Chapter 23
Then he felt Mal tense and shift, an instant before he stood. With a quick look, he saw determination and withdrawal on the other man’s face.
“My job here seems to be done,” Mal said. “I reckon it’s time for me to get back to town and plan to go to work tomorrow at Ben’s as usual. I saw Curt when he came out on the weekend. He said Ben had told him the doctors were going to induce his wife’s labor in a day or two. That means Ben will need me back there to take care of things.”
“You still look a little shell shocked. You sure you’re up to driving back right now?” Dan knew that sounded lame, but he didn’t know what else to say. He wanted to let Mal know how much he appreciated everything the mechanic had done and how badly he wanted them to get better acquainted. Why was Mal withdrawing, determined to put this in the past? The words Dan needed were not coming.