He drove away, but his protective instincts wouldn’t allow him to abandon her entirely. Who knew how long it would take for a tow truck to arrive? Anything could happen. A bear could wander out of the woods, or a snake could happen by. Worse, someone less honorable than himself could spot her out there by herself and try to take advantage of the situation.
At least, that was how he rationalized his decision to pull off near a natural spring about a half mile up the road, where he then climbed the slope on the side and doubled back on foot. From his higher position, he could watch over her until help arrived.
Because that wasn’t creepy at all. He was just being a good citizen, looking out for someone in a vulnerable position. Once the tow arrived and he confirmed it was a legit service, he’d be on his way, his conscience satisfied.
Yeah, that’s all it was. His good deed for the day.
Chapter Five
Bree
Bree watched the SUV drive away, ignoring the vague sense of a missed opportunity as Toni’s parting words came back to haunt her.
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll find the man of your dreams.”
The guy was hot in a wild, natural, mountain-man kind of way. Auburn hair, brilliant green eyes, broad shoulders, and a lean, muscled physique usually found on the covers of romance novels. Wrap that in well-worn jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and boots, and the result was pretty scenic.
The chance encounter almost made the car trouble worth it. Almost.
Bree sighed and gave herself a mental shake at the thought. Clearly, lack of sleep and mounting frustration over the less than smooth journey to a fluff assignment were taking their toll.
She checked her phone again. The auto service said they’d be there within the hour, and that hour was just about up.
Leaning back against the car, she took a deep, calming breath to clear her mind while she waited and tried to think positive thoughts. The sun was shining, and the clouds were minimal and feathery in a sky of brilliant blue. The air was clean and fresh, smelling of damp earth and pine. Woodland creatures chittered and squawked, providing a natural background soundtrack. It was peaceful. Serene. The kind of Zen that couldn’t be reproduced by lighting an earthy-scented candle and streaming a feed of babbling brooks and birdsong.
Said tranquility was interrupted by the rumble of a big engine and the thump of hard-rock music, growing louder by the second. Before long, a white tow truck rounded the curve and came into view. As it neared, she saw Callaghan Auto painted on the side in dark green with some sort of Celtic symbol.
The big truck parked in front of the rental. The man who got out of the driver’s side was muscular and moved with a powerful, masculine grace, not unlike the Good Samaritan who’d stopped earlier. Unlike that guy, however, this guy had a harder look about him. Closely cropped jet-black hair and vivid blue eyes only intensified the effect.
Is it something in the local water? She’d heard about the health benefits of natural mountain springs, but if men like this were the result, the locals were missing a golden advertising opportunity for tourism.
The large man stopped at a respectful distance and introduced himself. “Sean Callaghan. You called for a tow?” His voice fit the rest of him. Deep and slightly rough, like sandpaper but not unpleasant.
“I did, yes.”
He walked around the car, sizing up the damage. Though he said nothing, his eyebrows pinched and drew together, and his lips curled once or twice.
“How bad is it?” she asked.
“Tire’s blown, rim’s cracked, front end’s gonna need some body work. There’s a good chance that the strut’s snapped and the suspension is damaged. What happened?”
“I hit a pothole, I think.”
He snorted softly. “You think?”
“It was dark and rainy,” she said defensively, straightening her shoulders. “I didn’t see it until it was too late.”
He looked up at the sky, now clear, bright, and blue. “Just how long have you been out here?”
“A while,” she admitted. Cell phone reception was spotty, and she’d chosen to wait until the sun was up to walk away from the car in an attempt to get a signal. She was glad she had, too. Had she gone wandering around in the dark, she might have unintentionally discovered the sharp drop-off only a hundred yards to the east.
“Can you fix it?”
“I can fix anything,” he told her with smug confidence. “The question is, whether or not the insurance adjusters will think it’s worth it. For now, I can tow it to my place in Pine Ridge, put it up on the lift, and get a better look at the damage.”
“Pine Ridge.” She remembered seeing a sign not too far back, after she’d gotten off the turnpike and taken a series of increasingly smaller roads toward her final destination, well off the beaten path. At the time, she’d felt a sense of relief that her long and difficult journey was nearly over, but apparently, the universe had opted to get in one last shot.
“I’m guessing the rental agency doesn’t have a local branch there, does it?”
“You guess correctly. Nearest one is probably two hours away.”
“Seriously? There’s no place to rent another car?”
“Didn’t say that. I said that agency doesn’t have a local office. They’re only around major airports, and there aren’t any of those around here.”
That, she knew. If Sumneyville wasn’t out in the middle of nowhere, she wouldn’t have had to tack a couple hours’ drive onto a cross-country flight fraught with delays and layovers.
She was only going to be around for a few days, but a car was critical to doing what she had to do. “Do you do rentals?”
“If you’re staying local, I’ve got loaners.”
Did she take a chance with a local over a nationally recognized chain? Bree briefly considered her options and realized she didn’t have many. The guy spoke matter-of-factly, and her instincts said he was trustworthy. Seeing the wedding band on his left hand helped, though she supposed that could be part of an elaborate ruse meant to lull potential victims into a false sense of security.
I really need to stop binge-watching those crime dramas and serial killer documentaries.
“All right,” she agreed.
He nodded brusquely. “Got the keys?”
Bree fished them out of her pocket and tossed them over. He easily snatched them out of the air.
“Give me a few minutes to get this hooked up. There’s a cooler with bottled water in the front seat if you’re thirsty. Help yourself.”
She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until he’d said something. She gratefully accepted, draining a large bottle right away. She considered having a second but didn’t want to have to make another run into the bushes. Once was quite enough. She only hoped the leaves that had brushed her bottom in the process didn’t turn out to be poison ivy or oak.
He made short work of hooking up the rental, and they were soon on their way. She’d expected a barrage of questions, but the big guy was the strong, silent type, and the ride into Pine Ridge was quiet. Rock music continued to play through the speakers, not blasting, but loud enough to discourage conversation.
The first thing Bree noticed when they pulled up to his garage was the half-dozen classic muscle cars in various states of repair, parked along the side of the building. No small foreign models or fuel-efficient hybrids in sight.