Chapter Eight #2
Rachel was five minutes from the outskirts of Emerald Ridge when she heard a sudden pop followed by what sounded like a hiss.
Steam began seeping out from under the hood, and a frantic glance at her dash showed the temperature gauge needle rising rapidly into the red zone.
She gripped the steering wheel tighter as the car lost power.
Thankfully she was on a two-lane highway and made it to the gravel shoulder as the engine began to knock and ping.
She put on her hazard lights, turned off the engine and called Oakley.
He answered immediately. “Hey, I’m going to be needing that extended lunch after all.
Something happened to my radiator, and it overheated. I’ve pulled over.”
“Where are you?” Oakley asked.
She told him.
“I know where that’s at. Lock the doors and stay in the car. I’m on my way.” Before she could answer, he’d hung up.
As the car interior was already beginning to heat, Rachel cracked the windows.
Several cars whizzed past but didn’t stop.
Soon one went past, made a U-turn and pulled up behind her, and parked with hazards flashing.
Through her driver’s side window, Rachel felt a wave of relief as she saw Oakley approach.
While she could have handled this crisis, it was wonderful to have a knight in shining armor coming to her rescue.
Oakley came to the passenger side, and she unlocked the car.
He opened the door and leaned inside. She was never so grateful to see him. “Are you okay?”
“Shaken, but otherwise fine. This was not on my bucket list for the day.” Or in her budget.
“Pop the hood and let me take a look.”
Rachel reached under the dashboard and found the latch.
The hood unlocked with a loud click. As Oakley lifted the hood and secured it, more steam escaped.
She glanced out the rearview mirror, and seeing no cars coming, safely climbed out and met him at the front of her car.
The sweet smell of coolant hit her nose, and she drew back. “Can we fix it?”
“Sadly, no. You’re going to need a tow truck. See that?” He pointed to a hose dangling loose. Below it, a puddle of coolant spread across the ground. “That’s your radiator hose…everything’s leaked out. Looks like the rubber cracked and broke. Probably was rotting from the inside out. It happens.”
“I should have known.” This was one reason why cars needed routine maintenance.
“I’m doubtful you could have known. Unless you’re a mechanic, everything would have probably looked fine. The hose failed from inside out because of the internal pressures and temperatures created when driving. It is an older car.”
An eleven-year-old car she’d been putting off getting serviced since she hadn’t had a good enough job or enough money.
“We should get you a new one,” Oakley said.
He must have sensed her panic for he began to close the hood.
It landed with a loud, reverberating clang.
“That’s a project for another day. For now, let’s call a tow truck.
I’ll get your stuff swapped out and moved into my SUV.
If you need a car, you can borrow mine until we get you a rental.
” He dialed a number, issued some rapid-fire orders.
“Come on, let’s grab your stuff. My car has air conditioning and it’s hot out. ”
Rachel had to admit waiting in Oakley’s luxury vehicle was far better than sitting in hers.
The leather seats were not only comfortable, but they came complete with cooling fans.
Those complemented the powerful air conditioning, one that worked far better than hers ever had.
She actually shivered. Oakley noticed and adjusted the temperature.
The ferocity of the air exiting the vents lessened.
“How was your lunch?” he asked.
“Good, until the drive home.” She sighed.
“I knew better than to keep delaying getting my car to the shop. What’s that saying?
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
I’m praying that didn’t blow the engine.
I have to get this running. A new car is not yet in the budget.
Neither was this repair. I’m sure it’ll be pricey. ”
“We’ll have them look at it and see what they can do.
Let me have your key.” A tow truck came into view, made a U-turn and backed itself up to Rachel’s car.
Her key in hand, Oakley went to greet the driver.
Within minutes, he was back. “They’ll call you once they know what’s wrong, beyond the obvious of course, and give you an estimate. ”
She secured her seat belt and leaned her head back as Oakley pulled around her parked car. “Thanks for getting me and for telling Jenny I was a good employee.”
“Actually, I said you’re great. But you might not feel I’m a great boss when you hear what I need to ask of you next.”
“No late hours tonight, please. I’m stressed enough.
” And now she was more stressed. What did he need to ask her?
And she hoped he didn’t want to discuss that kiss, especially as she couldn’t put it out of her mind.
It lurked there, just under the surface, an ever permanent reminder of how easy it would be to cross a line if she wasn’t careful.
He grinned. “Nope. Not tonight. Not adding anything to your stress today.” He turned his attention back to the road. “However, as you know, our signature rodeo event, the showcase, is this weekend in Dallas. I’m leaving early Thursday morning and won’t be back until sometime Tuesday afternoon and…”
They’d reached town and he made a turn onto Emerald Ridge Boulevard. “And…?” Rachel prompted as he’d dropped the thread.
“I’d like you to go to Dallas with me for the weekend, or at least Thursday and Friday.”
“What?”
Her shock must have been evident because he backtracked quickly.
“For work reasons, of course. It’s the showcase, and your accompanying me would give you an opportunity to meet your Dallas counterparts.
You know everything inside and out. It would be great for you to be on-site rather than via video.
The company will, of course, pay for overtime and for your hotel and meals.
” His fingers tapped against the steering wheel as they waited at a stoplight.
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to leave Allie.
You could make the drive instead if you’d rather. ”
“Not without a car.”
“I said you can borrow mine. Or we can rent you something.”
Again Oakley showed how bighearted he could be, but logistically it was still a nightmare. With traffic and the distance she’d need to travel, she’d be on the road far more than she wanted to be.
“Tell you what. Let me see if Taylor is willing to babysit. I’m sure I could be in Dallas at least Thursday night and then return to Emerald Ridge on Friday evening.” The overtime she’d make might be enough to pay for the repairs.
“Great. Let me know tomorrow.” He parked the car and they walked toward the office.
“I have a few things to wrap up and then I’m going to drop by the hospital before I meet my siblings.
We’re doing dinner earlier this week since I’ll be heading to Dallas.
” He unlocked the door to the office and stepped back so she could enter first. “Home sweet office.”
He left her then, and Rachel settled back into the tasks that had doubled in the short time she’d been sitting on the roadside.
She’d let Jenny know about her car, and that she was good as she could walk to work.
She didn’t have any appointments scheduled for the remainder of the week, and she could always have groceries delivered this once.
She would find a way to survive without borrowing Oakley’s SUV.
Although, it was sweet and generous of him to make the offer, and to have dropped everything to come and get her.
As for his asking her to go to Dallas? She hadn’t been back since she’d moved, and she hadn’t been away from Allie overnight since her daughter was born.
It might be nice to have a getaway and meet everyone at the main office, but at the same time, Oakley was pure temptation.
Spending more time with him might be dangerous.
She could not let one kiss make her believe that there was anything more.
He stopped by her desk and chatted before he left the office. She stayed for another hour before heading home, where she found Taylor in the kitchen with Allie. When her daughter saw her, she grinned.
“You have a mouth full of banana,” Rachel said. She leaned and kissed Allie on the forehead, moving aside before her daughter’s sticky fingers managed to find their way into Rachel’s loose hair. “How was she today?”
Taylor handed Rachel a glass of water. “She’s the easiest baby. Seriously, she makes it fun. I could watch her forever.” She made silly faces at Allie, who clapped. Bits of banana splattered.
“Would you be willing to watch her overnight?” Rachel asked. “Say this Thursday? Or is that your book club night?”
“No, it’s next Thursday. And where are you going?”
“Dallas.” Rachel explained the situation while using a wet washcloth to clean Allie’s fingers.
“Do you think this is wise? I have no issues watching Allie, but it’s an away trip with your boss. He already has been in your home.”
“It’s nothing.” She would not tell Taylor about the kiss. “I’ll be with everyone else from the office as well.”
“If that’s the case, then maybe you should stay the weekend and take some time for yourself. It’s a rodeo. You also have friends there. Visit them. I’ll bring Allie with me to my family’s picnic and she can hang out with the other kids.”
Rachel’s lip quivered. Now that the reality of attending was possible, she didn’t know if she wanted to leave. “I’ve never been away from her.”