He’d risked exposing his skills because it wouldn’t be much longer before he could tell the truth anyway. Hopefully the Zozobra legend worked on cars as well as tall puppets. Having Meg firmly in his corner before the truth came out would be good.
Meg checked Haley’s backpack one more time to be sure she had everything she’d need if her asthma acted up. Then she added another juice box, more crackers, and a banana in case Haley got hungry.
Josh took the backpack from her hands and tossed it in the backseat of his truck, next to Haley’s car seat. “We’re not going to Siberia, Meg. We’ll stop and get something if she gets hungry.”
“Okay. Haley likes chicken nuggets, grilled cheese—”
“Kid food. Got it.” He leaned down and kissed her. “We’ll be fine. Have fun at your girls’ thing.”
Meg leaned inside and gave Haley a kiss. “Be a good girl, okay, Bug?”
Haley nodded. “’Kay.”
“And if you have trouble breathing, tell Daddy right away.”
“Okay. Bye, Momma.”
Meg’s stomach hurt. Josh didn’t have much experience alone with Haley. Even worse, he had to babysit until her girls’ night was over. She turned to him. “You know what? Maybe I’ll go along with you guys and just be late to Pam’s thing.”
“You don’t trust me to bring her back?”
Seeing the flash of pain in his eyes, she laid a hand on his arm and gave it a quick squeeze. “No. It’s not that. What if Haley has trouble breathing with all that dust in the barn?”
Josh moved Meg aside and closed Haley’s door. “Then I’ll know exactly what to do. Stop worrying.”
Meg huffed out a breath and crossed her arms. “When she has to go to the bathroom—”
Josh laid his fingers over her lips. “I can handle this. But how about we stay at the guesthouse tonight so your grandmother will be close by? Would that make you feel better?”
She nodded, but he didn’t move his fingers.
“Great. Now smile and wave goodbye, so Haley sees how you aren’t worried.”
His new bossiness was getting on her nerves.
When she narrowed her eyes, he quickly removed his fingers and whispered, “I know how you get after these girls’ things. All that talk about men, too much to drink. You’ll be all hot and bothered. Begging me to put you out of your misery.” He got in, rolled down his window, and sent her a sexy grin. “I’ll wait up.”
“How considerate of you.” As Josh and Haley backed out of the drive she plastered on a fake smile and waved. “Text me when you get there. And when you’re back!”
Josh sent her a salute, then headed down the highway.
Lord, this could be a disaster.
Josh smiled as he headed south toward the ranch. Meg letting him take Haley had been a leap of faith for her. The ultimate show of trust. Big step.
He’d get her to tell him she loved him yet.
Josh glanced in the rearview mirror at Haley again. She’d just awoken from her forty-five-minute nap and was squirming around in her car seat. He reached for the end-of-the-world survival kit of a backpack Meg had sent along. His hand landed on some chunky cardboard books, so he tugged them out. “Want to look at these?”
Haley nodded and took the books. “I have to go potty.”
“Oh. Okay.” They’d just passed through a small town. It only had a busy convenience store that sold gas. The next town was bigger, but twenty minutes away. Better not risk it. Josh slowed the truck and then turned it around.
“Hurry, Daddy!”
Hopefully Meg had sent along a change of clothes just in case. “Almost there.”
After they pulled into the last empty space in front of the store, he jumped out and opened the back door. After tackling the crazy harness system, he finally freed her from the car seat and then jogged toward the glass doors. He yanked one open and headed for the rear. There was a line outside the women’s restroom, but thankfully not one outside the men’s. Just as he was about to push the door open, he stopped and looked at Haley. Her face was scrunched as she strained to hang on.
He couldn’t take her in there with guys at urinals showing their junk. Unless maybe he covered her eyes and made a dash for the stall? Probably a bad idea.
He checked out the women standing in line. Maybe he could ask one of them to take her. The next one in line was tatted up, and had purple hair and fingernails shaped into deadly points.
Nope.
Haley couldn’t wait for the third woman in line who had a kid of her own.
He turned and raced back to his truck, grabbed the backpack, and then headed behind the store and into the woods. “We’re going to have to go out here, okay?”