Kristin slid around on her stool, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor as she spotted the man who'd entered the pub. Talk about a hot man on the hoof. She guessed his height at about five ten, with neat, short brown hair, a muscular compact body accentuated by the T-shirt stretched across his shoulders and the jeans that emphasized his strong legs. Even in the low light of the bar, she could see he had about a three-day scruff decorating his jaw line, just enough to be sexy and send out a message to her misbehaving hormones.Now there was someone she could get on board having fun with. If she was into fun.Down, girl!With her luck, he was either married, recovering from a bad breakup, or gay. Yup, she sure could pick them.From the way he looked around, it was obvious he hadn't been here before. He glanced at the scarcely inhabited booths and tables then headed toward the bar. In another life, she would have given him a welcoming smile."Lucky you," Sophia murmured. "He's heading
Josh finished replacing the fan belt in the car he was working on, wiped his hands on the oil rag, and took a long drink from the bottle of water he kept near him. He was on his fourth day at Love Garage and congratulated himself on settling in as well as he had. He had to say, the garage was a busy place and ran with great efficiency. He wasn't sure if it was because the men feared Antony or respected him or, as he thought most likely, it was a combination of both.All the mechanic skills he'd learned when he was younger came back as if he'd been doing it every day of his life. Antony seemed pleased with him, which was a good thing. He didn't look like a man whose bad side you wanted to be on. And Josh had to admit he was enjoying the work.He was also pleased he hadn't had to pop too many acetaminophen. His body was apparently getting used to the work and the bruises were healing nicely.The boardinghouse had been a real surprise. He guessed his expectations had derived from movie
Mrs. Patterson was nowhere in sight when he reached the boardinghouse, although he heard movement in a couple of the other rooms. He ignored everything as he stripped off his clothes and dumped them in the big canvas bag he was using for laundry. Saturday was bound to be a busy day at the garage, but they were closed Sunday. He'd have to hunt up a Laundromat somewhere.He showered and shaved then knotted a towel at his hips. With plenty of time, he turned on the little television on the dresser. Mrs. Patterson provided one for each room, which he thought was a nice gesture. He was idly thumbing through the channels when the picture on the screen shocked him. There he was, in living color, on a major network news report. He turned the sound up only enough so he alone could hear it."Still no word on the whereabouts of star NASCAR driver Josh Nelson. It's been a month since the big accident at the Darlington Speedway. Once he left the hospital, he apparently disappeared off the map. We
"Yes." Think! Think! Think! "They know I wanted to see other parts of the country and find a place to relocate. They're good with it." He glanced around the table. "So have you always lived in Lucasville? It seems like a really nice town."Someone started to tell them about how the patriarchs, Lorenzo and Anton, had started the brewery and the garage and soon they were all falling over each other's voices adding tidbits and information. In the middle of the hubbub, Patsy brought over two more extra-large pizzas and made room for them on the table."Danny's got that stone oven working overtime tonight," she told them, "so keep the orders coming.""Nice diversion back there." Kristin's voice was pitched low, only loud enough for him to hear.He had just taken a large bite of his slice and had to swallow fast to keep from choking, chasing it with some beer."I have no idea what you're talking about."She laughed very softly, but it had such a musical sound he wanted to give her reas
At once, he wanted to kick himself in the ass and bang his head on the table. Low profile, he repeated silently. Low profile. No women. No women! But holy fucking shit. Kristin Kitts must be weaving a magic spell of some kind around him. Anyway, he reminded himself, she'd soon be off to her next assignment. No reason why they couldn't keep each other company while she was here.Keep each other company? Okay, if that's what he wanted to call it.Dumbass.I'm doing exactly what I said I wouldn't and probably getting in over my head.Yeah, that was the fucking truth. But since he'd laid eyes on her, he hadn't seemed to be able to get her out of his brain. Not to mention the fact he seemed to be spacing out in the middle of conversations. He was grateful the crowd at these tables was large and noisy, everyone talking over everyone else. Hopefully, none of them noticed."Well." Kristin crumpled her napkin onto the plate in front of her and pushed back her chair. "This has been fun, guy
Josh wiped his hands on the grease rag he kept tucked in his back pocket and heaved a sigh of relief. Wrestling a new radiator into place on the big pickup with the double cab and the jacked up tires had taken longer than he expected. He wished he could figure a tactful way to get Antony to pass along to his customer the value of continued, regular maintenance. He could have spent the entire afternoon on this baby alone. But hey, it wasn't his garage. He did the jobs he was given and made sure he did them right.He stretched and tried to stifle a yawn."Too many late nights?"He looked over to see Tank grinning at him. Rather than being giant-sized as the name indicated, Tank Murphy was tall and lanky. But he had muscles of steel, and Antony once said he was sure the man was an engine whisperer. He could fix anything no matter how crappy the shape it came in."Nope." Josh shook his head. "As a matter of fact, early to bed is my motto." Then he snapped his mouth shut. In less than a
Kristin was such a nervous wreck she had to laugh at herself. She was glad Sophia was at the pub and not sitting here in her bedroom laughing at her. She was thirty-two years old, for god's sake, not some shy young virgin. Not that she'd had all that many lovers. And the ones she'd picked had sure turned out to be duds, leaving her to question her taste in men and her ability to judge them.Hadn't she made up her mind, agreeing with Josh this was for fun and nothing more? No strings or commitments? After all she'd be gone in a few weeks, and who knew how long he'd be around. For the first time in forever, she could be with a man and not worry about her future or the rest of her life. Yup. The "test drive" they'd agreed to was working out well. So why was she dealing with a bad case of the jitters?Stop it! Get dressed and go have fun. Just. Plain. Fun.Okay, then.By the time Josh rang the doorbell, she had her overnight bag packed with a naughty nightie she'd picked up in Lexingto
"We may be doing this for nothing more than fun, Kristin. Not anything serious. But that doesn't mean I'm going to take you to a motel for a quick roll in the hay. I like to think I've got more class than that.""But Josh," she protested again. "The cost has to be - "He touched two fingers to her lips. "Antony pays me a good salary, and what else do I have to spend it on?""B-but don't you want to save so you can find some place to live besides Mrs. Patterson's?"He cupped her chin and tilted her face up to his. "I'm doing fine, Kristin. This won't put any kind of dent in my budget. Now stash the adding machine for the night, and come let me show you the bathroom. I've only seen it in pictures."She lifted her eyebrows. "The bathroom?""Uh-huh."He guided her to a door beside the bed. When he opened it, her breath caught. The owners had definitely maximized the space. Besides the double sinks set in a marble vanity, the room held a glass enclosed shower and the centerpiece of t