Chapter 1
The diner was quiet and warm.
The last record on the jukebox had stopped playing nearly half an hour ago.
Outside, a neon sign buzzed softly above the empty highway.
A young woman, no older than eighteen, had been sitting in a corner booth since morning.
A coffee cup rested in front of her.
She had ordered only one cup all day.
Adam watched her from behind the counter.
He owned the diner. He was in his late twenties, tall, with an oval face and silver-framed glasses.
Beside her, a baby slept soundly, wrapped in a faded blanket.
Adam glanced at the clock on the wall.
Nine o'clock.
Closing time.
The girl hadn't moved for hours.
Too young to be a widow.
Too well dressed to be a drifter.
Yet she had spent the entire day in his diner as if she had nowhere else to go.
He had seen travelers before.
Salesmen.
Truck drivers.
Families passing through.
But not a girl like this.
Not alone.
Not with a baby.
"Miss?"
Adam finally called out.
The young woman lifted her head from the table.
Large blue eyes blinked sleepily.
"I'm sorry," Adam said. "We're closing."
She looked around the nearly empty diner.
All the other customers had gone home.
The waitress had left an hour earlier.
Only Adam remained.
"Oh."
She stood up at once.
"I'm sorry. I'll leave right away."
Carefully, she lifted the sleeping child into her arms.
She looked exhausted.
Not merely tired.
Lost.
"Fifteen cents."
Adam's voice sounded blunter than he intended.
The girl searched the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small wallet.
Her clothes were worn from travel, but they were good clothes.
A good coat.
Good shoes.
The sort of things respectable families bought.
She handed him the coins.
"Thank you kindly, sir."
There was breeding in her voice.
The kind his mother would have approved of.
"How old is he?"
Adam asked.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Fourteen months."
The child looked healthy and strong.
Chubby cheeks.
Curly dark hair.
The baby's skin was noticeably darker than his mother's.
Adam's gaze lingered for a second.
Long enough to notice.
Not long enough to stare.
The girl saw the look.
People always noticed.
Especially in towns like this.
Especially in the South.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Only the ceiling fan turned overhead.
Then she broke the silence.
"He's my son."
Her voice was calm, as if she had spoken those words a thousand times before.
"He was born last summer."
Adam nodded.
He said nothing more.
The highway towns of the South were full of people who asked questions.
Some asked out of curiosity.
Others asked to judge.
Adam had never cared for either kind.
"What is his name?"
The girl's expression softened.
"Jamie."
Adam reached out and gently touched the child's cheek.
Jamie opened his eyes.
For a moment he stared at Adam.
Then he smiled.
A bright smile.
Completely trusting.
Without thinking, Adam smiled back.
"Looks like he likes you."
The young woman laughed quietly.
It was the first genuine smile Adam had seen from her all day.
"Maybe he does."
She adjusted the blanket around Jamie.
Then she nodded politely.
"Thank you kindly, sir."
Adam watched her walk toward the door.
The wind pushed dust across the highway outside.
Most shops on Main Street had already gone dark.
Only a few neon signs still glowed in the night.
The girl paused at the entrance.
Just for a second.
As though she had not decided where to go next.
Adam followed her gaze.
There was no hotel within walking distance.
No bus until morning.
And no decent place for a young woman with a child to spend the night.
Something tightened in his chest.
When she stepped toward the darkness, he finally spoke.
"Miss."
She stopped and looked back.
"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"
"Uh..."
The young woman hesitated.
Adam sensed her uneasiness.
That wasn't surprising. A young woman alone with a baby had every reason to be wary of a strange man, even one running a small-town diner.
"I'm all right, sir."
She held Jamie a little closer to her chest.
Adam remained silent.
He worried about the young woman and the child.
The night was cold, and she clearly had nowhere to go.
Still, it wasn't his place to pry into her business.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Then she turned and walked away.
