In one of the other bays, Ryder is leaning over the open hood of a sedan. He looks over his shoulder as I pull up. His ball cap is on backward, and his work shirt is lying over the fender of the car.
Ryder and I have known each other since we were kids, we grew up together and were friends up until our high school graduation. We lost touch after I enlisted, but since I’ve been back, we’ve had a few beers on more than one occasion at Stony’s.
As I walk up to the garage, he pulls his long frame from under the hood and wipes grease off his hands with a rag thatlooks like it has enough black grease on it to make it useless. “Hey, Tucker, what’s up?”
He steps away from the car to meet me just outside the garage. “Just want to check on the car I called you about a few weeks ago, see what’s wrong with it and what’s the total so far.”
He huffs and looks over his shoulder at the pretty gray SUV. “I don’t know when people will learn that if you don’t live in Germany, don’t buy German cars.” He turns back to face me and stuffs the greasy rag into the back pocket of his jeans. “That particular model has a history of engine issues when the mileage gets high and the warranty is expired. To be honest, I’m thinking about outsourcing it to someone who specializes in those. The parts are a bitch to get, and taking it apart is a fucking nightmare.”
Fuck. I know those cars are hard to work on, and I wondered if that would be a problem. “Have you ordered parts for it yet?”
He pulls his cap off with a wince and scratches the bill against his head before setting it back on. “They’re fucking back-ordered, which I called and let her know, but she wants this car fixed. For the amount of money she’s paying to have it repaired, she could get a comparable running vehicle, which I offered to hook her up, but she turned it down.”
I look back toward the SUV sitting in the shop over his shoulder and drag my hand down my mouth and chin. I’m willing to bet her ex took care of the maintenance, and since she’s been on her own, the mileage has caught up with her. “Okay. Let me talk to her, and I’ll get back to you.”
On the drive back to town, I think about how fast Nora turned on Trudy last night. She went from zero to sixty faster than a blink. Trudy would have deserved anything she got had I not intervened. I don’t know if Nora has it in her to go all out catty, but it looked like it could have gone in that direction.
I knew what Trudy was doing when she stopped the nasty glares she usually gives me and leaned over in front of me to put that beer on the table. So, I made sure Nora knew she had nothing to worry about, especially with her track record with cheating men, and what she’s been told about me.
One thing about Nora that I fucking adore is her gentleness. She’s soft in every sense of the word, her voice, her body, her reactions, her passion. She’s gorgeous inside and out.
To see her fall apart, to become so angry, because of a jealous, nasty woman was something I wasn’t going to stand for. I’ll protect her from anything that threatens the qualities that make her beautiful.
But behind that gentleness is so much fucking strength. There are few women who could go through what she’s been through and still get up every day with the determination she does. Hell, there aren’t many men who could.
My phone rings through the speaker system of my truck, and Callum’s name flashes on the display panel. “Harlow.”
“Well, that’s something I’ll have to get used to. You and your brother have the same phone voice.” Callum says, humor laced in his comment. “I got your message. You want to come take a look around?”
Choosing to ignore that I sound like my brother or any other chit-chat, I jump right into why I messaged him in the first place. “Yes, it’s one reason I reached out. The other is that I need help finding a guy, and I only have his first name and a few details.”
“Finding people with few details is part of what we do. What’s up?” Paper crinkles in the background, and a muffled thump sounds like the phone being set down so he can put me on speaker.
“There’s a woman here in town hiding from her ex-fiancé, her name is Nora Abernathy, car plates are from D.C. I know his first name is Matt. He had bogus charges brought against her inthe last six months. I want to know everything I can about him. Including where he lives and works.”
The sound of a pen scratching on paper travels through the line before he says, “I’ll get Spits to look into it today, this info should be easy to find.” Spits is their tech guy, who is constantly eating sunflower seeds by the same name, so that’s become his call sign. “Is this your girl from the pub?”
Is she my girl?
Yes, there’s no question. A lifetime of considering myself a forever bachelor has been squashed by a gentle redhead in just under a month. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy seeing her temper when she turned on me last night, it was fucking adorable, but there is no scenario in my mind where she’s not mine.
“She is. He might be a threat.”
“Understood, I’ll get Spits on it ASAP.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Sure. Just let me know when you want to come down here and I’ll take care of the flight arrangements.”
“Will do.”
Back at the ranch, there is a brand new blue truck with a paper tag still attached to the back, sitting in front of the main house. My first thought is that one of my siblings bought a new truck, but when I walk into the kitchen, I see a familiar head of shiny black hair standing at the kitchen island talking to my father and brothers.
He turns when he hears my boots scraping on the hardwood and grins.
“Fuck me, Mato, is that you?” I say as I walk toward him.
“In the flesh.” He chuckles as we embrace and slap each other on the back.
