Chapter 1 #2
At least…that’s what she tried to keep telling herself.
And just then, the first drop of rain landed on her nose.
Slowly, MacKenzie lifted her head, raised her eyes toward the sky, and cursed and screamed until her voice was raw. “Why? Why me? Why now?” she cried out. “Haven’t I been through enough? Wasn’t it bad enough that Kevin cheated on me? Do I really deserve this?”
The logical part of her brain reminded her that she wasn’t going to get a divine answer on this one, but it was a great way to release some of her pent-up anger and frustration.
So she screamed and jumped up and down a bit more.
“I work so hard and give everything I am to everyone and this is what I get?” she breathlessly screamed heavenward. “How about throwing a little bad luck Kevin’s way, huh? Or maybe the whore he was screwing on Nana’s table! Maybe give them both an STD!”
That’s when the hysterical laughter started as images of all sorts of cartoonish misery fell on her ex and his side-piece. Everything from obvious STDs to anvils falling on them before sinking into quicksand.
Or maybe a piano falling from the sky.
“I probably should have eaten something more than a stale package of cupcakes for breakfast eight hours ago. I think I’m getting delirious.”
And sadly, that was the only thing she had eaten today.
“Great, I’ll probably starve to death before anyone finds me…
” Looking up at the sky again–no easy feat with the intensity of the rain coming down–and this time, her scream was more of a whimper.
“Can you please just give me a damn break? I don’t get why I’m the one being punished!
I’m a good person, dammit! I’m the wronged party here, or weren’t you paying attention? ”
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and hit close enough that MacKenzie screeched in terror.
She raised her hands up in surrender as the rain came down in earnest. Her heart beat madly even as she felt all of the fight slowly drain out of her.
Her chin dropped to her chest as she sighed.
“Fine. No need to come at me with your wrath…”
She was so lost in her own misery that she failed to notice the approaching headlights.
Slamming the car hood down, she left her hands on it and felt her tears mixing with the rain.
What was the point of holding it all in?
She was so tired; bone-weary tired. She’d been driving aimlessly for days and all she wanted right now was to be dry and have a warm bed with a soft pillow–preferably in a hotel that wasn’t a dive and maybe had room service–and about twenty-four hours of sleep.
Somehow, she doubted that was ever going to happen.
And that just made her cry harder. Her entire body hurt, and there didn’t seem to be any hope. There was no one here to witness her breakdown and she was probably going to have to spend the night in her car to wait out the storm–and it wouldn’t be warm or soft.
Basically, there was no rush to get back in the car.
She was already soaked.
And if she got in the car, it was going to be soaked too.
“I’m so not living the dream…”
If anything, this was like a nightmare, and she seriously wished it was one she could wake up from.
Not that she wished she was back with Kevin–that relationship really ended a while ago, but they were both too lazy to pull the plug–but more than anything, she wished she could wake up and just have a better life.
It didn’t even have to be a great one, just one that was better than this.
Slowly, her body folded over the hood of the car as she lost all hope and continued to cry.
Devin had heard of people seeing mirages. But that sort of thing only happened after you’d been wandering in the dessert for days without food and water, right?
Virginia was dry but certainly not desert-like and he’d been eating and drinking consistently since he’d gotten on the road earlier. So…realistically, there was no good reason he was seeing what appeared to be a woman draped over the hood of a classic Mustang convertible.
The hood was closed, but why in the world would a woman choose to lie on top of the car in the middle of a storm?
“Someday my curiosity is going to get me in trouble,” he murmured as he did a quick U-turn and pulled over to the side–so the nose of the truck was facing the nose of the Mustang.
For a moment, he was struck speechless.
Yes, it was definitely a woman draped over the car and, from the view he had, she had a spectacular ass.
“Maybe this is a mirage.”
He’d been putting so much time into building his business that his social life–well…dating life–had pretty much been non-existent for quite a while. Was it possible this was all just his mind playing tricks on him? After all, a sexy woman and a classic car? It defied logic.
Still…
Slowly, he opened the truck door and stood on the running board. She may have an incredible ass, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t crazy or something. “Um…excuse me?” he called out.
She didn’t move.
Panic washed over him at the thought of her being in that position because she was hurt.
Had something happened to her and someone just left her there like that?
Jumping down, he quickly ran over to her.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?” he asked, his voice a little shaky, and his hand trembled slightly as it reached out to touch her.
Only…he didn’t. He was too afraid of startling her or finding out she was seriously injured.
As if coming out of a daze, her head turned toward his and the greenest eyes he had ever seen stared back at him. Her hair was plastered to her head and her makeup was a little runny and Devin had to wonder if his conclusion of her being hurt wasn’t accurate.
“Ma’am?” he asked again, softer this time.
She straightened, and all the blood in Devin’s head rushed south. She was petite–possibly only 5’2 or 5’3. Her white t-shirt was practically transparent and she was beyond curvy. She pushed her hair away from her face and frowned at him.
“Could you quit calling me that?” she snapped.
Confusion hit him first. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Can you quit calling me ma’am? I’m not that old, for crying out loud.”
A bark of laughter came out before he could stop it. The look of indignation on her face kept him laughing a bit longer before he forced himself to stop.
One perfectly shaped brow arched at him. “If this is your way of helping someone out, you can leave.”
And for some reason, he laughed just a little more.
Which only seemed to irritate her more. “Seriously, are you done?” she asked.
Devin cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed like that, but you kind of caught me off guard.” When she crossed her arms over her chest and simply stared at him, he knew she clearly wasn’t quick to forgive. “So…um…what’s the problem with the car?”
Shrugging, she looked over her shoulder at it. “No idea. It sort of sputtered a bit and then I noticed the smoke, so I pulled over.”
Probably overheated, he thought, and then noticed her shiver. “Listen, why don’t you go wait in my truck where it’s dry and I’ll take a quick look under the hood.”
Now she eyed him warily. “Thanks but…I’ll stay out here.”
“Why?” he asked, confused. “Why stand out here any longer than you have to? Do you have an umbrella in your car?”
“If I did, don’t you think I’d be using it?” Her tone was weary and she slowly wiped some of the rain off of her face and attempted to comb her hair back.
He could have argued with her–or simply wished her luck as he drove away–but he was raised with better manners than that. “Okay, why don’t you pop the hood and let me take a look?”
“Do you know anything about cars?”
He grinned and reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, then one of his business cards. Handing it to her, he said, “Devin Maxwell. I own my own garage back in Sweetbriar Ridge.”
“MacKenzie Holland.” She looked it over and then handed it back to him with a nod before she spun on her heel and reached into the car to pop the hood as he’d asked.
Devin didn’t waste any time. Securing the hood, he looked around and noticed the engine wasn’t in the greatest shape.
At a first glance, he saw the hoses were cracked and worn; there was some corrosion on the battery and in general, it was just dirty.
A car like this should be babied and it was clear no one had truly loved this car the way it deserved.
“So?” she asked, coming back to stand beside him. “What do you see?”
He opened the radiator cap, looked down, and then took a whiff of the engine. Without a word, he stepped back and closed the hood.
“Do I just need to let it cool down before driving it again?” she asked hopefully.
“Afraid not. Without proper lighting and getting it up on a lift, I wouldn’t recommend you driving it at all.”
She groaned and leaned against the car and cursed. “Great,” she murmured. “Any idea where the nearest town is?”
“So you’re not from around here?”
MacKenzie shook her head.
“Where were you heading?”
“West,” was her only response.
“Ah,” he said with a nod. “I’ve heard of it.”
He couldn’t help but grin when he noticed her lips twitching with the urge to do the same.
“Look…Devin,” she began, “I appreciate you stopping and all, but for all I know, you could be some sort of serial killer or something. Do you really think I’m going to tell you where I’m going?”
Devin had to hand it to her, she certainly had a knack for speaking her mind. “Fair enough. But in my defense, do you really think a serial killer would stop and offer to look at your car?”
“Actually, yes,” she said firmly. “Win over my trust, offer to help and then BAM! Next thing you know, I’m tomorrow’s headline.”
His eyes went a little wide. “Wow. You’ve got it all worked out.”
She shrugged.
“Okay then. I guess this is where I wish you luck and…get on my way.” He turned back toward his truck and made it all of three feet before she called out to him. Turning back to her, he waited.
“Fine, so maybe you’re not a serial killer. But I’m stuck here and you’re telling me I can’t drive the car. My cell phone’s dead and I don’t have a charger and… shit . I’m pretty much screwed here.”
It would have been rude to agree, but it was on the tip of his tongue to do just that. “My shop is kind of far from here, but I can call one of my guys and have someone come and get you. I know it’s a little out of your way, but it’s the best I can do.”
MacKenzie chuckled. “Beggars can’t be choosers, right?”
“Let me grab my phone,” he said and then stopped. “Or…could we please go sit in the truck? Maybe you don’t mind standing out in the rain, but right now I feel like it’s going to take hours before I feel dry again and I’ve still got an hour’s drive ahead of me.”
Without waiting for an answer, Devin walked over and climbed into the truck.
It took a full minute for him to shift around until he was comfortable and cursed at how his wet clothes were going to mess with the leather interior.
Knowing there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, he flipped on the seat warmers and moved the cooler to the back seat.
Letting out a long breath, he reached for his phone to call the shop.
“Sweetbriar Auto Care. Will speaking. How can I help you?”
“Hey, Will. It’s Devin.”
“Hey, boss. Don’t tell me you’re calling to check on us again? I just talked to you an hour ago!”
Devin laughed and when he noticed MacKenzie slowly walking toward the truck, he found himself holding his breath. She silently climbed in beside him and he jacked up the heat to help her warm up.
“Listen, I just got off the I-81 and came upon a broken-down car. Could be the head gasket. Classic Mustang–sixty-five or sixty-six,” he guessed, and then looked over at MacKenzie.
“Sixty-six,” she confirmed.
“Sixty-six,” he repeated to Will. “I need you to send a tow truck out here to come and get it.”
“I’d love to, Devin, but there was a multi-car pileup just this side of Draper and both our trucks are on site there. It’s been pretty chaotic. I’ll send someone as soon as I can, but you’re looking at four to five hours before I’m thinking they’ll even start heading your way.”
A curse escaped Devin’s lips before he could stop it, and he noticed MacKenzie’s defeated posture. “Keep me posted, Will. Call me as soon as you have a truck free and we’ll take it from there.”
“Can do.”
Devin hung up and sighed, combing his own wet hair away from his face. He turned to MacKenzie. “I don’t have a truck available right now, but…”
“I heard,” she said wearily.
“Why don’t we go and grab something to eat and meet my truck back here when it’s available?”
“I don’t want to leave the car here,” she said with a hint of desperation. “A car like that?” She shook her head. “Uh-uh. Thanks but…I’ll stay here with it. Send your truck over when he’s free.”
“MacKenzie, I’m not going to leave you here.”
“Can’t we just use your phone and…you know…Google something and call someplace else? Someplace that maybe has a tow truck available now?”
“We can, but they’ll charge you a fortune to tow it all the way to my shop. Whereas I’m not going to charge you since I’m going to be the one fixing the car. It’s part of the services we offer, and…”
“Ugh, seriously, dude,” she groaned. “I’m not gonna be picky right now. The car just needs to be dealt with. Sooner rather than later.”
Devin seriously felt a headache coming on.
Sure he could just call some random mechanic they found online, but the thought of someone else messing around with that Mustang just didn’t sit right with him.
It was the kind of car he’d always wanted to work on, and seeing the state of disrepair it was in just made him want to do it all the more.
And the thought of saying goodbye to MacKenzie already wasn’t something he was willing to deal with right now either.
He looked at his watch and sighed. It was getting late; the sky was getting darker and the rain seriously wasn’t letting up. His options were limited, but…
“I’ll hitch it to the truck,” he said quickly.
MacKenzie’s eyes went wide. “What?”
He nodded. “I have chains in the back and the truck can handle the weight. We’ll tow it to my shop so you’ll know it’s safe and then tomorrow I’ll get it up on a lift and tell you exactly what’s wrong. What do you say?”
“I say…I guess I don’t really have a choice,” she said before begrudgingly added, “Thank you.”