Aisling Gallagher hoped she didn’t have to rely on luck, because hers sucked.
She patted her truck’s steering wheel and blew out a slow breath. “Not long now, Buffy. Just a few more miles and we’ll get to visit Tansy.”
The old Chevy didn’t respond, but Aisling was used to that, so she kept talking. It always eased her nerves.
“Tansy was the one who hired me during the shit storm.” The time when her luck had turned, brought on by her father’s death and his partner’s lies. The job for Tansy had been the only reason she hadn’t been homeless for a while.
“I fixed up that science lab for her back in Sacramento. Now she’s got a new place here in Vermont.”
The noise that had been audible for the last few hours clunked again.
Aisling patted Buffy again. “We’re going to like Vermont. Lots of trees, pretty bridges, and small towns. Lots of mountains.”
She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she was really glad there were no mountains on her current route. Buffy needed a little mechanical checkup sooner rather than later.
Maybe she should have taken the longer route through the nearby town, Phail and looked for a garage, but she figured shorter was smarter.
Potential Phail for sure.
Why would anyone name a town Phail? The constant jokes must be exhausting.
The GPS shows only a mile to go. Buffy was going to make it.
Another clunk sounded, and Aisling didn’t have a clue what it might mean. She might be able to change the oil and tires, but she’d never taken the time to learn more than that.
Wood had always called to her soul, not metal.
But Phail must have a mechanic where she could take Buffy once she’d had a chance to rest for a day or so.
Aisling knew Tansy’s property was like a fairy tale. Thirty plus acres of prime Vermont wilderness holding a century old fly-in fishing lodge on the edge of Midnight Lake. And out near the road, a sawmill that predated that. And potentially a blacksmith shop, although her friend hadn’t opened that building yet to confirm it.
Working on the old lodge for the next few months was going to be a true pleasure for Aisling.
A rickety old fence appeared on the roadside, and Aisling let out a cheer. “Almost there, Buffy! Isn’t it gorgeous here? It feels like coming home.”
Which was weird because Aisling had been born and raised in Sacramento. Since leaving it abruptly five years before, she’d traveled to small towns and big cities alike, restoring old homes and furniture. Building a business from scratch because her other one had been stolen from under her.
Leaving Sacramento had been difficult but it had been the right call.
Aisling smirked. She’d made two good calls that night. Leaving town and having her one and only one-night-stand before she hit the road.
With a gorgeous man who’d been as kind as he’d been charming.
Mind-blowing, memorable sex unlike anything she’d experienced before or after.
Jolly had been one of a kind.
How many times over the years had she wished she’d asked for his name?
How many times had she relived that night?
Decadent, sexy, perfect.
She’d probably blown the whole thing up in her memory, but Jolly had been exactly what she’d needed at the lowest point of her life.
There been such a strong connection, she’d hoped to talk to him in the morning, learn his name, get his number.
But he’d been gone.
Aisling was pretty sure he’d enjoyed the night as much as she had, but maybe she’d scared him off. Or bored him.
Or maybe he was a player who did one-night-stands every weekend.
He probably didn’t remember the night at all, but it was her favorite memory to savor on difficult days.
A driveway and gate came into view, and Aisling grinned. “We’re here, Buffy. We made it.”
She pulled Buffy up to the gate and left her running while she hopped out and grabbed the key out of her pocket.
Tansy had mailed her the key, told her where to park, and left instructions on where to find the trail.
Actually, Tansy had told Aisling to call her so she could meet her at the parking lot, but Aisling was looking forward to the hike. And she wanted a look at the sawmill first. It would only be from the outside, but she couldn’t wait to see it and start imagining her workshop.
It was a two-mile hike to the lodge, so she’d need another workspace there, but working in a hundred-year-old sawmill was an opportunity she refused to pass up.
Aisling pushed open the gate and pulled Buffy onto the dirt track, then jumped out to relock the gate behind them.
The area was huge, with lots of trees to cover the buildings. Not like a modern parking lot, more like a meander through a mini town of its own. She counted at least five buildings, including her sawmill, which was obvious due to the sheer size.
“We’re home.” For the next few months, at least. Since leaving Sacramento, she hadn’t had a home of her own. Other than Buffy.
Following Tansy’s instructions, Aisling pulled the truck behind the sawmill. The electric charging stations made her smile. Tansy was going to save the planet, whether other people cooperated or not.
The sleek muscle car parked alongside the electrics made her smile too. A sexy red beast of a machine that would growl along the highways.
Unable to resist, Aisling parked alongside the car and took a closer look. She’d need to upgrade Buffy at some point, but she’d need another truck. Even if she’d always had a thing for muscle cars.
The car didn’t belong to Tansy, but her Sam might own it. Aisling was looking forward to meeting the man who’d captured her friend’s heart. She wanted to hear all about what sounded like a whirlwind romance. Tansy had only given her the barest of details, but she glowed when she spoke about Sam.
Aisling was thrilled for her. And only a little bit jealous. Liar. Who didn’t dream about their very own happy ever after?
Aisling grabbed her backpack and jumped out of the truck. She patted the sexy Charger on her way by and moved toward the huge old barn that had been born a sawmill over a hundred years ago.
Everything about that made Aisling happy. She loved restoring old buildings to their former glory. She loved doing the same to furniture and hoped to find some pieces in the mill and lodge she could work on. And maybe even some reclaimed wood she could use to make more.
Some people raved about theme parks and cruises as the happiest places on earth and best vacations ever. The old building in front of her was Aisling’s vision of perfection.
A dog bark interrupted her musings and Aisling turned to find a German Shepherd bouncing toward her, tongue lolling out in greeting.
“Well, hello there, handsome. Aren’t you a pretty boy? Do you belong to Tansy? Or are you lost? Where are your humans?”
The dog’s tail wagged like it was on a motor, and he rolled over to expose his belly for more pats.
“You’re a sweetheart. Let me see your tag, so I can see your name.”
“His name’s Jetson.”
Aisling’s heart slammed against her ribs. She knew that sexy, growly voice. She’d heard it whispering in her ear while her body shot to the most glorious orgasms she’d ever had.
It couldn’t be. Her earlier thoughts must be messing with her brain.
Aisling lifted her gaze from the dog to follow a long, sexy body up to a face she’d reimagined in so many dreams.
His beard was thicker, and she wanted to touch it, find out how soft it was.
No. No, she didn’t.
Aisling cursed her fair skin as a blush as subtle as Mount Vesuvius on a bad day covered her face.
She’d never planned on seeing this man again. She’d been bold and adventurous that night, lived out more than one fantasy because it had been safe.
It wasn’t safe now.
Those deep, dark eyes studied her, and she couldn’t read his thoughts. Did he even remember her?
Unless she was wrong and her earlier thoughts had conjured him up and she was closer to a breakdown than she’d thought.
“Jolly?”
His grin was instantaneous and broad. “Red. It’s really you. What the hell are you doing here?”
Lusting. Imagining. Wishing.
And a thought hit her hard enough to have her flopping to her butt beside the dog.
Was Jolly’s real name Sam?
Was he the love of Tansy’s life?
And if he was, how fast could Buffy get her out of here?
Graham Buchanan struggled to drag air into his lungs. They weren’t functioning properly, and neither was his brain.
Red.
Here.
Not only in his imagination and his memory.
Here. At Midnight Lake.
Memories of the night they’d spent together swamped him and for long seconds he could only stare and remember.
Then guilt slammed those memories to the side.
He’d slept with Red because it had been five years since his fiancée’s death.
Well, he’d also slept with her because she was gorgeous, quick-witted, and sweet.
So sweet.
In all the ways.
He could still taste her late at night when he couldn’t sleep.
Five years later and he could still taste her.
From a night of passion when he should have been remembering Jenny instead.
He was a scumbag.
But he was a scumbag who wanted to pull Red into his arms and taste her again.
Jetson barked, breaking Graham’s reverie and bringing him back to the present.
Red sat on the dirt, staring up at him, warily.
He’d left his hotel room before morning without leaving her a note.
They’d made love again and again throughout the night, but he’d wanted to wake her up with his tongue.
Instead, he’d let the guilt win, and he’d packed his shit and headed back to his San Francisco home.
He’d gone straight to Jenny’s grave and told her everything.
Then he’d jumped right into work, dusted off his electrician’s ticket and added more work to his mechanic job.
Just when he’d got his headspace back into the normal realm, or at least close to it, Sam had talked him into joining Midnight Security up in Vermont.
Why was Red here? “What are you doing here?”
Well, that came out more bark than question.
Red dipped her wary gaze so that her ball cap hid her face from his. She turned her attention back to the dog, who sat up and licked her face.
Some guard dog.
Although Red looked as delicious in worn jeans, workbooks, and a cap as she had in that sexy black number five years before.
“Tansy invited me.”
Shit and double shit. “You’re the carpenter?”
She nodded. “What about you?”
“I’m a friend of Tansy’s.”
Red didn’t look at him, kept her attention on the dog.
“That explains the callouses on your hands.”
Her head whipped up and those gorgeous hazel eyes locked on his. “What?”
He shook his head, forcing away the memory of those callouses running over his skin, igniting sparks everywhere they touched. He had to get his brain into gear so he didn’t blurt out whatever he was thinking.
Easier said than done with Red right in front of him.
“You want to head out to the lodge and see Tansy?” He extended his hand to help her up from where she sat with the dog, but she either didn’t see it or didn’t want it as she scrambled to her feet.
“I wanted to check out the sawmill first.”
“I’m using part of it for a shop.” And there he went again. Blurting out whatever he was thinking. At least he hadn’t asked if she wanted to have sex up against the back wall of the mill.
Red looked at the mill, and he heard her soft sigh. “It’s a big building.”
Clamping his jaw shut, Graham followed her as she walked around the building, Jetson bouncing between the two of them.
There didn’t appear to be any gaping holes in the structure. The boards weren’t rotting, and the windows were intact. Probably helped that they were all at the top of the building and therefore not accessible to your typical vandal.
Not like the assholes they’d just put away for kidnapping Tansy.
Red trailed her hand along the walls as they walked. The woman liked to touch.
Graham cursed his vivid memory and managed to keep his mouth shut.
They climbed over the rocks around the ancient waterwheel. What once must have been a decent creek was no more than a dry bed. Probably the reason the mill had shut down.
When they’d circled the building, they ended up back at her truck. An old Chevy that didn’t have a two as the first digit in its year.
“Your truck didn’t sound too healthy coming in.”
Red patted the hood. “Buffy’s worked hard to get us here. I’ll give her a rest and then find out if there’s a mechanic in Phail.”
“You’ve got issues with your tie rods or your ball joints.”
Red finally smiled, and it nearly knocked him flat on his ass. “Poor Buffy. That sounds painful. And expensive.”
“I can fix it up for you.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You don’t have to do that.”
Graham shrugged and turned to the trail. He couldn’t do anything for the truck without new parts, so there was no point in staying. He was antsy and needed to move. “I’m a mechanic. It’s what I do.”
“So that’s why you want part of the sawmill?”
He nodded and pointed to the woods. “The lodge is this way. Tansy know you’re on the way?”
Red shrugged. “I didn’t want her to waste her time coming out to meet me when her instructions were clear enough.”
Jetson darted off trail, probably chasing a hapless squirrel, and Red frowned. “Will he be okay? Shouldn’t you call him back?”
“He’ll be fine. He likes to chase things. Never catches anything, but he always comes back.”
They walked in silence for a while. Graham’s thoughts were a jumble. A messy jumble. His emotions were worse.
He hadn’t wanted to see Red ever again. Hell, he’d snuck out without saying goodbye or leaving a note.
Was he supposed to apologize?
Five years later? Seemed ridiculous.
Her presence also amped up his guilt. Which was also ridiculous. Jenny had been gone for ten years now.
Ten years.
Jetson ran back and pranced around Graham. Knowing the rules, Graham found a stick and threw it forward down the path.
He knew he should break the silence before it got even more awkward, but he didn’t have a clue what to say.
Sorry I left you alone in the room.
Thanks for the best night of my life.
Want to pick up where we left things?
All of those would only make things even more awkward.
“How do you know Tansy?” That was neutral.
“She and I met back in Sacramento. I worked for her on Döva.”
Which explained nicely why she’d been at the open house fundraiser that night.
“How did you end up a carpenter?”
She made a noise he couldn’t quite identify. Not a growl, not a hum, but something in between.
“My dad was a carpenter. I grew up with hammers and measuring tapes instead of dolls and makeup.”
She sure as hell didn’t need makeup. “Your mom didn’t balance things out?”
“She wasn’t around. How about you? Why a mechanic?”
His turn to shrug. “I always liked puzzles, figuring out how things worked. Liked physics in high school. I worked at a local garage all through when I was old enough. Did a tour in the army and picked up an electrician’s ticket, too.”
Red nodded and threw the stick for Jetson.
They were almost at the lodge. He needed a few minutes alone to get his head together and figure out how he was going to deal with this twist.
Three more stick tosses for Jetson and they broke into the clearing.
Red gasped with delight as she took in the sight. Summer had hit Vermont in all its glory.
The trees were full, and the lodge looked picture perfect backed up against the lake. They walked around to the front deck that faced the lake and Red stopped, a huge smile on her face.
“Tansy said it was perfect, but I didn’t quite believe her. She was right.”
“She usually is.”
Red laughed, and the sound was way too magical for his liking.
She’d been a one-night stand, but he remembered that laugh very well. Her joy and delight in what had been truly spectacular sex.
“Aisling!” Tansy waved from over by the cabin. At least she and Sam had finished banging each other’s brains out without him having to interrupt.
When the couple neared, the women hugged.
Red grabbed Tansy’s hand and squealed. “You’re engaged?”
Sure enough, there was a ring with diamonds circling the band on her finger. And a smug Sam at her back.
Red hugged Tansy again, then Graham moved to pull her in for a hug of his own. “Congratulations, Tansy.” He held out his hand to Sam. “And to you, too. Awesome news.”
Graham turned to find Red frowning at him. “You’re not Sam?”