Read Crossroads for Free Online Page A

gotten under it. But he couldn’t very well say that, he realized, struggling to come up with a suitable response.
    â€œI figured you wouldn’t know anyone here, and I wanted to make sure you felt welcome,” he replied at last, striving for a conversational tone.
    â€œOh. Well, I appreciate that. And thank you for telling me about the program. It was very good.”
    â€œChris does a terrific job,” he agreed, relieved to be back on safer ground.
    Tess suddenly realized that this was as good a time as any to broach the subject of the interview, so she took a deep breath and plunged in.
    â€œYou both do. In fact, I understand that you’ve just won the governor’s award for excellence in education.”
    He looked at her in surprise. “How did you know?”
    â€œIt came over the wire at the newspaper where I work.”
    â€œAh. No secrets from the press, I guess.”
    â€œActually, the write-up wasn’t very detailed.”
    He shrugged. “It was enough for most people.”
    â€œThat’s not what my editor thinks.”
    He eyed her speculatively. “What do you mean?”
    â€œShe’d like me to do a feature story on you.”
    He took a moment to respond, and she was suddenly afraid that he was going to turn her down flat. Instead, his reply was noncommittal. “I usually stay away from publicity.”
    â€œSo we’ve heard,” she admitted. “But when I mentioned that we’d met, my boss was hoping youmight agree to talk with me. She thought you might feel more comfortable with a familiar face.”
    Mitch took a slow sip of his coffee as he considered the request. Frankly, he wasn’t all that comfortable—with the story or the woman. He was a private person, for good reason. Few people knew the painful details of his past. Few people needed to know. He’d have to sidestep a lot of questions if he agreed to this interview, and that could be uncomfortable. So would being one-on-one with Tess Lockwood. She had already touched his heart in places that were best left undisturbed, and he barely knew her. Further contact could only be more disruptive to his peace of mind.
    At the same time, he suspected that she was working hard to build a new career and a new life in St. Louis. Having to go back to her editor and say that she’d failed to nab an interview couldn’t be good for her. It would just add more stress to what already appeared to be a stress-filled life. And he couldn’t bring himself to do that.
    â€œAll right, Ms. Lockwood. Let’s give it a try,” he agreed.
    Tess smiled. There was relief—and something else he couldn’t quite identify—in her eyes. “Thank you.”
    â€œCall me tomorrow and we’ll set something up. I may live to regret this, but at least the school board will be happy,” he said with a lopsided grin.
    â€œSo will my editor.” She shifted her purse onto her shoulder, and Mitch reached over to relieve her of her plate and cup.
    â€œI’ll take care of these.”
    â€œThanks. And thank you again for telling me aboutthis meeting. And for agreeing to the interview.” She tilted her head and gave him a rueful smile. “I guess I’ll be in your debt big time.”
    He smiled, and his gaze deepened and connected with hers in a way that left her a bit breathless. “I’ll remember that.”
    For a moment she actually felt lost in his eyes, and the buzz of voices around her seemed to recede. It was only with great effort that she finally dragged her gaze away from his, mumbled goodbye and beat a hasty retreat.
    As Tess made her way to her car, she tried to figure out what had just happened. Or, more accurately, she tried to figure out if anything had happened. She’d probably read far too much into a simple look, she told herself. After all, there was nothing about her to rate any special attention. She was just one more