A smile appears on his face, one that makes my belly flutter. “Need some help?” His voice is soft but low, and it makes me quiver.
And then I realize I’ve been gaping at him all this time, saying nothing, doing nothing.
I panic and use my sleeve to wipe my muggy face. Smiling, I say, “Yeah” quite loudly, hoping he can hear it through the window. I open the door, and he moves back a little, making room for me to step out. When I’m face to face with him, I can barely look at him. He’s just that handsome.
My eyes dwindle back and forth from his face to the road ahead, because I’m too shy to keep my focus on him. I notice he isn’t actually naked, even though my mind is telling me that’s all I see. He’s wearing some ragged jeans and a thin hem that could easily be ripped apart.
Dear god, I take back everything I said before about being unlucky.
“You okay?” he says.
My mouth drops open, but I don’t know what to say. Why is he asking if I’m okay? Then I realize I was crying just now. I must look hideous.
“Ah … yeah, I’m fine,” I say.
He chuckles. “Good to know, ‘cause I was starting to think you’re sick or something, looking at those rosy cheeks of yours.”
My eyes widen. I crush my lips together. Am I blushing that much? Shit, I feel caught.
“Let me take a look at that beauty of yours,” he says.
He walks toward the front of the car, and I tiptoe behind him. He opens the hood and waves away the smoke emanating from the engine. He coughs a couple of times and messes around with some cables and tubes. I don’t understand what he’s doing, but I’m hoping he’s not breaking any more parts.
“Well … your engine looks busted. Not much I can do about it here.”
“Oh …” is all I manage to say. God, I feel like a mumbling teenager. C’mon Amy, get it together!
He pokes around some more, and then shuts the hood. He sets his gorgeous eyes on me, which makes it hard for me not to break out into sweat.
“Well, I can take her up to my place; see if I have the tools to fix her. I’m not promising anything, but there’s not much else to try at this point. The nearest shop is hours away.”
“If you could do that, it’d be wonderful.” I try to throw in a casual smile.
“Sure can.” He throws me a wink that sets my heart on fire. He holds out his hand, and I take it. “Jack McCallister.”
His hand is firm, and mine locks easily into his. Like the perfect fit. “Amy Brooks.”
When he lets go of me it leaves a warm mark on my skin that tingles and gives me goose bumps. He walks off to his truck standing a few yards away from my car. It’s loaded with buckets, sacks of grain, a shovel, and a pitchfork. He rummages through the trunk and fetches a thick chain. The sight of him turning around, walking back to me, sends chills up my spine. His stride is masculine, and his big boots catch the mud from the road. His body is rigid, strong, like a rock, unwavering. Just looking at him makes me feel grounded.
I swallow away the nerves when he comes back and wraps the chain somewhere under the front of my car.
“I’ll have to tow it back to my place with my truck. Hold on a sec, I’ll attach the chain,” Jack says.
He runs back to his truck in a funny pace that makes me giggle. I move out of the way as he drives his truck to the front of my car. He jumps out again and attaches the chain to his truck. I watch him work from the side. After he’s done, he pulls up his shirt and wipes the sweat off his forehead. I gulp, seeing the taut muscles on his back. Dear god, what I’d do to be able to touch those.
Oh, Amy, get a hold of yourself!
As he lowers his shirt, he turns around to look at me. I realize my mouth hangs open and I shut it immediately. A coy smile appears on his face. “All done. Let’s go.”
Jack walks to the passenger side of the truck and opens the door, and then he just stands there waiting. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised and points at the seat. “Are you getting in or should I just drop your car off here tomorrow?”
“Oh, sorry, yeah,” I say, and I hurry over to him.
He’s casually leaning on the door now, his fingers swaying back and forth. His dark eyes are still fixed upon me, staring me down as I get near. It’s making me nervous. The closer I get, the more I get the feeling to run. The scent of hay and manly sweat passes my nose and I know it’s him. It’s somehow relaxing to smell and pulls me in.
I hesitate to move closer. Jack’s standing right in front of me, and I need to get inside, but he’s too close for comfort. So close I could almost touch him. I want to.
I gulp. I should stop thinking about these things.
I take a deep breath and pass him, sinking into the car. He smirks, shakes his head, and closes the door before running to the other side. He gets in and shuts the door with a smack. I don’t think he meant it to be that rough. He seems like the type of guy to be unaware of his own strength.
Jack starts the car, and I put my seatbelt on while trying to ignore the bloated feeling I have. I don’t know why I’m acting this way. I never had this with Ronnie. Sure, he was sweet and made me laugh, but this … this is way more. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just lusting over this hunkalicious.
It’s quiet. None of us speak. There’s an awkward tension between us, which is probably my fault because I’m so damn attracted to him. Not sure if it’s ever going to be the other way around with good-looking guys like him. Most men don’t even glance at me when I walk past the street. Oh what the hell, I shouldn’t even be thinking about this. I’ve got no chance with him. He’s probably got a girl at home waiting for him.
“So, where were you heading?” he asks all of the sudden.
I’m caught off guard by his sudden question and have to think twice to remember the answer.
“I uh …” Not sure if I want to tell him. I’d rather forget about everything that happened, and I’m not really up to sharing my entire history with someone I just met. Besides, I don’t want him to see me cry, and I know I will if I do talk. “Nowhere in particular,” I say.
He snorts. “Yeah, I guess you’re not getting anywhere with that busted baby.”
Somehow the word ‘baby’ is repeated over and over in my head, as if it’s the nickname he made up for me instead of my damn car.
“Lucky I passed by to help you out. Couldn’t actually miss it either, with your honking. What were you trying to do? Hoping someone would hear the damsel in distress?”
My jaw drops, and I let out a half-baked laugh. “What? I was not doing that.”
“Sure looked like it to me.”
I roll my eyes. “I was … resting my head.” Shit, why do I have to say something so stupid?
Jack laughs. “No wonder you were gaping at me. You were just tired, that’s all.”
My pupils dilate, and I can feel the heat rush to my cheeks. “No. Can we please stop this?”
He looks my way and then gives me a poke in the arm. I’m shoved to the side by that one finger, and it hurts a little. Geez, he’s strong.
“Cheer up. I’m just messing with you,” he taunts.
I sigh and stare out the window. “I’ve had my fair share of that, thank you very much.” I don’t think I can do this. It’s obvious. I should’ve seen this from the very start. Me, the fat girl, falling for the handsome rancher. Of course it’s just my imagination. He’s only fooling with me. Is he even going to help me get my car back into working? Or is he just making it even worse?
“I have a nice fluffy pillow in the back if you want. You can use that to rest your head instead of a steering wheel.”
Damn … his jokes are infuriating. I shake my head. Just thinking about it makes me angry. I should’ve known all men are the same. None of them can make me happy or not feel miserable for once in my life. All they do is make fun of me.
I breathe loudly through my nose, trying to blow off some steam. “Can you please stop the car?”
Jack looks at me
and raises his eyebrows. “Huh? Why?”
“Because I’m not going with you. Stop the car.”
“What?” he says. “Oh, c’mon. I was only teasing you a little. Nothing harmful.”
I fold my arms and continue to stare out the window. I don’t want to look at him. I don’t want to see the look in his face, the look I see in every one of their faces. That look. Pity. As if I’m worth less than other girls, just because I’m fat. I’m sick and tired of it. I just want to get away from everyone and leave. Jesus, why did my car have to die on me?
“Hey, I can’t fix your car out here. There’s no other option,” he says, defeated. “Amy, you should really come with me.”
“Why? A minute ago you threatened to leave me here and bring my car here in the morning.”
“Because it can get quite dangerous out here at night. I don’t want anyone on my land this late.”
I frown and break the promise to myself that I wouldn’t look at him. “Your land? You mean to say you own this whole place? All this is yours?” I point at the grass.
He nods. “I’m a rancher. Trust me; you don’t want to be alone here when the sun sets completely. There are animals out there that could seriously hurt you. I don’t want to see that happening.” He clears his throat and focuses on the road again.
I take a deep breath and sigh, releasing the built-up stress inside me. Shivering, I pull my arms close together and rub myself.
Jack glances at me and then starts fiddling with the radiator. “Sorry, didn’t realize it wasn’t on. I’m usually too worked up to feel the cold.” He laughs a bit.
“Yeah, I can see that,” I say. “Must be hard work. Always rescuing damsels in distress.” I make quotation marks with my fingers.
He looks at me with half a smile on his face and nods. “Yeah, okay. I deserved that.” He jerks the steering wheel to make a turn. “Well, at least let me fix your car, all right? There’s no one else nearby to do it, and the nearest shop is hours away. I’ll have it fixed in no time, and you can be on your way again.”
I sigh. “Fine.”
“Hey … I know I’m being a jerk, but I really mean it when I say I’ll help you out.”
“So?” I turn my head, and he looks at me with a dirty smile that brings that fluttery feeling back into my stomach.
“Think you could be a little thankful?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” I snort and shake my head. “ And thanks for making fun of me. Men …”
His eyebrows rise. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. It just looked too cute to pass up on.”
His smile makes me laugh.
“Besides, it made you forget about whatever was bothering you before, didn’t it?” he says.
The smile fades from my face. His words pull me back into reality. Make me remember that I was driving away from my failed wedding. From Ronnie. I don’t want to think about it.
Tears sting my eyes, and I can feel the ache in my chest. My vision becomes blurry and all I see is the darkness covering my eyes. I feel abandoned and alone. The pain is sucking me into a black hole again.
Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn my head and see him, Jack, staring at me. He’s carefully nudging me, as if he’s trying to wake me. Was I asleep? No, I can’t have been. I don’t feel like I’ve been sleeping. I’m still tired, but I wasn’t out. I was in my own head, drowning in my own sadness.
“Hey, Amy? Are you sure you’re okay?” Jack says. His voice sounds like it’s far away, but he’s right beside me.
My lip is quivering, trying to move, but I’m unable to speak. I feel like a brick wall, frozen in time.
“Hey, snap out of it,” he says.
He shakes me, and I focus on his eyes. Those beautiful dark eyes that are hiding behind those thick lashes. Inside there’s a story untold. It’s holding onto me. I cling to it, trying to remember that I’m still alive and breathing. It’s the only thing keeping me from curling up like a ball and turning into myself for eternity.
I look around and notice his hands on me. They’re warm and comforting, leaning on my shoulder, keeping me grounded. The car is stopped. I can hear the crickets buzzing in the grass around us. Only the car lights illuminate the road ahead.
Only now do I remember to breathe. Breathe, Amy, breathe, I tell myself. I close my eyes and take in oxygen like a vacuum.
“Amy, say something,” Jack says, his voice wavering.
“I’m okay …” I mumble. No, I’m not okay. Physically, maybe, but I’m trying not to die inside.
“Jesus … I thought you were having some epileptic episode or something,” Jack says. “You scared me there.” He falls back into his seat.
“No …” I mutter. “I’m just …” the words hang in my throat. I can’t get them out. I don’t want to tell him how I feel. I can’t tell anyone how I feel. If I do, it means it’s real.
He sighs and just looks at me, his head turned to the side. “Something to do with why you’re out here?”
I nod, but keep my eyes on the radiator. I don’t want to look him in the eye, afraid I might spill everything. I don’t want to cry anymore. I can’t. If I do, I might break and fall apart. That can’t happen in the middle of nowhere with a man I just met.
“Hey …” He places his hand on my shoulder again, and the warmth springs me back to life. “You don’t have to tell me. It’s okay. I’m sorry if I said anything that made you upset. I didn’t know there was something …” He doesn’t finish his sentence. It’s silent for a few seconds. “Let this stranger help you out, okay? Get you something to drink and get your car fixed. It’s the least I can do.”
I swallow away the tears and smile at him. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
He smiles. “All right.”
Jack opens the door and steps out of the car. Frowning, I look around. I thought we still had to drive, why is he getting out? It’s already dark outside, but I clearly see one light burning up ahead. Then I see the house attached to the light, a few yards away. It’s a large wooden home, looking like it could use a fresh coat of paint. Next to it is a huge barn, and tools are lying all over the place. We’re already here?
“You gettin’ out or do you want to camp out in my car?” he says, leaning over to look at me through the window.
He walks toward the house. I hurry out and slam the door a little too hard maybe, because he turns his head to me. I walk to my own car and haul out the enormous suitcase I brought.
“Wow, you brought a suitcase that big? You must be serious on camping out here.”
“Oh, damn you and your jokes,” I say, and he chuckles, amused at my troubles. Yeah, you go ahead and laugh. After you’re done with my car, I’m out of here …
Walking back to the house is difficult. The ground beneath me is soggy, and my shoes sink into the mud. I tiptoe to a spot where there are some tiles.
Gazing at me, he laughs and shakes his head. “Afraid of a little dirt?”
“I’m a girl and I’m from the city. What do you expect?” I say with my brows furrowed.
“Nothing, actually.” Leaning against the open door of the house, he just stands there and looks at me.
I gape at him. Did he just actually say that? “Excuse me? Are you implying something?”
He smirks. “Well you said it yourself, you’re a girl from the city. Not much to expect when it comes to farm life.”
He’s just provoking me! Well, I can take him. “Yeah, well I think I can handle a little muck.” I snort.
I jump across a pile of mud, but lose my balance on the slippery ground. My butt lands exactly in the puddle.
Jack bursts out into laughter, and it makes me furious. My outfit is ruined and now my hands, legs and butt are covered in wet sand and God knows what else is on this ground. Jack strides toward me and holds out his hand. “Does Your Highness want a hand?”
Squinting, I’m pondering whether to jerk his legs so he drops, too, but I bet I’m not strong enough to make it happen. Plus
, it’s rather rude, since he wants to help me. Sighing loudly, I take his hand and let him pull me up. My shoe is caught in the mud, and I stumble forward, right into his chest.
His broad arms are around me, keeping me from falling again. I look up to meet his surprised eyes. My heart makes a jump, feeling his body so close to mine. Oh, shit, this is so wrong.
I twist away from his arms and lean backward to get on my feet again. Clearing my throat, I try to make the burning feeling in my throat go away.
Jack purses his lips and frowns, looking confused. For an instance it almost looks as if he’s affected by our touch, too.
Then he turns back into his playful self again. “Can’t even stand on your own two feet, huh.”
He wipes his muddy hands on his jeans, as if it’s no big deal to make them dirty.
I roll my eyes. “Give me a break. It’s dark outside, I can’t see a thing, and the road here is like a sinkhole.”
Jack laughs. “Can’t argue with you on that. Well, better get you cleaned up.” He grabs my suitcase, turns around and hauls it to the door, expecting me to follow him, I guess.
I walk after him and take a look at his house. It’s quite dark inside, with only a few old lights illuminating the living room. There’s a scraggy couch and an old television standing in the corner. On the floor is a red carpet that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in ages. Jack leaves my suitcase in the living room .He turns into the kitchen, which is on the other side of the house. The sink is filled with leftovers and dishes, and the table is covered in food smudges.
I wince, while Jack seems oblivious to the fact that his house looks like a mess. I would never invite someone into my house if it looked like that, but I guess he doesn’t care.
He turns around and pushes a mug into my hands. “Drink up.”
I glance at the coffee and back at him again. He’s already sipping from his, but I’m terrified to taste it, afraid it might be full of germs.
Blissful Vol. 1 Page 2
