Chapter 7 #2
Pulling off into the ditch, I stare at the steering wheel, weighing my options.
I don’t know any mechanics in town, and I don’t have roadside assistance.
I take a moment to try to search mechanics near me on the web, but all that shows up is Penny For Your Thoughts and Shocks, which I assume is not somewhere that would offer towing services, but instead somewhere you would get your fortune read.
Groaning, I drop my head down, accidentally blasting the horn in the process. I don’t even know who I can call to come and help me out. The only person I know in town is—oh fuck.
I need to make more friends.
Besides just completely giving up and making a home for myself in the Montana woods, there’s no other choice. I pull up Colter Williams’s number, the one I only have because I’m his son's tutor and teacher, and hit call before I can talk myself out of it.
He picks up on the second ring. "Yeah?"
"Hey," I say, trying not to sound too pathetic. "It’s Kayla. Carson."
There’s a long pause. "What can I do for ya, Kayla?"
"Oh God. I’m sorry, you’re the only person I know, and the only number I have. And I tried to Google mechanics, and nothing is showing up."
“You gotta get to the point, Sweets,” he grumbles. In the background, the sounds of machinery and loud voices echo.
“My car broke down somewhere between Malta and Castlebrook. There’s smoke, or steam, I don’t know. But it doesn’t look good, and I don’t know who to call or what to do.
There’s another pause. Then, "Do you remember the last sign you saw?"
“It was something about a Wolfdog sanctuary,” I wince. At least, I think it was.
He grunts. "Stay there. I’m on my way."
"Wait, no! That’s not what I–!" But the line’s already dead. “I just needed the number of the closest mechanic.” But nobody hears my words. The horn blares as my head makes contact with it again.
I don’t move.
Colter shows up twenty-five minutes later in a dusty pickup, pulling in front of my car so that his truck faces oncoming traffic. He gets out, eyes scanning me from head to toe like he’s checking for bruises, then says, "Pop the hood."
"Good morning to you, too," I mutter, but I do it.
He props it open, peers inside, then pulls back and wipes his hands on his jeans. "Your coolant is leaking. I don’t have the tools or experience to know where it’s coming from, though."
“I didn’t mean to drag you all the way out here,” I huff. “I was just hoping you had the number for a tow?”
“You didn’t think to search it on the web?”
“I did, but all that came up was something called Penny for your Thoughts. I didn’t think that’s what I was looking for.” He cracks a smile. Just a small one. Barely there.
“Penny is our mechanic,” he tells me, shaking his head. “We all warned her about the name, but she insisted.”
“You should’ve tried harder,” I huff, leaning against the side of my car. “I could have been home by now. In bed with a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of ice cream.”
Colt clicks, crossing his arms. “Ain’t no use holding onto that dream. I already phoned Penny while I was on my way out here. She’ll be here soon, but it’s gonna take a minute to figure out the problem.”
“You already called her?”
“Sure,” he shrugs. “I’m a rancher, not a mechanic. Figured there was a reason you called me, and not her, but I knew I wouldn’t be of any help.”
I sigh, feeling guilty for being so snippy. "You’re the only person in this town whose number I have.” I offer up the only explanation I have.
His mouth twitches, like he doesn’t know what to do with that. Thankfully, a tow truck pulling in behind his truck saves him from needing to say anything else on the matter. Saves me from saying anything more embarrassing, too.
The tow truck rolls to a stop behind Colter’s truck, and a woman hops out, wiping her hands on her overalls. Her copper-red hair is twisted into two space buns, and the smear of grease on her cheek somehow makes her look more competent than half the men I’ve ever met.
“You the damsel?” she calls.
“That’s me,” I say, stepping forward, cheeks heating. “Sorry for the drama.”
Penny grins, all teeth and confidence. “If you’re not calling me to rescue you from a ditch once in a while, I’m doing something wrong.
Anyways, it’s not like you got stuck in a pit of mud while chasing down a runaway goat.
” She smiles cheekily at Colter, who scowls in response.
“Well, don’t you look grumpier than usual. ”
“Nice to see you too,” he says flatly, but there’s something like fondness buried in the dryness.
Penny turns back to me. “Let’s take a look under the hood, yeah?”
“It’s the coolant,” Colt says, following behind her as she hovers under the hood of my car.
“Why don’t I look at the car, and you stand over there and look pretty for me?” Penny suggests, obviously feeling uncomfortable with Colt’s hovering. “Either that or next time you need me to come out to the ranch, I’ll hover and tell you how to herd a cow?”
He steps back, hands up in surrender, and lets Penny do her thing. “You were right to stop,” she says moments later, dropping my hood. “Your coolant’s leaking bad. Could be a cracked hose or the water pump, but either way, it wasn’t getting you home.”
Penny makes quick work of securing my car to the flatbed, whistling under her breath while Colter and I stand awkwardly on the shoulder of the road. “Thanks for helping me,” I tell him quietly and smile sheepishly. “I owe you one.”
“No,” he speaks gruffly. “You don’t.”
“Do you drink coffee? I’ll get you one on Tuesday.”
“Kayla.” His dark eyes pierce my soul, holding me in place. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Well,” I shuffle on my feet, shifting from one foot to the other uneasily. “Thank you, anyways. I think I’m good now that Penny’s here. You can head back to work.”
“I’ll drive you back to the garage,” he tells me. Doesn’t ask, just demands.
“I can ride with her,” I offer, gesturing to the truck.
Colter shakes his head. “You’re with me.”
“It’s really not necessary—”
“You called me,” he says simply. “So you’re my problem until your car’s not.”
Before I can argue, Penny hops back down from the truck and calls out, “You coming along, Cowboy?”
“We’ll meet you at the shop,” he calls back. “Drive safe.”
“Sure thing.” Smiling like she knows a secret, she waves us off, hopping into her truck and peeling onto the highway, taking my car with her.
“This is not going to help the rumors,” I sigh, watching her taillights disappear around the bend.
“What rumors?”
“Never mind, let’s just go.”
The drive to Castlebrook is short, which makes me think, despite Penny’s warning, maybe I could have made it all the way home on my own.
Colter is quiet as he drives, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the center console.
Every time we hit a bump, our arms brush, until I grow smart enough to lean against the window instead.
Penny’s garage is on the outskirts of Castlebrook. A hand-painted sign with her company name states that she specializes in towing, repairs, and unsolicited life advice. I read it out loud and raise my eyebrows.
Colter shrugs. “Told you we warned her.”
“I kind of love it,” I admit.
He parks, and before we even get out, the front door swings open. A tall man leans against the frame, arms crossed, hat tilted back on his head. He’s got kind eyes and sawdust on his jeans. There’s something relaxed in the way he holds himself—like he’s the main character of the story.
“Hey, Granger,” Colter calls.
“Bout time,” the man replies with a grin. “I’ve been standing here sniffing motor oil and waiting for my lunch date.”
“She’s a little busy saving my butt,” I say as I climb out of the truck.
He tips an imaginary hat. “You must be Kayla, Colt’s girl. I’m Granger Wolfe. Local contractor. Friend of Penny’s. Well, best friend. Don’t let her tell you different.”
“Not Colt’s girl,” I repeat the words that have become my mantra over the weekend. If I say it enough times, maybe someone will believe it and share it with the rest of the town. “He’s just helping out a friend.”
“My girl?” Colt asks, lips curling in a way that I would normally find offensive, but in this case, it’s understood.
“That’s the rumor,” I reply, pushing my way past the two blue-collar men.
“Fucking Sue,” Colt mumbles, following behind me. He pushes Granger as we pass, forcing the laughing man to stumble over his feet.
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger!”
Penny’s already got my car off the flatbed and into one of the garage bays, completely ignoring the childish men standing outside her place of business. She mutters something about “temperamental Chevys” as she ducks under the hood.
“Granger,” she calls out, voice coated with suspicion, “if you eat my sandwich before I get five minutes to sit, I will murder you with a wrench.”
“I would never,” he says, all false innocence. His eyes follow her around the garage like she’s magnetic. I don’t think Penny realizes he’s too distracted to be thinking about stealing her sandwich.
Penny pokes her head out from under my car a minute later. “We’ll know more once I pull it apart, but you’ll probably need to leave it overnight.”
“Oh. Okay,” I say, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
“I’ll drive her home,” Colter says before I can speak.
I blink. “I can walk.” This town has like 3 streets.
“With all your shopping bags?”
“I could leave them in the car.” I mean, I was hoping to use the math tools tomorrow, but I could always skip math tomorrow and do something else instead. We’ll make it up later.
“I’m already here. I’ll drive you.”
There’s no arguing with that tone, so I just nod. Penny hands me a Coke from a dented cooler with a sympathetic smile. Granger turns to me before we leave. “Don’t worry. She’s the best there is.”
“I believe it.”
“And hey,” he adds with a kind smile. “For what it’s worth, you’re doing okay. New town, new people—it’s a lot. The last person who moved to town left after three weeks. His rumor was that he gave herpes to Mrs. Cannon. Not as nice of a rumor. That’s what you get for pissing off Sue.”
Something in my chest loosens. “Thanks.”
Colter opens the truck door for me, and as I climb in, I catch Granger glancing at Penny like she hung the moon.
She doesn’t look back.