Cole narrowed his eyes at the pretty brunette.  She probably didn’t have car insurance, which was the reason she was in such a hurry to vamoose.  He glanced at elderly Mrs. Smith, who seemed relieved that the fender bender had been handled in a civil manner.

“I’ll move your car for you,” he told Mrs. Smith, slipping behind the steering wheel and parking in an empty spot on the other side of the Focus.  Before he’d exited the vehicle, the brunette had ducked into her car, shifted in reverse, and drove past him out of the parking lot.  He jumped out and stood with his hands at his hips watching her turn onto the highway.

“My peripheral vision isn’t what it used to be,” Mrs. Smith sadly said.  “Was that young woman one of your classmates in school, Cole?”

“No, ma’am.  I’ve never seen her before.  She must be passing through.  Maybe a Texan headed to the mountains.”

* * * *

With her hands holding the steering wheel in a death grip, Lindy Grainger gazed in the rearview mirror as she left the grocery store parking lot and pulled onto the highway.  The man with the brilliant blue eyes was staring after her.  She prayed he wasn’t trying to read her license plate.  What if he called the police for leaving the scene of an accident?

Her pulse was racing.  The accident was the old lady’s fault, so there was nothing to worry about, she reasoned.  Except coming up with the money to fix her dented bumper and busted taillight.

Fortunately, she’d been able to diffuse the situation quickly.  The older woman had appeared to be relieved when Lindy suggested they each repair their own vehicles.  It was the guy whose nose got out of joint and thought they should exchange personal information.

She’d done nothing wrong or illegal, she told herself again.  There would be no reason for the police to find her and question her.  Would there?  Panic quivered in every cell of her body.  Speaking to police meant a police report would be filed, and she couldn’t have that.

Why did this have to happen today?  Shaking her head in frustration and pounding her hand against the wheel, Lindy mumbled, “My first day in Tularosa and trouble has already found me.”