Free The Gift by Deb Stover Page B

as if trying to remember. “I might have tripped. Or something. Maybe my forehead made contact first.”
    “You thought someone was hitting you,” Sarah said.
    “What?” Ty waited for Beth to explain, but she didn’t. The expression on her face said more than words. Something or someone had scared the holy crap out of her. Heppel? “Who hit you?”
    “No one. I just fell.”
    “She was out cold, Ty,” Pearl said as she handed Beth two aspirin and a glass of water. “Hallucinatin’, I think.”
    Hallucinating? Ty didn’t like the sound of that, and he sure as hell didn’t like the look on Beth’s face. She was hiding something. But what?
    Sarah interrupted his thoughts. “It could’ve been worse.” She collected the empty cocoa cups and placed them on the tray. “I’m sorry I brought you over here in the storm.”
    “It’s not your fault. Really, Sarah. I was already out,” Beth said.
    “I’m still sorry.” Sarah looked at Ty. “Honest, Daddy.”
    “I know you are.” Ty had to drop the other shoe—the one he knew about that they didn’t. The one that had been tormenting him ever since he saw Beth’s car in front of his house when he came home this evening.
    She pushed herself up off the couch and grabbed her head. “Whoa, not a good i…de…a.”
    Ty caught her before she fell again. “Definitely not.” She blinked up at him, completely alert. “Just dizzy. Don’t get any ideas, Malone.”
    He couldn’t suppress his chuckle. All his ideas had been born a hell of a lot earlier. “You sure about that, Dearborn?”
    Ty remembered Sarah, where he was, what he was doing. Damn. He was losing it. Carefully, he eased Beth back onto the couch, though he liked the feel of her against him. Too much. Way too much.
    “Like we said, you got no business driving tonight,” Pearl repeated.
    “Besides, you wouldn’t get very far, unless you’re planning to head toward Knoxville instead of Brubaker.” Ty barely suppressed a shudder, remembering his harrowing drive home.
    “Knoxville’s in the opposite direction. Why would I want to do that?” Beth lifted her chin a notch, sensing a challenge. “And I’ll have you know I’m an excellent driver.”
    He held up his hand to silence her. “I’m sure you are, but unless that heap of yours is equipped with a rudder and oars, you won’t be driving it to Brubaker tonight.”
    “Oh, no. The bridge is out again.” Pearl moaned.“Last time we had to drive to Knoxville for groceries for nearly a month, before—”
    “A month ?” Beth started to stand again, but grabbed her head and slumped back onto the couch. “A month? You can’t be serious.”
    “Bridge washed out right behind me. It was too dark to see the water heading toward me. Was only dumb luck that saved me.”
    “More than dumb luck, Tyrone Malone,” Pearl admonished. “And don’t you be forgetting it. I’ll say an extra prayer of thanks for God bringin’ you home safe tonight.” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “I’m just gonna go make up the guest room. Sarah, you’d best run along to bed. It’s gettin’ late.”
    “ ‘Night, Daddy.’ Night, Ms. Dearborn. I hope you feel better in the morning.” Sarah hugged Ty and Pearl, then headed up the stairs.
    “Thanks, Mrs. Montgomery,” Beth said. “You’ve been very kind.”
    “Pshaw. No bother at all, but no more of this Mrs. Montgomery nonsense. Call me Pearl.” She patted Beth’s arm.
    “All right, if you’ll call me Beth.”
    “Beth it is. I’m just glad you were on this side of the bridge when it went out, and not in town. We don’t want anything to keep you from findin’ the truth ‘bout Lorilee. Do we?”
    “Good point.”
    “Now I’ll see to the guest room, then I’d best get back home before Cecil comes lookin’ for me. Don’t want him out at this hour.”
    Beth seemed to relax and leaned back against the sofa, her expression almost smug. “If I’m going to be stranded, I guess this is the