Laurie grabbed her friend’s arm and kept her from going after Ashley Lynn as she sashayed down the aisle without another word. It was a good thing, too, because right at that moment Pastor Steve came into the sanctuary to tidy up the room after this morning’s sermon.
“How am I ever going to find the right guy?” Chloe demanded, stomping her feet. She threw herself into a pew and pouted.
“Isn’t that the question we all ask?” Laurie smiled softly and sat next to her.
“Very funny.” Chloe hadn’t had much luck in hunting down a guy for her personal life, either. But that was a sore topic for another day. Today, she needed the perfect man for the perfect part.
“He’s out there, somewhere,” Laurie said. She patted her friend’s knee and stood to leave. “You’ll find him.”
She stared at the wooden pew in front of her. A determined fire had sprung to life behind the black irises of her eyes. She clutched her notebook to her chest and nodded her head. “Yes, I will. And if I have to drag him here, kicking and screaming, you bet I will.”
Chloe didn’t see the slightly frightened expression on her friend’s face. She was on the hunt and nothing could stop her.
Chapter Three
Jordan managed to avoid Eddie on his way to his car, waving at the man sitting in the cloud of smoke on the hotel’s front stoop. If he didn’t get to the foundation soon, he had a feeling his boss was going to appear in a burst of flames right in front of him and sick her horde of flying monkeys on his back. As much as he would like to tell her to go kick the bucket, he needed money to pay for rent. And gas. And food. And all those other unfortunately necessary things in life.
He had just managed to coax his Grand Am back onto the road in the direction of town when he spotted a stalled blue Chevy up ahead. Normally, he wouldn’t have given something like this another glance, but the woman who got out of the car took his breath away. With tantalizing ebony skin and braids that dropped to the middle of her back, she was a beauty. Tiny waist and curves in all the right places. She was wearing a purple suit jacket and a skirt that hugged every bit of her hips. In all of Podunk Minnesota, he never expected to run into someone like her.
His palms began to sweat as he turned the wheel and pulled in behind her. Classic first sign that he was probably going to say something wrong or give her the wrong impression. It always happened that way. Still, she was a damsel in distress. He couldn’t chicken out now and leave her stranded.
A quick glance in the rear view mirror assured him that he’d managed to wipe off that mustard stain from his grab and go lunch. He turned off his car and got out, forcing his face into a neutral expression. If he smiled, she’d think he was too eager. If he frowned, she might think he was some sort of serial killer. Little things like that made a big difference when it came to women.
“Are you okay?” Jordan slammed his door shut and rounded his car. She had the trunk of her car open and was staring at him suspiciously. Standing this close to her, he could tell she probably only stood up to his chin. “Did your car die?”
“Flat tire,” she replied flatly, her eyes never leaving his face. “I’ve got a spare.”
“Let me show you how to do that,” he said, practically jumping toward the trunk. She flinched, but he pretended not too notice. Too eager, he scolded himself. Back off. “That is, if you want me to.” He held his hands up defensively and grinned at her. “I”m Jordan, by the way.”
“Chloe…” She frowned but didn’t seemed frightened. Her eyes were scanning him over, taking in every little detail from the missing button on his jacket to the shine on his fancy dress shoes from Barney’s, the one splurge he’d allowed himself this year. Gesturing at the wheel packed in her trunk, she cocked her hip and rested her hand just above it. “Show me what you got.”
“Great.” He rubbed his hands together and leaned over the trunk to talk stock of its contents. A light breeze had picked up, just enough to seep into his clothes and make him shiver. Chloe wasn’t wearing a coat, even in this weather. He pulled off his jacket and handed it to her. “First things first, put this on. You’ve got to be freezing.”
She cocked his head at him, but didn’t refuse it. Instead, she swept it over her shoulders and nodded at him in thanks.
He pulled a wrench out of the trunk and grinned at her. She looked so pretty in his jacket, he’d almost forgotten how to speak. “Alright, first thing I’m going to do is have a look at your nuts.”
“Excuse me?” She pulled back her chin with an incredulous look. Her dark brown eyes opened wide.
“I mean your lug nuts,” he said, the blood rushing to his face. “The things that keep the tires in place.”
There he went again, losing the connection from his brain to his mouth. He would’ve taken the wrench to his head for saying something so stupid, but that was guaranteed to put the last nail in the coffin of this relationship. Instead, he shrugged nervously and walked past her toward the tires, giving her a wide berth.
“You want to loosen them,” he explained as he kneeled by the flattened tire. “Then we can jack it up.”
She opened her mouth in confusion, but he just grinned. All that time watching Youtube tutorials wasn’t going to waste. Of course, he’d never had to change his own tire. AAA was a life-saver. It didn’t mean he couldn’t impress some young female with his talents, though.
“Are you from New Hope?” he asked over his shoulder as he loosened the first nut. It was especially tight, so he had to throw some weight into it. “I just got here on a job assignment.”
“Yep, born and raised.” She stood over him, pulling his jacket in tight.
He loosened the last bolt and looked up at her. “And you never left?”
“I went to school at UMN. Got my master’s degree then came back.”
Nodding along and thoroughly impressed, he abandoned the wrench to find the jack in her car. “You didn’t like the twin cities?”
She shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I’d liked it. But I love New Hope. This is where my family and friends live. Minneapolis might be shiny and new, but it has nothing compared to the warmth and comfort of a small town. You’ll never find a better place to belong to.”
He liked the way she clearly spoke her mind, unapologetic and fierce. Her brief testimony made him forget what he was doing, so the swayed a bit as he jacked it too high. “Oops.” He lowered it a few inches until the tire just barely lifted off the ground. “That’s better. You just need enough room to take it off the axle. Like this, see?”
She nodded slowly, her lips pursing.
He removed the lug nuts and pulled off the flat tire, rolling it around to the trunk. Picking up the fresh one, he gave her a reassuring smile and then pushed it on the axle. “Nothing to it. Next time you have a flat, you’ll be able to change it easy. Although I’ll bet a woman like you has no trouble flagging down help.”
She raised one eyebrow and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. He ducked his head, feeling his heart racing. The only thing left to do was ask her to dinner. He might only be in town a few weeks, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun.
“Say, um…” he began, his mouth running dry. He busied himself with the jack and began to lower the car. “I don’t suppose…”
“Wait!” She flung his coat on the car and snatched the wrench from the spot he’d left it on the ground. “You’re not done.”
He watched her expertly twist the lug wrench in her hand, kneel down in her tight skirt, and screw on the bolts that he’d managed to forget to reattach. She tightened all the way up and then proceeded to lower the jack and stash the tools in the trunk. When that was finished, she lifted the flat tire and dropped it in the trunk.
All that time, he hadn’t managed to close his mouth. She’d been fooling with him, laughing as he’d stumbled through the process of getting the tire changed. The way she flung those tools around, she’d probably changed a few dozen tires in her short life.
; When the trunk was packed, she slammed it shut and grinned at him. “Thanks anyway for the help.”
He licked his lips, suddenly feeling a lot less macho. “I don’t think you needed any help.”
“Maybe not.” She gave him a grin and shrugged, handing him his coat. He could still feel the warmth of her skin in its thick wool. “But, you were fun to watch.”
His eyes shined as he looked her up and down. She was more than just a beautiful woman, that was for sure. An educated, poised, and strong woman. If he’d been intimidated before, it was nothing to what he felt now.
“I guess I’ll be seeing you,” she said, backing toward her driver’s side door.
“Yeah.” He gritted his teeth, willing himself to ask her to dinner. Ask for her number. Ask for anything! But he couldn’t make the words leave his mouth.
“Good-bye, Jordan.” Her eyes shone with laughter as she got in her car and started it up. She took off like a rocket, leaving him in the rear view mirror.
The only thing he could do was kick himself as he let her drive away, knowing that their chances of meeting again was slim to none. So much for a damsel in distress. She had needed a knight in shining armor just about as much as he needed another hole in the head. That was some woman.
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About the Author
Lacy Andersen is the author of several fantasy and romance series. When not writing or dreaming up stories to tell, Lacy is busy playing with her daughter, watching Netflix with her husband, or reading the latest releases. She has a serious addiction to cotton candy, loves to compete in any type of game, and is currently planning her next trip around the world.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
About the Author
(Untitled)
Mistletoe in the Snow: A New Hope Sweet Christmas Romance - Book 1 Page 10
