Brett Carmichael blew out a huge sigh of relief.
Not only had he just clocked out after another busy day at the garage where he worked, but after almost a year of long days and miserable nights, things were finally starting to look up.
Thank God.
For months, he’d been scouring the entire Granite, Texas, area looking for an old building that he could buy and turn into an automotive repair shop. After all, he’d been dreaming of opening his own garage since he was fifteen years old. Back then, he used to spend hours tearing old car engines apart and then putting them back together again just for the hell of it. Now, at age thirty, he actually got paid to do it.
Brett was a damn good mechanic. Always had been. Which was probably why almost everyone in town brought their vehicles to him when they needed work done. He had a great customer base, but oftentimes he was so busy that he had no choice but to pass some of the repair jobs off to another mechanic in the shop. He hated doing that though because he couldn’t guarantee the other guy’s work like he could his own.
Sadly, not all mechanics took pride in their work like Brett did. He didn’t randomly guess at what was wrong with a vehicle without doing some kind of research to make sure he was on the right track, and he didn’t take shortcuts just because doing so would be easier or faster. He believed in finding the actual problem and repairing it correctly the first time rather than doing a half-assed job.
That was one of the reasons he wanted to open his own business. The moment he found a suitable location, he planned to open a garage and hire a couple of great mechanics who held the same beliefs as he did and who would do things the proper way. But Granite was a small town, and finding a place for sale that met his needs hadn’t been easy.
Brett didn’t need anything big and fancy. He was used to working in cramped quarters and spent most of his time crawling around under a hood or sliding beneath a car on the cracked wooden creeper that his boss was too cheap to replace. But there were a few requirements on which Brett—unlike his boss—refused to budge.
The structure of the building needed to be large enough to house a separate waiting area for the customers in order to keep them safe and out of the mechanics’ way. Also, the parking lot needed to have enough lighting to be secure and have enough space to store vehicles overnight, if necessary. The last thing he wanted to worry about was a customer getting hurt or their vehicle getting stolen or broken into. So as far as Brett was concerned, these things were nonnegotiable.
Unfortunately, that only made it harder to find a place.
At least until his best friend had called this morning. Logan had apparently overheard a conversation at his bar the night before about a used car lot a couple of miles outside the city limits that was now up for sale. The old man who owned it had passed away a few months ago, and it had closed down for good. Although the owner’s only son had inherited the business, the man didn’t live in the area. The middle-aged son had instead flown in from Arizona only long enough to sell off the remaining used car stock at auction and officially put his father’s property up for sale. Both of which he had already done.
That meant Brett had to move fast.
So after hanging up with Logan, Brett had immediately called the phone number his friend had given him and spoken with the son about the property. The lot sat on five acres and was located on the main road between Granite and a neighboring community. Not a bad location, if you asked Brett. It would be close enough to Granite for Brett to serve his regular customers, yet near enough to another town to gain some new clients.
The building was divided into two sections. The front office would come fully furnished and had a large, air-conditioned waiting area for customers, while the shop had three huge bays with galvanized steel doors and a separate room for storing car parts. Not only that, but according to the son, the parking area was well lit and had several surveillance cameras already installed.
All of that sounded perfect and was exactly what Brett had been looking for. But the thing that caught his attention the most was when the son told him that he was willing to throw in the hydraulic vehicle lift, electronic diagnostic equipment, a welding machine, and several upright toolboxes filled with hand tools…for free.
Brett hadn’t expected that. Who in their right mind would give away thousands of dollars in equipment like that? Not that he was complaining or anything. That equipment would come in handy, and although Brett already had his own set of hand tools—most mechanics worth their salt did—it never hurt to have extras on hand. He never knew when he might break off a wrench and need another in a pinch.
But something bothered him about all of this. While the place seemed like a perfect prospect and was definitely in his price range, the deal sounded almost too good to be true. Maybe the owner’s son was just in a hurry to relieve himself of his father’s business and get back to his own life. Or maybe he just really needed the money from the sale of the property. But Brett couldn’t let the idea of fulfilling his long-held dream persuade him to make rash decisions that he’d regret down the road. Lord knows he’d already done enough of that to last him a lifetime.
In order to be sure of what he was getting himself into, Brett needed to see the place in person and inspect the building for any major issues. Unfortunately, that in itself was a problem. The son had already booked his return flight back to Arizona in the morning, and the only time he could show the property was tonight. Otherwise, Brett would have to wait to see it until the man came back in a few weeks to clear out his father’s home.
But he worried that if he didn’t jump on this opportunity, there was a good chance someone else would. So he’d agreed to meet the guy at the used car lot around seven o’clock.
That should’ve given him enough time to run home, grab a bite to eat and a quick shower, and then make it to the dealership on time. But as usual, things hadn’t panned out according to his plan. Just as he started to close up shop, an elderly woman had pulled in and asked him to check her alternator belt. It had been squealing, and she was leaving in the morning on a gambling trip with her bingo friends.
Closed or not, Brett hadn’t been able to refuse her. But by the time he’d replaced her belt and sent her on her way, he was now running late himself. He would’ve called the guy to let him know, but in his rush to get there, Brett had accidentally left his cell phone in his toolbox back at the garage. Along with the guy’s phone number. Just great.
Brett peered up from the road long enough to check the position of the sun, which had already descended behind the trees. It was getting dark, and he hadn’t had time to get a shower, much less eat anything. But it looked like, as long as he hurried, he would make it to his appointment only a few minutes late. Well, if the son hadn’t given up on him and left already.
As Brett’s gaze lowered back to the road, he noticed a dark smudge on the side of his hand attached to the steering wheel. He had washed up before leaving the shop, but he always seemed to miss a spot. Sighing, he rubbed the offending mark against the thigh of his jeans to remove it. That was just something that came with the territory of working in a dirty environment.
And with as many hours as he’d put in lately? God, he’d never be able to get all the oil stains off his hands and black grease out from under his nails. Unless, of course, he scrubbed them until they were raw…which always hurt like hell.
Didn’t matter though. It would all be worth it when he finally had a garage of his own. That was the only thing he’d ever wanted. Well, maybe not the only thing. There had been something—or rather someone—else. Unfortunately, that relationship hadn’t panned out as he’d hoped, and the two of them had parted ways last year.
No, idiot. She dumped you. There was nothing mutual about it.
Brett cringed at the familiar stab of regret slicing into his chest. The same one he’d felt many times before. But the last thing he needed right now was to think about the woman he lost and wonder what could’ve been. So he let out an exasperated breath and shoved the guilt and pain into a mental storage locker and kicked it to the back of the closet in his brain to be dealt with later. He didn’t have time for that shit right now.
After spending almost an entire year being miserable, he was finally close to getting the only other thing that had ever truly mattered to him. He needed to keep his focus on the here and now. He’d worked hard for months to make his dreams come true, and he was proud of how far he’d come. He wasn’t going to allow anything to stand in the way of that. Especially when it came to his past.
Brett motored down the window, allowing the cool evening breeze to whip through the interior of his oversized truck. Though it was the beginning of January, winters in South Texas were considerably different than in northern regions. Unless a frontal system blew in, it wasn’t actually all that cold. Especially during the day. If anything, this kind of weather was what most people referred to as “nice fall weather.” But once the sun fell below the horizon, the temperature would usually drop considerably.
Glancing down at his cargo jeans and stained white T-shirt, Brett shrugged. He didn’t have a jacket with him, but he wasn’t planning on standing outside in the night air very long anyway. He’d be fine.
No sooner had the thought run through his mind than he noticed a little silver Pontiac Solstice up ahead parked on the shoulder of the road. The emergency flashers blinked off and on like crazy, and a figure was bent over near the back tire. It didn’t take a genius to know that they probably had a flat, but Brett shook his head. While the stranded motorist had managed to park their car completely off the road, it was dangerous to change a tire on the side of the vehicle nearest traffic. Especially at night when other motorists’ visibility was limited.
But Brett also knew from experience that it sometimes couldn’t be helped.
As a courtesy, he immediately slowed down and veered over the center line to go around the little sports car at a safe distance. Normally, he would’ve pulled over and offered his assistance to someone stuck on the side of the road. After all, he was a mechanic and almost always kept tools in his truck. But tonight he couldn’t really spare the time. So instead, he mumbled to himself, “Sorry, buddy. Better luck next time.”
But as he drove slowly past, the person bending over near the back tire straightened into an upright position, and he immediately realized his mistake. Although Brett had assumed the person was a man from a distance, the long dark locks and pristine white pant suit clinging to lush curves confirmed that she was very much indeed a woman.
Damn it.
Maybe it had something to do with growing up with a younger sister or being raised by a single mom, but Brett had always had a soft spot for women. Especially ones who seemed to be in trouble.
Without hesitation, he pulled onto the shoulder of the road in front of the silver sports car and turned off his engine. Then he glanced at his watch and gritted his teeth. God, he didn’t have time for this right now. But there was no way in hell he could drive past a stranded woman and not stop to ask if she needed some assistance. His dad had taught him better than that.
But that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.
Disgruntled by the inconvenience, Brett shoved open his door and climbed out before heading directly for the woman, who had apparently gone back to work on her tire using a small flashlight that she had lying on the ground next to her. Hell, as far as he could tell, she hadn’t so much as even looked up when he stopped. Hopefully that meant she had things under control and was almost finished putting on a spare. If so, he might be able to still make it to his appointment.
Not wasting any time, Brett walked right up behind her. “Do you need some help with your tire, miss?”
Her head snapped up, and her posture stiffened as if a metal rod had been shoved into her spine, but she didn’t turn around or respond.
Worried that he’d somehow frightened her, he cringed and took a nonthreatening step back. She hadn’t looked back at him yet, but if she decided to, he didn’t want to seem like he was towering over her. He was a pretty built guy, and it wouldn’t be the first time that his appearance alone had intimidated someone.
He purposely softened his tone to keep his deep voice from sounding too harsh. “I was just driving past and saw you stranded here. I’m a mechanic so I thought I might be of some assistance.”
The woman rose slowly to her feet and cocked her head back slightly as she released a sound of annoyance from the back of her throat. Though it was barely audible, the quiet noise reverberated through him as if her vocal cords were two cymbals crashing together.
His body stilled. No. It couldn’t be.
The moment she turned around to face him, his mouth fell open. Probably due to the whirlwind of emotions that were bitch-slapping him in the face.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t take a genius—or a mechanic—to change a flat tire, Brett.”
He blinked rapidly, not believing his eyes. “Sidney?”
She huffed out an irritated breath. “Oh, come on. I don’t look that different.”
No, she didn’t. Actually she was just as gorgeous as ever. But the last person he expected to come face-to-face with was his ex-girlfriend of all people. Not only that, but it had been almost a year since he’d last laid eyes on her, and he hadn’t known she’d grown out her brunette hair.
He’d never seen Sidney with long hair before, but the short, choppy do she used to sport while they were dating was now trailing down her back with lighter-colored pieces framing her heart-shaped face. It looked great. The flattering style really brought out the rich color in her warm brown eyes.
But that crisp white pant suit she was wearing? Holy hell.
Sidney had always dressed in a classic, conservative style that included tailored clothing, high-quality fabrics, and lots of neutral colors. In fact, he hadn’t even thought it possible for her to look any more sophisticated and elegant than she had back when they were dating. Yet the woman never failed to surprise him.
Brett didn’t know exactly what it was about her modest attire that always sent his tongue wagging. Most guys he knew went for women in low-cut tops and high-rise skirts. Those were nice and all. But give him Sidney in a tailored blouse and a pair of pressed pants, and he’d be hard for days.
It was like she had a pureness about her that called to him, an innocence that he’d lost years ago and would never get back. Every time he was around her, all he wanted to do was roll her onto the nearest bed and muss that polished hair as he soiled her cleanliness with all the dirty things he wished to do to her body. And this time was no exception.
Brett glanced down at his oil-stained hands though. Great. She was going to think he hadn’t washed them. Even though he had. Twice. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he realized he still hadn’t responded to her yet. “You look as great as always, Sid.” Damn. Took you long enough, dumbass.
“Um, thanks. You too,” she said, turning away from him. “But you can go. I have everything under control.”
Her dismissal hit him like a punch to the gut, and he winced. Okay, so maybe he deserved it after what he’d done to her last year. But it was almost completely dark outside, and he would be damned if he was just going to leave her stranded in the middle of nowhere all alone. Even if she did have a flashlight.
Brett shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Damn it. The last person Sidney Larson wanted to be rescued by was her ex.
After the stunt Brett had pulled last year, she’d broken up with him and told him she never wanted to see him again. And she’d meant it at the time. But the past year had been a real struggle for her. Part of her wanted to prove to him—and maybe a little to herself—that she didn’t need him in her life. While the other part of her had contemplated running back into his arms to make up for lost time. So she’d purposely avoided running into him…well, up until now.
She had a feeling that seeing him again would bring back all of those feelings and memories that she’d tried so hard to suppress. She was right. The urge to fling herself back into his arms—and his life—was as strong as ever. But after the crap he’d pulled last year, she just couldn’t do it.
No matter how good he looks.
Actually, he looked better than good. Brett was sexier than ever. He had always maintained a great physique, but after one glance at those arms of his, she had no doubt he’d been putting in some extra hours lifting weights at the gym. Not only that, but the man had always pulled off a grungy, bad boy look without even trying. And it completely suited him. Because he was the type of guy that fathers had been warning their daughters about for years.
But just because Brett was rippling with more muscle than ever didn’t mean she needed him to do her dirty work for her. She could change her own tire, thank you very much. A fact he should know because he was the one who’d taught her how to do it. “You always were a sucker for a damsel in distress,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But I don’t need your help, Brett. I know what the hell I’m doing.”
He grinned but planted his feet firmly in place and crossed his bulky arms over his broad chest. “That’s fine. Then I’ll just stay here and keep you company until the spare is on.”
God, no. The last thing she wanted was him standing right behind her while she was bent over with sweat dripping from her temples as she panted heavily. That reminded her way too much of that time when he’d taken her over the back of the couch and had…Jesus. Never mind. This was exactly what she was afraid of.
She huffed out a breath. “Well, maybe I don’t want your company. Have you thought of that?”
He nodded. “I have.” Then he shrugged one strong shoulder. “But that’s just too damn bad. Because until that spare tire is on your car and you’re pulling away from me, I’m not going anywhere.”
Damn it. She had a feeling he would say that. “God, Brett. I’m not afraid of the dark.”
“I didn’t say you were,” he replied, a smidgeon of irritation leaching into his voice. “But I’m not leaving you out here by yourself, Sid. So either you put the tire on or move your ass aside and I’ll do it for you.”
His demanding tone sent shivers over her skin, and her mouth went dry. It was strange that, after almost a year later, he still had that effect on her. “Fine. But I’ll do it myself. I don’t need your help.”
“All right.”
Sidney turned back to her flat tire and kneeled down on a space blanket she’d borrowed from her emergency kit. It crinkled as she tried to reposition herself, and rough pieces of gravel poked through the thin silver material into her knees. But it was at least keeping her pants clean, which had been the overall idea anyway.
Sidney adjusted the beam on the flashlight directly onto the tire and then sat back on her heels and looked over the tools in front of her. She knew what she needed to do, but it was a little nerve-wracking having a certified mechanic, who also happened to be her ex-boyfriend, standing over her watching her do it. Who needed that kind of added pressure?
Brett must’ve noticed her hesitance. “What do you need to do before jacking the car up?” he asked, prompting her.
“I know what to do,” she told him. “I have to use that four-arm metal thingy to loosen the bolts.”
He chuckled. “It’s called a four-way lug wrench.”
“Close enough,” she said, reaching for it.
Flipping the tool around, she tested each end of the wrench until she found the correct size for her lug nuts. Once the end was snugly slipped over the nut, she tried to turn the wrench. It wouldn’t move, so she rose up onto her knees and leaned over the tool to give herself more leverage and then tried to twist it again. No such luck.
Damn it. Why is this not working?
“Need some help?” Brett asked.
Sidney shook her head. “Nope. I can get it. It’s just a little tight.”
So she used the trick Brett had taught her. She slid one of the heavy jack stands under the opposite end of the wrench to hold it up in place. Then she rose to her feet and kicked off her black heels. Keeping one hand on her car for balance, she placed one foot on the left side arm of the wrench and stepped up onto it.
Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Instead of standing on top of the wrench several inches off the ground, her weight was supposed to break the lug nut loose. But for some strange reason, it didn’t work.
Weird. Especially given that she had put on a few pounds since Brett had last seen her. It wasn’t like she had been all that thin back when they’d dated, but she couldn’t help worrying that her most recent weight gain only reflected how miserable she’d been for the past year.
Brett cleared his throat, as if reminding her that he was still standing there and watching her. “You sure you don’t want my help?”
“I’ve got everything under control,” she replied, bending her knees and bouncing a little on top of the wrench. Still nothing happened. So she did the only thing she could do. She bounced a little harder, hoping she didn’t break something. Including herself.
Sidney did everything in her power to force that stupid lug nut to move because there was no way she was going to admit that she needed Brett’s help. Even if, in this instance, she clearly did. So much for proving to him that she was capable of handling any situation thrown at her. That was kind of hard to do while sitting on the side of the road as helpless as a baby bird that had fallen from its nest.
“Okay, stop that,” Brett ordered. “You’re either going to damage your car or wind up hurting yourself. Get down from there and just let me take a look.”
Sidney hopped down and moved out of his way as quickly as she could, but she hadn’t been fast enough. As he maneuvered past her, a familiar scent wafted straight to her nose. In the past, he’d always smelled like this when he had gotten off work, and even then, she couldn’t get enough of it. Sure, it was probably just a mixture of sweat and grease, but the earthly, masculine notes always took on more of a smoky, charred wood quality and made her mouth water.
But she couldn’t think about that right now. She had more important things to worry about. “I don’t understand. I did it the way you showed me.”
Brett glared at her. “What? I never told you to climb on top of the wrench. You were only supposed to put some weight into it to break the nuts free. Not stand on it.”
“Yeah, but that didn’t work…and I put all of my weight into it.” And Lord knows she had plenty of that.
He squatted down and tried to crank on the wrench himself. When it wouldn’t turn, he pulled it off and checked the others. When they wouldn’t turn either, he looked closer at the lug nuts. “Damn it. I think whoever put these tires on this vehicle tightened the lug nuts too much. Probably used a pneumatic impact wrench.”
“Okay, so what do I need to do to fix it?”
Brett stood and dusted his hands off, probably more out of habit than anything. “Nothing.”
Confusion swept through her. “What do you mean, nothing?”
“What I’m saying is that you won’t be doing anything. I’ll have to fix it myself.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m most likely going to have to cut the lug nuts off and replace them. Otherwise, the lug bolts could break off inside the wheel, which is more expensive and complicated to fix. But I’m thinking these might have an aluminum cover so I can just chisel off the aluminum part in order to get to the metal inside. That would make things a little easier for me.”
“All right. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get to work then.”
Brett ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not that simple, Sid. I don’t have those kinds of tools with me.”
Figures. “So now what?”
“I’m going to drive you home and then come back with the tow truck to pick up your car. That way I can take it back to the shop, where I can work on it.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you crazy? I’m not leaving my sports car out here on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.”
“It’s not like we have a choice.”
“Sure we do. I’ll stay with the car while you go get the tow truck.”
His head snapped to her, and his blue eyes narrowed. “Sidney, if you think I’m going to leave you out here all alone, then you’re the one who’s crazy. You should know me better than that by now.”
Oh, she did. But he should know her better than that too. In the past, she’d never agreed with him just for the sake of doing so, and she wasn’t about to start now. And just because he wanted her to do something didn’t mean she would actually do it either. “Well, I’m not going to risk coming back to my car sitting on blocks because someone stole my tires. They’re expensive, you know.”
He squinted at her. “If we can’t get the tire off, then how the hell is someone trying to steal it going to?”
Oh. Right. Good point. “Well, I don’t want them to take my entire car.”
“I’m certain we don’t have to worry about that either. The car has a flat tire. It isn’t going anywhere.”
“Yeah, maybe. Unless the car thief has a tow truck.”
Brett rubbed at his temples and groaned, as if a sudden headache was coming on. “Sidney.”
“What?” She shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
Brett smiled with the same adorable lopsided grin she’d always loved so much. “Just get into the truck. It’ll be fine, I promise.”
She sighed. “Okay, fine. But if my car gets stolen before you get back, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
“Yep. I figured as much.”
They picked up all the tools and the space blanket and locked them inside her car before heading to his red GMC pickup. Sidney couldn’t believe she’d been defeated by a stupid lug nut, and she wasn’t necessarily talking about the one on her car. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to accept Brett’s offer…even if she wasn’t all that happy about it.
She hated being this close to him. It was bad enough that his mere proximity set her on edge and had her stomach doing back flips. But his intoxicating scent forced her to hold her breath just to be able to think straight. Even just being back inside his truck stirred up old memories of the last time they’d been together like this. Only, that time, the windows were fogged over, their clothes were on the floorboard, and she was trembling with pleasure as he thrust inside her repeatedly.
Damn lust-filled memories. Although she’d spent the past year trying to forget them—forget him—the vivid recollections still haunted her daily. And being this close to him was only making things worse.