The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks [56]
The minutes passed, and her mind wandered. She watched pine trees whistle by, one right after the other, still amazed she was in the truck with him. From the corner of her eye, she could see him concentrating on the road. As she’d noted initially, Taylor wasn’t typically handsome. Had she passed him on the street in Atlanta, she wouldn’t have given him a second glance. He didn’t have that pretty look some men had, but there was something about him she found ruggedly appealing. His face was tan and lean; the sun had carved small lines in his cheeks and around his eyes. His waist was narrow, and his shoulders were heavily muscled, as if from years of heavy load bearing. His arms looked as if he’d pounded thousands of nails, which no doubt he had. It was almost as if his job as a contractor had molded his appearance.
She wondered if he’d ever been married. Neither he nor Judy had mentioned it, but that didn’t mean anything. People were often reluctant to talk about past mistakes. Lord knew she didn’t bring up Brett unless she had to. Still, there was something about him that made her suspect he’d never made the commitment. At the barbecue, she couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to be the only one who was single.
Up ahead was Charity Road, and Taylor slowed the truck, making the turn and then accelerating again. They were almost home.
A minute later Taylor reached the gravel driveway and turned in, gradually applying the brakes until the truck came to a complete stop. Pushing the clutch in, he let the car idle, and Denise turned toward Taylor curiously.
“Hey, little man,” he said. “You wanna drive my truck?”
It took a moment before Kyle turned.
“C’mon,” he said, motioning. “You can drive it.”
Kyle hesitated, and Taylor motioned again. Kyle moved slightly before Taylor finally pulled him into his lap. He placed Kyle’s hands on the upper part of the steering wheel while keeping his own hands close enough to grab it if necessary.
“You ready?”
Kyle didn’t answer, but Taylor slowly let the clutch out and the truck began to inch forward.
“All right, little man, let’s go.”
Kyle, a little unsure, held the wheel steady as the truck began to roll up the drive. His eyes widened as he realized he really had control, and all at once he turned the wheel hard to the left. The truck responded and moved onto the grass, bouncing slightly and heading toward the fence before Kyle turned the wheel the other way. The turn was erratic, but eventually he crossed the gravel driveway to the other side.
They were moving no more than five miles an hour, but Kyle broke into a wide grin and turned toward his mother, a “look what I’m doing” expression on his face. He laughed in delight before turning the wheel once more.
“He’s driving!” Kyle exclaimed. (Eez dryfeen!)
The truck rolled toward the house like a big figure S, missing every tree (thanks to Taylor’s slight but necessary adjustments in course), and when Kyle laughed aloud for the second time, Taylor winked at Denise.
“My dad used to let me do this when I was little. I just figured Kyle might like it, too.”
Kyle, with Taylor’s verbal—and manual—guidance, pulled the truck into the shade of the magnolia tree before finally stopping. After opening the driver’s-side door, Taylor lifted Kyle down. Kyle scrambled to keep his balance before starting toward the house.
As they watched him, neither of them said anything, and at last Taylor turned away, clearing his throat.
“Let me go get your bikes,” he said, and jumped out of the cab. As he moved to the back of the truck and opened the rear latch, Denise sat unmoving, feeling slightly unraveled. Once again Taylor had surprised her. Twice in a single afternoon he’d done something kind for Kyle, something considered normal in the lives of other children. The first time had caused her to stare in wonder; the second time, however, had touched her in a place she’d never expected. As his mother, she could do only so much—she could love and protect Kyle, but she couldn’t make other