Nolan drained the last of his coffee from his travel mug, frowning as he did so. When did he drink it all? He walked to the pot, ignoring Drew cursing in the background under a car where he’d apparently just bashed his head on the lift arm, again. He wanted to shout at him to just raise the lift a little higher, but if the boy couldn’t figure that out on his own, he deserved the headache.
“Dammit,” he muttered, seeing the carafe was empty. He hadn’t slept well last night, and he needed more coffee than usual to keep going today. His eyes felt gritty and hot with exhaustion. He’d fallen asleep as usual, but dreams of his late wife kept him from rest. After the third time waking from the same dream, he’d given up and started the coffee. Owning a business meant there was always paperwork to be done. Not how he wanted to spend his time, but he didn’t have a bookkeeper. He’d made a dent in the pile of invoices and parts orders, settled up payroll for the next two weeks, and made a list of people he needed to call about money they still owed on work he’d done. Green Springs was a small town and the income disparity was extreme. There weren’t many middle-class people. Folks were either well off or struggling. He knew what it felt like to have your only vehicle break down and not have money for repairs, and being without it wasn’t an option either. How was he supposed to get paid for the work if the customer couldn’t get to their job to make said money? Maybe he was too softhearted, but he was in the business of fixing cars, not forcing people to choose between car parts or food for their families.
Dumping the grounds, he started a new pot of coffee even though his hands already shook a bit from the caffeine overload. The phone rang shrilly. He kept the ringer turned up as high as it would go so they could hear it over the air compressors that kicked on periodically. Snatching up the receiver, he propped it on his shoulder and continued to measure coffee grounds. “Green’s Garage, this is Nolan.”
“Hello, my name is Sally Jones. My car broke down.” A sweet, soft voice crooned over the line. He knew most everyone in town and whoever this was, she wasn’t someone he’d spoken to on the phone before.
“Yes, ma’am. I can help with that. Can you tell me where you are and what you think the trouble is?” His spine straightened as he spoke to her. There was something in her voice that made him snap to attention.
“Um, I’m not really sure. My car just kind of shut off and I had to pull over. It won’t start now. I’m just outside of town, right next to the Welcome to Green Springs sign, actually.” Her voice sounded concerned, but not necessarily scared.
“I know just where you are. I’ll be there with my tow truck in about ten minutes, ma’am. You just sit tight, okay?”
“Sure. Not as if I can go anywhere.”
Chuckling, he replied, “I’ll see you in a bit.” He hung up the phone and left the coffee to finish brewing, then grabbed the tow truck keys.
“Hey, Drew! I got a tow. Headin’ out.” Drew waved over his shoulder in response, engrossed in his task.
Hopping in the truck, Nolan headed out and arrived at the stalled car, a sporty red Mercedes, in under five minutes. As he passed by and turned around so he could hook her car to the back of his rig, he noted she was leaning against the driver’s door waiting for him. Wiping his hands on a rag, he adjusted his ball cap and got out. He let out a low whistle, admiring the beauty that was the powerful sleek machine.
“Afternoon, ma’am, I’m Nolan. We spoke on the phone.” He tipped the brim of his hat, his introduction and southern manners flowing out of him automatically, before getting a good look at her. But when he did, he saw a vision standing before him.Holy shit. She was gorgeous. A riot of thick, black curls hung around her face and shoulders, framing blue eyes that were startling in contrast to her smooth skin, the color of milk chocolate. He couldn’t help but wonder if it tasted as sweet as it looked. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help himself as his eyes trailed down her figure, and what a figure it was. She was curvy and luscious, reminding him of a young Lena Horne, from the movies his mother loved to watch when he was a kid.
“I’m Sally. Thanks for coming straight out, I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. Won’t take me but a few minutes to hook her up and we’ll be on our way. Do you have someone you can call to come get you?” He didn’t wait for her answer before walking back to his truck and opening the passenger door for her. “Why don’t you hop in out of this heat while I get to work.”
He tried not to be obvious checking out her backside as she climbed up and in, but, again, found his eyes drawn to her. She filled out her jeans just right. He’d always been a man who appreciated a fuller-figured woman. In fact, it had been years since he’d seen a woman who sparked any interest at all. Not since his wife.
“Yes, my father is going to pick me up. He’s the one who told me to call you, since I’m visiting here for the first time.”
“Great. I know just about everyone in town. Who’s your father?”
“Sandy Patrick.”
Nolan tried to hide his surprise. “I didn’t know Sandy had any children.”
Sally let out a throaty laugh that had his insides buzzing. “Neither did he, until recently. It’s kind of a long story, but we’ve recently found each other.”
Nolan felt an unfamiliar desire to establish a connection, so he kept the conversation going. “This is a story I have to hear. I’ve known the Patricks for years. I work on all their vehicles. Come to think of it, you drive the same model Benz as Sandy’s niece.”
“Barbara Jeanne? Wow, that’s interesting.” She settled back into the seat and buckled her belt.
“Back in a few.”
Nolan let his mind drift as he hooked up the car with practiced ease. Sandy’s daughter? He’d never heard any whispers of the businessman having children. And he never would have guessed it by looking at her. Just goes to show, even in a small town full of gossips, you never really know people or what goes on out of the public eye. After climbing back into his truck, he signaled and carefully pulled out onto the road. Glancing over at Sally, he racked his brain for something else to say. He was a confident man, sure of himself and normally not shy, but Sally’s beauty disarmed him and tied his tongue.
“So, how long are you visitin’ for?” He was hoping she would be there a while; maybe he could get up the nerve to ask her to dinner. If she blew him off, he could just say he was wondering because of her car.
“Maybe a month, or a little longer if things back home go okay.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He glanced away, forcing his eyes back to the road.
“How long do you think it will take you to fix my car?”
“That depends on what’s wrong with it. I don’t keep Benz parts in stock, so whatever it needs, I’ll have to order. I won’t know until I get in there and check it out.” He downshifted and turned into the garage parking lot. “What’s back home?”
“I own a clothing boutique in Chicago.” She smiled, her pride in her business obvious.
Nolan breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t indicated a special someone back home. “And you can get away for a month? Lucky you! I own the garage and it’s all I can do to get a weekend off occasionally.”
