“Used to have a lowrider. Had a kid, though, and we needed a family vehicle. Always regretted selling her.”
The opportunity had practically fallen into her lap. She jumped on it. “How many kids do you have?”
“Two boys—they’re grown now though.” He glanced at Gunner. “You need that bike serviced, you should bring it here. I can take one of those apart and put it back together blindfolded.”
“Will do. We’ll let you get back to work.” Gunner squeezed her elbow.
Yes, they’d gotten enough information for now. Enough to assure her they’d found the right man. They’d be back tomorrow.
The man nodded and headed back to his current project.
Gunner opened the door for her, and they slipped out into the sultry afternoon. She couldn’t believe they’d located him so easily!
“That’s him,” Gunner said once they were a safe distance from the building.
“It’s definitely him.”
When they approached her vehicle, Gunner opened the driver’s-side door and removed the oil-change sticker. Then he joined her by his bike.
“I completely forgot about that.”
“You have a few things on your mind.”
“Can you believe how much he resembles Cooper? Those eyes.”
“Cooper? He has your cleft chin and that little furrow between the brows.”
“Really? You think so?”
“I saw it right away.”
She stared at Gunner. “I can’t believe it’s him. I can’t believe we found him.”
“If his appearance wasn’t enough, he mentioned having two sons.”
“Can you believe the way he just offered that piece of information? I’ve sweated tears over how to casually extract information from him, and he just threw it right out there.”
“It was a gift, for sure. But once I saw him, I knew. That’s your father.”
Her smile widened until she was beaming at him. “That’s my father.” Now came the real question: What would she do about it?
***
Gunner was riding as high as Charlotte. He was so happy for her and glad to have had a small part in her discovery. He was proud of her, too, for facing her fears and going forward with this. It had to be scary. She didn’t know Craig Burton. He could’ve been a real jerk. Even so, he could refuse to accept that Charlotte was his daughter or admit she might be and want nothing to do with her. Maybe he already knew she existed and hadn’t cared enough to look her up.
It took a brave woman to step into the unknown like that. These were the thoughts he tried to focus on all the way back to Riverbend Gap. But it wasn’t easy when she was wrapped around him, pressed against his back—a mere formality when riding on the back of a bike.
But still.
It was distracting. And yes, it was nice. So nice he felt a little guilty wishing the ride were just a little longer. She leaned into the curves with him, their hips and torsos shifting together. She was a natural. He’d taken the drive cautiously at first. But on their first couple of curves she’d laughed in delight, which encouraged him to speed up. That lusty laugh of hers just drove him wild.
They took a downhill curve and she squealed, making him smile. He liked that she was adventurous. The last woman he’d gone out with had refused to ride with him at all. They’d gone on dates in a yellow Volkswagen that forced him to sit with his knees in the dashboard.
What did that have to do with anything? He gave his head a shake. He was not dating Charlotte. She was his boss. His temporary boss. Why did he have to keep reminding himself?
And why did she have to feel so good pressed up against him?
They reached the ranch too quickly. Charlotte hopped off the bike and removed the helmet. “That was so fun. I can see what all the hype’s about.”
