The atmosphere inside the vehicle felt far cooler than the temperature reading on the dashboard. Tait and Paige hadn’t exchanged a single word since they’d left Balgarry. For a day supposed to bring relief and respite from the drought, it was ending on a far from positive note. He knew Paige hadn’t appreciated the interest Tait’s internet dating revelation had attracted. Even as a child she’d hated standing up on a school stage and being the centre of attention. He looked in the side mirror at her pensive face as, chin on her hand, she stared out the back seat window. But her silence stemmed from far more than embarrassment. Whatever she and Tait had discussed in the tiny school house had wiped the colour from her cheeks and the day’s contentment from her gaze. Connor rubbed at his crippled leg that ached more from tension than physical pain. To anyone else Tait would appear to be at ease as he drove but Connor knew better. A childhood spent reading faces to know when the next blow would be swung, or when the next lash of the house-mother’s belt would land, had left him an expert at reading people.
