Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)

Larissa understood someone being overwhelmed. She just wished the woman in question had asked for help sooner.

The small caravan got back on the road. Larissa was the last car in the group. Radio reception wasn’t great but she managed to find an oldies station. The songs made her think of Kenny, who loved that kind of music. He would be in heaven.

Twenty miles from Stockton, her car started to make a strange knocking sound. She made it through Stockton and down to Modesto where everyone turned east onto a very narrow two-lane road. According to what she’d been told, they still had about twenty-five miles to go. She glanced down at her temperature gauge and saw the needle all the way in the red band. Seconds later steam or smoke or something equally upsetting started to pour from the hood of her car. She pulled over as best she could on the tiny road and watched the caravan drive away. Before she could turn off the engine, it stopped on its own and everything was ominously silent.

She couldn’t believe it. Really? This had to happen now? Not when she was driving in Fool’s Gold where she knew she could easily get her car fixed? She thought she was done messing up when she tried to help. After the whole incident with the snake and Angel, she’d vowed to be more careful with the type of creatures she got involved with. She was helping with chiweenies, for heaven’s sake. How could they hurt anyone? And her reward was a car breakdown?

But that was all distraction and she knew it. If her car wasn’t working right it was because she hadn’t bothered to keep up with servicing.

Her cell rang. She answered it.

“Hey, you okay?” Dan asked.

“I’m having car trouble,” she said. “Just go on without me. I’ll get back to Fool’s Gold somehow.”

“Will do. You still up for taking in dogs to foster? They won’t be ready for about two days.”

“No problem. Call when they are. I can place about eight with no problem.” There were plenty of people in town who had helped with her last cat rescue. She suspected they would be willing to foster cute chiweenies. She also thought Shelby might enjoy a temporary pet to make her feel at home. And Jack’s house was huge, so he could take several, especially with Percy to help her with the care.

Dan said he would be in touch and hung up. Larissa sat alone in the quiet of the Modesto wilderness and knew there was only one way out of her predicament.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JACK LOOKED OVER the weekly report that listed ad buys for various clients. Mostly he left this sort of thing to Taryn, but there were a couple of accounts that he monitored more closely. Mostly because the connection with Score was personal. Each of them had brought in clients who were also friends. It was part of how they did business—making sure the personal touch never went away.

He made a few notes on the report, then wrote a couple of emails to update the clients in question. Just as he pushed Send, his cell rang.

He glanced at the screen and saw Larissa’s picture. Taryn had mentioned something about Larissa not coming in today because of an animal rescue. He hadn’t stayed to hear any of the details. There was no reason. Whatever she was doing would manifest itself later, most likely in his living room.

Now he took the call as a nibble of worry took up residence in his gut.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

On the other end of the phone there was a second of silence. “I want to say nothing,” Larissa said quietly.

“But?”

“My car died. I’m east of Modesto with a group that’s rescuing chiweenies. A lady was breeding them and the situation got out of control and now she’s going to surrender them. I was one of the volunteers who would walk the dogs on the trip back.”

“They’re not being driven?”

“Of course they’re being driven. But it’s several hours. They’re going to need a chance to go to the bathroom.” She sighed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she said softly. “I’m trying to do a good thing.”

“You are doing a good thing. The weak link is your car. It’s what? Thirty years old?”

“Fifteen and I guess it needs servicing.”

“If you’d let me buy you a new car,” he began, only to realize that wasn’t the point. At least not now. Larissa needed him. “Is your location finder on your phone turned on?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. I’ll be there within the hour.”

“Not even the way you drive. Jack, you don’t have to come get me. I just wanted you to call a tow truck.”

“Not happening. I’ll be there in person.” He wrote down the route she’d taken that morning and told her to stay with her car. “Lock the doors.”

“I’m perfectly safe,” she assured him.

“Lock your doors.”

“I promise.”

He hung up and headed out the door.

* * *