Broken Trust by Leigh Bale Page A

yet he’d put barriers between them.
    She tensed.
    He disengaged his fingers and
pulled away. “I’m sorry. It still feels so natural.”
    The heat of embarrassment filled
her face. She didn’t want to mistake his actions as a desire to get back together.
As she looked at him, she felt lost in his dark eyes, but she couldn’t read his
thoughts. How she wished they could go back in time and undo the hurtful things
they’d said to one another during their breakup. She wanted to marry a man of
God who put his family above everything else. Now, it appeared Mac had lost his
faith in the Lord. His career was his first priority. They could never bridge
the problems in their relationship enough to be together again.
    “You haven’t had any strangers in
the diner yesterday or today, have you?” Mac asked Miriam when she brought them
their sodas.
    Miriam leaned her hip against the
counter and slipped a hand inside the pocket of her pink-and-white striped
dress. “Yep, I sure did. Last night, a man with blond hair, wearing a suit and
tie came in just as we were closing up. We’d already turned off the grill, so I
gave him soup and a ham sandwich. You know I’d never send anyone away hungry.
He came in again this morning for pancakes and eggs. He ate every bit, then
drove out of town about three hours ago.”
    “That’s it? No one else?”
    “Nope, not in here. But you might
check with Viola.”
    “Thanks, Miriam. I’ll do that.
We’ll be back for our burgers in a few minutes. Can you get it ready to go?”
    “Sure thing.” Her gum cracked inside
her mouth.
    Mac glanced at Toni as they stepped
away from the counter and headed for the door. His smile made her stomach turn
somersaults. “See, hon? I told you the people in town were good investigators.
Miriam just described Derek Hooper. Let’s go to Bigby’s General Store and see
if Viola saw anyone.”
    Toni noticed Mac walked more easily
here in town. On the flat surface of the boardwalks, his limp wasn’t as
pronounced and he didn’t clench his jaw as often. Even with a limp, he
commanded attention, his stride confident and strong.
    A bell tinkled above the door as
they walked into Bigby’s General Store. Viola Bigby stood behind the counter, a
plump woman clutching a gray feather duster. Like all the other people in town,
Viola embraced Toni.
    “I was so sorry to hear about Eric.
He was such a fine young man. I’ll never forget how he and Mac helped me unload
dry goods and stock my shelves after Emmett got laid up with a broken leg. I
don’t know what I’d of done without their help.”
    Warmth flooded Toni. It didn’t
surprise her that Eric had pitched in. He never shirked a little hard work. Mac
was the same. In high school, both men had earned their Eagle Scout awards
together, always helping others. They’d each served missions for their church
and, even before they finished college, she wasn’t surprised when they’d signed
up for military service. Mac had always loved the Lord and it hurt her that
he’d abandoned his faith.
    “You haven’t noticed any strangers
in town over the past two days, have you?” Mac asked Viola.
    “Yeah, there was a man in here
about an hour ago. Said he couldn’t get reception on his cell phone, so he
asked to use my land line. Impatient fellow. And rude.”
    “What’d he look like?” Toni
couldn’t contain her eagerness.
    Viola pursed her lips. “Kind of tall
and slender, red hair and a few freckles.”
    Definitely not Derek Hooper, nor
the gunman from yesterday.
    “Did you overhear his conversation,
by chance?” Mac asked.
    Viola flashed a devilish smile. “He
didn’t think so, but I heard every word.”
    Mac chuckled and Toni smiled. No
wonder everyone in this small town knew everyone else’s business.
    “He tried to leave without paying
for the long distance call.” Viola frowned. “A sullen fellow, you know? Left
his friend sitting outside in the car.”
    “His friend?”
    “Sure. Olive-skinned