She shook her head.“No.”
“No?”
Another shake.“No.Goodbye.”
Definitely time for a strategic retreat.And to rethink his strategy.
He backed away immediately.The dog whined, and he reached to give her another pat.“Nice to meet you both.I’ll see you around.”
When she didn’t respond, he realized that the statement could sound creepy.Damn, he was screwing this up in every way imaginable.
He gritted his teeth to keep more words trapped inside.Sure, she was gorgeous, but he’d been around gorgeous women before.None of them had scrambled his brain so that he spewed idiotic nonsense.
At least his skin was dark enough to hide the fact that he was blushing.Blushing as if he’d been walking down the hallway of his middle school naked.
Shaking his head, Lawson hopped into his truck.He waved before leaving, hoping to keep some of his dignity.
The drive home wasn’t long enough for to overcome his embarrassment.How did he fix this?The woman didn’t need to be afraid of him, and he wanted to reassure her that she was safe.Neither he nor his drone was dangerous.How did he do that without making things worse?
Once he was back on the farm, Lawson headed to the equipment barn and used his key to unlock it.Instead of turning on the lights, he moved to open the massive doors at the front.They moved easily despite the size.He’d bet that was his buddy Ford in action.
He was jealous of how smoothly the door moved because he’d been anything but smooth with their neighbor.Dumbass.
He breathed a few lungfuls of motor oil and lingering exhaust to settle himself.He’d always been able to lose himself in engines.
A quick glance around the barn told him he could lose himself for years here.
ATVs, tractors, and trucks that pulled bins behind for harvesting.Some vehicles appeared to be decades old.Rusted fenders begged to be brought back to life.Enough variety in the types of engines to make him smile.
Shelves lined the walls, and Lawson decided to circuit of the outer edges before checking out the middle.He’d get a feel for the barn’s organization and see what was here, and what he’d need to add.
Of course, his own tools filled his truck bed.His clothes and personal items had only taken a few duffels.He’d donated his furniture and kitchen stuff to a thrift store back in Boston.Few of his things had any personal meaning.That was reserved for pictures of his family and his tools.
The first workbench brought him to a quick halt.He’d bet it had been built at the same time as the barn.At least a century ago.
He ran his fingers over the scars covering the surface.Nicks and gouges from tools, deliberate carvings like hearts and apples.The round edges of the shapes had been created by repeated chips of a tiny chisel.It would have taken time to create these mini-masterpieces.
Who had done it?The original owners?Maybe their children or their great-grandchildren.
So many stories in the wood.
Along the back edge of the workbench, there were equally ancient toolboxes.Some were open-topped, with handles.Others had lids and latches.Handmade latches.
Someone had been a welder at some point.He had his own welder in the back of the truck, but he hoped there was another in the depths of the barn.
That thought brought him up short.If he wasn’t mistaken, he’d inhaled the same scent when his neighbor opened her garage door.Was she a mechanic, too?Was that why she’d bluntly refused his offer to buy the truck?
With a sigh, Lawson shook his head to get rid of the questions.He opened each toolbox and picked through the contents as he moved.Wrenches of all shapes and sizes.Some looked to be handmade.Had there been a blacksmith nearby who had forged the tools?Was the shop still around?That would be amazing.Blacksmithing would be an intriguing hobby.
He figured it would bring him the same thrills he got when restoring old vehicles, like the sweet truck on his neighbor’s property.
So much for shoving her out of his mind.
The gorgeous woman had been afraid of him.More so when he’d confessed he’d flown the drone around her truck.
She had to be hiding something.
Or hidingfromsomething.
