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grabbed it and began gnawing on it immediately. Once Faith had her daughter settled, she slid into the only empty chair at the table.
    Terri remained standing. “Can I get you something, dear? Coffee? Pop? Sweet tea?”
    “Nothing for me, thanks. Actually, I didn’t come here to eat.”
    “Oh?” Terri sat down and grinned at Faith.
    Faith gathered her courage around her and took a deep breath. “I need a job.”
    The smile on the woman’s face crumbled. Genuine regret took its place. She covered Faith’s hand with her own. “I’m so sorry darlin’, but business hasn’t been all that good lately. Everyone in Carson is off on vacations and such. There’s barely enough business to keep my one waitress busy. I’m not sure when I’ll be taking anyone on again.”
    Disappointment flooded Faith. “Do you happen to know of anyone in town who’s looking for help?” She failed miserably at keeping the desperation out of her voice.
    Granny Jo and Terri exchanged glances. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.” Terri stood again. “Have you and this little sweetie had lunch?” Faith shook her head. “Well, Granny and I were just about to eat, and we’d love it if you’d join us.”
    Faith straightened, her thoughts going to the few dollars in her purse, money she couldn’t afford to squander on the luxury of lunch. To that end, she’d packed a couple of sandwiches for her and Lizzie in her tote bag along with some fruit to eat on the bench in the square. “I . . . uh . . . I don’t—”
    Terri stopped her with a hand to her arm. “My treat. And I won’t take no for an answer.” Then she hurried away again.
    Hating that she must have looked like she needed Terri’s charity, Faith kept her gaze centered on Lizzie as she devoured her third cracker.
    Suddenly, a warm hand cupped her chin and gently raised it until she was eye-to-eye with Granny Jo. “There’s no shame in letting folks lend a hand through the hard times. You should know that’s the way of things here in Carson. We help our own.”
    Too choked up to speak, Faith nodded and forced a smile. Granny Jo’s protective concern surrounded Faith like a warm blanket, reminding her of her beloved Gramma Harrison, her maternal grandmother. Mentally, she pulled the emotional blanket Granny Jo offered tightly around her. Maybe coming home hadn’t been a mistake. Maybe, with the love and help of these gentle people, this could be a new start for her and Lizzie.
    The compassion of this small community seemed to reach out to her from every corner. Now, all she had to do was find a way to support her little family, and that prospect was looking dimmer every day.
    Chapter 4
    FAITH HAD CHOKED down the hamburger and fries that she’d been served by Terri’s waitress. Lizzie had devoured the cut-up hot dog Terri had brought her. Getting the food past the clog of fear and disappointment in her throat had been hard, but Faith didn’t want to insult Terri’s generosity by not eating.
    Faith glanced at Lizzie. Her nap time had come and gone and the little girl’s eyes drooped. She flashed a lazy smile at her mother, then yawned, laid her head on her teddy bear and rubbed her eyes.
    When Terri left the table to take their dirty dishes to the kitchen and get Lizzie a dish of ice cream for dessert, Granny Jo covered Faith’s cold hand with hers. Without thinking, Faith turned her hand over and clasped Granny Jo’s. The warmth emanating from the older woman’s hand seeped into Faith, clearing away some of the almost paralyzing fear of being on her own with a small child and no immediate prospects for a means of support.
    “It appears like that little one needs a nap?”
    Faith nodded. She knew Lizzie should be home in her crib sleeping, but Faith had to consider her priorities, and finding a job was at the top of her to-do list. “I know, but unfortunately, I have no one to watch her while I job hunt, so she has to come with me.”
    Granny Jo squeezed her hand