Mac stepped out of the shop and headed to his truck, enjoying the bright sunny sky. He slid into his truck and turned the key, waiting for the familiar sound of the engine roaring to life. Instead, he got a clicking noise. Frowning, he tried again but still got clicking and nothing else.
“No freaking way,” Mac said as he popped the hood. The truck was older, but it had been working just this morning.
He stared at the engine for a long moment before cursing again. He didn’t want to be without his truck for days, but he had no clue what was wrong. He knew enough to change the oil, fill the tank with gas, and deal with the other fluids, but he wasn’t a mechanic.
“Hey, Mac, is that you under that hood?”
He stepped out to the side, seeing Brock, one of the guys on the rescue team.
Desperation and anger rolled through him. He had to work and needed his truck to drive out to the hiking locations. Sure, he was just leading hikes for city dwellers who had no idea how to not get lost in the wilderness, but he enjoyed the work, and it gave him the experience he needed for a job with the US Forestry Service.
“It won’t start,” Mac said.
Brock pulled into the spot beside him and hopped out of his truck. “Let me see what I can do.”
Mac stepped back, wishing he knew more about engines. Brock looked for two seconds, then attached something and rolled his finger in the air.
“Crank it.”
Mac went back to the cab, feeling stupid. If it was just that little thing, he would be pissed.
Sure enough, the engine started. Mac sat stunned for a moment, then jumped out as Brock shut the hood of his truck.
“What was that thing that you hooked up?”
Brock narrowed his gaze. “You know, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say that was staged. How long has your truck been out here? Weren’t you with the guys on the mountain last night?”
“I don’t even know what you hooked up. I was on the mountain and stopped by the post office and Grinders. I stayed there for a while because I wanted to talk to the new girl.”
Brock’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you leave your truck unlocked?”
Mac nodded. “Sure. It’s Fallport. Why would I lock my truck?”
Brock shrugged. “I think you should lock your truck if you’re not standing next to it.”
Mac’s lips pressed together as worry filled him. “That’s so inconvenient.”
Brock shrugged. “Maybe, but this would have been much more inconvenient if I hadn’t been here.”
“True.”
“Just keep it safe out there,” Brock said as he waved goodbye.
Mac glanced around, trying to figure out if anyone was watching him. But the sun was high in the sky, making it hard to see into the shops around the square. He checked his watch. He’d been in Grinders for almost an hour and a half. Anyone could have come by and done this.
Had someone tampered with his truck, or had a cable come loose? There wasn’t any way someone had done anything to his vehicle, not here in Fallport. This town was too small, too quaint.
Maybe bouncing around on mountain roads had jogged it loose. He was lucky to be in town instead of out on the mountain. At least here, he’d run into someone who could help him. If this had happened on the mountain… He didn’t want to think about how bad it could have been.
CHAPTER FOUR
April enjoyed her day at Grinders. She started work early, which wasn’t an issue, and finished mid-afternoon. Steph wanted her to come in at ten and stay until closing a couple of days a week, giving Steph time to take care of errands. The hours would be enough to provide food, gas money, and maybe something extra.
After her shower, she lay down, setting the alarm for an hour just in case she drifted off. She pulled up social media and began searching for posts about her. She went from application to application, entering the information and searching for anything about her.
The number of posts had died down, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they were done stalking her—out of sight, out of mind kind of thing. She closed her eyes, thinking about how this all started.
School had always been easy for her. Really, before college, school had been boring because teachers hated when she worked ahead. She hadn’t been trying to show up anyone, but she’d failed at recognizing how petty some people were. The physics class hadn’t been hard, and she’d scored high marks on every test. She had no clue anyone depended on a curve to help them pass the class so they could compete on a sports team. None of the people in the class paid any attention to her, and she didn’t involve herself in their drama. She’d killed the curve by scoring one hundred points on the mid-term exam.
That’s when the videos started. She half thought the person stalking her was the jerk who hadn’t been allowed to play in a football game. But the stalking was more intricate than she thought the football player could manage.
She truly believed that if that jerk had so much trouble passing physics, he should have switched majors. Apparently, they didn’t like her suggestion, and the online attacks had risen.
Now she had to search social media for posts attacking her, look out for a stalker, and somehow live her life. The whole of it added together was exhausting. She just wanted a break and hoped living here in Fallport for the summer would change her circumstances. Maybe the stalker would fade away, and the jerks would realize she wasn’t to blame for their problems.
Honestly, if she’d known the guy needed extra points, she would have offered to tutor him. She didn’t mind helping people understand science better. Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to make a difference for him, but she would have tried.
She woke to the alarm she’d set and sat up, not remembering where she was. The pastel walls, the floral wallpaper in the connected bathroom, and the photos on the wall were enough to remind her she’d traveled to Fallport to stay at Aunt Myrna’s house.
Luckily, no cameras were installed at her aunt’s house, and no alarm. Her aunt had no idea she was here unless a nosy neighbor called her. April would have the summer to decompress without explaining anything to Myrna.
She stretched and checked her hair in the mirror next to the bed. It wasn’t too bad. Nothing a ponytail holder and some gel couldn’t fix.
The town was small, but she drove, not wanting to end up walking down any of these streets after dark. It was bad enough she had to travel alone, but who could she trust?
The streets weren’t busy, and she could park close to the restaurant. She saw Mac before he saw her, and she let her gaze travel over his body, taking in his broad shoulders, trim waist, and long legs. He was talking to two men, and someone said something, and they all laughed.
Maybe going out with him wasn’t right, but she didn’t want to become a hermit, never dating again. She had to be careful, but there was no way Mac was her stalker.
He turned, and his smile dipped a little as his eyes narrowed. The intensity coming off him rose, and her steps slowed. Then his smile broadened, and he moved toward her, glancing back to say goodbye to his friends.
She’d thought he would stop beside her, but he didn’t. His arms came around her, pulling her close. She placed her hand on his waist, and a shudder ripped through her. It felt so good to hold this man, to feel him under her fingers as she thought about pulling him closer.