A Dad of His Own Read Free Page B

crazies. After he tossed her tire into his trunk, he settled back inside and shifted into gear.
    “I hope I’m not making you late for work.”
    He forced his eyes to stay focused on the road. “I kept the morning open for the meeting, so no problem. I’m a contractor for a construction firm and spend much of my day on the road. No one misses me except my clients.” He gave her a smile. “And I don’t have an appointment until this afternoon.”
    “Then I can relax, I guess.”
    “You sure can.” He pulled into the street. “I think our meeting was meant to be.”
    She faced him with a questioning look.
    “You’d be waiting for road service.” True, but he meant much more than that.
    A grin played on her mouth. “You’re right.” She leaned against the headrest. “How did you get involved in Dreams Come True?”
    “Short story. When the foundation was looking for people for the governing board from a variety of businesses in the community, I volunteered.”
    “You volunteered.” A quizzical look played on her face. “Any special reason other than you’re thoughtful?”
    A knot tightened his throat. Did he really want to get into all of that? He glanced at her and noted her apologetic expression.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
    As always, he tensed when he talked about Laine. “It’s fine.” Getting it out in the open. “This is the hard part.”
    Lexie touched his arm. “No. Please. You don’t have to tell me. I prefer my privacy, too. I didn’t mean to—”
    “It’s not prying. When my wife died, I realized how lonely life had become.”
    Her face washed with sadness. “I’m sorry, Ethan.”
    He kept going, wanting to tell the story, then move to something less depressing. “We had no children, although we’d wanted them, and when my wife died, I was alone. No longer a family. Nothing. It took a while to find my identity as anything more than a contractor for Pelham Homes.” He slowed at the traffic light and stopped.
    Lexie nodded as if she understood.
    “When I learned about this organization that did great things for sick kids, I hoped it would be a way to showcompassion, and on a personal level, it helped me connect with children. Sometimes I still wish we’d had a child, though I know it would have made my life even more difficult to raise one without her.”
    She shifted to face him, her eyes filled with tenderness. “How long has it been since your wife died?”
    “Four years. I’ve been functioning for about two.” He managed to smile, not wanting her to think he was still the mess that he had been. Watching the woman he loved suffer and die from ovarian cancer had been a nightmare, but he’d pulled himself together. Only his faith had gotten him through.
    “I think it’s admirable, Ethan. You volunteered and turned a negative into a positive. Everyone should do that.”
    The light in her eyes told him so much. “You’ve done the same, haven’t you?”
    “I try. It’s not easy.”
    “Nothing worthwhile is.”
    She looked thoughtful and seemed to ponder his words. “You’re right. I’ll keep that thought for times when things look dark.”
    When things look dark. Ethan had a difficult time picturing her letting things knock her down. She exuded strength. The light turned green, and he moved ahead, then past the intersection, he pulled up to the tire shop.
    Lexie had become quiet, but when he turned off the ignition, she opened the door and stepped out before he did. He met her by the trunk, and she followed him inside with her tire.
    Once the mechanic had written up their order, Ethan motioned toward the chairs. “We might as well sit.”
    She sank into one, but before joining her, he spotted a vending machine. “Want a pop?”
    “Do they have water?”
    He ambled to the machine and nodded. He dropped inthe coins and pulled out a bottle of water for her and a cola for himself. Before he gave her the bottle, he unscrewed the cap.
    She grinned.