The wheel of fortune began spinning in my head. Was this a nice guy or a dick? Would he be grateful or gross? Future friend or cannibal killer?
I had pepper spray, although I wasn’t sure how effective it would be in the rain. It would probably get all over me instead of him. But hey, if he turned out to be a cannibal, at least I’d be well seasoned.
I needed to stop watching so many true-crime documentaries.
Chuckling, I pulled over, activated my hazard lights, and got out of the van. Raindrops pattered on my hood and the smell of mud and car exhaust filled my nose. “Need some help?” I called to him.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice loud and as booming as thunder. “But no, AAA is on their way.”
I laughed and shook my head, walking up to the front of his car. “I can promise you, they’re not. At least not for another hour or two.”
“How could you possibly know that?” he asked, eyes narrowed at me. Up close, the guy towered over me, even hunched a bit to avoid the rain. His bright green eyes burned with curiosity as he looked me up and down.
“Because my brother is the AAA guy in town and he’s on his way to the airport. Whoever they’re sending, it’s going to be a while.”
“Lovely,” he said, wiping more rain out of his eyes. “Doyouknow how to fix an engine?”
“No, but I know how to drive you somewhere dry and warm.” I smiled at him. “Just tell me where you’re headed.”
The man shot me a look of suspicion. “Gonna lock me in your cellar?”
The nerve of this guy, as if I would abduct him? “No, tools go in the barn.”
“Ouch.”
“You want a ride or not?” I asked, my patience wearing thin. “I’m not trying to get pneumonia out in this rain. Some of us work for a living.”
“I work for a living.”
I looked down at his feet, then back up at him, and blinked lazily. “Not in shoes like that you don’t.”
He scoffed, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Fine, you can give me a ride.”
“You’re welcome to wait out here, if my offer of help is so annoying,” I said, planting my hands on my hips.
Even wet and not at his best, there was no hiding the strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. I could only imagine what he looked like when he wasn’t waterlogged like a shipwrecked sailor. I wondered if being dry would improve his personality, though.
He shook his head and held out his hand. “Thank you for the help. I’m Carter.”
I took his hand and felt an electric shock pass through me that almost knocked me out of my rainboots. Clearly, Dora Lynn was right and it had been too long since I’d been with a guy, if just shaking hands with Carter had me sizzling for him. Despite the rain and the chill, his hands were warm, and his grip was firm for a city boy.
“Shelby,” I said, hoping he couldn’t hear how breathy my voice had gotten.
We hopped in the van and I passed him a towel I kept in the backseat. He looked at it like it might be radioactive.
“It’s clean,” I said gruffly.Mostly clean anyway.
Carter wiped his face and hands and leaned back in the seat. “Thank you for stopping. It sucks out there.”
He was not my type at all—no flannel, denim, or farmer’s tan—but sitting this close to him in the van, I was having trouble breathing regularly. I glanced at him and his eyes met mine, forcing me to quickly look away before I got trapped in his gaze.
I suddenly wished I wasn’t wearing bulky rain gear, which was impossible to look cute in, at least for me. Then I chastised myself for caring if this stranger thought I looked cute. And so what if my coat squeaked when I turned the wheel? No shame in practical clothes.
“Where are you heading?” I asked, trying to regain control of my racing thoughts.
“Honeyrose House?”
“Oh, Mrs. Presley’s B&B?”
