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offended some, but it filled him with pride. She remembered Harry’s lessons about the cheats and liars and wasn’t going to walk down any blind path. “That’s just what I need, for you to blow up my house.”
    Even with her refusal, he couldn’t help but laugh. She may be dead serious, but then she didn’t know it was really Harry she refused and chastised. “The house I used to own had a dinosaur of a fuel oil furnace, Mrs. Houdini. I spent more hours than I care to mention repairing it. And look. Not one burn or scar.”
    He offered his hands as evidence. Bess continued to stare at him without speaking, weighing his offer and considering her choices. After a long pause, she said, “Thank you, Mr. Welch, I just don’t think so.”
    “They’re waiting for you across the street,” Will reminded him once again.
    Erich thought better of defying his new boss for a third time, so with a short nod, he stepped away. Once outside, failure crept around him like a heavy blanket. Harry had experienced hardships, but winning over Bess had been simple back then. Sure, she had been tenacious, but never so crass. Their love had a way of pitting them as a team against the world. No wonder she raged skepticism against strangers. Without him, she must feel so alone.
    Still, her fire warmed him, even if she meant it to burn.
    Erich worked the problem over in his mind. Changing tactics, a skill he’d fine tuned throughout his life, now came easily. He’d have to first focus on Will. Keeping his job was paramount in order to have any connection to Bess, no matter how slight.
    At the hardware store, he pulled open the door as he turned back toward the diner, wondering if Bess would even be there when he got back. The small boy with the red ball caught Erich’s eye.
    The toddler bounced his prized possession against the brick building, catching the toy as it rolled back, repeating the game over again. The door handle slipped from Erich’s hand. The tot’s exuberance demanded his full attention, something he hadn’t allowed himself to give while in Bess’s presence. Erich recalled countless memories of nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters. Only the innocent could enjoy something so simple.
    Again the ball ricocheted off the walk and against the building, but this time it skipped by the child and into the street. As the boy followed, Erich scanned the area for his mother to warn. Not finding her, he retraced his steps.
    The child, oblivious to everything around him, chased his toy. Erich’s stomach knotted as the worse-case-scenario played in his mind. He called out, “Stop! Don’t move!”
    Ignoring his scream, the toddler continued his quest. A horn sounded. A quick look up confirmed a car was barreling straight for the little one, who had picked up the ball and was now heading back toward the safety of the sidewalk. Without a doubt, the horrific scene in Erich’s head was going to become a tragic reality.
    He darted off the curb and leapt to grab the boy. Both tumbled toward the opposite walk. Panicked screams erupted in his ears. Pain flashed through his side. Spitting dirt from his mouth, Erich gripped the boy tighter. “Thank Heavens!” he muttered just as a woman ripped the child from his arms.
    “What are you doing to my baby!” the frantic mother cried.
    “He darted into—”
    “Are you okay, Joey?” She wept, cradling the toddler to his chest. “How dare you!” Her anger fell on Erich as if he had hurt the child or attempted to grab him for some nefarious reason.
    He pushed himself to a sitting position, ready to defend himself, but Bess jumped between the two of them. She stretched her muscles taut, trying to look larger and more imposing than her five-foot-two-inch frame. “Him? How dare you ? That child is just a toddler, and you weren’t watching him! Mr. Welch just saved your son and you have the nerve to accost him?”
    “I-I-I-” The reality of the situation hit the woman. Anger dissolved