Under the Hood: An Under the Hood Novella (Entangled Bliss)

by Sally Clements

“Alice. It’s Mark.” He held his breath, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t hang up.

  “Hi.” It was amazing how much coldness could be infused in one word.

  “I wanted to call you before now. To tell you…” Words backed up in his throat. He swallowed, and gripped the receiver tightly. “I couldn’t talk to you about the garage. Louise is my client. It would have been a conflict of interest to speak to you before things were settled. I handled her divorce.”

  Silence.

  “Alice, I need to see you.”

  “I understand,” Alice’s voice sounded softer. “I was angry, but I realize you didn’t have any option.”

  Mark’s heart did the cha-cha. “Can I come down?”

  A long moment of silence, during which Mark held his breath. Then she delivered a second chance. “Okay.”

  He took a bottle of Pinot from the wine rack, a pair of glass goblets from the cupboard, and dashed out before she changed her mind.

  In the long hour he’d waited since she came home, she’d taken a shower. Her hair was damp, and she’d changed into a pair of sweats and a pink T-shirt with a picture of a rabbit and the words “happy bunny” written on it.

  The words pretty much described how Mark felt, and he couldn’t resist a smile.

  “I brought a peace offering.” He held the bottle up.

  Alice stood to one side, caution still lurking in the azure depths of her eyes. “Come in.” Her shoulders were stiff, and she crossed her arms over happy bunny. She crossed to the kitchen, opened the wine, and poured two glasses. She handed one to him, walked to the living room, sat on the only armchair. And waited.

  There was a pile of newspapers on the sofa, and some sort of knitted work-in-progress on top of a cushion. He cleared a space, and sat.

  “Louise is my aunt.”

  A nod.

  “Mac is a good man, but she’s…”

  “A ball buster?” Alice’s eyebrows rose.

  Louise was his client, so Mark modified his response. “She’s determined, and often impulsive. I’m glad you’ve come to an agreement.” He didn’t add that he’d almost lost his voice, arguing the fine points with his intransigent aunt. If Alice wanted the relationship between them blossoming again, it wouldn’t be because he’d helped their business.

  Alice’s fingers traced the stem of the wineglass. She avoided his eyes. “I’ve been angry.” Her gaze flickered up. “I thought you spoke to Louise during our dinner.”

  “No. It was another client.” She couldn’t think that. She mustn’t. “The first I knew of it was when she came to see me the next day.”

  She nodded. “I believe you.”

  There was too much space between them. “I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted was to jeopardize…” What was the right word? “This. Us.” How could there be an us, after only one date? Mark stood and tugged Alice to her feet. “I know we’ve only just started, but the thought of never spending time with you again…”

  Her eyes darkened.

  “I like you, Alice. I like you a lot. The thought of us being over before we’ve even begun was killing me.”

  “I need honesty.” Alice’s fingers drew through a skein of her hair. “I can’t be involved with someone who lies to me again. Not ever.”

  “I didn’t lie to you.” Okay, he’d let her believe that he knew nothing about cars, but that had been an aberration that never should have gone as far as it did. Over dinner he’d admitted to understanding jumper cables, but he still had to explain that he was more than competent around an engine, and that accepting her help had been a means to see her again. A confession about that was pending, but not for tonight. Tonight was about fixing the mess that Louise had caused.

  “Will you come on our hike tomorrow? I’ll explain everything then, I promise.” On top of Heartbreak Ridge, he would confess he’d been so attracted to Mechanic Alice coming to save him, he had let her think he’d needed rescuing.

  “Yes.”

  He leaned close, and as her lips met his, fading hope revived.

  Chapter Seven

  The reconciliation with Mark, on top of the fact that the bank had miraculously agreed to loan Under the Hood the money to buy the garage, lifted Alice’s mood to buoyant. After the gentle kiss they’d shared the night before, Mark had left with a promise of tomorrow. For the first time in days, sleep had come quickly, and as Mark wasn’t calling for her until eleven, she’d lazed in bed until ten.

  Which meant she had a whole lot of things to do, and not much time to do them. She dug in the bottom of her wardrobe for hiking boots. Didn’t she have any thicker socks? Organization had never been Alice’s strong point. Her workshop was spotless, with everything in its place, but her home…that was another matter.

  She was drinking coffee and chewing toast when the doorbell rang. She pulled the door open wide. “Hi. I just have to put my boots on, and I’m ready.” Toast in mid-air, she took a long look. Worn jeans, a checkered shirt, and stubble. Checkered shirts had always seemed sort of dorky, but on Mark… Damn, the man could make a paper bag look sexy.

  He inclined his head toward the toast. “You have to eat that, too.”

  A grin, and she melted like the butter that slid off her toast and onto the carpet. “Oh no.”

  “I’ll get something to wipe that up.”

  He tidied up, too?

  Alice strode over to where she’d left her boots. Resisting him was going to be totally impossible.

  …

  Mark scrubbed the smear of butter off the carpet and tossed the paper towel into the trash. It was a beautiful day—the sun shone from a cloudless sky and his mood was just as sunny. Today was a new start. He’d tell Alice he knew all about engines, and she’d be cross for a few minutes, but when they sipped champagne at the top of Heartbreak Ridge, her anger would dissipate like mist.

  At least he hoped it would go that way.

  “Can we take your pickup?” The MG was totally unsuitable for the trip, as much of the track was rough and unpaved, not the sort of terrain for his little coupe.

  “Sure.” Alice was there suddenly, clutching a bottle of water and a waterproof jacket. “How tough is this walk?”

  “Easy enough for me to carry a picnic basket without breaking a sweat.” She looked really cute this morning, although he missed happy bunny. “We drive most of the way up, and then it’s a quick hike to the summit. The view today will be great.”

  “Let’s go.”

  It was her truck, so she drove. Mark couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “Why don’t you look out the window?” Alice asked, casting him a glance. “Because staring at me is making me uncomfortable.” Her wide grin belied her words.

  “I’m watching the scenery.”

  “Yeah, well, look somewhere else.” She cracked the window open. A soft breeze lifted the ends of her hair, blowing strands around her face, “Or make conversation. Your choice.”

  “I spoke to Louise—she’s happy.”

  Alice tutted. “I know that. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  I’m a top-class mechanic. Not now. Better to wait until the champagne glasses were filled. “You’re the first woman I’ve had a crush on in years.”

  The truck veered left. She corrected. “This road has a very difficult surface.” Her face flushed.

  “I mean it, you know.”

  She darted him a quick glance, then stared at the road. “I’m trying to drive here. How much farther is it?”

  “Not far.” The road twisted and turned. “About half a mile, then we’re as far as we can go in the truck.” When they got there, he’d kiss her. But mentioning it now might mean they never got there. “Okay, I’ll talk about something else. Most of my clients are female.”

  “Oh?” Interest spiked in her tone. “Why’s that?”

  He shrugged. “I guess it’s because I worked on a couple of divorces for women, and the word spread. So I spend my days with crying women.”

  �
��Or angry ones.”

  “That, too.” Sometimes his clients were bitter. Sometimes sad. “Divorce is an ugly business.”

  “I bet. I’m glad my parents have a happy marriage. Divorce is messy for everyone.”

  Mark spotted the sign indicating a scenic overlook. “Park anywhere along here.”

  Alice pulled off the road, swung the pickup under the shade of a spreading pine, and turned off the engine. Thick green pines scraped the blue sky. Birdsong echoed in the stillness. The air was clean and clear, laden with the scents of the forest. “It’s beautiful here.”

  He walked around the truck and opened her door.

  Alice stepped out. She glanced up, an unspoken question in the aquamarine depths of her eyes.

  Without a word, he bracketed her with his arms against the battered pickup.

  Her breath hitched. Eyes shifted in colour to azure, like dark water. Her soft lips parted at the first brush of his. She leaned into his kiss, a willing participant. There were no constraints between them. No interruptions.

  Alone in the forest, Mark took his time, concentrating completely on Alice and the little noises she made. A sigh, a moan, a swift inhale. When he finally eased back, his breathing was rapid.

  “Do people park here?” Alice murmured.

  He struggled to put the words together. “Yes, this is the last place to stop if climbing to the summit.”

  “So we could be disturbed at any time?” A faint pink suffused Alice’s face as she glanced at him under her eyelashes. “If we…”

  “If we were lying on the blanket I brought along for our picnic?” Mark trailed a finger down her cheek.

  “Yes.” She caught his hand, brought his palm to her mouth, and kissed it. With the touch of her lips, a shiver raced up Mark’s spine. Heat flashed.

  “We’d better get off trail, then.” He reached into the back and snagged the basket and blanket. “Then there’s no possibility of being disturbed.”

  The trail was rough and littered with large boulders. After a few minutes, the urge to confess bit at Mark’s gut. “I need to tell you something.”

  Alice glanced up. “What?” Then, “Ow!”

  He grabbed for her, but held only empty air.

  A scream, and Alice lay sprawled on the ground.

  Heart pounding, Mark crouched and glanced around. If she’d been bitten by a snake—timber rattlesnakes lived up here… Fear clenched at his heart as he ran frantic hands over her legs. “What happened?”

  “My ankle,” she said, her voice sounding weak, disoriented.

  Mark pushed up the leg of her jeans, eased off her boot and pushed down her sock. No sign of a bite. His racing heart slowed. “You twisted it?”

  She nodded. “I slipped on a rock.” As his fingers carefully probed her ankle, she winced and hissed. “When I fell, I banged it again.” She pointed at a large rock next to her boot. Her eyes filled with tears. “It hurts.”

  At each gentle touch, her face contorted. It was either a bad sprain, or she’d broken her ankle. “Can you move it?”

  “I don’t…” She tried, and gave a little cry again. “I don’t think so…”

  He took another look. It was already turning purple and starting to swell. “I’m taking you to the hospital.” Mark handed her the boot. “Hold on to me.” He slipped his arm under her legs and lifted her.

  “The basket,” Alice said in a shaky voice.

  “I don’t care about the basket.” His voice sounded harsher than intended, so he tried for a smile. “Mercy Hospital is about twenty minutes away.” If he broke the speed limit, that is, and he fully intended to. “We’ll be there soon.” He watched the ground as he carried her back to the truck.

  With her safely stowed inside, he climbed in and started the engine.

  They got about halfway down the hill when an indicator lit on the dash. The temperature gauge rose higher and higher. With a curse, Mark braked and turned the engine off.

  Alice’s milk-white face turned to his.

  “I’m on it.” He flung the door open and popped the hood. Hissing steam rose in a cloud from the heated engine. “Dammit!” Mark glanced under the truck, seeing coolant spraying underneath the pickup. He strode to Alice’s window. “There’s a break in the radiator hose. I’ll have to fix it.”

  Alice’s eyes widened. She moved, as if preparing to get out. He stilled her with one touch to her arm. “Stay there, I can do it.”

  “Mark, you don’t…I can talk you through it.”

  There was no time to waste with careful words. “I know all about engines. I can handle it.”

  Alice’s mouth opened. She looked totally shell-shocked.

  He pushed the hair back from his face. “I know. I should have told you. I was going to. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, I have to get you to the hospital.”

  She looked away.

  Mark clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached. He crawled under the truck to investigate further. His gaze tracked from the pool of liquid to a black rubber pipe directly above. The entire area was hot, so he was careful not to touch the hose as he inspected it.

  Yes, there’s the split.

  The pickup was old, and as suspected, the rubber had perished. First he’d have to make some sort of a patch, then refill the radiator with coolant. They’d passed a stream on the way down…

  He levered up from under the truck. “Got a toolbox?”

  “In the back.”

  He fetched it and sprung it open. Flicking through the assorted tools, he evaluated what he had available to make the repair. “I need to make a patch.” Possibilities clicked through his mind. There was no rubber. His eyes lit on the boot on her lap. “Give me your boot.”

  Silently, Alice handed it over.

  He flexed the leather. Good. It was strong yet flexible. It should work. He reached for the Swiss army knife he’d seen in the toolbox and started to cut. “I’m going to need something to wrap around this patch. Got any tape?”

  Alice cursed. “I’m out.”

  “I need something that can act as a strap.” Mark pulled the laces from her boot.

  “Will that work?” she asked hopefully.

  Mark finished cutting the patch, and tested the strength of the lace. “Reckon so.”

  Alice was whitewash pale. She’d sucked in her bottom lip and her eyes were closed.

  “How’s the ankle?” he asked.

  Her eyes flickered open. She reached down to probe, and moaned as her fingers made contact. “It’s swollen up a lot more.”

  “We should ice it.” Mark glanced around the vehicle, evaluating everything he saw. “I could wet something in the stream…”

  Alice pulled up her T-shirt. “Use this.”

  Her stomach was covered in tiger-print. Mark blinked. He’d imagined she was a white cotton sort of a girl. She leaned forward and pulled the T-shirt over her head. The garment she wore was the stuff of fantasies.

  “What is that, a corset?”

  Alice blushed. “It’s a basque.”

  “There’s a difference?”

  “Yes.” Alice bit her lip. “Corsets fasten at the back, and basques at the front. There are also teddies, bustiers, and…I have a pretty extensive collection.”

  She looked so embarrassed he really should change the subject, but fascination pushed him to ask a final question. “You can’t get much of a chance to wear them, though…”

  “I wear them to work all the time.” She stared out of the windshield, refusing to look at him.

  Mark pictured her unbuttoning her overalls to reveal black lace beneath. He’d never be able to see those overalls without needing a cold shower, ever again. “Right.”

  Her fingers clenched the T-shirt in her lap. “I can’t believe you lied to me.”

  He pulled in a deep breath. Damn, damn, damn. This is not the way I’d hoped this would go.

  “I didn’t exactly lie to you. When you gave me the jump start, you made an assumption that I didn’t c
orrect.”

  Alice’s eyebrows rose. “Spoken like an attorney.”

  “Well, okay. I should have told you I could fix the brakes myself.”

  “Why?” The word burst out, anger replaced by upset. “What possible reason could you have for doing such a thing?”

  “I liked you looking after me.” The truth painted his voice deep. “Everyone always expects me to comfort them. I liked not being the strong one for a while.”

  “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “I know. I’m pathetic.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “After a while I got in so deep it never seemed the right time to confess. I told you at dinner that I knew about jumper cables…”

  “I thought that was bravado.”

  “I know. I should have finished what I’d started, right then, should never have let things go so far, but you dipped your spoon into the chocolate mousse, brought it to your lips, and…I couldn’t think straight anymore.”

  Alice frowned. “Can you pass me my jacket?”

  He reached for her waterproof jacket on the back seat, and Alice put it on, zipping it up to the neck.

  She’s pissed. And I don’t blame her.

  “I should make that repair.”

  Ten minutes later, the patch was securely fastened. Mark grabbed the spare can from the back. “I’ll go for water.”

  Alice handed her T-shirt out of the window.

  Mark took it, and jogged up the road to the stream he’d spotted on the way down. It took two trips to refill the radiator, but the patch held. Alice had wrapped her ankle in the sodden cloth. “How’s that ankle holding up?”

  “A bit better.”

  “Hold on.” Mark released the brake and edged down the hillside. “Won’t be long now.”

  …

  Being carried into Mercy Hospital might have been sort of romantic if her ankle didn’t hurt so much. And if she didn’t have such conflicted feelings about the guy carrying her. Luckily, the tiny country hospital was pretty much empty, and after a quick examination by the doctor on duty, Alice was wheeled in for an x-ray.

  “You’ll have to stay out here.” An attractive nurse pointed to a wooden bench. “Or you can go move that pickup out of the ambulance bay.” Her eyes twinkled. “Favored person status will only take you so far, Mark Jameson.”