Harvest of Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page A

drinks she’d bought to the cup holders in the console of her car. When she looked up again, she saw Amos take a sip of coffee and the trailer driver pocket his wallet. Matthew started toward her. “All set, then. Sure it’s okay if I drive?”
     
    “It’s fine.” Except she felt like an idiot, knowing Matthew considered her an unsafe driver. But it was her fault for showing off and flirting with him. “How much do I owe you?”
     
    “Not much. Don’t worry about it.” Matthew slid into the driver’s seat. “We’ll discuss it later.”
     
    She scooted into the passenger seat, closed the door, and watched as he inserted the key in the ignition, then deliberately adjusted the seat, the side and rearview mirrors, and the steering wheel. Kind of like she had the first couple of times she’d driven. “How much have you driven?” Maybe giving him the keys hadn’t been a good idea, after all, despite the fact that he had a license. But then, he had to have passed a driving test to get the license. He must be a halfway decent driver.
     
    “Enough. Where to?” He hooked the seatbelt and looked behind him before putting the car in reverse and backing out.
     
    “The square.”
     
    He nodded and pulled out. A few minutes later, he eased the car into a parking space.
     
    Shanna climbed out of the car. “I need a few personal items. I’ll be right back. Unless you need something, of course; then you can come in.”
     
    He arched an eyebrow. “Thought you said you needed me along.”
     
    She shook her head. “I don’t think I did. I didn’t mean to, anyway. But I wanted you to come.”
     
    “Why…?” His eyes widened, and he immediately shook his head. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.”
     
    Good thing he changed his mind. She didn’t want to admit that she’d wanted to go on a date with him, and this would be the closest she’d ever come. Even if the attraction she thought she saw in his eyes were real, there was no way he’d ask her out.
     
    But she’d gotten what she’d wanted. A job. And a sort-of date. Yet now she regretted manipulating Matthew, and what that said about her. She wasn’t a very nice person sometimes. No wonder she’d never had a real relationship with a man. Plenty of dates, but nothing more. Shanna forced a grin and shut the car door. Then, she hurried across the street toward the store, making a mental list of the things she needed: shampoo, conditioner….
     
    After making her purchases, she exited the store and jogged back to the car. She opened the passenger door, tossed the yellow plastic bag behind her onto the backseat, and closed the door. “Okay, I’m done. Let’s go.”
     
    Matthew glanced at her. “Home?”
     
    “Unless you can think of someplace else to go.” She said it jokingly, but she half meant it. Maybe more than half. “Maybe we could run away and not bother coming back until the fall semester. Do you have any money? We could still go to Mexico.”
     
    “Home it is.”
     
    Shanna gave an exaggerated sigh. She’d known she was being extreme. Still, disappointment ate at her.
     
    Matthew backed the car out of the lot and pulled onto the highway. Shanna shut her eyes, not wanting to watch him drive. She knew he’d be the most careful one on the road.
     
    “I’m afraid someone will recognize me driving,” Matthew said quietly. “I think I saw the bishop back there. I shouldn’t have asked to drive. You shouldn’t have let me.”
     
    “I’m sorry.” She opened her eyes. “I’m really sorry.” Then, she noticed an upturned cardboard box on the side of the road, and a bunch of kittens scampering nearby. She gasped. “Pull over!”
     
    Matthew did, and Shanna was out of the car in an instant, scooping up the kittens to save them from certain death. With her arms full of three kittens, she turned to take them to her car, but Matthew was already standing there, box in hand. He set it down, right-side up, on the ground. He picked