Small-Town Hearts. Ruth Logan Herne

opposite side of the street “…another perfectly good sidewalk over there.”

      Memories of Uncle Jerry surged forth as Danny approached, how Danny had defended the much older man from the jeers and taunts of ill-mannered people who considered him little more than the village idiot. Kids could be heartless and cruel. Adults, too, from time to time, as evidenced by the grocer’s harangue.

      “I need your word, Megan.”

      The young woman straightened, chagrined, the last of the fruit picked up and deposited in a small grocery cart. Danny saw a flash of anger mixed with consternation. She ignored his approach and kept her gaze trained on the shopkeeper. “It won’t happen again, Mr. Dennehy.”

      “It’s happened four times.” His tone didn’t cut her any slack. “That’s three times too many.”

      “I-I’m really sorry, Mr. De-henny,” the young man offered.

      His tone spiked feelings within Danny. But he had no idea what he could do to help. He only knew he wanted to interrupt the man’s verbal smackdown of both the woman and the mentally challenged young man.

      The young man noticed him. “Hey, Mister, you wanna buy some chocolate?”

      The woman and the grocer turned his way, the conflict forgotten momentarily. That was good, right? Danny jumped into the fray with a nod toward Ben. “Sure. Do you sell chocolate, sir?”

      The respectful title lightened the woman’s features with a flash of pleasure. She inclined her head toward Ben, her patience allowing him to continue what he started. A good trait, Danny knew, and not one easily attained.

      “M-Meggie makes the best chocolate around.” Ben swiped away a tiny spit bubble with the back of his sleeve. The grocer grunted disapproval. Danny nodded, patient.

      “We have chocolate crunch, almond, plain and…” He hesitated, looking to Meggie for help. “I don’t remember.”

      Her gaze softened, giving her an air of measured gentility and rare beauty, like the warmth of a fall fire on a crisp October evening. “Caramel biscotti.”

      That combination drew Danny’s attention. She had caramel biscotti chocolate? He eyed her more closely, trying to get beyond the historic costume that made her what? Amish? Quaker? Crazy?

      In New York or Boston, yes.

      But here, in this quaint village of beautifully restored old buildings and a cleverly worn boardwalk, charming was the better word. The gold, green, red and ivory calico was too bright to be Amish and he hadn’t heard a thee or thou yet.

      He’d go with delightful.

      And remarkably good-looking. Curly golden-brown hair peeked from beneath the ruffled edge of a deep green bonnet, and a dusting of matching freckles dotted fair skin along her nose and upper cheeks. Long lashes framed light brown eyes with tiny hints of amber sparking miniscule points of light. The fitted dress was nipped and tucked to form, and he couldn’t help but notice it nipped and tucked in all the right places.

      “I’ll take one of each,” he told Ben.

      Ben’s head bobbed in excitement. “Meggie, do you have that many in your basket?”

      “I do.”

      Bright and carefree, her voice lilted, making him want to hear her speak again.

      Danny turned. She fished in her basket and came up with four bars of cello-wrapped chocolate, the varieties marked by copper lettering. He eyed them, surprised, expecting the traditional fundraiser candy bars. These were different.

      She raised her gaze to his and eyed him, probably wondering what his problem was. Either that or he read a tiny spark of awareness before she shut it down.

      Interesting.

      Gaze calm, she faced him, expectant, waiting.

      Money.

      She needed money for the chocolate. Of course. He plunged his hand into his pocket and came up totally blank. Absolutely empty. His wallet held his debit and credit cards, his license and nothing else. No cash. Since he rarely needed cash, he’d gotten out of the habit of carrying much. Embarrassed, he withdrew his debit card and shook his head. “No cash. Sorry. You don’t have a credit card machine tucked in that basket, do you?”

      Her look shadowed, his humor unappreciated.

      Danny waved a hand, indicating the town. “Where’s the nearest ATM?”

      She dipped her chin and tilted her head in exaggerated but genteel puzzlement. “I know not of what you speak, sir.”

      He jerked his head toward the street. “An ATM. Surely there must be one in this…”

      “Sweet historic village?”

      A smart aleck. And impudent, at that. Her gentle air belied the quick look she sent him.

      Ben turned his gaze from Danny to Meggie and back. “You don’t want them, Mister?”

      “I do,” Danny explained, “but I have no money with me.”

      “If you’re poor we can just give you candy, can’t we, Meggie?” Ben’s tone implored the woman to understand Danny’s plight. Her returned look said she’d rather be giving Danny a boot in the rear for getting Ben’s hopes up.

      “No.” Her voice firm, the young woman ignored Ben’s pout of indignation and held a hand up to stave off his coming argument. “If this gentleman wants candy bars, Ben, he can come to the store with money.”

      “He might forget.”

      From Ben’s disappointed expression, Danny figured a lot of people “forgot” things where he was concerned. “I won’t forget.” He gave Ben a look of assurance. “I promise.”

      Meggie’s dismayed expression said she doubted his word and wished he’d left well enough alone, but Danny refused to be insulted or dissuaded. He’d find their store and buy the bars of chocolate, as promised.

      Meggie’s cool look of disregard said she wasn’t embracing his pledge. She turned back to the grocer, deliberate. “I’ll stop back to pay for the fruit after work. I’d go home for money now but I’m running late.”

      The grocer grunted, unappeased.

      She tucked the bars back into her basket, inclined her head and offered Danny a slight curtsy, a mix of gentility and in-your-face rolled into one cute, smooth move. “My brother and I best be on our way, good man. Much to do in our sleepy little burg, you know.”

      She took Ben’s arm and led him away, leaving Danny sputtering. He held his debit card aloft as if trying to convince someone of his worth, then realized since he was in Allegany County incognito, to find store space for a Grandma Mary’s Candies tribute store, it might be smarter to stop drawing attention to himself like some madman in the street.

      “Meggie, he doesn’t know where the store is,” Ben exclaimed, excited and alarmed. “How will he f-find us if he doesn’t know where we are?”

      “He makes a good point.” Danny stepped forward, a part of him wondering why her untrusting expression didn’t match the spritely voice.

      She leveled him a look that offered warning and resignation, then seemed to rethink her choices. Without a sound she reached into the old-world basket, withdrew a card, handed it to him and touched Ben’s arm again. Ben went along this time, but he paused a store-width away, turned back and hollered, “See you later, Mister!”

      “I’ll be there, Ben.”

      Megan Russo heard the words and bit back a retort. First, the guy seemed sincere, but experience had taught her that sincerity and good-looking men were not exactly synonymous, even guys with magnetizing gray eyes, wonderfully sculpted square chins and short, dark, almost military hair. If she was judging on a “yum-factor,” which she most assuredly was not, this guy topped the