Caleb crouched beside the wheel, closer now but still careful not to crowd her. He studied the tire, then leaned in to check therim. “You’re right,” he said after a moment. “Looks like the rim might be bent. Could be more underneath.”
She exhaled softly, relief and irritation mingling. “That’s what I thought.”
He glanced up at her then, a faint smile touching his mouth. “Are you a mechanic?”
“No,” she replied. “Just... I know this car inside and out.”
“That’s good,” he said, straightening. “Especially out here. It’s pretty remote.”
She glanced up the empty road, the rain falling steadily through the mist. “Which brings me to a question,” she added, trying to sound more curious than accusing. “Where did you come from? I didn’t hear a car. I don’t see a car.”
Caleb didn’t hesitate. “I was out for a run,” he said easily. “I heard the tire pop and thought I’d better come see if there was anything I could do to help. That’s when I sawyou.”
That answered part of it, though not all. Because he might have been dressed for the outdoors, but he was not dressed for a run.
However, Hannah filed the thought away and returned her attention to the problem in front of her.
The spare would get her moving, but she didn’t want to risk further damage to the car. Added to that, the road ahead was narrow and unfamiliar, already slick with rain, and the light was fading fast.
A garage meant someone who could tell her exactly what she was dealing with instead of guessing and hoping for the best.
“I can call Roy for a tow, if you want,” Caleb offered. “Saves you having to drive on that spare in this weather.”
It was the sensible option. Hannah nodded. “That would be helpful. Thank you.”
Caleb made the call, his side of the conversation brief and practical, giving directions and little else. When he finished, he slid the phone back into his pocket. “Twenty minutes.”
Hannah nodded, then glanced at the rain coming down harder now, the cold already seeping through her damp jacket. “You don’t have to wait,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head once, easy and unbothered. “It’s no trouble.”
She hesitated, then gestured toward the car. “We might as well sit inside. It’s warmer. And drier.”
The invitation hung there between them long enough for Hannah to realize what she’d said.
Had she really just invited a complete stranger into her car?
But it was too late now. When Caleb nodded and then opened the passenger door and climbed in, Hannah had no choice but to do the same.
Inside the car, the air quickly fogged as she turned the engine back on, and the familiar hum settled her nerves. The windows steamed, blurring the world outside into soft shapes and muted light.
Next to her, Caleb folded himself into the passenger seat, and Hannah became suddenly, unhelpfully aware of him. The warmth, the closeness, the way his shoulder was only inches from hers.
She ignored it. Or tried to.
“So,” she said, because silence had a way of letting thoughts wander where she didn’t want them to go. “Do you live in Bear Creek?”
“All my life,” he replied. “It’s a good place. Friendly. Not like other small towns. People look out for each other without getting into your business.”
She nodded, watching rain trace slow paths down the windshield. “That sounds... nice.”
“It is.” He smiled, his gaze distant. “The mountains help. They give you space. To think. To breathe. To slow down and enjoy life.”
She could picture it then... a life shaped by weather and routine instead of constant motion. The idea of belonging in a place like this settled in her mind and felt unexpectedly right.
Like...
The tow truck’s lights cut through the fogged glass before she could finish the thought.
