Rooney, he settled his hat on his head and turned her way. The instant their gazes tangled, he paused. His eyes narrowed, and then he grinned.
“I didn’t recognize you right off,” Malcolm said.
Sadie tightened her grip on the box of canned goods. “I recognized your car right off.”
He looked back, a grin tugging at the edge of his mouth. “It does hold fond memories, doesn’t it?”
Sidestepping the comment, she asked, “What are you doing in town?”
“My cousin and his wife invited me. Olivia has been after me for months to visit, but frankly there was always something more appealing to do.”
“That so?”
He leaned closer. “Now that I see you, I think this weekend might not be as boring as I thought. If you still have that green dress, we could find something fun to do.”
“I burned that dress.”
He stilled. “That’s a crazy thing to do.”
“Seeing as what you did to me while I was wearing it, it wasn’t crazy at all.”
The smile in his gaze dimmed. “I didn’t do anything to you.”
She spit on the ground by his feet. “That’s a damn lie. You hurt me good.”
“Lower your voice.”
“Or what?”
“I’ll have the sheriff pay a visit to your home. I won’t stand for slander.”
The idea of the sheriff arriving at her house and seeing the baby girl was enough to cool her rising temper. She couldn’t hide the child forever, but she figured if she had a little more time, she would hatch a solution.
“Yeah, I thought that would shut you up. Girls like you don’t need the trouble.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Have a nice day, Sadie.”
He walked past her like she wasn’t even there and vanished into the shop.
She returned to her truck, set her bundle on the seat, and slid behind the wheel. If she were smart, she would just drive home and forget there ever was a Malcolm Carter. There was no changing her life now, and she would have more peace if she simply made the best of it. She slammed the truck door.
She watched through the store window as Mr. Sullivan pulled out one of her jars of moonshine, and Malcolm handed him several dollar bills.
She sat up, leaning over the steering wheel, watching as Malcolm exited. “Go on and drive, Sadie,” she muttered to herself. “Best to get back to the farm and forget you ever saw him.”
Malcolm scanned the street, and when his gaze landed on her, he touched the brim of his hat and winked.
Her temper roiled up through her with such heat she could feel her cheeks flush. As if he felt her gaze on him, Malcolm squinted as he studied her a bit longer. His head tilted, reminding her of a dog that had heard a whistle. After looking both ways, he crossed the street and held up the jar of her moonshine, as if he was offering a peace token.
There was even a lightness in his step, as if he had already decided that a little moonshine would get him exactly what he wanted from her. It sure had the first time.
Something in Sadie snapped. All God’s good reason took one look at her and then took off running, leaving her alone with the devil sitting on her shoulder.
Sadie never could say why she lost her mind, but it abandoned her and made her forget about her mother, her baby, her brothers, the kindness of Miss Olivia, and even the memory of her daddy. All that was left in her was nothing but hate.
Malcolm was in the center of the street when she started the rumbling engine and put the truck in gear. Before she knew it, the wheels were rolling, and she was pressing hard on the accelerator. The engine revved. The next thing she knew, she was screaming as his body came at her fast. The grille caught him in the midsection and carried him over the hood of her truck. His body rolled off to the side and hit the dirt road hard.
Her heart racing, the surge of satisfaction quickly burned up under the glare of reality. In one blink, she had ruined her life and her child’s.
Her belly tightened, and her breathing quickened as she stopped the truck and looked back. Malcolm was lying in the street. His hat had landed on the sidewalk, and he was missing a shoe. His body was still. Mr. Sullivan knelt over him and then looked toward Sadie, as if he did not know her