A SMALL TOWN GIRL

Just for Fun Fiction 

By Celia Jolley

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me."
Psalm 16:6

Nan giggled when she felt his warm breath on her neck.  "Oh, stop it, Harry!  Not now.  I have to pay attention to my driving."  She pumped her brakes to carefully slow down before entering the curve notorious for black ice.  The locals dubbed it, "Death Do Us Part Canyon."  

She again waved Harry off her shoulder knowing what would come next on the road.  She'd begun to say, "Knock it off, Harry," but instead began screaming.  A car from the opposite direction was careening sideways coming right at her.  Nan pulled to the right as close to the drop off as she could, but the screech of peeling metal and a vicious jolt sent her off the side of the mountain.  She rolled at least once before being stopped by a small grove of young aspen, very willowy, bendy trees.  Nan's side of the car was caved in and carved into a snowbank while the passenger side was vertical, two wheels up in the air.  

"Harry?  Harry?  Are you alright?" she cried trying to look over her shoulder into the back seat.   There was an eerie silence.  Next Nan tried to unbuckle, but her seat belt was jammed, smashed against the door where it caved in.  "Harry?  Where are you?"

She turned the car off knowing that her exhaust pipes were probably chock full of snow and  could asphyxiate her.  Nan tried to pull her feet out, but her first shock of pain hit her.  The more she tried to wiggle her foot out from under the dash, the more it hurt.  She realized it was pinned under the accelerator.  She laid her head back on her seat and cried, "Oh, God,  please help me!"

Anger kicked in.  "Stupid driver!"  But her mad thump on the steering wheel caused her car to slide slightly further down the embankment.  Why didn't the other car stop?  Looking up, she could see the reflection of car lights above her in the dusk, but no one could see her down here.  It reminded her to make sure her car lights were still on lending her a slender hope of being seen.  

It came to her that since she was wearing boots maybe, if she could unzip the crushed one, her foot might more easily come loose.  It was difficult, it was painful, but she did not give up.  As she finally pulled it free, she drew her legs up while the car wavered from where  it was precariously caught.  The small grove of skinny trees kept trembling under the unsteady weight of her car.  If it slipped, it would be a long, long way down the mountain side.  She tried to relax by taking deep breaths but was shivering too much.  Looking up, Nan realized her windshield and other windows held only remnants of cubed glass left.  The wind began blowing in the trees enough to cause her car to move slightly again.  Nan struggled some more with her seat belt.  She got the idea to carefully move her seat back as far as it would go.

"Harry?  Where are you?"  Worse than her crumpled car, worse than her bodily pain, was the pain of loosing Harry her beloved dog.  Had he run off in a fright?  Was he injured, or was he dead?  No, she refused to believe that.

"Hello?  Is anybody down there?" 

Nan looked up and saw headlights stopped on the road above her.  A flashlight with a big beam momentarily blinded her.  "Yes, I'm down here!" she called back.

A sheriff deputy slid down grabbing small trees as he plowed through like an avalanche on his way down were she was precariously situated. 

"Careful!  My car's not held here by much.  If you slide snow down on it, it might just let loose."

"Okay."  He paused and flashed his light on the trees and where the front of her car was momentarily caught.  "You aren't kidding."  The man moved away from directly above her so that he could slide down in front of  her car.   "Are you injured?  Can you climb out the windshield?  I'd love to stabilize the car, but I don't know if we have time."

"I was just going to try it."

He gingerly stretched over the hood.  The car frightfully shifted a little bit more.  "Give me your hands and I'll pull you out.  We need to do this as quickly as we can.  I got you, so, one, two, three, GO!"

Before she knew it, he had pulled her out and off the car in one powerful yank.  Nan found herself landing on his chest where they lay with their white breath puffing and mingling.  They stayed unmoving, listening to her car roll down smashing, crashing the rest of the way.  

Her eyes couldn't be open wider in shock.  "That was close," she finally whispered.

"I'll say.  I was praying the whole time, and evidently, God was listening, thank goodness!" The man said with a huge grin of relief.  "Hey, you have quite the bump on your head."

"My dog!" she suddenly remembered.   "Harry!  We have to find him."

"No, ma'am.  I'm getting you up this embankment and calling for an ambulance."

"I don't have coverage for an ambulance.  I don't need to go to the E.R."  Nan sucked in a gasp as she crawled off him and tried to stand on her swollen ankle.

"See, you're hurt.  You need to be seen."

"My deductible is sky high. I could never begin to pay it.  I'm not going, and you can't make me!  I'll see my doctor at the clinic in the morning."

"I have some first aid training, so I'll decide what to do with you when we get to my cruiser."

It took all his and her strength to get her up the steep mountainside in the deep snow, two feet forward, one sliding back.  Once on the icy pavement, they both paused panting white clouds.

"Let's get you in my warm car.  Come on."

Securing her inside, he suddenly swung his flashlight into her eyes without warning.  Nan threw her hand up to shield her eyes.  "What are you doing?"

"Checking for a concussion.  I think you probably have one.  You might begin to feel sleepy.  Is there someone who can stay with you to check on you tonight?"

"I'll figure it out," she hedged.

He stood in the open passenger door of his squad car, he swung her legs out.  "What are you doing?" she cried again.  

"I need to check your ankle," he said with a scowl while unzipping her boot.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry.  I think it's just a bad sprain, but you need to have it checked out first thing in the morning.  You'll need an xray to make sure you don't have a hairline fracture.  As for your toes, they are so swollen, it'll be awhile before you can wear a shoe.  In my unappreciated opinion, they are probably broken."

"I think I can agree with you there," Nan groaned fighting off nausea.  But she put out her arm before he could shut the door and yelled one more time, "Harry!"

"I promise I'll keep my eyes open for your dog when I drive this route, but there's no way you can go look for him tonight.  It's getting too dark."

Nan sighed.  "I'll try tomorrow."

Once in front of her studio apartment, the deputy came around and helped her limp to her front door.  Before going in she looked up into his handsome face and said, "You're my hero, you know.  I probably would have died on that mountain after those stupid people pushed me over the edge."  She glanced at his name tag.  "So, thanks Officer Stanford."

He looked surprised as he gazed at her under the single yellow light on her small square of a porch.  "You can call me Wyatt.  Do you need me to help you do anything else before I leave?"

"I can take it from here, but thanks again," she said as she pushed a snow-wet strand of hair off her face.  Once the door was shut, she hopped to her bathroom and glanced at her reflection in the mirror.  "Don't you look gorgeous," she said sarcastically.

The next morning Nan limped on crutches into Zippy's Diner wearing the boot the doctor gave her to protect her ankle and toes, the one she wasn't suppose to walk on very much.  She'd had to wrap it in a plastic bag, making her look even more ridiculous.  But she had to post flyers of Harry all over town.  She looked up to the first table where her junior high crush sat with his family.  One of Joe Wilson's toddlers was finger painting with the Ketchup all over the table while his wife was trying to dig a soggy sugar packet out of another of their kid's mouth.  Joe never noticed her as he was busily wiping off his kid's fingers and face.

She shuffled past the next table where a former person of interest on her high school dating scene sat with his 101st girlfriend.  He had a total commitment phobia.  Nan waved weakly, though as always he never noticed her.  

Nan groaned.  At the next table sat Mr. First Disastrous Date.  What was this, going down bad memory lane?  Her mind flew back to that group date at the bowling alley when she was in 9th grade.  After her first strike she slid into the plastic bench seat triumphantly thrusting her fist up in the air only to find Joe sliding his arm around her shoulders.  She'd thrown it off and jumped up glaring daggers at him.  Now that he spied her, he quickly slid his arm back off his girlfriend's shoulder with embarrassment flaming his cheeks.  Poor guy.  She had seriously crushed his confidence.

Of course at the next table she passed was Mr. First Sloppy Kiss.  It was so gross she still shuddered.  Totally unaware of his intention, lover-boy had cracked his teeth against hers suddenly, then went in for a hard crush of lips before she pushed him off and stormed out of the theater.   As she walked past, the sicko licked his lips with a leering grin.  Yuck!

Could this be any worse, this walk of shame?  Yes, because there was her first love, the one who had held her heart, led her on during her senior year of high school before dropping her like she had the plague.  Jeremiah had two-timed her with her best girlfriend instead. Nan knew he had cheated on wives number one and two and was living with a new girlfriend.   Sadly, he had racked up quite the child support dues. Why did she know all this?  Because she lived in a small town.   She couldn't believe the jerk dared to wink at her as she limped by.  

At least the next table held Mr. and Mrs. Harold Smith.  They had been married sixty years and still held hands as they prayed over their food.  Upon opening their eyes, Betsy reached out and grabbed her hand.  "Oh, dear, we are so sorry to hear about your wreck.  You look like you're in pain.  We promise to pray for you and hope that you will find Harry soon."

"Thank you," she choked out while blinking away tears so moved by their compassion.

She was almost to the cash register where she could speak with the diner's owner to ask permission to post her lost dog flyer when she heard someone behind her.  She recognized his formidable voice when he said, "What are you doing here?  Shouldn't you be off your feet?"

"Uh, hello, Officer Stanford."  She glanced over at the woman she knew who was sitting next to him hugging his arm.  "I need to post flyers so somebody might find Harry."

He disengaged Sharon's hand from his arm and stood up.  "I'm off today and can post those for you.  He took the stack of flyers right out of her hands.  I thought I'd drive up that way and look for him myself, you know, just in case he is wandering about."

"Really?" Her voice cracked.  "I would really appreciate that."

"How's your injuries?  You don't look so good.  What did the doctor say?"

"You were right.  I have a concussion and a badly sprained ankle along with three broken toes and bruised ribs."

"Wow, I can't believe you're not taking it easy today.  Hey, why don't you take a load off and come with me so we can both look for Harry."

Sharon glared angrily at Nan making her stumble over her words.  "I don't know..."

"Sure.   You can tell me where else you want to put up your flyers, then we'll drive out to the scene of the accident."  He slapped some bills on the table and said, "Catch you later, Sharon."

Nan left a flyer with Zippy's wife before following him out.  "You know Sharon will be mad."

He waved his hand as if swatting a fly.  "She just sat down with me while I was eating.  I didn't invite her."

"Oh," Nan said.  "She will still be mad."

"See if I care," he grinned as he held open the diner's door.  

Nan carefully went down the two stairs with her crutches doing her best not to do a face plant on the sidewalk.   

"I don't know why you are helping me," she sighed as she slid into the front seat of his pickup.

"I don't understand why you don't have friends or family helping you," he countered.

Nan stared unseeing out the window.  "My family doesn't have the best reputation, you might say.  You'll find out soon enough as a law enforcement officer."

"That bad?"  He said with arched eyebrows.

"Yep.  It's one of the disadvantages of a small town long on memories. My best friends are the elderly citizens at church, like the Smiths back there in the diner.  At least they pray for me.  My best friends have all moved away while I just moved back to town."

"What brought you back here then?"

"I was offered a job at the dog pound as a vet-tech.  Of course I used my married name, otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance if I used my maiden name."

"You're married?" he blustered swinging his head around to stare at her.

"Not any more.  It lasted less than a year before he dumped me for his boss.  No great loss, believe me."

"So, you're an animal lover, i.e. Harry.  Where do you want to post the rest of these flyers?"

Nan directed him all over town until her stomach growled so loudly that he couldn't help but notice.  Wyatt responded, "Hey, how about finding a drive-through so you won't have to get out of the car.  Okay?"

"Sure, but I'll order from the dollar menu.  What little cash I had and my debit card are somewhere out there at the crash site, so it will have to be on your dime this time," she said embarrassed.  Keeping her eyes down, Nan kept busy unscrewing a lid off her water bottle and popping in a couple of pain relievers, which barely took the edge off her hurting everywhere.  

With a tummy full of a hamburger and fries, she relaxed in the warm cab listening to the hum of his motor until he woke her saying, "Keep your eyes peeled.  We are close to where you went off.  I'll go further down the road, then will turn around and park where I found you last night.  But don't even think of getting out.  Just roll down your window and call him.

"HARRY!"  Nan called over and over, but there was no movement of her dog, a white Pyrenees, in the snow.  Nan felt sick over losing her dog as well as nauseous looking down at the plowed over grove of aspens that had saved her life.  

"Hey, I think I see my purse.  Look there, it's pink."

Wyatt got out and walked to the curb with his hands on his hips.  "I think you're right.  I'll go down there, but promise me you won't get out."

"I promise.  If it didn't have my phone, my driver's license and debit card, I couldn't care less if I got it back.  Thanks and be careful."

She watched her hero sliding down the steep embankment.  Nan couldn't believe her purse had been thrown out.  If it wasn't so bright pink, she'd never have seen it.  Once again, she looked over the snow to see if there was an injured dog out there who was thrown out as well.  But no.  She was sure that Harry was nowhere to be seen.  Getting her purse back was little consolation.

Later, when Wyatt pulled up in front of her studio apartment, he got out, opened the door and helped her out steadying her crutches for her.  

"Thanks again, Wyatt.  You've gone above and beyond your call of duty.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."  She once again was struck by his stature and strength, not to mention his good looks.  She was caught in his dark eyes for a half-second.  

"I'm just sorry we didn't find your Harry."  He truly looked like it.

"Me too," she said with a lump in her throat.

Later that night, Nan's older brother Riff walked in without knocking.  "Hey, dumb-head.  Heard about your wreck.  What do you think, that trees grow on trees?"  He guffawed loudly.  Nan could smell the whiskey on his breath.  

"Somebody hit black ice and plowed into me.  But I need to go to work Monday.  Can you get one of those cars in your yard working so I can borrow it?"

"I might be able to loan you one for a couple of days, if I can get one running.  Most have their transmissions out or something like that, but I'll dig around.  But I'm just checking to see if you were still alive.  Heard you are running around with that new deputy, though.  Watch yerself, girl.  You know he can cause us a heap of trouble."

"I doubt I'll see him again, but thanks.  Hope you can bring me one of your junkyard cars."

"Now, don't be insulting my yard iffen you want something from me."

"Sorry, I meant your display of classic automobiles," she said with a smirk.

He playfully punched her in the ribs, which made her about faint with pain.  Gasping she cried, "Those are my bruised ribs, Riff!"

"Sorry," he said, but his grin showed he wasn't sorry one bit as he walked out her door.

But the next morning there was a car in her driveway.  Riff opened her door and tossed a car key onto her veneer wood floor saying, "Careful.  I'm not sure how good those brakes are, but beggars can't be choosers."   Then he disappeared with a roar of his Mustang.  Nan put her warm coat on, and grabbed her crutches.  She walked around the old Buick gas guzzler and noted the bald tires and cracked windshield.  With a sigh she said, "He's right, beggars can't be choosers."

Nan skipped church Sunday, just not feeling up to answering questions yet.  Besides, she still hurt everywhere, especially since her brother punched her sore ribs.  Hopefully he didn't break any.  Monday, she got ready to go to work, went out to start the Buick, but the battery was dead as a doornail.  Fortunately, her kind neighbor Mr. Wilkes was warming his car up and scraping the ice off his windshield and noticed.  

"Let me give you a jump."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Wilkes.  That's right neighborly of you."

As he got closer, he looked her old car over and warned, "This thing looks pretty dangerous with those smooth tires.  No telling what else is wrong, so be careful out there.  You don't need two wrecks in one week."

"Yes sir."  Finally her car was sputtering enough for her to rev up.  "Thanks," she hollered, but the man was driving away.

Evidently the heater didn't work either, but Nan carefully backed out and tested her brakes.  They pulled to the left and slid even further before her brakes finally grabbed the pavement.  Woosies!  This will be a thrill ride," she said disgustedly.

Nan only had five miles to go, but she drove like an old lady.  Right before her last turn to get to the animal pound, a red light flashed in her rear view mirror.  Her brakes didn't bother to work as she bumped and jumped a curb leaving her straddled before she could stop.

"Oh, no!  Please, please, please don't let it be Wyatt!"  But God must have been busy with a volcano or earthquake or tornado or hurricane somewhere, because He certainly had not heeded her cry.

"Nan?" Wyatt looked shocked as he bent down to look in her window.  "Is this your car?"

"No, it's my brother's.  Is there something wrong officer?"  Suddenly the car shuddered and died.  Good grief, was she out of gas too?  The dashboard gas light must not have been working.

"Did the doctor clear you for driving?"

"He never said I couldn't.  It's only a boot, not a cast."  Nan could only hope he didn't hear the quiver in her voice.

"I noticed at the last stop light that you didn't have a working right-hand signal.  Then I saw you didn't have an updated registration sticker on the license plate either.  I can issue you a warning to get that cracked front window fixed, but will have to give you citations for everything else.  May I see a proof of insurance?"

Nan leaned over and had to hit the glove box a few times before it dropped open.  She dug around and found a baggie with unknown squishy content and quit looking before she stabbed herself with a needle.  "My stupid, stupid brother!" she muttered.

"What's that?" Wyatt asked.  

"I guess he doesn't have any papers in his glove box either."  At least that was no lie, and she certainly hoped he wouldn't look for himself and find the drug paraphernalia there. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to write you up.  Let me get my pad."

As she hand cranked her window back up as far as it would go, he went back to his warm squad car and sat there too long.  How long did it take to get his pad?  She was freezing!  Nan had to practically pry her hands off the steering wheel where they had frozen so she could clap feeling back into them.  Her defroster didn't work either, so she no longer could see out her windows and about screamed when Wyatt, or rather Officer Stanford, knocked on her window.  It was all she could do to  hand crank her window back down.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you drive this car, Nan.  It will have to be towed.  I ran the license plate, and it was reported stolen in Kentucky."

The metal groaned as she opened the door.  "Are you going to arrest me?"  She asked shakily.

"No, but I'll be looking for your brother.  I'd advise not borrowing any more of his vehicles.  Let me give you a lift.  Isn't the dog pound just around the corner?"

"Yes," she admitted.  Her shame sank her heart clean down to her broken toes.  Nan grabbed her crutches and hobbled over to his squad car.  "You might as well check the glove box.  There's a baggie in there probably with white powder and who knows what else."

Wyatt looked at her in surprise.  "You do know your brother will be in a heap of trouble, don't you?"

"What else is new?  He's only been out about five months and is still on probation.

"Can you tell me where he lives?"

"I'd rather not, but ask around, and anyone can tell you where Riff lives.  I'd just rather it not be me.  But you'll know it by the rusty, broken down cars in his yard."

"I understand."  

Then they were silent on the rest of the drive to her work.  At least his warm car had thawed her out enough to allow her to hold onto her crutches and limp into work.  Maybe they'd let her drive one of their work trucks, but she doubted it.  One look at her boot wrapped in plastic, and they'd say no.

"Thanks for the ride, Officer Stanford," she managed to say getting out.  He hurried around and handed her the crutches from his back seat.

"It's Wyatt, remember?"

Nan nodded and tried to smile, but was sure it was more of a grimace.  She wanted to go crawl under a rock and not come out till a Spring thaw, but the dogs were calling her name with their howls and incessant barking.

He sat there in his car until she finally finagled her way in through the heavy front doors.  Nan couldn't bear to watch him leave.  The secretary was gracious, but was full of curiosity about her crash.  At quitting time, she asked the lady if she could possibly give her  a ride home after work.  She would have asked her boss, but she left early.

"I'm sorry, Nan, but I didn't drive today.  My husband is picking me up for a romantic anniversary dinner in the city."

"That's okay.  I'll ask Chuck."

"Oh, that won't work either, dear.  He's on a court-ordered work detail.  A warden will pick him up as always and take him back to jail.  It's a win-win for us to get free labor, and for the inmates to learn a skill, even if its just poop-scooping."  She giggled.

Nan had been ever so glad that her phone still worked after being tossed out with her purse and left in the snow.  She would called the Smiths.  The elderly couple could surely pick her up after work and take her home.  They were happy to help her.

While she waited, she also called a car rental place even though the closest was in city thirty miles away.  Towns as small as theirs didn't boast such businesses.  Getting off the phone, she sighed.  It was going to be expensive.  She didn't know how she could pay that and save to buy a car too no matter how she budgeted.  It was enough to make her cry, but Nan allowed only one teeny-tiny tear to slip down her cheek before the Smiths honked for her out front.

"Sorry to honk, dear, but it's a bit dicey on the ice for us old folks."

"I'm just grateful you could come pick me up.  My other ride didn't work."

"We heard on the prayer chain that your brother was arrested for that stolen vehicle you had borrowed from him and was busted for drug paraphernalia too."

"My, that was quick." Nothing said small town better than the prayer chain gossip.  "Officer Stanford is really Johnnie on the Spot."  

It's a good thing too.  It was unconscionable that your brother allowed you to drive a stolen car with bad brakes, bald tires and who knows what else.  For shame!"

"I'm just glad he didn't arrest me for driving a stolen car."  She also knew that her brother would never forgive her for her part, even unintentional, in his getting busted.  He'd get back at her one way or the other eventually.

She tuned back  into the Smith's pleasant chatter then was shocked.  "What did you say?"

"We said that since I surrendered my drivers license, we no longer need two cars.  We'd like to give you one of ours."

"I can't believe that!  No one has ever been this nice to me."  Tears were pooling in her eyes.

"We'll pick you up in the morning, honey, take you out for breakfast, then drive you to work.  We want George to look it over in his shop to make sure nothing's wrong before we give it to you, dear.  He should be able to drop it off where you work or at home.  If not, we'll be there until whatever he finds is fixed."

The next morning Nan was full of her half stack of pancakes and bacon after a most pleasant breakfast with the Smiths, when she walked into work.  The secretary came out really excited.  "Dear, we think we found Harry!  A deputy found him wandering about five miles out of town along a frozen river bed.  He's limping, but doesn't appear to be seriously hurt.  Of course, you'll want the vet to check him out."

But Nan had already swung her crutches around and headed out as fast as she could to the kennels.  Sure enough it was her Harry whining, wiggling and wagging in happiness as she freed him to hug him.  He might have knocked a little hard into her ribs and stepped on her broken toes, and licked her face until she about dripped with it, but nothing could dim her happiness.  Finally, she felt him all over, and he did not wince or seem to have pain, except for a torn paw pad.  "Oh, Harry!  I can't believe you're here!"

Her boss stood beside her grinning from ear to ear.  "We all know how much he meant to you, sugar.  So glad you have your boy back."  Go ahead and keep him with you as much as possible.  When you can't, put him in his dog bed as usual behind the counter in the entry.  

"Thank you so much!"  She still couldn't stop the tears.  "Do you know which officer found him?"

"I think it was that new guy, Officer Stanford, or something.  He almost looked as happy as you are.  He said he went by your house, but you weren't there.  So he brought Harry here."

"He's the deputy who found me and saved me after my wreck," she gladly admitted.  Her face was hurting with how much she was smiling.  In fact, Nan didn't know when she'd been so happy.  "Excuse me, but I need to call him to thank him."  She walked away with one hand on her phone and one hand on her dog's head.

"Wyatt?  Are you driving?"  She'd hate to think he'd pick up the phone in that case.

"I have it on speaker, and no one is with me.  So, I take it you found the big surprise."

"Oh, my goodness!  I don't know how you found him!"

"I went on a back road towards the canyon as close to down where your car landed as possible.  He was walking on the road.  Is he hurt?  I noticed he was limping."

"Not too badly, I don't think he has internal bleeding though.  But Harry's as playful as a pup and as happy to be reunited as I was.  I don't know how to thank you."

"Go to dinner with me, then."

She was silent too long.

"Nan, if you don't want to, just tell me.  I can handle it."

"No, I want to, I really do, but how about if we order pizza to be delivered to my place.  That way I won't have to leave Harry alone and can keep an eye on him."

"Sounds good to me.  Is there anything you don't like on a pizza?"

"I haven't met a pizza I didn't like," she grinned.  "You pick."

"6:00?"

"Sounds good.  I have other good news to tell you, but I'll wait 'till tonight."

He was quiet, then he said, "I'm sorry about your brother, Nan.  I couldn't look the other way."

"It was his choice to violate the law.  I don't blame you that he has to face the consequences.  Sometimes it's easier on me to have him behind bars, truth be told.  Actually, my other brother is in prison as well."

"Well, I can hear the dogs barking up a storm, so I'll let you go and look forward to seeing you tonight."

"Okay, and thanks a million, Wyatt."

She knew she needed to get back to work though she'd found a plastic chair to sit on in order to rest her ankle and toes and to be able to pet Harry better.  He lay down evidently exhausted.

"Mrs. Smith?  I just wanted to let you and your husband know that Officer Stanford found Harry!"  The sweet lady's squeal hurt her ears, but Nan just laughed.   "Yes, can you believe it?  God is so good!"

The final call was to cancel the rental car.  No, that wasn't the final call.  It was to close her eyes and reach out to thank her Savior.  She whispered, "I know you heard my cry, dear Lord, and don't just attend to volcanoes and earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes and stuff like that.  I know you even care about Harry.  But I want to thank you from the bottom to the top of my heart.  Oh, and thank you for the Smiths and for Officer Wyatt Stanford.  That was really sweet of you, God, to give me those blessings.  I just pray that I can get over my bitter past of man trials enough to enjoy the present gifts you are sending my way whether it's a new car or a man in a uniform.  Oh, and help Riff to find you even while in prison.  He needs saving really badly.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Dinner was perfect, a supreme pizza.  Nan was extra glad when George drove up in the nice clean 2016 Honda from the Smiths.  It was in supreme condition.  Someone else from his garage parked out front waiting for him.

"Couldn't find a thing wrong with her.  Just sign here to show that it was delivered.  Hey, I see you got your Harry back!  You had every Tom, Dick and Harry out there looking for him.  Who found him?

"Deputy Stanford and I'm so very grateful?  Deputy Stanford, this is George.  He has the best garage in town."

George laughed while shaking Wyatt's hand.  "It's the only garage in town."

George went on saying, "Well, we heard about your wreck."  He whistled.  "I'd say you had a close call all right.   We also heard about that polecat of a brother letting you drive that worthless Buick with no brakes, a dead battery, and was stolen to boot with drugs in the glove box.  Oh well, God worked everything to your good, so congratulations, miss.  Those Smiths are fine people, as good of Christians as I've ever met.  It's a benefit of living in a small town, knowing people such as them folks.  And welcome home, Miss Hanson.  We're glad you are back where you belong."

"Thank you so much, George.  You don't know how much I appreciate you saying that."

"I might have some idea.  With that family of yorn, you put up with your share of gossip.  A small town like this has a long memory, but we also know a diamond in the rough when we see it, and that you are.  Right purty, in fact."  He winked and was gone.

"Who knew a grease monkey could be so wise," Wyatt said amazed.

"I think I needed to hear every one of those words he said.  Well, how about a Netflicks movie?"

"Move over, Harry.  You can't hog the whole couch," Nan laughed.

This time when a guy casually put his arm on the back of the couch, she just snuggled closer.  When he kissed her good night, he did not crack her teeth or crush her lips, but was gentle.   When he winked, he wasn't leering at her.   She knew he was the first God-fearing man she'd ever dated.  Nan knew she'd never go down that walk of shame again, but could hold her head up in her small town and hold fast to the hand of her hero.  After Wyatt left, Harry pushed his head under her hand demanding to be petted.  Yes, and you too Harry.  You were lost but now are found.  We both are saved by grace and by a certain deputy.  She happily sighed, "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places" indeed, even if it's in a small town.