CHARLIE
He parked on the opposite side of the road and took a quick look under the hood of the stalled sedan to see if he could determine what was wrong.
Before he came to a conclusion, he saw someone making their way toward him over the hill in the distance.
It was the woman. She was still holding her phone up, still searching for a signal.
He went back to his truck to give her space, but he had no intention of leaving her alone.
There weren’t many predators around these parts, but they did exist, and just by the look of this city dweller, he could tell she’d be no match for them.
For a moment, he saw her hesitate when she saw he was waiting for her. Then, she stubbornly plowed on anyway, and he couldn’t help admiring her a little for being so headstrong.
When she came close enough, she shouted, “Stopped to watch the show, did you?”
“Just ensuring you get out of here before dark,” he explained.
“Oh, a gentleman, are you?” Her tone was sarcastic, but he only nodded in response.
He leaned back against the side of his own truck, tipped his wide-brim hat to protect his face from the setting sun, and crossed his legs casually.
Her discomfort was obvious, but he didn’t take his eyes from her as she leaned over and examined the engine.
Did she really know what she was doing? As he watched her move around the car and look at parts of it randomly, he realized it was all for show and chuckled to himself.
Finally, she said, “I’m pretty sure it’s the battery. It needed a jump earlier today, and that got it going again. Since I’ve provided so much entertainment to you, would it be too much to ask for—”
He didn’t wait for her to finish before he was in his truck and pulling it up to her car. Without another word, he popped his own hood and pulled out his jumper cables. Once they were in place, he walked back to his truck, turning back only once to say, “Try to start your car now.”
She did as he instructed, and her car didn’t struggle to start. Rather, it didn’t even start at all.
Charlie got back out of his truck and removed his cables.
“Wait,” she said, sticking her head out her window. “Can’t we try again?”
“It’s not the battery.”
“But a jump solved it last time,” she protested.
Charlie just shook his head. “It’s possible the battery needs replacing, too, but I suspect the starter is your problem right now.
” He could see her considering it, fighting it, and then realizing he was probably right.
Every expression on her face told him the story.
She was so easy to read. And, honestly, she was gorgeous.
It was too bad so much cluelessness came in such a beautiful package.
He didn’t mind watching her while she went back to her engine and examined it for a little longer.
The sunset cast a golden glow, accentuating the shape of her and the way her skin reflected the light. She was like a work of art. Before he knew it, his heart was beating faster than before, and he had to remind himself to look away every once in a while.
Ten minutes later, the sun had dipped completely below the horizon, and Charlie could see the dark approaching. “I can try to fix it for you,” he finally offered, “but my tools are back at my place. Might take a while, though.”
Her head whipped around, and the look on her face could have frozen the sun. Charlie took a step back in shock. Then he leaned back against his truck to hide it, and he gave her the most unimpressed expression he could muster under the circumstances.
“I’m perfectly capable of calling a mechanic,” she said.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “At this hour? No one will come this far.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her options. “Surely there’s an emergency mechanic nearby.”
Charlie snorted and shook his head. “People around here live at a slower pace than you’re probably used to. They’re not going to come out this far until morning.”
She just rolled her eyes at him and walked a little distance from her car, holding her phone up to find a signal.
At least she was heading in the right direction this time.
It didn’t take her long to cheer for her own success and start dialing.
Charlie leaned back and waited. He knew exactly how this was going to end, whether she admitted it or not, and he certainly wasn’t going to let her go home with anyone else.
If it was him, he could at least guarantee she’d be safe.
After trying three mechanics and two tow trucks, the woman finally gave up. She slammed her hood closed and slumped against her car with a heavy sigh. “Fine. But I’m staying in my car, and I’m locking it. I don’t trust you.”
Charlie gave her a half bow. “Whatever you like, though I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s going to get hot in the morning if you’re inside a closed car.”
“I don’t plan to stay that long.” She didn’t even look at him as she folded her arms over her chest and waited.
By the time Charlie had her car hitched to his to tow it, every star was out and bright in the sky.
Surely now she saw how dark it could get out here in the middle of nowhere without streetlights or shops around.
Charlie had always loved the Texas wilderness, personally.
The lack of light pollution made the stars all the more brilliant out here.
That’s why people called it God’s country.
When everything was secure, he opened his passenger-side door for her.
No matter how irritated he was in any given situation, Charlie could always find the time to be a gentleman.
It was more a matter of pride than anything.
She got in and sat pouting while Charlie started his own extremely reliable ride and began the drive back home.
At first, he was annoyed with her attitude when he was going so far out of his way to help her, but then he considered her situation more carefully.
She was a beautiful woman, traveling on her own, stranded on the side of the road.
And he was a stranger who had just coaxed her into his vehicle and was taking her somewhere unknown.
No matter how many times he insisted they were just going to his house so he could fix her car, she had no way of knowing that was true.
Someone with less savory intentions would probably say exactly the same thing.
He began to feel a touch guilty for treating her so coldly.
Unfortunately, he determined that the best way to put her at ease was to make some kind of friendly small talk, and friendly small talk was not an activity he personally excelled at.
He cleared his throat several times before finding a word or two that might be worth saying.
“So, I’m guessing you’re not from around here. ”
She turned to glare at him. “Why do you say that?”
“Your clothes, for one,” he said. “You don’t dress like you live around here. You dress more like… a city girl. And your car is definitely not right for driving around these parts.”
“You can’t blame me for the car.” She leaned back with an irritated groan. “It’s a rental, and I didn’t choose it. The agency I work for did.” She slumped deeper into her chair. “Clearly, they were too cheap to get me a reliable car.”
“Or the rental place scammed ’em,” Charlie offered. “It’s usually best to check the car in person before accepting it, but I don’t suppose you would have been able to tell it had a nearly dead starter.”
“Battery,” she said.
“Starter.” There wasn’t a doubt in his mind now that he’d seen the thing try to start for himself.
“Whatever.” She brushed his correction aside. “The point is, I didn’t choose the car, and I’m starting to regret allowing anyone else to choose for me. But you know what they say about hindsight, right?”
Charlie didn’t entertain her question, instead choosing to change the subject. “So, I was right that you’re not from around here.”
She stared out the window for a while before answering. “I’m from Los Angeles.”
“Of course you are.” He couldn’t help rolling his eyes in the dark.
He might have guessed. It was always going to be New York or Los Angeles, wasn’t it?
“Why are you in Texas?” he asked. He probably should have worded it more like, What brings you to Texas this time of year?
That would have been far friendlier and less suspicious-sounding.
But it was too late to correct it. Anyway, Charlie had never been good at this sort of thing.
“My name’s Anna,” she said, giving him a sideways glance. “In case you were wondering.”
Charlie silently cursed himself. He hadn’t even asked her name, and yet he was worrying about the precise wording of his interrogation. It hadn’t even started out properly. He hadn’t even asked her name. He grumbled, “I’m Charlie.” He paused before adding, “Greene.”
She sighed. “Nice-ish to meet you, Charlie Greene. I’ll give you my last name when I know you’re not a crazy stalker.”
“Ask anyone in town,” he said, “and they’ll tell you who I am. Well, more likely they’ll tell you who my father was, but I’m not a total stranger around here.”
“Well, I’ll be in town tomorrow, hopefully, so I’ll be sure to do that.” After a brief silence she said, “They’re expecting me, by the way. Just so you know.”
“Of course.” She was obviously lying, but he didn’t let on that he knew. If it made her feel safer, he’d let her keep her white lie.
“Also, I’m location scouting.”
“Huh?” That seemed to come out of nowhere.
She clarified. “You asked what I was doing in Texas. That’s the answer. I’m location scouting for a movie. I need to find a quaint town with old buildings and a lot of charm. Someone recommended Denson Oaks as a possibility.”
That sounded like a nightmare just waiting to happen. Whoever recommended Denson Oaks as a good location for a movie was someone Charlie would have liked to have several words with. “Denson Oaks is not the town you’re looking for.”
Anna shot him a stubborn look as he pulled into his drive and started up toward the ranch. “How would you know? Have you read Texas Sunrise?”
“Texas what? No, I don’t think I’ve heard of that, whatever it is. But the people of this town take pride in their home. They aren’t going to agree to a film crew trampling all over it.” He was certain of his conclusion. No one in Denson Oaks would really agree to this, would they?
“We’ll see about that, I guess,” Anna said right before Charlie put his truck in park and pulled the e-brake.