Mary Jo reined Ol' Ned around. "I'll be back in a little while, Ma."
She heard the tow truck before she reached the place where the car had gone off the road. She wasn't needed and should probably go back before they saw her, but she didn't. Maybe she would be unwelcome, but if he was there, she wanted to find out if he was all right.
She rounded the curve as the tow truck pulled the car onto the road. She watched as they pried the door open and Barrett pulled something from under the seat.
She gasped when she realized it was a gun in a shoulder holster. Maybe her first thought had been right and he had met someone back there for a drug deal. But wait. He had been mighty interested in those trees. Was that only a cover or was he really a timber man and carried the gun for protection?
She had started to turn Ol' Ned back toward the house when Barrett saw her.
"Mary Jo." He called. "Come here and meet my Uncle."
It was obvious that he was all right and she didn't want to linger, but she could think of no way to leave without being rude. She'd done enough of that already, so she waited. A tall lean man with gray hair walked around the tow truck and smiled up at her.
"Well now, I'd like to thank you for rescuing my nephew."
Warmth crawled up her neck. "It weren't nothin'. I just came back to make sure the winders was up afore the storm." She glanced at Monroe. "I'd best get along. Ma's waitin' at the house."
Monroe walked up to Ol' Ned and stood looking up at her, his expression sober. "Thank you for all your help. I appreciate it. Tell your mother I said thank you…" He hesitated, as if unsure if he should continue. He glanced at his uncle again and then looked at her. "The doctor said I should rest for a few days, but I thought…if you didn't mind…I might come back and…talk to you."
She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. "I ain't gonna ask Pa to sell you that timber."
He smiled; a genuine and incredibly attractive smile that warmed his eyes. "I wasn't thinking about the timber."
Warmth raced up her neck again and spilled onto her cheeks. "You mean…you would come all the way up here to see me? Why?"