Grace nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never been more lost. I know I put the address in my GPS correctly. I don’t know what happened.”
“Willow Valley isn’t what you’d call mapped.”
“What? Willow Valley?” That wasn’t what she’d put into her GPS. How could she have gotten so turned around? She’d even downloaded the app’s newest version before she left home.
Quincy glanced at her. “That’s where you are.”
“How far is Abilene?”
“You’re at least three hours from Abilene.”
Her eyes widened. “Three hours?” And a broken-down car. How was she going to make her appointment now? Yolanda was going to kill her, raise her from the dead, and kill her again. And promotion? Forget it. It seemed like the last eight months had been one continual shoe drop after another.
“I take it that’s not what you wanted to hear.”
Grace shook her head and sighed. “No. I wish I knew what happened.”
He shrugged. “I guess someone thought you needed a detour.”
She snorted. “I wish they’d asked.”
“Would you have said yes?”
“No.”
Quincy chuckled. “Then that’s why they didn’t ask.”
“Funny.” She rolled her eyes.
“So, where you from?”
“Houston.”
“Big city. I stayed there a year one week.”
Grace wrinkled her nose. “What?”
“Longest week of my life. I swear those highways and roads were so twisted around that it was like driving on concrete spaghetti.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. It’s busy, bustling, and crazy, but I love it.” Warmth filled her as she smiled, thinking of Bret. The smile faded, and she looked out the window. “Loved it.”
Quincy cleared his throat. “Were you going to Abilene to find a new place or…”
She looked at him. “No. I’m an interior designer. I’m supposed to be meeting a client first thing tomorrow to show them what I have planned for their home.”
“Uh, well, you may have to postpone that. We don’t have a car rental place. We do have an excellent mechanic, but it takes a while to get parts sometimes since we’re so far out of the way.”
Great. She looked down at her phone. Still no bars. “Is there better cell reception in town?”
“Sure, it’s better, if by better you mean only slightly better than what you’ve got now.” Quincy brightened.
Grace nodded. Of course. That’s how everything in her life was working lately. Her gaze blurred as she turned her attention to the rolling hills zipping by, and the companionable silence lengthened.
“Well, we’re here,” Quincy said.
She jerked her attention forward, looking out the windshield. How long had it taken to get here? No longer lost in thought, she was wide awake and trying to take in everything as they slowly drove through what she’d call Main Street, USA. It was a cute little town. If it were a cartoon, it would remind her of Radiator Springs. “It’s…quaint.”
“Is that code for old and small?” He pulled the truck into the parking lot of a gas station and parked. A sign that read Q. B. Fix-it was painted on the front of the brick building in black-and-white letters.
She laughed. “Maybe.”
He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “All right, I’ll give you that. It’s old and small, but the people here are worth gold. Everyone knows everyone, and there’s something to be said about a community of people who’ve got your back.”
Grace nodded. “That does sound nice.” And it did. Her community consisted of her two sisters, her mom, and her grandfather telling her it was time to move on all the time, when they actually took time to talk to her.
As he opened the door, he paused. “By the way, that mechanic I told you about?”
“Yeah?”
“That’d be me.” He smiled.
Her mouth dropped open. “Why didn’t you check the car when you stopped?”
“It’s only ten in the morning and already hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement. I might be small-town, but I’m not stupid.”
Grace could give him that. It was hot thirty minutes ago and only seemed to be getting hotter.
She took another look out the window before opening the door and getting out. “How long do you think it’ll take to get my car running?”
“I have no idea until I’m sure what’s wrong, but you’ll be here for at least overnight.”
Oh man, this was not what she planned at all. Her shoulders sagged. Yolanda was going to be furious. And she didn’t have enough reception to call her and warn her or the clients.
“Is there a place I can stay?” she asked. Maybe they’d have a signal booster or a landline. Something that would give her a way to the outside world.
The way Quincy grinned, it almost made her nervous. “About ten miles from here, there’s a bed and breakfast. My nephew, Jackson, runs the place. Let me give him a call, and he can give you a lift while I get your car towed to the shop.”
Now she wished she’d been paying attention when they arrived in town. “There aren’t any hotels?”
“There’s one, but I wouldn’t stay there.”
The way he scrunched his face made Grace wonder just how bad the hotel could be.
“Okay. I guess I don’t have much of a choice.” She paused. “Is there any way I could get my suitcase out of my car?”
“I’ll bring it by later this afternoon. I’m having dinner with Jackson tonight anyway.”
“I appreciate that.”
He waved her off like it was no big deal. “Go find yourself something to drink in the store. My treat. It shouldn’t take Jackson long to get here.”
Grab your copy of The Cowboy’s Fake Marriage and follow along as Grace and Jackson restore his old home and fall in love.
Also by Bree Livingston
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About the Author
Bree Livingston lives in the West Texas Panhandle with her husband, children, and cats. She'd have a dog, but they took a vote and the cats won. Not in numbers, but attitude. They wouldn't even debate. They just leveled their little beady eyes at her and that was all it took for her to nix getting a dog. Her hobbies include...nothing because she writes all the time.
She loves carbs, but the love ends there. No, that's not true. The love usually winds up on her hips which is why she loves writing romance. The love in the pages of her books are sweet and clean, and they definitely don't add pounds when you step on the scale. Unless of course, you're actually holding a Kindle while you're weighing. Put the Kindle down and try again. Also, the cookie because that could be the problem too. She knows from experience.
Join her mailing list to be the first to find out publishing news, contests, and more by going to her website at https://www.breelivingston.com.
Firefighter's Risk: A Clean First Responders Romance Book Two Page 14
