All Roads Lead Home. Christine Johnson

the afternoon sun. “Lately I’ve been thinking I need to get away from Pearlman, try my hand at something else.”

       “Is that so?” Hunter patted the pockets of his leather jacket. “Then I might have just the opportunity for you.” He pulled out a letter, folded and refolded until the seams had worn thin. “Remember Dick Burrows from Curtiss Aeroplane?”

       How could he forget? Burrows used to be Jack’s mechanic out East, and he’d inspected every repair Hendrick had made to Jack’s plane two years ago. The arrogant aeronautical engineer thought he knew everything there was to know about engines, but he couldn’t find a single thing wrong with Hendrick’s work.

       “He’s still with Curtiss,” Jack said. “A while back he wrote asking if I knew anyone working on air-cooled engines. It looks like Wright Aeronautical might get Lawrance’s air-cooled radial motor, and Curtiss wants to build something to rival them, something like your engine.”

       “My engine?” Excitement bolted through Hendrick. A big-time aviation company wanted his invention to battle their rivals at Wright Aeronautical. They wanted him. He wouldn’t be a lowly mechanic anymore. He’d be an aeronautical engineer. He swallowed and tried to sound calm. “What’re they offering?”

       Jack shrugged. “You’ll have to talk to them. I can cable Burrows to set up an appointment. You’ll need to bring some sketches of your engine to Garden City and explain how it works.”

       “Garden City’s in New York?” Hendrick vaguely recalled Jack came from there.

       “Yep. Long Island.”

       Long Island, New York. Hendrick had never left Pearlman. He’d never had that chance. After Pa’s death, he’d supported his mother and kid sister and come to the conclusion that dreams belonged to other men. He’d put his on hold. Maybe now he could dare to try something new. His sister was out of high school, and he’d earn enough at Curtiss to support the family. Real wages, not the ups and downs of running a small-town business.

       Hunter was grinning. “Pretty near someone you know.”

       Mariah. Hendrick’s gut knotted up. Like Burrows, it was clear that she thought he was beneath her. Oh, she’d picnicked with him and joined him at church suppers, but when it came to anything serious, he wasn’t good enough. She didn’t say it right out, but that had to be the reason she’d snubbed him. She was wealthy and college-educated. He was just a mechanic. Well, he’d show her he was much more than that. His engine would bring fame and fortune, enough to impress anyone, even Mariah Meeks. He’d show her exactly what she’d missed out on.

       “Send the cable,” he said. “Let Burrows know I’m interested.”

       “Will do.” Jack grinned as his wife climbed out of the cockpit. “Gotta run, pal.”

       Hendrick nodded and watched Hunter hurry across the airfield. Darcy raced toward him, arms opened wide. Their embrace and the way he swung her in a circle tore Hendrick to pieces. Everyone his age was getting married and having children. He wanted a family so bad it hurt.

       He couldn’t stand to watch any longer so he hopped on his motorbike and tore toward town in a cloud of dust. The wind against his face made him feel free. No responsibilities. No worries. No business to run or family to support. And most of all, for one moment, he could forget the aching emptiness.

       Then he saw it: a green-and-black automobile parked beside his garage. He pulled his motorbike to a stop alongside the Overland. That knot in his gut wrenched tighter. It couldn’t be. But even before he saw her gloves on the front seat, he knew the car was hers.

       Mariah was back.

       News travels fast in small towns. Gabe met Mariah before she reached the church. Her little brother looked the same, perhaps a bit filled out in the midsection, but his dark curls still flopped wildly and he still disdained a suit jacket in the summer. Neither the ministry nor marriage had changed him one bit.

       “Sis.” He enveloped her in a big hug. “Heard you were in town. What brings you here?”

       She squeezed tightly, relishing this last moment before she broke the bad news. “I missed you, little brother.”

       “Then you shouldn’t have stayed away so long.” He stepped away and assessed her. “You should have let us know you were coming. Felicity will blame me for not telling her in time to set up the guestroom.”

       “I’m sorry for being so thoughtless.” Mariah brushed the dirt from her duster. “I don’t want to put you out, especially with Felicity so close to her due date. I’ll stay at Terchie’s.”

       Naturally he refused to let her stay in a boardinghouse. “We have five extra rooms. You’re staying with us. Did you leave your car there?”

       She crossed her arms, pretending to be vexed at his assumption. “How do you know I drove?”

       He shook his head. “Even if the trains were running, you’d drive that car of yours.” He glanced up and down the street. “Where is it?”

       “At the garage,” she admitted.

       “The garage?” he snorted, unable to hide his mirth. “How’s Hendrick?”

       “I didn’t see him. Peter looked happy, though. He’s grown so tall, and I think I saw the beginnings of a mustache.”

       Gabe chuckled. “Luke asks every day when his will start to grow. They’re good friends, you see. I have to give Peter credit for letting a ten-year-old hang around him so much.”

       Mariah’s heart ached at Gabe’s words. Two years ago Mariah had facilitated the placement of five Society orphans in Pearlman. Peter and Luke had been the last chosen and had apparently formed a deep bond from that day forward. Normally that would be good, but it would also make any separation that much harder. She sucked in a shuddering breath.

       Gabe’s brow creased. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here. Mom is coming in two weeks. You could have joined her if you wanted to be here when the baby’s born.” He drew a sharp breath. “It’s business, isn’t it? I didn’t think the Society sent agents on follow-up anymore, especially when the reports are all good.”

       She swallowed hard. “It is Society business, in a way.” But she couldn’t say more because one Pearlman matron after another stopped to greet her. This was not the place to tell him the bad news. When she had a moment’s break from the greetings, she asked if they might talk in private.

       He nodded. “Let’s go to the church. Florabelle will be gone by now.”

       Mariah was relieved to hear that. The church secretary was notorious for her gossiping, and this was the sort of news that Florabelle would love to spread.

       Gabe extended an arm, always the gentleman, but she preferred to walk on her own. He set an easy pace. They were of a similar middling height, their strides equal. It wasn’t like walking with Hendrick. He’d always had to slow down to match her shorter stride.

       After a dozen more greetings, they were alone again on the sidewalk. Gabe buried his hands in his pockets, brow furrowed, looking very much like a little boy. She wished she could reassure him, but her news would only bring more worry.

       “Lovely day,” she said to break the tension.

       He mumbled a reply but didn’t look up until they reached the church, its solid oaken door darkened from all the hands that had touched it through the years. She reached for the handle, but Gabe stopped her hand.

       “Is this about Luke?” he whispered.

       She couldn’t answer. Not yet. “Let’s go inside.”

       He nodded and pulled open the door. “Whatever it is, God will see us through.”

       She wished she had that much confidence. Until now, she thought she’d placed total reliance on the Lord, but this news had shaken her. It would devastate Gabe.