets home. You can just drop me off anywhere. I’ll be fine.”

      Jewel took off her seat belt to pick up her purse from the floor. She pulled out a ten-dollar bill. “Here, take this. You’ll need money for the pay phone and to get a bite to eat while you’re waiting.”

      Tavia ignored her offer and turned her head away. “No, I couldn’t. You’ve already done more for me than most people would.”

      “I insist.”

      “Yeah,” Adam chimed in, “go ahead and take it. You’ll need it.”

      Tavia was tempted to reach for it. She really did need it, but pulled her hand away. “Only if you’ll let me mail it back to you when I get my next paycheck.”

      Jewel reached the money out to her again. “I have a better idea. Next time you see someone in need, you give them a ten-dollar bill and we’ll call it square. Okay? You can even put it in the Salvation Army pot at Christmas if you’d rather.”

      Tavia stared at the bill. No doubt there would be a long-distance charge if she could figure out someone to call. Smiling, she accepted it, folded it carefully and stuck it into her pocket.

      Beck Brewster gave a big yawn as he leaned back in the seat and stretched first one long arm, then the other. He’d been on the road for nearly seven hours now and his back was beginning to feel it. He set the brake on his eighteen-wheeler, grabbed his coffee mug and climbed down from the cab.

      Another eighteen-wheeler, much like his, pulled into the Colorado rest-stop parking lot and swung into the stall beside Beck’s. The driver gave him a wave, then shoved open his door and dropped down to the pavement. “Hiya, Brewster. Didn’t expect to run into you today. How goes it?”

      “Hey, yourself, Matt. Where ya headed?”

      The man shielded his eyes from the brilliant afternoon sun with one hand. “Littleton. Where you headed?”

      Beck pulled a pack of gum from his pocket, took out a stick, and offered the pack to the man. “Headed back to Denver. Hope to drop my load and be in my own bed by ten o’clock tonight. Boy, I hate sleeping in motels. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. Of course, sleeping in the cab is even worse.”

      “I’m having a bit of trouble with my windshield wipers.” Matt shook his head with a laugh as he gestured upward. “But from the looks of that cloudless sky, I don’t think it’ll be a problem to make it on into Littleton without them.”

      Beck nodded and glanced skyward. “You’re probably right. Sure hope I make it okay.”

      “Oh? Why?”

      Beck placed his mug on the step and began examining the brake lines. “Nothing, I hope. I just have this strange feeling. I hate going through these mountains with a full load. I always worry about the brakes holding. And the noise those Jake brakes make gives me the willies. Guess I’m a natural worrier.”

      “Bet you carry a rabbit’s foot, too.”

      Beck shook his head. “I didn’t say I was superstitious, just a worrier. There’s a big difference.”

      “Well, unfortunately, we have to depend on the guys who do the maintenance on these babies, but they seem to know their job. I sure wouldn’t be much help to them. I barely know a flywheel from a crankshaft,” Matt said. “I need to hit the walking trail and stretch my legs a bit before I leave. The old bones ain’t what they used to be, and I wanna rinse out my mug and get some pop from the pop machine.”

      Beck gave the man a mock salute. “Then I’ll see you around. I’d wait until you’re ready to go and follow you on down but I wanna keep on schedule. Drive safe.”

      “You, too. I’ll probably see you next week.”

      “Yep. Catch you later.”

      The two men shook hands, then Beck headed off.

      “Boy, I hate driving through these mountains.”

      Jewel smiled at Adam. “I’d offer to drive, but I know he wouldn’t let me.”

      “Hey, even though I’ve driven this road all my life, I still worry about it.”

      Jewel poked Adam’s ribs playfully. “I don’t know why. You’re a great driver.”

      Adam gave her a boyish smile.