"Whoa there, Houdini!" Gabe Sullivan grabbed his daughter by the handles, or, as the clothing manufacturers would have called them, the backs of her red denim overalls. So far, she'd made at least eight breaks for freedom, but this was the second time she'd headed, with a determined if somewhat wobbly stride, to the coffee house and he could just imagine what might happen if she scored a sample of espresso. She'd probably figure out a way to do it, too.
He suspected that he was secretly a small-town person. He liked seeing open parking spaces in front of stores, liked seeing wheat fields just a bit away, and liked seeing old trucks hauling produce and bales of hay. Chloe seemed to be finding a lot to like, too. He knew that it was pretty crazy of him to come check the town out even before the jobs at the new plant were posted, but it just felt right to be here. And maybe in a small town, things would work out a bit better with...no, he wasn't going to think about that, not now. Chloe was sometimes just too perceptive of moods and if there was one thing he wanted, it was for them to resolve whatever the problem was without getting their baby involved or even aware.
"Do you see the horsey, sweetheart?" He scooped her up onto his shoulders so she could see the horse hitched to a tree next to a leather goods shop. "Look at the big horsey." He guessed she wasn't impressed since after just a few seconds, she was wriggling to get down.
She pulled him in the direction of another store, this one a flower shop. "You know, you're going to stretch that arm so long that you'll have to fold it up to go to bed at night." She looked up at him with a puzzled air for a second, and then burst out into a brilliant grin. "That's my gorgeous little girl. So, if Daddy gets a job here, would you like that, Chloe-oey-oey-oey?"
She lost interest in the display in the flower shop window and looked wide-eyed at a truck that pulled up. A tall, blond man jumped out and opened the door for a red-haired woman who was holding a toddler about Chloe's age. They each took one of his hands and started in their direction, and Chloe ran towards them.
The woman laughed indulgently and the man looked amused as she pulled her latest favorite toy, a plastic microphone, from her pocket and held it in front of the boy, who looked bashful. "I'm C'oe Sulliban and this is Channel Five News. What's your name?"
"Clark, you're being interviewed," the woman said, still laughing. "Can you tell her your name?" After a few moments, the boy lost his deer-in-the-headlights look and grinned. "I'm Clark Kent and I help my mommy and daddy on the farm."
"That's right, you're a big help, aren't you?" Chloe seemed to lose interest as the boy's father ruffled his hair and she looked into the window of a small department store. The parents exchanged smiles and Gabe and Chloe continued their way back to the car.
Just as he opened the door and was ready to scoop her inside, she turned back to look at the boy and his family as they walked off. He chuckled to himself as he saw, only a few seconds later, the boy turn around and look back, too.
He suspected that he was secretly a small-town person. He liked seeing open parking spaces in front of stores, liked seeing wheat fields just a bit away, and liked seeing old trucks hauling produce and bales of hay. Chloe seemed to be finding a lot to like, too. He knew that it was pretty crazy of him to come check the town out even before the jobs at the new plant were posted, but it just felt right to be here. And maybe in a small town, things would work out a bit better with...no, he wasn't going to think about that, not now. Chloe was sometimes just too perceptive of moods and if there was one thing he wanted, it was for them to resolve whatever the problem was without getting their baby involved or even aware.
"Do you see the horsey, sweetheart?" He scooped her up onto his shoulders so she could see the horse hitched to a tree next to a leather goods shop. "Look at the big horsey." He guessed she wasn't impressed since after just a few seconds, she was wriggling to get down.
She pulled him in the direction of another store, this one a flower shop. "You know, you're going to stretch that arm so long that you'll have to fold it up to go to bed at night." She looked up at him with a puzzled air for a second, and then burst out into a brilliant grin. "That's my gorgeous little girl. So, if Daddy gets a job here, would you like that, Chloe-oey-oey-oey?"
She lost interest in the display in the flower shop window and looked wide-eyed at a truck that pulled up. A tall, blond man jumped out and opened the door for a red-haired woman who was holding a toddler about Chloe's age. They each took one of his hands and started in their direction, and Chloe ran towards them.
The woman laughed indulgently and the man looked amused as she pulled her latest favorite toy, a plastic microphone, from her pocket and held it in front of the boy, who looked bashful. "I'm C'oe Sulliban and this is Channel Five News. What's your name?"
"Clark, you're being interviewed," the woman said, still laughing. "Can you tell her your name?" After a few moments, the boy lost his deer-in-the-headlights look and grinned. "I'm Clark Kent and I help my mommy and daddy on the farm."
"That's right, you're a big help, aren't you?" Chloe seemed to lose interest as the boy's father ruffled his hair and she looked into the window of a small department store. The parents exchanged smiles and Gabe and Chloe continued their way back to the car.
Just as he opened the door and was ready to scoop her inside, she turned back to look at the boy and his family as they walked off. He chuckled to himself as he saw, only a few seconds later, the boy turn around and look back, too.