Love Finds a Way (17 page)

S
heila and Dwaine drove back to his shop in silence. He was busy writing something in a notebook he’d taken from his jacket pocket, and she needed time to think. Was Grandma right about her and Dwaine? Were they a match made in heaven? Could it be that God had brought Sheila back to Casper to begin a relationship with Dwaine, not for the Bye-Lo baby?

Sheila gripped the steering wheel as a ball of anxiety rolled in the pit of her stomach.
No, it couldn’t be. If I allow myself to fall for this man, one of us would have to move. A long-distance relationship won’t work. Kevin proved that when he moved to Oregon and sent me a letter saying he’d met someone else
.

As though he sensed she was thinking about him, Dwaine looked over at her and smiled. “It’s almost noon, and I’m getting kind of hungry. Should we stop for lunch somewhere?”

Sheila focused on the road ahead. “After all those cookies you ate at Grandma’s, I wouldn’t think you’d have any room for lunch.”

“Aw, those only whetted my appetite.”

She snickered. “Yeah, I could tell.”

“Seriously, I would like to take you to lunch.”

“How about I pay for the meal today? You bought me dinner—I mean, supper—a couple times last week and only let me leave the tip.” She clucked her tongue. “And that was just because I threatened to make a scene if you didn’t.”

Dwaine tapped the notebook against his knee. “You really don’t have to even things out. I enjoy your company, and while our meals aren’t exactly dates, I find myself wishing they were.”

Sheila’s heart pounded, and her hands became sweaty. “You do?”

“Yep. In fact, I’ve been working up the nerve to ask if you’d go out with me.”

“You mean something more than supper?”

“Right. A real date, where I come to your grandma’s old place and pick you up.”

“Where would we go?” Sheila hadn’t meant to enjoy his company so much. She’d be leaving Casper soon, and then what?

“I thought maybe we could take in a show. A couple of good movies are playing right now, and tonight there shouldn’t be a lot of people.”

“But this is Monday—a weeknight,” she reminded.

“And?”

“You’ll need to get up early tomorrow for work.” Sheila was an early to bed, early to rise kind of person, and it was a good thing. Dr. Taylor opened his chiropractic clinic at eight o’clock, five mornings a week, and Sheila had never been late to work.

“I own my own business, which means I can set my own hours,” Dwaine replied.

“Still, maybe we should wait until Friday to go out.”

“I don’t want to wait that long. You’ll be leaving for California soon, and we shouldn’t waste the time you have left.”

Sheila’s heart skipped a beat. “You’ve seen me nearly every day for the last two weeks.”

“Those weren’t dates. That was business.” He touched her arm, and even through her jacket she felt warm tingles.

Sheila stared at the road ahead. She had to keep her focus on driving, not Dwaine. The truth was, except for his disorganization, he had all the attributes she was looking for in a man. Dwaine appeared to be kind, gentle, caring, humorous—and as a bonus, he was good-looking—but most important, he was a Christian.

“You haven’t said if you’ll go out with me tonight or not,” he prompted.

A knock at the door let Sheila know her date had arrived. She Sheila took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind. “Sure, why not? Since we can’t seem to find Grandma’s doll, I may as well make good use of my time spent here.” took one last look in the hall mirror and hurried to answer it, hoping she looked okay. She’d decided to wear a long black skirt and a pale blue blouse, which she knew brought out the color of her eyes.

When she opened the door, Sheila’s breath caught in her throat. Dwaine was dressed in a pair of beige slacks and a black leather jacket, and a bouquet of pink and white carnations was tucked under one arm. “The flowers are for you, pretty lady.” Since Dwaine’s hands gripped his crutches, Sheila reached for the bouquet. “Thanks. They’re beautiful.” She scanned the room, looking for something to put the flowers in. “I’d better get a glass of water from the kitchen. I’m pretty sure Grandma’s vases have all been packed away, because I haven’t seen any in the kitchen cupboards.”

When Sheila returned a few seconds later, she set the glass of water on the small table in the entryway and placed the flowers inside.

“You look beautiful tonight,” Dwaine said, offering her a wide smile.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” “Ready to go?”

She nodded and grabbed her coat from the closet, but before she could put it on, Dwaine set his crutches aside and took it from her. “Here, let me help you with that.”

“You’re going to fall over if you’re not careful.”

“Nah. I’m gettin’ good at doing things on one foot.”

As Sheila slipped her arms inside the sleeves, she shivered.

“You cold?”

“No, not really.” She buttoned the coat and opened the door. “What time does the show start?”

“Not until seven thirty. I thought we’d start with dinner at a nice restaurant, then follow it with the movies.”

Sheila snickered. “You just said ‘dinner’ instead of ‘supper.’ “

He winked. “This is a date. Gentlemen take their ladies out to dinner, not supper.”

Sheila hated to see her date with Dwaine end. Dinner had been delicious, the show had been great, and she’d enjoyed every minute spent in his company. Now they stood on Grandma’s front porch, about to say good night.

“I had a good time tonight. Thanks,” Sheila said.

“Yeah, me, too.” His voice was husky, and his dark eyes held her captive. “How about a drive to the country tomorrow during our lunch break? I can get chicken to go from Casper’s Café.”

She licked her lips. “That sounds good. I love fried chicken.”

There was an awkward pause; then Dwaine lowered his head and his lips sought hers. The kiss was gentle and soft, lasting only a few seconds, but it took Sheila’s breath away. Things were happening too fast, and her world was tilting precariously.

“Good night. See you tomorrow,” Dwaine murmured before she had a chance to say anything. He hobbled down the steps, leaving Sheila with a racing heart and a head full of tangled emotions as she shut the door.

She’d been caught up in the enjoyment of the evening and had let him kiss her. “I’ve got to call a halt to this before one of us gets hurt,” she mumbled at her reflection in the mirror. “Even though I enjoy Dwaine’s company and believe he’s a true Christian, a long-distance relationship will never work. I’ll tell him in the morning that I’d rather not take a drive to the country.”

Somewhere in the distance an annoying bell kept ringing. Pulling herself from the haze of sleep, Sheila slapped her hand on the clock by the antique bed in Grandma’s guest room. “It can’t be time to get up. It seems like I just went to bed.”

The ringing continued, and she finally realized it was the phone and not her alarm. She grabbed for the receiver. “Hello.”

“Hi, Sheila, it’s Dwaine. When you didn’t show up at nine this morning, I started to worry. Are you okay?”

Sheila stifled a yawn and rolled out of bed. “I’m fine.” She glanced at the clock and cringed when she realized it was almost ten o’clock. “Sorry, guess I overslept and must have forgotten to set the alarm.”

“That’s okay, but I’ve got some news to share when you get here.”

“Can’t you tell me now? I’m curious.” Sheila stretched and reached for her fuzzy pink robe.

“I stayed up last night reading some doll collectors’ magazine I recently bought, and I think I may have found your missing doll.”

She flopped onto the bed, draping the robe across her legs. “Really? What makes you think it’s the one?”

“It fits the description you gave me, and there’s some writing on the doll’s cloth body. Could be your name, Sheila.”

She sucked in her breath.
Maybe the trip to Casper hasn’t been a waste of time after all
. Her conscience pricked her.
How could I even think such a thing? Grandma’s here, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with her—Dwaine, too, for that matter
.

“Sheila, are you still there?”

“Yes, yes. You really think you’ve found my grandma’s doll?”

“There’s no way to be sure until you take a look at the magazine.” There was a brief pause, and Sheila thought she heard the bell above the door of Dwaine’s store jingle. “A customer just walked in, so I’d better go,” he said. “If you can come over as soon as possible, we’ll have time to check out the doll information before we go for our drive.”

Sheila clutched the folds in her robe. “About our picnic date—”

“Gotta go. See you soon, Sheila.”

For the next hour, when Dwaine wasn’t waiting on customers, he watched the door, anxious for Sheila to arrive. He was There was a click, and the telephone went dead. Sheila blew out her breath and placed the phone back on the table. Even though she was a bit put out with Dwaine for hanging up so abruptly, she felt a sense of elation over the possibility that he might have actually found Grandma’s doll.

For the next hour, when Dwaine wasn’t waiting on customers, he watched the door, anxious for Sheila to arrive. He was excited to show her the information about the Bye-Lo doll in the magazine he’d found, but more than that, he looked forward to seeing Sheila again. After their date last night, he was convinced he wanted to begin a relationship with her.