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She could feel his eyes on her. Sensed his hesitation.
“I understand completely. Sorry.” Then he shifted the car into gear and drove back to Ryansville in absolute silence.
Great job, she told herself after he’d dropped her off at her apartment. Knowing she’d done the right thing didn’t lessen her sense of loss.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Hey, kid. This is amazing!” Nathan stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the train set filling one corner of the Shuellers’ basement. “How long did this take, anyway?”
A feeling of pride welled in Josh’s chest. “Me and my dad have worked on it since I was six.”
“I always wanted something just like this when I was a kid—something my dad and I could work on together. I bet it’s been a lot of fun for you two.”
“How come you didn’t get one?”
Nathan leaned over to admire the old Lionel Southern Pacific diesel engine, tender, and box cars. “My dad traveled a lot, mostly. He did get me a train for Christmas, but he had the gardener set it up for me. It’s not the same as working on it with your dad.”
Josh nodded, understanding completely and even feeling a little sorry for him. He’d heard people talk about how rich the Roswells were. Maybe it was a lot better to have a dad who did stuff with you.
“Tell me about this one here—it looks like it’s very special.”
“It belonged to my grandpa Tom. He had it when he was a kid. He gave it to me last Christmas, and when he came up from Georgia, he helped me build that mountain range at the side.”
“That must have been fun.”
Josh pointed to the back wheels of the engine. “His sister got mad once and threw it. There are dents and it had to be welded, so it’s not worth as much. But I like it. Looking at it makes me think of my grandpa when he was little.”
Nathan straightened and smiled down at him. “You’re a cool kid, you know that? So tell me—how’s your leg doing?”
“Okay.” He lifted the hem of his baggy, overlong jeans to show off a heavy layer of elasticized wrap supporting his ankle. “I got to miss school yesterday, but some kids came over after school with my homework.” He grinned. “They thought it was pretty cool about me having an attack dog and all.”
“You do know that he isn’t really yours, right? And that it isn’t safe for you to take him out alone?”
Josh gave him a sheepish look. “Yeah...I never should have done it last time.”
Nathan rested a hand on his shoulder. “It must have been awfully scary being out in those woods after dark. A lot of grown-ups would be frightened if they’d found Earl like you did.”
