He took her keys and disappeared in the direction of her car, probably to make sure it was locked. Moments later, he reappeared on the driver’s side of the truck, brushing the snow off the windshield and side window before he opened the door and handed her the keys. In the brief flicker of the dome light that came on, she glimpsed blue eyes below the hood of the parka—the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

He closed the door, pulled off his gloves, and pushed back his hood. The knitted cap he wore underneath hid his hair. Megan stole a glance as he fastened his seat belt. In profile, his face was handsome in a clean-cut, chiseled way. But what was she thinking? She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, or even a date. And a man as good-looking as Conner Branch was bound to have a wife, or at least a steady girl.

“Where to?” He started the truck.

She gave him her parents’ address. “It’s just a couple of blocks off Main Street. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it. Not in a little boondocks town like this one.”

“Boondocks?” He chuckled, his laughter deep and warm. “You sound like a city girl.” He steered carefully onto the highway. “Am I right?”

“Close enough. I teach school in Nashville. I arranged to take Christmas leave early to give my family some extra help.”

“A teacher, hmm? I might’ve guessed that. What grade?”

“Kindergarten.”

“Like it?”

“I do. For now.” Megan stopped herself. She’d learned the hard way not to talk about her other career, the one she really wanted. People who learned her secret tended to forget about Megan Carson. Lacy Leatherwood was so much more fascinating—even though Lacy wasn’t real.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the truck left the highway and turned onto Main Street, Megan gazed up at the old-fashioned Christmas lights. Through the blur left by the thumping windshield wipers, the colors that reflected off the flying snow were strangely beautiful, like a Christmas scene done in glowing watercolor.

“What was that address again?” Conner asked.

Megan told him. “Thanks again for the ride. If you hadn’t come along, I’d still be stranded in my car.”

“Then I’m glad I came along. I still can’t believe your parents didn’t know who I was.”

So, who are you? Megan bit back the barbed question. The man clearly had an ego. Maybe he was some kind of local celebrity. But ego or not, he had just saved her from a cold, miserable night. The least she could do was be civil.

“Is your family new in town?” he asked.

“They moved to Branding Iron a couple of years ago, but they don’t get out much. My dad teaches at the high school. My mom is in a wheelchair, so he spends most of his free time at home with her.”