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CHAPTER 1

I met him on an old, dusty road to nowhere. He was settled into a life I never expected to have. I was making a trip that would change mine.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath when a loud pop echoed in my ears. My car's steering wheel jerked to the right, pulling me straight into the ditch.

"Whoa!" I held on tight as the little red Dodge Neon ramped the embankment and wedged itself into a barbed wire fence. The grating of metal on metal spawned a trail of shivers down my spine. The airbags deployed, forcing me back into the seat. I shoved the gear shift into park and shut off the engine. One by one, I peeled the fingers of my left hand off the steering wheel and slumped back. I closed my eyes, telling myself to breathe. In and out. In and out.

Tap. Tap. Tap. I jerked at the sound, banging my arm on the door. More curse words rolled off my tongue as the nerve within my elbow twanged. There was nothing funny about that damn bone. I seized the handle and cranked the window down. A small gap appeared between the glass and the top of the door. My gaze zeroed in on a set of warm, hazel eyes studying me with concern.

"You okay?" A deep voice rumbled up from his chest, emanating through the rich brown beard on his face. It was a full, well-groomed beard. He caught me staring at his face, and his mouth twitched a little. "Are you —?"

"I'm fine."

He shot me a skeptical look. "Okay. Why don't you get out of the car, and we'll make sure you don't need a trip to town to the doc?"

The man offered sound advice. I felt fine, but it was a good idea to make sure everything was as it should be. Once the adrenaline wore off, it could be a different story. Unclipping my seat belt, I thrust the door open. A rock the size of my fist caught my toe, and I pitched forward when I exited the car. My fingers latched onto the door frame, and I straightened. I took care to watch for more as I gingerly made my way out of the deep, V-shaped ravine and onto the dirt road. I rolled my shoulders and swung my arms around in the air.

"Ouch!" My arms dropped, and pain streaked through my chest.

My rescuer bolted forward, steadying me before assessing my condition. His long fingers prodded my ribs and then my sternum. I let slip another small yelp. His gentle touch ended where my neck met my chin, his fingertips running over my skin. Wrinkles appeared between his brows.

"All right. I'm taking you to the hospital. Need to make sure nothin's broken."

"Okay." My voice wobbled.

The man wrapped a hand around my elbow and led me to the passenger side of a four-door, hunter-green truck. Once I was safe and secure inside the cab, he made a U-turn and headed back to town.

"I saw what happened. I wasn't too far behind you. You were lucky it wasn't worse."

Drawing my bottom lip in, I chewed on it. I released it with a sigh and replied, "Thank you for helping me. Will my car be okay? No one will take it, will they?"

My car was one of the few things I owned; bought and paid for by me, not my parents. Yes, it was old, but I took good care of it. For that, I was proud of my ride.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, nobody will touch that thing." I glared at him, and his smile dropped away. "It's stuck in a fence.

They couldn't take it if they wanted to."

My cheeks burned from the foolishness of my questions. "Oh. Right."

"What's your name?"

I winced from the sporadic aching in my chest. "Mariah."

He threw me a cheeky smile. "Do you have a last name, Mariah?"

My shoulders curled inward from the pain. I closed my eyes.

"You all right?"

I pried my eyes open and murmured, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just my chest. My last name is Vance."

The man cocked his head to the side. "Vance, you say? Are you related to Abel Vance?"

My eyebrows creased together. "He's my grandfather. I was on the way to his house."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Mariah Vance. Old Abe is a good man. I'm William Henry Matthis."

"You know him?"

He shrugged in reply. I turned and studied my rescuer. William's dark hair almost skimmed the truck ceiling. The red-and-black, checkered, flannel shirt he wore stretched across his wide chest. His beard and large calloused hands folded over the steering wheel brought to mind an image of Paul Bunyan.

"Are you a lumberjack?" I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep more embarrassing comments from popping out.

He grinned. "Around here, they call us loggers."

"You look like Paul Bunyan or the Brawny Man with a beard." The words came tumbling out before I could stop them. Again.

His grin deepened. The echoing cadence of a laugh followed it, bringing a smile to my face. "Thanks! I think I'll take that as a compliment."

He should. I had a secret obsession with the Brawny Man. No fake character should look that good in jeans and flannel. And no man either, for that matter. But there he was, the living, breathing version of my fantasy man.

"So, William, you know my grandfather."

He glanced over at me and then turned a focused gaze back to the road. "Everyone calls me Will or Willie. Only my mother called me William. And yes, I know him. Old Abe lives down by my house."

I remained silent, attempting to divert my attention to the road ahead of us and away from the pain in my chest. Will glanced at me on and off, his brow creasing deeper every time I winced. I made a concentrated effort not to do so. His intense glances were putting me on edge. I drummed my fingers on the top of my leg, over and over.

A two-story brick building sat at the end of a street devoid of traffic. Vehicles sprinkled the parking lot in ones, twos, and threes. Will parked the truck and rushed to my door. He opened it for me and held out a hand to help me down. I took it, shoving my independence on the back burner for a while. I slowly walked inside to the front desk where Will explained that I had been in a minor car accident to the two women sitting behind the plexiglass window. They jumped up, one reaching for a phone while the other brought around a wheelchair.

"I can walk just fine."

With a sigh, Will took the chair from the lady and pushed it behind me. "Sit down in the damn wheelchair, Mariah. You could have internal injuries we don't know about."

His commanding tone had me plopping down into the seat and then wishing I hadn't. Pain zig-zagged through my ribs and chest. I groaned out loud.

Will pursed his lips before compressing them into a thin line. "Are you always this stubborn?"

"For your information, yes, I am."

He gave me a quick grin. "Duly noted."

The lady went back to her desk with her companion as a doctor in green scrubs came out of the double doors to greet us.

"Will! I'm surprised to see you here. You aren't hurt, are you?" The man shook hands with him.

"Nah, just this stubborn woman here." He waved a hand at me with a momentary smile that became serious as the doctor turned to me.

He stuck his hand out to me. "Hi, I'm Dr. Gavin. And you are ..."

I tentatively took his hand as I studied his graying sideburns. A few age lines were beginning to form creases around his eyes and the corners of his mouth. "Mariah Lee Vance."

Dr. Gavin glanced back at Will. "Vance?"

"Yeah, she's old man Abe's granddaughter. She got her car stuck in Dean Smith's fence after one of the tires blew out."

"I see. I'll be sure to check her out thoroughly. You can stay in the waiting room while we do a full workup."

Dr. Gavin and the nurse took me through the double doors. I went straight to X-ray where they took pictures of my entire body to ensure they missed nothing. The same nurse who took me to Xray escorted me to a private room where Dr. Gavin showed up moments later.

He looked at the notes scratched on a clipboard by one of the nurses. "Let's take a look at your ribs and chest area. That is where you are having pain, correct?"

"Yes."

He set down the clipboard and approached me. Dr. Gavin's movements were slow, cautious of the pain and possibility of unseen injuries as he rolled up my shirt. The doctor frowned as he assessed me.

"Is it that bad?" I offered him a feeble smile as I worked through the pain.

Dr. Gavin laid my shirt to the side and turned back to me. I had yet to make myself look down. I just couldn't do it until I saw the doctor frown. When he didn't answer me, I glanced down and sucked in a sharp breath. Bruises lined part of my ribs where the seatbelt had done its job keeping me inside the car. The airbags deploying also left bruises on my upper chest, but they weren't as visible. The upper part of my body was beginning to look like an overripe blueberry someone had squashed with their shoe. Dr. Gavin's frown deepened.

"It was definitely a good idea to bring you in. I'll need to thoroughly check your X-rays to be sure you don't have any cracked or broken bones. Either way, you're going to be very sore for a little while."

"Already am," I gritted out as his fingers prodded me here and there. Gavin's skin was cool, creating goose bumps on my skin. I shied away from his touch. He knit his eyebrows together and asked me to hold still.

A nurse shuffled in minutes later with a report from the X-ray tech. Lines threaded through his brow as he scrutinized it. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned back to me with a smile.

"Good news! It doesn't appear that there are any cracks or breaks. And after your physical exam, I can comfortably say that I think you just have some serious bruising. I can get you some prescription painkillers for that if you need them." He removed a pen and notepad from his pocket.

"No, thanks, Dr. Gavin. I would rather not take something that would impair me in any way."

"Suit yourself. If you change your mind, Will knows how to contact me."

I was discharged, and Will helped me back out to the truck. With a steady hand, he helped me climb in before rounding over to the driver's side and jumping in. He put the key in the ignition and started the truck, then sat staring at the steering wheel for a long moment. I glanced down at the purple watch on my wrist. Five minutes. We had been sitting there for five minutes for no apparent reason. I narrowed my eyes at him, distrust beginning to bloom.

He glanced over at me. "You want to go grab some lunch? I'm starved, and I'm sure you probably are too."

I smirked. "It took you five minutes to get up the courage to ask me to lunch? And here I thought you might turn out to be a psycho killer. Sure. That sounds nice."

He returned my smile and put the truck into drive. "I was debating, thank you very much. I wasn't sure you would be up for it or even interested."

"Oh, I'm interested." The words flowed out, and my cheeks flamed again in embarrassment. I sighed and turned to the window, hiding my face.

He chuckled in return as he drove us to a hole-in-the-wall diner. A sign hung over the entrance with the words Pop's Place painted on it. A sparse number of cars were parked out front. Will helped me inside, and I stared in wonder. I hadn't remembered Waylen, Arkansas being such an interesting place. Retro red-leather booths lined one wall, some of which were beginning to crack with age. Checkered tables were situated out in the middle. Worn, black-and-white, checkered tile decorated the floor, the surface of each square smooth. A bar sat in the front of the restaurant with a couple of swivel stools with red-leather tops. The wall behind the bar mirrored every little move made by those in front of it. It felt homey. I took a deep breath and grinned at the old-school feel of Pop's Place.

"I love this." I smiled and scooted into a booth.

Will gestured for me to move over and slid in beside me. I knit my eyebrows together.

"You might need help with something."

"I'm not that bad off. Nothing's broken. I just have a bunch of nasty bruises on my ribs and chest that are going to hurt for a while."

"I'm glad it wasn't worse, Mariah. Did you get any meds for the pain?"

"No. I don't take medicine if I don't have to."

A waitress approached us. Her eyes crinkled, and lines formed at the corners of her mouth when she smiled at Will. "Hey, Will. How are ya?"

"I'm doin' all right, Wilma. How are you? Staying busy?"

"You know it," she stated as she smacked on a piece of gum.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Mariah Vance."

I peeked around him and gave her a small wave.

Wilma asked, "You kin to Abel Vance?"

"I'm his granddaughter."

She grinned. "He's a nice man. Now, what can I get y'all?"

Will ordered a double cheeseburger with fries and sweet tea. I ordered a single with tater tots and a chocolate malt. If there was one thing I couldn't resist, it was an old-fashioned chocolate malt. Pop's Place was the perfect place to get one. As we tucked into our meals, three guys waltzed in and approached our booth.

"Big Willie!" one of the guys yelled. His wide grin revealed a set of straight white teeth, barring a single top tooth encased in silver. He was short, stocky, and sported a beard.

Will raised his chin in acknowledgement. "Hey, man."

The guy eyed me. "Who's this?"

I hastened to finish chewing the large bite of burger in my mouth.

Noticing my dilemma, Will replied, "This is Mariah Vance. She's old Abe's granddaughter. Mariah, this is Donovan Baldwin."

He thrust his hand out at me. "You can call me Donny."

I shook it and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"My turn." A guy in camouflage elbowed his way forward. He was of much slighter build than Donny but a few inches taller. He gave a mock bow. "I'm Ellis Ashcraft, but my friends call me Eli."

I curled my lips into a sly smile. "Well, what do you expect me to call you, then?"

"Whatever you want, sugar," Eli responded.

I rolled my eyes at his answer.

"Stop hogging the new girl." The last one of the group pushed Eli to the side and stepped forward. He was taller like Will. His moss-green eyes were almost an exact match for the flannel shirt he wore. They sparkled with mischief. "Hi, I'm Jack Marshall."

"Just Jack? No nickname or anything like that?" I slit my eyes in suspicion. So far, I had several different names to remember: first names, nicknames, last names.

"Sometimes we call him Jackoff." Eli snickered, earning him an elbow in the ribs.

I laughed at the three of them and their antics, but doubled over as pain ripped through my chest. A moan floated through my clenched teeth. Four sets of eyes landed on me.

"What's wrong with her, Will?" Jack demanded.

Will's intense gaze landed on me. "Mariah had a bit of an accident on the way down here. It involved getting her car stuck in Dean Smith's fence. Are you all right?"

I grimaced. "Fine."

He gave me a solemn look and commented, "You should've taken the drugs from Gavin."

"I can make my own decisions, Will."

Donny's eyebrows rose as Eli's head swiveled back and forth, glancing between the two of us.

Jack coughed once. "On that note, I think we'll be on our way."

"We will come by and help get your car out of Dean's fence later this afternoon. You do plan on being around that long, don't ya?" Donny's reply was pinched tight as he spoke.

"Why are you always meddling in other people's business?" Jack grumbled from behind him.

I chose to ignore Jack's comment and Donny's tone. "I'm staying for a while."

Will glanced around at me before turning back to them. "All right. How about I meet you guys there around five o'clock?"

"Awesome," Eli answered.

The three guys made an abrupt departure. I stared down at my plate, guilt creeping up through me for my abnormal outburst.

"Those guys are knuckleheads." Will chuckled and took a bite of his burger. I watched as half of a thick slice of tomato splatted back down onto his plate. Juice dripped into his beard. A muttered curse flowed out as he wiped his face with a napkin.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"It's my fault for being an ass and trying to tell you what to do. I just met you, and I'm already screwing everything up. Are you mad at me? I could understand why if you are."

I shook my head. "No. Thanks for looking after me, Will."

"It's my pleasure, Mariah. I couldn't very well leave you alone on the side of the road, now could I?" He glanced at my empty plate. "We'd best be getting back. Old Abe will be worrying about you."

That was true. I was supposed to be at my grandfather's house over an hour ago. Something I managed to forget about amidst the chaos until Will jogged my memory. The two of us slid out of the booth, and Will was kind enough to get the check. He wouldn't hear of me paying for any of it. The ride was silent but comfortable. I felt at ease around him. The world was quiet and not so oppressive as I sat next to him. His shoulders were rolled back and relaxed now. On the way to the hospital, he'd been all tension and heavy eyebrows as he worried about my well-being. What sort of man was this who cared for complete strangers? I pondered on that thought as we drove to Grandpa's house.

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Excerpted from "Tinder Heart"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Gretchen Minchew.
Excerpted by permission of The Wild Rose Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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