That hits a chord. She tries not to react, but her spine straightens.
She doesn’t take the money I’m holding out.
But she doesn’t step back, either. Her gaze is locked tight on it. It’s a lot of money to her, I bet.
“Listen, the garage…one of the mechanics who works there is a woman. You could ask for her. If you didn’t want to talk to a man or something.”
Her gaze snaps up, her sunglasses sliding to the tip of her nose, and for the first time, we make direct eye contact. Bright green eyes stare at me, flaring wide. There’s enough pain in the depths to knock me back on my heels.
But I don’t look away. I stand my ground, my arm staying outstretched.
“Fuck it,” I say under my breath. “You can takethe cash and keep on down the road if you feel you have to.”
She stares at the money again. “Why would you?—”
“Let’s just say I’d have wanted someone to do the same for my mom once upon a time.”
“Oh,” she whispers.
Yeah.
She steps forward quickly, snatching the money from my fingers. “Thank you.”
“No worries.” I want to offer to follow her into town, even though that would be a disaster on multiple levels. The last thing my family needs is for me to be seen with a young mother this beautiful.
A face and a body like Hope’s…that grabs attention.
And there’s enough attention on my family in Dragonfly Creek as it is.
Maybe it would be for the best if she takes the money and hits the road. Whatever she’s running from, it’s probably worth it to keep going. And better for the both of us that I never see her again.
When she steps backwards, keeping her eyes on me until she’s at the driver’s side door, I know she needs me to leave first.
I’m surprised at how strongly I don’t want to.
Backing up, I give her a final nod before hopping back into my truck. I wave goodbye to Bellamy as I slowly ease past them, then I drive away slowly, watching in the rear-view mirror as Hope starts her engine and turns her car around.
I watch her taillights until they disappear around the bend. Relief, that’s what I’m supposed to feel. She’s somebody else’s problem now.
What Iactuallyfeel is something I can’t name. I pull back onto the road and try not to think abouthow young she is, or the shape of her mouth, or the child in the backseat.
And I lock away any intrusive thoughts about resembling my father, in instinct if not actions.
I am not, and will never be, anything like that dead motherfucker.
Chapter 2
Hope
My pulse is pounding and my fingers feel singed as I grip the steering wheel and try to ignore how much I want to look back at the cowboy we’re leaving in our dust.
There’s something strangely magnetic about him. I shouldn’t have talked to him at all, because I felt my boundaries crumble as soon as he got out of his truck. Should have waved him on and stayed in the car, just ignoring him.
Instead I got sucked into a conversation with him.Zane. Big and kind, a trap.
The way he said my name sent my already on-edge insides into free fall.
I don’t want another man who will pretend to care about doing the right thing for us. I can’t want help, especially not from men like that.
