Tonight wasn’t the first time I’d gotten a tow call from Sally Leaf well after midnight. Normally, she needed me to tow her out of whatever ditch she’d managed to drop her old truck into. The woman drove like speed limits were a minimum and lines on the highway a suggestion.
Regardless, whenever she called, I came running. I’d hauled my ass out of my bed, then dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. I’d hurried the few blocks from my house to the garage, where I’d swapped out my silver Ford for the tow rig. As Sally had promised, almost exactly ten miles out of town, I’d spotted the car sandwiched against the guardrail.
A gorgeous car. And a goddamn knockout owner.
Londyn. Spelled with a y.
Her Cadillac was loaded onto the flatbed and she was riding shotgun with a purse clutched in her lap. The sweet scent of her hair drifted my way each time she made the slightest movement to shift her handbag or cross her legs.
Thank goodness it was dark and she couldn’t see my wandering eyes. They’d skimmed her from head to toe, taking in that long blond hair as it draped over her shoulders and the swells of her breasts. Her loose jeans couldn’t hide the rounded contours of her hips or the firm lines of her legs.
My mother would be ashamed to know I’d checked out her ass more than once.
I ducked my head, sneaking a quick sniff of my arm. Oh, hell. I smelled like sweat and grease. I’d showered before bed, washing away a day of grime from the garage and the stink of the five miles I’d run after work. But after loading up her car in the sticky heat, I’d melted right through my quick swipe of deodorant.
“You just passing through?” I asked as I rolled the window down a few inches. I knew the answer to that question. If she lived around here, I’d know it. Summers was my hometown and I’d lived here all my life. After thirty-three years, there weren’t many people I didn’t know. But we’d ridden two miles in uncomfortable silence, and I was desperate to ease the tension.
“Yes. I’m on my way to California.”
“From?”
“Boston.”
I whistled. “That’s a long trip.”
And a dangerous one for a woman on her own. I didn’t like to think about what might have happened had she gotten a flat somewhere other than outside Summers, West Virginia.
“I’m in no hurry.” She sighed, toying with the strap on her purse.
I sat a little straighter, pretending to glance at the car in the rearview, instead checking my face. My hair was a goddamn mess. I ran a hand through it twice, taming down the dark blond sticking up on top.
Shit. When was the last time I’d cared about my hair?
“Where are you taking my car?” she asked.
“To my garage. I’ll take a closer look at it tomorrow, but when I loaded it up, I saw some damage to the wheel. The side panel’s pretty banged up too.”
“Damn it,” she grumbled, dropping her head into her hand. “I can’t believe I did this.”
“Accidents happen.” They were never expected and never convenient.
“This one shouldn’t have,” she muttered. “I don’t suppose you do any custom car work? I had the entire thing restored and need to get it fixed.”
“I’ve done some.” More than some, but I wasn’t going to promise I could fix her Cadillac until I got a better look at the damage. “Like I said, let’s see what we’re dealing with tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She leaned against the door, her frame slumped. She looked like she was about five minutes from falling asleep.
“Where you staying?”
“Sally mentioned something about a motel.”
“I’ll drop you there, then take your car to the shop.”
She hummed her agreement as we reached the edge of town. I slowed as the highway turned into Main Street, then veered off to park in front of the Summers Motel.
There were fifteen rooms in total, all situated in a horseshoe around an office in the center. Guests mostly parked in the loop, but the tow truck was too large for the space so I stopped us along the sidewalk.
As expected, Sally’s truck, dented and dinged, was parked beside the office. Inside, she was laughing with her twin sister, Meggie. The two were eating something, probably a dessert of sorts. Sally was always experimenting with cookies and cakes. Those two would load themselves up on sugar for a few hours and chase it down with a gallon of coffee.
No surprise that Sally was rarely seen in town before noon. Meggie owned the motel and had worked the night shift for as long as I could remember. She said it was so her employees could have the normal hours. My theory was that she and Sally were born night owls.
“Here we are.”
Londyn looked over, giving me a hint of a smile. “Thank you. I’ll come by the garage tomorrow.”
“No rush. It’ll take me some time to figure out what we’re dealing with here. I can call you if you’d like. Tell you when to come down.”
“Okay—no, wait,” she grumbled. “I don’t have a phone.”
“You don’t have a phone?”
“No.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re driving across the country without a phone? Ma’am, I know I just met you. But it’s—”
“Not safe. I’m aware.”
I opened my mouth, a lecture ready, but stopped myself. For now, she’d be at the motel and I could reach her here. Besides, she wasn’t my concern. This woman was a stranger. She’d be out of Summers the minute her car was ready. So why did the idea of her traveling alone leave me with such an unsettled feeling in my gut?
“I’ll call the motel in the morning. The garage is about three blocks away. You feel like taking a walk before I call, come on down.”
“Okay.” She nodded, opening her door to step down.
I unbuckled and jumped out of the rig, rounding the front to make sure she made it to the ground from the tall step. “I got the door.”
“Thanks.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as I stepped close to slam the door behind her. “See you tomorrow.”
I followed her to the sidewalk. “Have a good night.”
Londyn waved but stopped midstep, gesturing to the Cadillac. “All my things are in the trunk.”
“That’s no problem.” I walked to the flatbed and vaulted up. “Toss me your keys.”
She dug them out of her purse, but instead of throwing them over, she lifted one of those long legs and hopped right up next to me. “I got it.”
We shuffled to the back, where she popped the trunk. It was packed with two suitcases and a matching duffel bag. The print matched her purse too. My mom had the same luggage, something Dad had bought her for an anniversary gift last year.
That was not a cheap print. Given that her car was worth twice as much as mine, I wasn’t surprised she had designer bags too.
She went to take a suitcase out, but I took it from her grip. The slight brush of her fingers against mine was like a firebolt running up my hand. Londyn froze, her eyes widening and cheeks flushing. A surge of heat ran through my blood.
Who was this beautiful woman?
Londyn broke eye contact first, dropping her gaze to the trunk. I hoisted out the backpack and strung it over a shoulder. Then I pulled out both suitcases, setting them on the flatbed as she locked up the trunk.
I hopped down first, holding out a hand to help Londyn. She took it, this second touch as electric as the first.
Goddamn. I was in trouble if it took more than a day or two to get her car on the road. I let her go and reached for the suitcases.
“I can get them,” she offered.
“Sally and Meggie would have my hide if I didn’t carry in your bags.” Then they’d call my mother and she’d deliver her own licking.
I led the way to the motel, setting aside the luggage to open the door for her. Sally was off her stool and rushing to greet Londyn.
Sally swallowed a bite of whatever she’d been chewing. “Come on in here, sweetheart.”
“I’ve got your room all ready,” Meggie said. “Room five.”
Sally winked. “It’s the best one.”
“You’re in good hands. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I deposited Londyn’s bags and waved goodbye. “Night, ladies.”
A chorus of good nights followed me into the dark.
“Heavens, that man has an ass that won’t quit.”
I chuckled, rolling my eyes at Meggie’s comment. She was twenty-something years my senior and had made it her personal mission in life to make sure I knew she appreciated my body.
I took one last look at the lobby as I climbed into the truck. Londyn’s eyes shot up from where she’d been staring at my ass.
I grinned. I guess we were even now.
“Morning, Br—” Tony looked me up and down. “There a funeral or wedding I didn’t hear about?”
“No.” I shrugged. “I needed a cut and shave.”
“Look awful slick for a man who was up half the night towing in this car.” He tapped a knuckle on the hood of Londyn’s red Cadillac. “She must be prettier than Sally let on.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh,” he muttered, his chest shaking with a silent laugh.
Sally and Tony had been lovers for more years than I’d been alive. They weren’t married. They lived in separate homes. But when she finally retired to bed, it was usually in his. That, or he was already asleep in hers. They didn’t date other people. They’d been blissfully single for decades but were the farthest thing from it.
Sally had probably woken up early with Tony this morning—or hadn’t even gone to bed yet—to give him all the details on Londyn.
She was pretty. Damn pretty. I doubted anything Sally could say would do Londyn justice. But I hadn’t stopped at the barbershop only for Londyn. It was summer and too hot for a mop on my head and scruff on my face.
“Just needed a shave, Tony.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
I ignored his smirk and walked around to the damaged side of the Cadillac, crouching down on the concrete to get a closer look.
“She did a number on this panel.” My fingers skimmed the scratches that led from the passenger door to the back taillight. “The front tire’s shot too.”
It had to be more than a nail to blow out one of these tires. They were a custom size and practically new. Some might try to save a buck and fix this one, but it wouldn’t be a solid repair.
Londyn’s safety had crept up my list of priorities awfully fast.
“I’ll order a new tire first thing. Get it fixed today.”
“What about the panel?” Tony asked, sipping from a steaming mug of coffee. I’d never understand how he could drink it boiling hot all day long, even when it was a hundred degrees outside and the humidity was off the charts.
“I’ll get ahold of Mack at the body shop. If I get this tire fixed today, maybe he can fit it into his schedule this week to fix the paint.”
Which meant Londyn would be on her way in three or four days and I wouldn’t feel the need to keep going to the barbershop at seven in the morning for a shave and a haircut.
“Hello?” A soft, silky voice filled the shop and made my pulse race.
“Morning, miss.” Tony grinned. “How can we help you?”
I stood, catching up to him before he could shake Londyn’s hand with his greasy palm. I clapped him on the shoulder. “I got this, Tony.”
He looked at me, then at Londyn and back again. A slow grin spread across his cheeks, revealing the dimples that Sally praised as often as Meggie did my ass. “Then I think I’ll take a wander down the road to see what kind of treats the Express Hut has today and get a refill on my coffee.”
Tony bowed a bit as he passed Londyn, twisting his wrist in a wave.
I waited until he was out of earshot, then tipped my head to Londyn. “Mornin’. How was the rest of your night?”
“It was fine. Uneventful. I just fell asleep.”
I did my best not to think of Londyn anywhere near the vicinity of a bed, but it was difficult given her attire. She wore a pair of shorts that molded to the perfect curve of her hips. The V-neck of her tee plunged to reveal a delicious line of cleavage.
“Brooks?”
Fuck. She’d caught me staring at her breasts. I spun away from her, running a hand through my fresh haircut. “So, uh . . . the car.”
“I was anxious to see it in the light of day so I didn’t wait for you to call. How bad is it?” She walked deeper into the garage, her flip-flops slapping with each step. If I’d offended her, she didn’t let on. Her focus was entirely on the Cadillac.
“It’s not horrible.” I went to the wrecked side. “I’m going to get the wheel fixed today, but I think a patch won’t last to California. It’ll be best to buy a new tire.”
“Okay. And the side?”
“The panel has a few minor dents but nothing that can’t be popped out. The paint will have to be touched up.”
“And you can do all that?”
“I’m more of an engine guy. I fix a lot of tires for folks in town. Body work isn’t my specialty.”
I’d make a mess of this kind of precision work, and I could tell someone had dumped a ton of money into this car. This Cadillac had all the modern touches to the interior and the engine was top of the line. When I’d unloaded it off the tow truck last night, I hadn’t been able to resist a look under the hood.
The engine was almost as sexy as the woman at my side.
Almost.
“I don’t know what this car looked like in the before picture, but I’m guessing it was a complete rebuild, right?”
“Yes. I had it restored a couple of years ago.”
“Had to have been expensive.”
“It wasn’t cheap, let’s just say that.”
I chuckled. “Figured as much.”
“What do I do? I’d really like to avoid having to go back to Boston to get it fixed. And I can’t take it to California as it is. Shit.” Before I could help, she started pacing, running her hands through the ponytail that hung over one shoulder. “I should have stayed on the interstate.”
“Why’d you get off?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I was tired of being on that road.”
I had a feeling she wasn’t talking about the pavement.
“The interstate is overrated.” I looked down at her, studying the color of her eyes.
They were a rich green close to the shade of a dark jade ring my sister had bought on a visit to Asia last year. Though Londyn’s eyes were far more beautiful and unique than that simple stone. I suspected a lot about her story was one of a kind.
“I’ve got a good friend who owns a body shop in town. He’s good. He can get the dents worked out and the paint redone on this side. He’s usually booked out months, but he owes me a favor because I rebuilt an engine for him last year. I’ll call it in.”
“Thank you.” She blew out a long breath. “How long?”
“Three or four days. That going to be a problem?”
“No, I guess not.” She turned to the open door of the garage, looking past the large sycamore that towered over the parking lot. “I guess I’ll have some time to explore Summers.”
“It’s a nice town. There are likely worse places to be stranded.”
“Probably.” She smiled. “I walked over this morning and from the bit I’ve seen, it does seem nice.”
“The diner has the best pie in West Virginia.”
“Is that right?” She raised an eyebrow. “I guess I’ll have to try it out.”
“Their cheeseburgers aren’t bad either.”
“Good to know. So you’ll call me?”
I nodded, then dug into my jeans pocket to retrieve a small black flip phone. “Here.”
She eyed it. “What’s that?”
“A cheap phone from Walmart.”
Her eyes snapped to mine and as they caught the overhead light, flecks of caramel glinted in the center starburst. Beautiful, like everything else about this mysterious woman.
“Here.” I held it out.
She didn’t take it. “You got me a phone?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Because last night I’d tossed and turned, thinking of her on the side of the highway, stranded and alone. “You’re a single woman traveling by yourself. You should have a phone.”
“Thanks, but no, thanks.”
I stepped closer. “I don’t want to turn on the news one night to see a story about how that gorgeous woman whose car I helped fix got butchered by some maniac at a rest stop outside California.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Gorgeous?”
“You’ve got a mirror, Londyn.” Of course she’d caught the one word I hadn’t meant to say. But it was out there now and I’d own the slip. It was the damn truth.
She blushed, a smile toying at the corners of her mouth as she stared at the phone. “You don’t even know me. Why do you care?”
“Just the kind of man I am, so do me a solid. Cut me a break and take the phone. My number’s in the texts.”
She picked it up from my palm, opening it only to close it immediately. “Three days?”
“Maybe four. Then you’ll be on your way.”
And I’d always wonder what had happened to the woman with the jade-green eyes and hair the color of a wheat field in fall. Had she made it to California? Had she turned back for Boston?
Maybe in five years, I’d dial the number to that phone just to see where Londyn had landed.
Maybe she’d even answer.