Handful of Heaven by Jillian Hart Page A

have much of a reach to hit Play.
    “Hey Evan, I’m home safe. I hope you made it back up your driveway okay. Stay warm and take care of your back. Take another ibuprofen, okay?”
    Was it his imagination, or was there more than friendly warmth in Paige’s voice? The machine beeped and whirred to a stop.
    Agony ripped through his spine as he marched over to the fireplace, stirred the coals and added kindling to the glowing red chunks. The cedar kindling caught instantly and flame licked through the thin slivers of wood.
    He crumpled paper, trying to drown out the sound and the memory of Paige’s voice and of her presence here in his house, in his home, making the loneliness so strident, it was a physical pain he could not deny.
    What are you trying to tell me, Lord? he asked as he tossed split wood into the fire. There came no answer, although the howling winds and scouring snow against the siding and along the eaves echoed in the stillness surrounding him.
    He stretched for the remote and turned on the TV just for the noise. Just to make the emptiness less dark and less shadowed.

Chapter Eight
    T onight’s the night. It was all Paige had thought about for the last hour of her shift, and it was all she could think about now as she capped the tall chocolate-banana milkshake. The diner was quieting down, and she was keeping one eye on the door waiting for Evan Thornton to walk through it.
    “Ain’t it about time for you to leave?” Dave commented through the order-up window as he finished up a burger on the grill. “I’ve got things covered.”
    “Thanks. If things get busy, and you need backup, I’ve got my cell. You call, I’ll come.”
    “You seem awful eager. Thought you liked that Bible study you go to.”
    Was that a smirk she saw beneath his mustache? Just how much did he know? She hadn’t told a soul about her arrangement with Evan. After all, they were acquaintances. That was it. She was doing him a favor, because he’d done her a favor. Right?
    And if thinking of Evan made her feel a little lighter, then she didn’t have to have a reason for it, did she? It wasn’t as if anything serious was going to come of this. She’d meet him. Take him to Bible study. Introduce him. End of story. It was no big deal.
    “I’m always eager to go, you know that.” She kept going on her way through the dining room. Brianna looked as though she had everything under control. She gave the teenager a smile as they passed in the aisle.
    “I didn’t get even one overring all shift!” The teenager beamed. “Can you believe it?”
    “Absolutely. You’re good, girl.”
    “Yeah!” She practically skipped to the front.
    Well, that’s progress. Paige could only hope Brandilyn’s mastery of the cash register wasn’t far behind. She slid the milkshake cup onto Alex’s table, careful of the papers scattered over the surface.
    His physics book was open, and his blond head was bent over his current problem. Lost in concentration, he scribbled madly with his mechanical pencil.
    She pulled a wrapped straw from her apron pocket and slipped it next to the large cup.
    “Thanks, Mom.” Alex scribbled down a final number before he looked up. A deep frown of concentration dug into his forehead. “Whew. I think I nailed that. I’ve got one more.”
    “Then are you heading home?”
    “You know it. Want me to check on Annie?”
    The mare had figured out the latest latch on her stall door. “I’d appreciate it. Call if you need me.”
    “I know, Mom.” He flashed her a charming grin. “You have a good time with Mr. Thornton.”
    “How did you know about that?”
    “Little potatoes have big ears,” he replied, something she always used to say when he was little. Proud of himself, he grabbed the straw and tore off the wrapper. “You left it written down in your engagement diary. The one you leave open every day on the kitchen counter. It was hard to miss.”
    She’d never had anything really private to write in it