by Liz Isaacson
“The building is cement,” Sammy said. “We lost our sign, but no windows. The boys and I boarded those up before we left. But the cars back here….” She trailed off as they approached two other men standing on the threshold of the garage.
Bear arrived last and took in the jumble of cars and trucks. “I see the issue.”
“Some of these are loaners we give to people while we have their car here,” Sammy said, adjusting her fingers in Bear’s. His pulse thumped extra hard for a few beats. “The others are the vehicles that were next-in-line to get fixed.”
“So you’ll fix them,” Bear said.
“Who pays for that?” Sammy asked. “I feel bad making the customer pay, but it’s way more work than we originally would’ve done.” She glanced at her mechanics and stepped back. “Jason and Logan, do you know Bear Glover?”
The two men looked at him, and Bear at least recognized the first, and he knew the second.
“Bear,” Sammy said, smiling at him. “Jason Essex and Logan Lower are two of my mechanics. Jeff Walters works here too, but he’s probably dealing with a lot on his little farm.”
“Howdy,” Bear said, reaching to tip his hat to the two men. Jason was more of a mystery for him, as Bear had never dealt with him or his family. Much. The Lowers were old blood in Three Rivers, and Bear had grown up with Logan’s older brother. All of the Lowers had a bit of temper, something Bear had been accused of from time to time, so he tried not to judge others on the matter.
“Good to see you, Bear,” the two men said together, and the four of them had a good chuckle.
Jason looked at Sammy, his right eyebrow cocked. “I didn’t know you were seein’ anyone, Sammy. You’ve been holding out on us.”
“Oh, please,” she said, her voice drier than the desert. “I don’t tell you about any of my dates.”
Bear swallowed, glad to hear that. The last thing he needed was his mishaps and blunders with the woman talked about the next day in the shop.
A healthy pause happened before Sammy said, “Let’s get these cars separated again,” and released Bear’s hand. “Can you stay to help, Bear?”
“Yep,” he said, stepping out into the sunshine with her. It felt strange that just twelve hours ago, they’d all been underground, hoping and praying the sun would come out as it was now.
“Logan, grab all the keys, would you?” Sammy asked. “We’ll line them up and make notes.”
He went to do that, and Sammy turned to Bear, a big sigh leaking out of her mouth. “Then, Bear, I hate to ask you, but could you come look at my parents’ property? Then you’ll know the extent of the damage.”
His heart expanded two sizes when she kept her eyes flitting somewhere else behind the shop while she spoke. Only when she finished did she look at him, and he found the apprehension and vulnerability in her face. Her pretty brown eyes called to his soul, and he wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her she never had to shoulder anything alone again.
He held his ground though, because they weren’t alone, nor was their relationship really to the point of him gathering her close and whispering sweet things in her ear.
“Of course,” he said, his voice grinding in his throat. “I’ll text them right now and see who’s available. We’re starting at the Rhinehart’s ranch in the morning. If it’s not bad, we could—” He cut off, because he couldn’t really speak for anyone but himself. “Let me see what they say.”
He tapped quickly and opened his group text with all the ranch owners he knew. Hey, everyone. I know someone who needs help with their property in town. They’re older, and I haven’t seen it yet, but I was thinking if we have a couple of hours tomorrow or whenever, we could help them out.
He read over it, his heart thudding strangely in his chest. He didn’t know why, and he hoped he wasn’t overstepping his bounds by asking. They all had problems. They all had damage and friends who needed help.
He erased the text, not sure what to do now. He’d told Sammy he could get some people, but he was nervous to ask them? He drew in a long breath and held it while he prayed.
What do I do?
He opened his eyes and started again.
Hey, everyone. I just started seeing Sammy Benton, and she needs some help with her parents. They’re older and can’t do much. She’s got Lincoln and her shop. I’m headed over there in a few minutes to assess, and I’m thinking there will be quite a bit of work. Once I know, can I ask anyone who can to come help? No pressure. I know we all have a lot to attend to.
He read over it once, his pulse settling as he did. He determined that meant he could send the text, and he did.
He looked up as Logan returned with the keys, and he divided them up among the four of them. Bear’s phone vibrated before he could take a step toward the red sedan he’d gotten the keys for.
Squire had said, You’re dating Sammy Benton?
The mechanic? Pete asked. That’s amazing, Bear. He’d attached a smiley face.
I didn’t know you dated, Bear, Jeremiah said.
How long have you been seeing her? Tammy asked. I think that’s so sweet. I can help her parents. The Bentons are good people.
Wow, Bear, back in the dating pool. Good for you, Wade said.
Bear frowned at all the messages that were solely about him dating Sammy. He didn’t even know if that part was true or not. She hadn’t introduced him as her boyfriend, and he glanced up as the first grumble of an engine filled the air.
Gavin chimed in with, Bear? Dating? He must pull out the teddy bear card when he picks her up.
Bear wanted to throw his phone into the nearest thing that would render it useless. Very funny, he said to everyone. Am I really that pathetic? He shoved the phone in his back pocket and went to move the three cars he’d been given keys for. Since he’d stood staring at his phone, he finished last, and still he refused to take out his phone and look at it.
Vibrations had been rumbling his backside for the past five minutes, and he didn’t care. Sammy, Logan, and Jason assessed the cars, and he retreated to the shade inside the shop and pulled out his phone.
He’d gotten a lot of apologies and reassurances, and he was reminded of how much he liked his ranch owner friends. Tammy especially, as she’d rebuked the others, who were all men. Leave him be. He’s a sweet man with a good heart. She’s lucky to have his attention. Now, who can come help the Bentons?
After that, everyone had chimed in to say they could, depending on the day and what else they had going on.
Thank you, Bear texted. I’m headed there now, so I’ll update y’all. He looked up as Sammy entered the garage. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Thanks for waiting.”
He nodded, glad when she approached and secured her hand in his again. “The ranchers say they can come help,” he said. “We just need to see what the damage is.”
Sammy led him back out front to her truck, but Bear paused near the front of it. “What?” she asked.
He pointed to the front right tire, which was all the way flat. “You maybe drove over something on the way here.” He looked at her and watched her shoulders deflate the same way the tire had.
“Oh, no.”
“Sammy,” he said. “You own a mechanic shop. You can probably change a tire in less than five minutes.”
She lifted her eyes to his, widening them as she did. She burst out laughing, and Bear sure did like the light, feminine sound of it. He liked it when she put her hand against his chest and leaned into him.
He chuckled with her, but every cell in his body had lit up with her touch, and his voice sounded breathless and weak.
Sammy quieted and asked, “Can you drive?”
“Sure,” he said, but he’d probably end up with a similarly flat tire, and he could not change one in less than five minutes. He found himself willing to do almost anything to be with Sammy though, and if that meant changing a flat tire, so be it.
“Wow, this thing is so nice,” Sammy s
aid as she climbed into the passenger seat.
“Why don’t you get a new truck?” Bear asked. “Wasn’t there one in the back there? Was that a loaner?”
“Yes,” she said, buckling her seat belt. She’d cooled quickly, and Bear caught a glimpse of the woman he’d eaten dinner with last week. The same awkwardness descended on them, and Bear pushed it away.
He didn’t want it there. “What did I say?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you just shut down on me,” he said, glancing at her. “Don’t tell me you can’t feel it.” He could barely breathe through the tension.
She sighed, and it broke. He found that fascinating, but he didn’t say so.
“That truck was Patrick’s,” she said. “I keep it, and I fix it up when it breaks down, for Lincoln.”
“Ah,” Bear said, backing into the street. “For Lincoln? Or for you?”
“Maybe for both of us,” she said quietly.
“Fair enough,” Bear said. He inched down the street and came to a stop at an intersection. He knew where she lived, and he headed in that direction. The streets had been swept and watered in this part of town, and Bear didn’t encounter anything that would pierce his tires.
In front of her parents’ place, he eased to a stop on the road as far over as he dared and got out of the truck. Sammy stood on the sidewalk in a clear spot and looked at it.
“I see what you mean,” he said. The house was still standing, but there was a condemned feeling about it. “Whole new roof. Windows—those will be easy.”
“Provided we can get them,” she said.
“I can call Micah,” Bear said easily. “He put these amazing windows in my new place, and it wasn’t a local company. I think he got them out of the Hill Country.”
Sammy looked at him with a slightly disgruntled expression. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
Bear started to laugh before he realized she wasn’t joking. “I mean, I guess?” He initiated the touch between them this time, taking her hand in his. “Is that a bad thing?”
“I just feel stupid,” she said. “I don’t know anyone to call about anything. You have like, this whole network of people.”
“And you have me,” he said without missing a beat. “I’m who you call about everything, Sammy.” He grinned at her, glad when she softened a little bit. So much that a small smile curled the edges of her mouth.
He squeezed her hand and faced the house. “Roof, windows—what else?”
“Gutters,” she said. “I didn’t see any water damage or anything. But that’s just on the house. Come on.” She took him up the driveway and through the garage to the back yard. “They have an acre and a half, and it seems to be covered in debris.”
Bear surveyed the land, and sure enough, it felt like everything that had been outside in anyone’s yard had somehow blown into this one. “Okay,” he said, seeing his future right here in this yard, picking up everything imaginable. “So we need wheelbarrows or trailers, and we’ll pile all of this on the front sidewalk and street. Neighbors might come get it if it belongs to them.”
He reached up with his free hand and took off his cowboy hat. Using it to fan himself, he wasn’t sure what else to say. His phone rang, and it was the ringtone he’d assigned to Ranger, so his adrenaline leapt.
“That’s my cousin,” he said, releasing her hand and taking a step sideways. “I need to answer it.”
“Sure,” she said.
“Ranger,” he said after swiping on the call. “What’s up?”
“How are things with Sammy?” Ranger asked. “Because we’ve got a slight problem here.”
Ranger’s “slight problem” wouldn’t make Bear happy, he knew that. It also wouldn’t be slight. Ranger sometimes had a problem with his adjectives, and he always underestimated the severity of the problems the ranch faced.
He looked at Sammy. “I can probably wrap up here,” he said. “What’s the problem?”
“We’ve got a small fire issue.”
“Fire?” Bear’s panic reared, and he turned away from the yard he’d been looking at. “I’m on my way.”
Chapter Eight
Sammy hurried after Bear, determined to go with him. He continued to fire questions at his cousin, and she heard the growly, grizzly tone in his voice. It actually made her smile, and once he reached the cement, he moved fast.
She jogged to keep up with him, climbing into the passenger seat as he started the truck. He hung up and looked over at her, a touch of surprise in his expression. “I can drop you back at the shop.”
“I’m good to go help with your fire issue,” she said.
“Really?”
“I can’t do much here until we get materials,” she said. “If your cowboys are really going to come help me pick up the debris, I don’t need to start by myself.” She started gathering her hair into a ponytail. “What’s on fire?”
“Turns out Ranger is not the greatest at communicating,” Bear said darkly. “It’s not Shiloh Ridge on fire. But Wade Rhinehart has a small fire started at his place, and the last thing any of us needs is for that to spread.”
“Do we need to call it in?”
“Wade has,” Bear said, pulling away from the curb.
“What can you do to help?”
“I have fire retardant,” he said. “They drop it from planes usually, and Wade has a drone.”
Sammy’s eyebrows rose, as did her admiration of Bear. “Do you have a drone?”
“No, ma’m,” he said. “I don’t do anything like that at Shiloh Ridge. We do everything from horseback.”
“You don’t even use ATVs?”
“No, ma’am.”
“But you can fly a drone.”
“Sure,” he said. “Bishop can, at least. He’s on his way there. I’ll get our commercial hoses and follow them to the Rhinehart’s.”
“Commercial hoses?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m twenty-five minutes outside of town, right? If anything catches on fire, I need some way to fight it until the professionals show up. Most of us at the outlying ranches have commercial hoses. They attach to the fire hydrants on our ranches, and we can get things wet to prevent the spread of the fire or douse it, depending on where it is.”
“Fascinating,” she said, and that caused Bear to smile. He was utterly devastating when he smiled, and he likely didn’t even know it.
His phone chimed, and he glanced at it in the console between them. Sammy did too, and when he said, “Will you read it to me?” she picked it up.
“It’s from Jeremiah Walker,” she said, her eyes moving up the texting stream too. “He said he and Skyler and Micah are on their way.” She glanced at Bear. “I’m assuming to the Rhinehart’s, because the texts above that are about the fire.”
“Are they?” he asked. “I didn’t get those.” He looked at her and quickly back to the road, as they were literally driving through a disaster area. “Scroll up a little and see if I missed anything else.”
There were a lot of people on this group text, and she flicked her finger along the screen. His phone scrolled mighty far, and her adrenaline spiked. She quickly dropped her finger to stop the texts, and she read quickly.
You’re dating Sammy Benton?
The mechanic? That’s amazing, Bear.
I didn’t know you dated, Bear.
How long have you been seeing her? I think that’s so sweet. I can help her parents. The Bentons are good people.
Wow, Bear, back in the dating pool. Good for you.
Her pulse picked up speed, and she gently scrolled up a little further to see what he’d said. She pulled in a breath through her nose, hoping she didn’t seem too shocked.
He’d said he’d just started dating her.
Her.
She looked up.
“What?” Bear asked. “Did they say anything else?”
“We’re dating?” she asked.
Bear reached for
his phone, and Sammy gave it to him. He glanced at it, set it in the console, and looked out his side window. “I…didn’t know what to say.”
“It’s fine if we’re dating,” she said.
“Is it?”
She watched a flush crawl into his neck, and Sammy actually liked it. She’d always enjoyed finding out boys liked her in high school, so why should this be any different? Bear obviously saw something in her that he found attractive. Why couldn’t she accept that and admit her attraction to him?
“Yes,” she said. “In fact, I was going to ask you if you might have time—once all the clean-up is done, of course—to take me to lunch sometime.”
He looked over to her again, those blue eyes wide and filled with hope. “You were?”
“Yes,” she said.
“We can go to lunch any time,” he said. “Today if you want.”
“I don’t think we can go today,” Sammy said with a light laugh. “The town has no electricity, Bear.”
“Oh, right,” he said, clearing his throat.
Sammy grinned at him. “Would you then? Take me to lunch sometime?”
“Yes,” he said, the red blush moving right to the tops of his ears.
“Good,” she said. “That’s settled.” She faced the road again, and the highway leading out of town was surprisingly clean and clear. “So, Bear, tell me more about why you don’t use any of the technological advancements at Shiloh Ridge.”
Ninety minutes later, the last of the flames went out under the deluge of water Bear aimed from the fire hydrant. Sammy simply stood back and watched him use those glorious muscles.
“Got it,” Wade yelled, and he and a couple of his teenage sons moved to where Bear had been spraying and started churning up the earth there. They apparently did that to dig out any hot spots and put them out. The last thing anyone wanted was a fire spontaneously restarting in the middle of the night.
Smoke still rose from the field, despite the colossal amount of water Bear had put on it. He’d moved the water back to where he’d doused before and gave it another drenching while Wade and his boys dug.
