The Doctor's Baby(39)

David glanced at his watch. “If the show stays on schedule, we have a little over thirty minutes. More than enough time for a ride.”

“A ride?” July glanced in the direction of the parking lot.

“Not in a car.” David gestured to rows of carts lined up inside the open shed. “I’m proposing a moonlight tour of the golf course. Interested?”

July hesitated. “Are you serious?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Within a minute he’d rolled one of the carts onto the wide cement walkway. He held out a hand to her. “Madame, your chariot awaits.”

A shiver of excitement traveled up her spine. She took his hand and stepped into the cart, carefully tucking the skirt of her dress beneath her, her earlier tears forgotten. She’d always loved adventures and this night was turning into one.

July curved her fingers around the metal frame. While this was a far cry from a car, the cart was spacious and the padded vinyl seat surprisingly comfortable.

David slipped behind the steering wheel then hit the gas. The vehicle lurched forward.

He kept the cart on a concrete path for a considerable distance before taking off across the grass. The breeze picked up, ruffling her hair. July wrapped her arms around herself. She hadn’t noticed the chill when she was standing by the shed but she felt it now. Though the night was mild by Jackson standards, fifty degrees in a sleeveless dress was still cold.

The cart slowed to a stop. David pulled off his jacket and handed it to her. “We can turn back—”

“Not on your life.” July slid her arms into the jacket still warm with the heat of his body. “I love it out here.”

Stars filled the clear sky and light from a full moon bathed the course in a golden light.

“I’d heard how big the sky was in this part of the country but I never believed it.” She widened her eyes as David hit the accelerator and the cart made its way up an incline. It felt as if they were headed straight up into the heavens. “It…it surrounds you.”

The cart eased to a stop at the top of the hill. Above—the sky. Below—perfectly manicured grounds. Light shimmered off the waters of a small pond.

“This is one of the best laid out courses in the area.” David sat back in his seat. “When I was in high school I used to work here.”

“You worked?”

“Absolutely.” David’s tone turned teasing. “Don’t tell me you had me pegged as one of those guys who grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth?”

July felt her cheeks warm and she was grateful for the dim light. “Maybe.”

He laughed. “My father was a property administrator at Teton Village and my mother taught school. Hardly careers to craft a silver spoon.”

A fondness for his parents was evident in his tone.

“I guess I got the idea they had money because of the cruise,” July said. “I don’t know anyone who goes on a monthlong vacation.”#p#分页标题#e#

“This is a first for them, as well,” David said. “The seventeen-day cruise was their anniversary present to each other. On the way back they decided to stop off in the D.C. area to do some sightseeing and visit old friends. Once they leave there they’ll stop in Omaha on the way back to visit my aunt. By next Saturday they should be back in town.”

“Sounds like a wonderful time,” July said, fighting a stab of envy. “But I’m surprised a teacher could take so much time off during the school year.”

“She couldn’t have done it if she was still teaching full time,” David said. “When Mary Karen’s husband left, she took an early retirement to help with the kids. Nothing is more important to her than her kids and grandchildren.”

“That’s wonderful.” July wondered what it would be like to have such a mother.

“Enough about me and my family.” David rested his arm on the back of her seat. “Tell me about yourself. Did you work during high school?”

“I’ve been working since I was fifteen to help out at home.”

A look of concern crossed his face. “I take it your parents were struggling?”

“My dad wasn’t in the picture. My mother is—was—a drug addict. I’m not sure where she is.” While his mother sounded wonderful, hers could have been the poster child for the need for sterilization. “I was in and out of the house more times than I could count, but they always gave me back to her.”

“They?”

“The courts. Judges willing to give her one more chance. Social workers who believed a child belonged with its biological mother.” July couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.