His shoulders loosened a fraction, like he was grateful she hadn’t made it weirder than it already was.
River climbed back into the seat and shut off the engine.
“You got it working again!” Rose’s excited voice had both of their heads snapping toward her. “I knew you could do it. My dad is going to eat his words. My uncle, too.”
That seemed to surprise the doctor because he frowned at Rose.
At the look of confusion on his face, Rose shrugged. “Our dads bet me this piece of junk wouldn’t start and we’d have to scrap it.” She flashed River a bright smile. “You just won us two hundred bucks. I’ll get you your cut by end of day.”
River pulled a rag from her back pocket and wiped at the stubborn grease on her hands. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Absolutely, I do. You’re the one who assured me you could get it up and running. I wouldn’t have made the bet without your assessment.”
The faith in Rose’s voice did something to River’s chest she wasn’t prepared for. River never had anyone around to brag about her skills. She didn’t think she needed it. So why did her chest feel all warm and fuzzy? It was an unfamiliar sensation—one she didn’t quite know what to do with.
Enough.
She didn’t need anyone’s approval. Not even her new boss.
Smiling at Rose, River shoved the rag back into her pocket. “If you insist.”
It was then she realized the doctor was still standing there. And he wasn’t the graying gentleman she’d expected.
He was Rose’s cousin—tall, broad-shouldered, and painfully handsome in a way that should’ve been illegal this early in the day.
His ears were still faintly pink, like he couldn’t decide whether to be embarrassed or amused. River fought the urge to grin.
“Oh, right.” Rose gestured between them. “River, this is my cousin, Mathew. Matt, this is the mechanic I was talking about. She burned her forearm when she?—”
River rolled her eyes, lifting her arm. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve had worse.”
His brows furrowed. “How’s that?”
She shrugged, dropping her arm. “I’m good with engines. Less good with gravity. I’ve broken my share of bones. Collected more stitches than I’d like. And?—”
Rose let out an exasperated sigh, and River swallowed the rest of her list.
She was still trying to decide whether she’d overshared when a light touch closed around her wrist.
She sucked in a sharp gasp of surprise, but Mathew didn’t release her. He turned over her arm and dipped his head to examine the burn marks. He was wearing gloves. When had he put those on? The touch should’ve felt clinical.
It didn’t.
Something quick and bright skated along her nerves, and River hated that her first instinct was to pull away—not because it hurt, but because it didn’t.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his, hating that she clearly had goosebumps.
For once in her life, she couldn’t find her voice. Jokes didn’t come as easy when someone looked at her like that—like she mattered.
He was clean-cut in a way that should’ve felt intimidating. Instead, it made her weirdly aware of her own grease-streaked hands and too-fast heartbeat.
Maybe that was why Emerson didn’t exactly do anything for her. He was rough around the edges with facial hair and medium-length waves he liked to run his hands through.
Mathew? His hair was cut short around the sides with a little length on top. The temptation to reach up and touch it was almost too much, and thankfully, his voice distracted her enough to prevent her from making a fool of herself.
“It doesn’t look too serious. But I do think it’s important to treat it with some ointment and keep this covered, so it doesn’t get infected or leave a scar.”
“Like I said…” River tugged at her arm. “Nothing I haven’t had happen before.”
