The Wandering Minstrel — Ann Patrick

He was standing on the edge of town, one thumb hooked into the strap of his knapsack the other extended in the universal sign of a hitchhiker.

At first glance he looked like a typical freeloader. With her second glance, the woman behind the wheel of the low-slung sports car revised her opinion. Against all she had been taught about picking up strangers, Jody pulled to a halt a short distance ahead of the man.