Chapter 16

The next morning dawned unseasonably warm, as if God had purposely designed the day for an outing. Laurie stood on the White’s front porch, swinging her picnic basket rhythmically as Johnny and Daniel made some adjustments to the automobile.

Amelia squeezed her arm and whispered, “You schemer—what happened to Samuel?”

Laurie rolled her eyes. “This is all Johnny’s doing.”

Her friend smiled, sparkles rising in her brown eyes. “Daniel’s a good looking man, though. Not quite as knock-you-over handsome as Samuel, sure, but he’s attractive. He’s got a winner of a smile.”

Laurie followed Amelia’s gaze and watched as Daniel opened the automobile’s hood. “Yes, he does have a nice smile.”

The two men bent their heads together, looking down into the mysterious mechanisms inside the automobile’s innards. Johnny rolled his sleeves and reached both hands into the recesses of the engine. Her brother had yet to meet an engine he couldn’t master.

She turned to Amelia. “And to think, he wanted to drive me to Lake Sutherland alone. What if we’d had engine trouble on the road?”

Amelia’s trilling laugh drew smiles from both men. She winked at Laurie. “Well, you might have had a lot of time to get to know each other, if you know what I mean.”

Laurie’s stomach knotted.

“Johnny and I were out driving one time and the car broke down, over by Miller’s pond. He had the thing fixed and running in about ten minutes.” Amelia huffed. “Not even enough time for a peck on the cheek.”

“Amelia!”

“Well?” The woman tipped her head. “Don’t play all coy with me, Laurie Burke. It’s not like you’ve never been kissed.”

Laurie sighed. “Never by the right man.”

Amelia nudged Laurie’s arm with her elbow. “Daniel seems the respectable sort.”

Laurie bit her lip. She couldn’t tell what she knew about Daniel without exposing her brother’s involvement. “He’s not my type.” I prefer men who aren’t crooks.

“Then Samuel is?” Her cherry-red lips turned up into a teasing smile. “This little adventure might just make him jealous.”

Laurie reached for the doorknob. “This was a mistake. You go with them, I’m going home.”

Amelia grabbed her arm. “Come on, I was only teasing.” She pulled Laurie’s hand from the door. “You know I just want to see you as happy as Johnny and me.”

Her words broke into the recesses of Laurie’s heart. She turned and looked into her friend’s pleading eyes. “Fine, I’ll go. But no more of that kind of talk. I’m not interested in Daniel Shepherd. I’m doing this as a favor to you and Johnny.”

Johnny covered a yawn with a grease-stained hand and gestured at Daniel to give the motor another crank. Apparently one night’s sleep wasn’t enough to make up for so many late nights on the water. As the car engine revved to life, he whooped in triumph.

Daniel strolled up the front walk with an easy grin. “We’re in business, ladies. I need to get Johnny to teach me a few of those tricks.” He reached for the basket, his fingers brushing against Laurie’s.

A rush of warmth shot through her at the touch. Laurie released the handle, rubbing both palms down her sleeves to chase away the tickling sensation. She turned her gaze away, a flutter rising in her stomach.

Daniel’s pulse quickened as he gazed at the lovely young woman on the porch, the breeze sending the hemline of Laurie’s yellow polka-dotted dress dancing around her knees. Her downcast eyes seemed to hide a hundred secrets and his heart ached to know them all.

Daniel strapped the baskets to the back of his Buick, Johnny holding the rear door open for Amelia. Laurie’s bottom lip puckered as Johnny moved to follow Amelia into the back seat. Daniel leaned against the rear of the car. “Johnny, it’s been years since I’ve been to Sutherland. How about you sit up front and help navigate?”

Johnny paused, one foot already in the rear compartment. “Sure. I can do that.” He stepped back onto the dirt and gestured for Laurie to take his place.

The beaming smile on her face almost made up for sitting beside her on the drive. Please God, no more car trouble. Daniel retrieved his jacket from the hood of the car and jammed his arms into it before sliding behind the wheel. “The engine has never sounded this good. Where did you learn that?”

His friend wiped his hands on an old cloth. “I tinker. They all basically work the same way. It’s real helpful at the mill. They always need a fellow who can fix things.” Johnny covered a yawn with the back of his hand before folding his long frame into the front seat.

Daniel drove out onto the main road and stopped, waiting as a few other automobiles hurried past. He sneaked a glance back at the girls. Laurie stared out at the scenery, her hands clutching the edge of the seat.

Daniel cleared his throat. “What about you, Laurie? What types of things do you like to do?”

Her gaze swung forward, her eyes guarded. “I don’t know, really. I take care of my father. I work.”

Amelia’s voice carried through the car. “She’s an artist.”

He remembered the drawing he had seen at her house—a rendering of a familiar moonlit beach, if he wasn’t mistaken. “What types of art?”

“Just sketches, mostly.” Her voice barely rose over the engine noise. “People, animals, scenery. Whatever catches my imagination.”

“Did you bring your book with you?”

She nibbled her lip. “Yes. It’s in the basket.”

He smiled. “Good. Maybe we’ll find something to catch your imagination today.”

When Johnny yawned again, Daniel turned toward him. “We get you up too early this morning?”

Johnny rubbed a hand across his eyes. “Nah, I was just out late last night helping some friends with a job.”

Laurie’s hands twisted her pearl necklace as if it were a noose. She pressed her bright red lips into a firm line.