by Lexi Post
“Oh, come here and give me a hug.” Coco wrapped her arms around Ryan, and Lynzie tensed. She shouldn’t. Coco was her best friend and for all she knew, Ryan was married, but lost love died hard, at least for her.
When Coco stepped away, Ryan turned toward her. “I’m actually on my way to Antony’s place, but I had to stop by and see you. You look good.”
She felt her cheeks flush. She looked like crap in her ratty jeans and white tank. She’d thrown her hair up in a clip that morning and hadn’t even brushed it. “Thanks. How long are you in town for? I heard you’re going to work at the Love Garage.”
He shrugged. “Not sure yet about either. Probably through the holidays. I’m helping Gramps get his old Lazy Acres farm ready to sell. It has really gone to h—heck. I figured I’d see if I couldn’t bring in a little cash to help pay for repairs. All Gramps has now is his social security.”
That was typical for the old locals of Lucasville. “How great that you’re doing that for him.” So, are you married? Do you want to move back here permanently? How do you feel about babies?
“Lynzie?” Coco caught her off guard.
“What?”
Her friend rolled her eyes then looked at Ryan. “You’ll have to excuse her. She didn’t get much sleep last night.”
That was the truth. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Ryan’s dark brown eyes seemed to laugh at her. “I wanted to know if you have any time tonight to catch up.”
“Oh.” Her heart started jumping like a wild rabbit. “I would love—” Coco elbowed her in the side and shook her head. Now why wouldn’t she be able to meet—Oh crap, she was scheduled at the pub. “I would love to, but I have to work. Days are better for me. Do you have any time tomorrow?”
Ryan nodded. “Sure. I doubt Antony will hire me on the spot, but they’re really busy, so I’m guessing he will eventually. How about lunch tomorrow?”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up around one. I don’t want to take a table for hours from a local business. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Now her heart was jumping harder than a kangaroo. “I’ll be ready.”
“See you then.” Ryan nodded then looked at her friend. “Coco.” He set his hat back on his head and strode for the door.
She stood frozen to the spot until Coco pushed her towards him and she followed. As he stepped out into the sunshine, she held the door open. “Bye.”
He gave her a quick smile of his own before descending the stairs to the parking lot below.
She really should close the door, but instead, she watched him until he jumped into a big white pick-up and backed out.
“Get back in here.” Coco grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, shutting the door on the hot man that just re-entered her life.
She looked at her friend. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe he stopped by. Did you see him? He’s gorgeous and built and totally sweet.”
Coco laughed. “He sure is. That’s one hot cowboy.”
Lynzie fell back onto the couch. “His eyes are the same. I always loved his eyes.”
“Right, his eyes.” Coco chuckled. “So, while you were looking at his eyes, I was looking at his hands.”
“His hands?” She frowned. “I didn’t notice them. Were they large?”
“Shoot, Lynzie. Come down off cloud nine for a minute. I looked at his hands to see if he had a wedding ring.”
She hadn’t even thought of that. Suddenly, tingles raced along her skin. “And?”
Coco’s smile was smug. “Nope.”
She inhaled deeply at the idea that Ryan might still be available then tried to calm down. “He could still be married and not wear a ring or he could have a serious girlfriend or even fiancée.” But she really, really hoped he didn’t.
Coco threw her hands up. “Could you stop being the pessimist for just a few minutes? Sometimes you drive me crazy with that.”
She gave her friend a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Habit. Just too many of my dreams have been crushed. It’s hard to have a positive outlook.”
Coco dropped down next to her. “I know. I just think there might be hope this time.”
She studied Coco, trying to decide if she knew more than she was letting on. Was Ryan her soulmate? She’d sworn she’d never ask. They were too close, and she didn’t want to be like half the women in town, pestering Coco to find out if their latest boyfriend was the one. Or even going to the mall with her and asking if she could point out their soulmate.
Just as her hope started to rise, she crushed it with her new reality. “But I’m pregnant.”
Even Coco’s usual cheerful demeanor hesitated in light of that fact. “You don’t know for sure. I suggest you make that doctor’s appointment and quick.”
* * * * *
Ryan parked down the street of the Love Garage, but didn’t get out of his truck. He was still recovering from seeing Lynzie again. She’d matured, her gangly teenage body had filled out perfectly. She was still thin and tall, but she had some nice curves he hadn’t been oblivious to when she hugged him.
Her face had grown even more beautiful, her green eyes with her naturally long lashes still captivated him. Her full cheeks had thinned, showing off prominent cheek bones, but her nose still had a little point at the end that made him want to kiss it. He was anxious to see how long her hair was. From what he could see, it was darker with less blonde highlights like maybe she wasn’t outside as much as she used to be.
She had been the hardest part of leaving Lucasville. She’d also given him the best reception since he returned yesterday evening. Everyone treated him like a traitor or a liar. He wasn’t sure which pissed him off more. He was sixteen when his mom divorced his dad and moved them to Florida to live with her parents. It wasn’t like he had a choice. The way people in the older part of town were acting, it was as if he’d turned his back on them.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. It was his father who turned his back on him and Gramps. His grandpa had to be pretty desperate to have contacted his mom and asked for help. The old man was losing it. He muttered to himself a lot and forgot what he was doing. What if he hadn’t remembered he had a grandson?
Guilt crept up Ryan’s back. For all the resentment he had for his father, he should have at least called his gramps. His mother wouldn’t have done anything to keep the relationship going after what his dad had done to her, so he should have made an effort.
Cracking his neck to relieve the sudden tension, he released the wheel. He couldn’t change the past, but he was here now and he needed some part-time work if he planned to bring Lazy Acres into saleable condition.
Jumping out of his truck, he walked toward the garage. There were cars parked outside, waiting their turn to be fixed while sounds of rivet guns and country music populated the air through the two open garage bays. The warm weather was an oddity. He would be freezing his ass off in Lucasville soon, especially after living in Florida for so long.
Walking into the chaos that was actually like a well-oiled engine, Ryan felt his blood race. The smell of oil and sight of cars up on lifts reminded him of his days in the Army where working on trucks and tanks had been his oasis…until the day he was wounded.
Still, the sights, sounds and smells of a garage had his hands itching to get dirty.
“Morning, we’re pretty slammed today. What’s the problem?”
Ryan stifled his grin. Having no one recognize him was getting old, but looking at Antony Love, he couldn’t help playing with the man. “Well, I’m pretty sure the transmission is blown. When I shift gears, it’s obvious third and fourth isn’t working right. Plus, I need new rotors and brake pads, an oil change and my steering wheel is shot.”
Antony stared at him, probably counting up the hours and the money it would cost to take care of all those problems. “What kind of car did you say you had?”
“A 1969 GT350 Mustang.” He’d always wanted one of those, until he had a chance to dr
ive a tank. Now that was real power.
“You’re fucking with me. No one in this town has one of those. I’d know.”
“Who said I was from here?” Ryan shrugged. “Okay, maybe I’m from here, but I just got back.”
Antony scowled. “You ass. Ryan Crawford, do you really own a GT350 or are you just making me drool?”
“Just making you drool. But I figured it’d make you happy to know I don’t own one either.”
Antony shook his head. “Just what I need, a lying mechanic.” He studied him another minute but no warm handshake was coming. “Come this way, let’s see what you’ve got. What garage experience do you have?”
“Six years in the Army.”
Antony’s step hesitated for a second, but he kept walking. “What’d you work on?”
“Mostly Tanks, Strykers and Cougars. A few jeeps here and there, but I fixed pretty much anything they threw at me, including a Black Hawk that wouldn’t lift off with a belly full of wounded.”
This time Antony did stop and face him. “Overseas?”
He nodded. “Afghanistan.”
Antony didn’t say anything, but something in his demeanor shifted. Ryan just hoped it was in his favor. There wasn’t much else he could do for work if he couldn’t work on vehicles. From what’d he’d seen, there weren’t any horse farms left in the area that he could hire onto.
They walked over to a small old pick-up truck up on the lift. From the looks of things, the mechanic working on it had just replaced the brake pads. He stepped out from under the vehicle as Antony approached. “I’ve looked at this thing from front to back and I can’t find any freaking leak. Maybe the old geezer spilled coffee in his shed and doesn’t remember.”
“Coffee?” Antony wasn’t buying it.
The mechanic threw up his hands. “You got a better answer?”
Antony looked at Ryan and he got the message. This was a test. He walked by the man and stepped under the vehicle. Methodically, he scanned each part, looking for a possible leak. He loved how everything had its place, one piece fitting between another to work together to make the steel body move. From the undercarriage and the rust, he’d say the truck had to be at least fifteen years old.
He stepped out. “You got a dry rag?”
The mechanic grumbled before walking to a shelf on the wall of the garage and grabbing a rag. Antony stood there, his arms crossed.
When the mechanic came back, Ryan reached for the rag, but Antony grabbed his wrist. “You don’t have any grease under your nails.” The statement was made like an accusation.
Ryan held his cool by a thread and twisted his arm, breaking Antony’s hold. What was wrong with this fucking town that everyone distrusted him? What the hell did he ever do to them, except leave with his mom when she moved away?
He stared Antony in the eyes. “They wouldn’t let me work on a vehicle after I got shot until I was good enough to be discharged on my own two feet.”
Antony had the grace to look away.
Ryan couldn’t care less. He wasn’t here to rekindle friendships. He just needed a temporary job and Antony needed some temporary help. That they’d gone to high school together obviously didn’t count for squat.
Taking the rag, he wiped it along three separate surfaces, using different areas of it to determine if there was anything coming out that he couldn’t see. The three most common places came away dry. He frowned. Overseas, he’d found all manner of strange breaks because the beating the machinery was put through.
A hairline crack could be the beginning of a major failure. It was an old truck and from the dust and grime, he’d say the owner lived in the older section of town, farther out in the boonies. He checked two more spots and still nothing.
If the owner complained of a brown stain… an image of a tank part he’d requisition flashed through his mind, the metal still bearing the stain of human blood from its last life. He hated when he had flashes like that, but in this case, it gave him an idea.
He stepped out and lowered the truck.
Antony just watched him, but the mechanic leaned against a cabinet looking smug. “You couldn’t find anything either.” The statement pissed Ryan off, so he ignored it. If there was one thing the Army and Afghanistan had taught him, it was to hold his temper.
Popping the hood, he looked around the engine. Then he found what he’d suspected.
When Love Chimes (Broken Valor #1)
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When Love Chimes (Broken Valor Book 1)
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Cowboy’s Best Shot (Poker Flat Series: Book 3)
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Christmas with Angel (Last Chance Series: Book 1)
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Logan’s Luck: (Last Chance Series: Book 4) Coming 2017
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Desires of Christmas Present (A Christmas Carol Series: Book 2)
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Unexpected Eden (The Eden Series: Book 2)
Eden Discovered (The Eden Series: Book 3)
Eden Revealed (The Eden Series: Book 4) Coming 2017
ABOUT LEXI POST
Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.
But Lexi's first love is romance novels. In an effort to marry her two first loves, she started writing romance inspired by the classics and found she loved it. From hot paranormals to sizzling cowboys to hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”
Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.
www.lexipostbooks.com
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