Moonlight Kin: A Wolf's Tale
Page 20
“Please, Mrs. Roberts, take a seat.”
“Miss,” She corrected. “I’m not married.”
Damn her, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
Aidan stood until Cassie settled herself onto one of his richly upholstered navy-blue chairs. He then sat down across from her.
“Weatherly tells me your car broke down.” He watched her, but she didn’t bat a lash.
“Yeah, unfortunately. I thought I’d be able to make it to Portland, but Stan had other ideas,” she said.
Aidan’s muscles tensed. “Stan?”
She laughed. “Stan’s my car.”
He frowned. “You named your car?”
“I thought all guys did.” She looked at him with open curiosity.
“You are most definitely not a man,” Aidan said incredulously as his gaze assessed her again.
“Yeah, I’m aware of that.” She laughed. “But my Uncle Bob never held it against me. He raised me as if I was just one of the guys. It’s why I became an auto mechanic. He passed on a few years ago.” Cassie quieted.
Aidan raised a quizzical brow and his lips twitched. A woman who named her cars and worked as a mechanic should be dismissed without a second thought, but Cassie Roberts fascinated Aidan. He’d never met anyone quite like her, human or wolf.
“You said you were a mechanic.” Aidan watched her closely. “I take it you didn’t acquire any of your uncle’s skills?”
Cassie’s eyes flamed instantly. “I’ll have you know Uncle Bob taught me everything he knew about cars. I can fix just about any engine that exists.”
“Then why didn’t you?” His tone took on a more serious note. Why was she really here? Had her car truly broken down? Or had she lied to gain entrance to his home?
Cassie’s gaze dropped to the floor. Pain flashed across her face. “Someone pawned my tools, my uncle’s tools.” She blinked back the tears, then met his gaze squarely.
Her changing scent was driving Aidan insane. She wasn’t lying, but Cassie wasn’t telling the whole truth. He couldn’t call her on it without having to explain how he knew. So Aidan chose to remain silent.
Whatever had happened pained her deeply. The expression on her delicate face had changed as fast as the Oregon weather.
“So you’re an auto mechanic by trade?”
“Not exactly.” She scrubbed her face. “At least not anymore.”
Aidan knew an evasion when he heard one. He decided a less aggressive tact would work best, considering the woman had been hit.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
She seemed relieved by the topic change. “Portland.”
“Is family meeting you or anyone else?” Aidan didn’t want to know if there was a man waiting for her, but something inside demanded an answer.
“Nope, I’m going there for my new job.” Cassie crossed her fingers and knocked on the wood side table.
Aidan laughed. “Do you need luck?”
“Not really, but any extra can’t hurt.”
“True.” Aidan flexed his hands and leaned back in the chair. He was about to ask her about the new job waiting for her, when Weatherly entered the parlor.
“Excuse me, Sir. I’ve been unable to repair the young lady’s car. I’ve brought a vehicle around front for her to take in to town.”
“Thank you, Weatherly. That’ll be all.”
“You don’t have to—”
Aidan held his hand up to halt her speech. “It would be my pleasure.” He flashed her, a brief smile. “Besides you can’t exactly stay here.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Aidan had realized they were a mistake. The thought of her remaining here in his home took up permanent residence inside his mind.
The woman was trouble. Of that he had no doubt. But Aidan couldn’t shake the feeling that if he let her leave, it would be the biggest mistake he’d ever made in his life.
Table of 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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
SNEAK PEEK-EXCERPT