Winter Affair by Doreen Owens Malek Page A

looked up as Jim Kendall approached, carrying a yellow pay envelope.
    “Here’s your overtime check,” the plant manager said. “I thought you would want it before the holiday.”
    “Thanks a lot,” Reardon said, accepting the envelope and smiling at Kendall. Reardon liked him. He had taken a chance on hiring a man with a prison record, and unlike some of the other employees, Kendall always treated him fairly.
    “How’s it coming?” Kendall asked, gesturing to the dismantled cylinder.
    “Oh, I’ll get it,” Reardon replied, shrugging. “It may take awhile but I’ll put it together.”
    “You usually do,” Kendall said, nodding. He studied the younger man while Reardon picked up the screwdriver again and went back to his labors.
    “Have you seen anything of the Bradshaw girl lately?” Kendall asked mildly, his tone belying his keen interest.
    He saw Reardon stiffen, but he didn’t look up. He shook his head silently.
    “Too bad,” Kendall went on. “That was a nice thing she did for you, breaking up the sideshow like that. You were heading straight for a brawl.”
    “You saw that?” Reardon asked, raising his head, his gray eyes intent.
    “Yeah, I was in back and got wind of what was going on. And even if I hadn’t, I would have heard about it. It was all the talk around here, but I’m sure you know that.”
    Reardon didn’t answer, looking back at the work he was doing.
    “She’s a nice girl, Kyle,” Kendall said gently.
    Reardon’s mouth tightened. “I know she’s a nice girl. That’s why I’m doing her the biggest favor of her life and staying away from her.” He turned to the side slightly, and it was a dismissal. He didn’t want to talk about it.
    Kendall strolled back to his office, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully.
    Reardon was a strange one. With his background, Kendall had expected him to be a problem, surly, possibly belligerent. But he was quiet to the point of reticence, and went out of his way to avoid trouble, doing his job and keeping to himself. And he was exhibiting an uncommon sensitivity in avoiding Leda Bradshaw. He obviously thought he would be bad news for the daughter of his former employer, and Kendall could hardly disagree with him. But Kendall thought it would take more fortitude than he himself possessed to resist the invitation implicit in the girl’s gesture that evening at the hangar. She had wanted Reardon, and everyone who witnessed them together knew it.
    Kendall sighed. It was a tough situation. Those two were obviously drawn to each other, but Reardon didn’t feel he should do anything about it. Poor guy. Kendall had seen enough of him to tell that he was very lonely, the type who’d been alone so long he barely knew what it was to interact with other people beyond the level of necessary conversation. And he’d been shaken by the encounter with Bradshaw’s daughter; he’d walked around for the rest of the night in a daze. Yet he chose to pursue his solitary path, working so much overtime that he wasn’t away from the job long enough to sleep, much less establish a relationship with Leda Bradshaw or anyone else.
    Kendall shook his head. It was none of his business if the man wanted to work himself to death. He doubtless needed the money, and the long hours probably kept his mind off the things he wanted to forget.
    Kendall opened the door to his office and hurried to answer his ringing phone, his thoughts shifting back to the business at hand. Out on the floor of the hangar, Reardon worked on the defective cylinder while the other employees walked a wide circle around him, leaving him, as always, by himself.
    * * * *
    When Leda got up in the dark the next morning to get ready for her audition, it was snowing. She turned on the radio to get the local weather and the news was not good. The snow was expected to continue for several hours, with an accumulation of three to four inches and hazardous driving conditions.
    She briefly debated whether