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you, the ladies at church are already twittering about that.”
    Audrey’s breath caught. But if this woman knew who she really was, why would she be smiling and acting friendly?
    “It’ll be so nice to have someplace quaint to havelunch with the girls,” Miss Brenda said, giving Audrey’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You need to come to service next Sunday, meet all the ladies. Good way to start getting to know your neighbors and potential customers.”
    Audrey managed a smile. “Thank you for the invitation.” Though the idea of stepping back into a church left her cold. Of course, that was due to what had happened with her mother and not the church itself.
    “Well, I best be getting home.” Miss Brenda pointed at the items in her cart. “Sam is anxious to get these plants in the ground.” With another genuine smile and a wave, Brenda headed for the checkout.
    “She’s a bit of a whirlwind, isn’t she?” Brady said.
    “You could say that.”
    Brady laughed a little at what must be her stunned expression then pushed their shopping cart toward the front of the store, too.
    Audrey eyed the items in the cart. Boy, had she gone overboard.
    “Don’t worry. We’ll make it all fit,” Brady said, guessing at her thoughts.
    They did, barely. The trellis stuck out of the tied-down trunk, and flowers appeared to have taken root in her backseat.
    Brady looked across the top of the car at her. “You hungry?”
    “Yeah, but let’s do lunch on the cheap. I’m pretty sure I just heard my credit card whimper.”
    “Pal’s, it is.” He bumped his knuckles against the car’s roof.
    “Pal’s?”
    He eyed her with disbelief. “You haven’t been there yet?”
    “No, should I have?”
    “You haven’t lived until you’ve had a Pal’s chipped ham and cheese sandwich and seasoned fries.”
    She uttered a little laugh. “Well, I certainly want to live.”
    “Get in the car and drive, then, woman.”
    Brady directed her to a spot on Elk Avenue. She laughed when she caught sight of the blue concrete-block building with a giant hot dog, fries and drink cup on the roof.
    “Don’t let the outside fool you,” Brady said. “Eat Pal’s once and you’re a slave to it for life.”
    Audrey gave the structure a doubtful look. “If you say so.”
    They ordered on one side of the building then drove around to the other to pay and get their food. Her stomach growled when she handed the bag to Brady.
    “See, your stomach knows good food is in the vicinity. Drive down the street. We can eat at the park.”
    The park ended up being Sycamore Shoals State Park, complete with a reconstructed eighteenth-century fort. With the beautiful, late-May day as a backdrop, the slice of the area’s history captured Audrey’s fascination.
    “I wish I’d brought my camera,” she said.
    “You can come back when they’re doing garrison weekends. Seems more like you’re stepping into history with everyone dressed in costume.”
    Brady led her past the fort and toward a trail.
    “Where are we going?”
    “You’ll see.”
    Wasn’t he Mr. Mysterious all of a sudden? It seemed a bit out of character based on what little she knew about him.
    It wasn’t long before she heard rushing water then saw an expanse of gentle river rapids. The river was probably three times the width of Willow Creek, but in spots she wasn’t sure it was as deep.
    “This is gorgeous,” she said as she stepped to the edge of the bank.
    “Welcome to the Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River.”
    “No wonder they built a fort here.” She edged right up next to the clear water and looked both upstream and down. Again, she wished for her camera.
    “Since you liked the old mill, I figured you’d like this, too.” Brady led the way to a rocky outcropping. They sat and pulled their lunch from the bag. “This was the first permanent settlement outside the thirteen original colonies.”
    “Sounds like you know a lot about it.”
    “Craig’s dad is one of the