This Heart of Mine. Brenda Novak

      “By the time I saw her, she’d gotten about halfway and had such bad blisters she could hardly walk.”

      The mental picture made Riley wince, since he could’ve spared her that. “Did she recognize you?”

      “Immediately. That’s what made it so difficult to get her into the truck.”

      “Why? You don’t have any history with her.”

      “But you do, and I’m part of your circle.”

      Riley had gone from being the object of her desire to being anathema to her. At breakfast, she was careful not to show her dislike, but she’d barely looked at him. “How’d you convince her?”

      “I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t bear to let her continue walking on those bloody feet.”

      Riley supposed he should’ve insisted on giving her a ride. She wasn’t his responsibility, and yet she sort of was. “Did she tell you we met up this morning?”

      “No. She didn’t say much of anything.”

      Then what was the purpose of this call? “That’s all you wanted to tell me? That you gave her a ride?”

      Kyle cleared his throat. “Actually, no. I wanted to see if you’d mind if...”

      “What?”

      “If I bought her a few things.”

      Riley pulled to the side of the road and sat there with his engine idling. He had his Bluetooth on, so he could legally talk while he was behind the wheel but at the moment, he couldn’t concentrate on anything besides the conversation. “What are you talking about? What kind of things?”

      “A few necessities. Nothing big.”

      “Why would you do that?”

      “Because I feel sorry for her, okay? She has nothing. I don’t know how long it’s been since you were out at Lizzie’s place, but...it doesn’t look good. When she gets rid of something, she just throws it in the yard. With that kind of start, it won’t be easy for Phoenix to rebuild her life. She couldn’t have saved much in prison, not with the money she kept sending you.”

      Riley shook his head in disbelief. “Since when did you develop such compassion for my ex-girlfriend?”

      “Since I saw her hobbling down the road, and she was hesitant to accept even the slightest kindness for fear...I don’t know, for fear it would turn out to be another kick in the teeth. She reminds me of an abused animal, the way she tries to avoid people or skirt around them.”

      “You learned all this from one encounter.”

      “Even after she got in, she hugged the door. She looked like she’d jump out if I so much as raised my hand to scratch my head. She’s got a difficult road ahead of her, especially here in Whiskey Creek. But she’s facing down her detractors for the sake of her son. That takes guts, man. I can’t help admiring it.”

      Riley felt the same grudging admiration, but he hated to acknowledge it. Hated to acknowledge that he’d probably go anywhere but Whiskey Creek if he were in her shoes. Not many people could withstand so much negative sentiment, and that wasn’t her only challenge. “Her mother lives here, too,” he pointed out, as if Lizzie gave her a second compelling reason to return.

      “If anything, that impresses me more. It’s damn noble of her to come back to that kind of situation.”

      Noble wasn’t a word he’d ever heard in conjunction with Phoenix. “You’re serious.”

      “I don’t want to debate whether or not she’s really a murderer, Riley. As far as I’m concerned, that’s in the past. Who can say what was going through her mind when she did whatever she did? I only know that according to the judicial system, she’s paid her debt to society. Maybe the Mansfields aren’t satisfied, but seventeen years is a long time and I, for one, am ready to let her move on.”

      Riley rubbed a hand over his face. If what she’d said in court—and reiterated this morning—about her friend yanking on the steering wheel was true, she wasn’t even responsible for what had happened. But he didn’t see anything to be gained by dredging that up. The truth was, Kyle’s offer to help her bothered him for other reasons, none of which he wanted to examine too closely. “What are you thinking of buying her?”

      “New shoes, for starters. Since she doesn’t have a car, she’s going to be on her feet, walking a lot. And some clothes. Just a few things. I’ll spend three, four hundred dollars, tops.”

      Riley winced again, this time at the memory of her buying his breakfast this morning, remembered how carefully she’d laid out the bills. “She won’t take charity, particularly from me or one of my friends.”

      “I don’t plan to give her a choice.”

      A line of other cars flowed past. “How are you going to avoid that?”

      “I’ll buy the stuff and leave it on her doorstep anonymously—if I can get to her doorstep without being bitten by Lizzie’s dogs.”

      “How do you know her size?”

      “I was hoping you’d have that information.”

      “No. I haven’t got a clue.” He suddenly remembered a lazy afternoon when they were hanging out together, and he was teasing her about how small her feet were. She’d told him she wore a six. That jumped into his mind, but he didn’t retract his initial answer. Kyle was going to need more than her shoe size.

      “Then I’ll guess, pay cash and include the receipt so she can return or exchange the stuff.”

      Riley pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’ve put some thought into this.”

      “It’s been all I can think about since I dropped her off.”

      “Fine, if that’s what you’d like to do,” he said. “I’m not sure why you’re even telling me about it.”

      “You’re not?”

      “It’s not as if she’s my enemy!”

      “Really? Because I distinctly remember you not wanting her to come back. You spent years dreading the day.”

      Riley couldn’t keep from feeling defensive. “I have a lot on the line,” he said.

      “I understand. I’m not faulting you. I just felt I should let you know, because making things easier for her might also encourage her to stay when you’d rather she left.”

      He had a feeling she’d stay regardless. She was so stubborn. “I don’t care if you help her.”

      “Good. Thanks. And if it’s any reassurance, she told me she’s not out to cause you any trouble.”

      “She volunteered that?”

      “Pretty much.”

      “Why?”

      “My guess? To make it clear that she’s on her best behavior. That she wouldn’t ask you for anything, wouldn’t expect anything—even a ride from a friend of yours. She just wants everyone to leave her alone. And she wants to get to know Jacob, of course.”

      Riley thought about how quiet his son had been all day. “I think he wants to get to know her, too.”

      “Are you comfortable with that?”

      He leaned his head back on the seat. “He’s sixteen. I don’t feel it’s my choice anymore.”

      “Then we’d better hope her intentions are as good as she claims.”

      No kidding. “I guess we’ll see, huh? I’ll talk to you later.”

      “Riley?”

      He hesitated before