Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“You know, if you need a hand, all you have to do is ask.”
“Well, I don’t, so...”
“You sure about that?” He glanced down at his watch, then warned, “It’s getting pretty late. Gonna be hard to find someone to come all the way out here after hours, and even if you do, it’s gonna cost a pretty penny.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“Um-hmm,” he grumbled with a clenched jaw. He stared at me for a moment, then let out an exasperated sigh. “Are you always so damn stubborn?”
“Are you always so damn pushy?”
He didn’t respond.
He simply stood there with a wounded look on his face.
After what felt like an eternity, Q shook his head and sighed. “You know what? Forget it. You win.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he turned and walked back to his bike. I couldn’t see him, but I heard his engine roar to life and whip out onto the road. Seconds later, he was gone, leaving me completely alone on the side of the road.
Damn. Why did I have to be such an asshole? It wasn’t his fault my stupid car broke down, but that didn’t stop me from being a total bitch to him.
If the man didn’t hate me before, he certainly did now.
And rightly so.
I couldn’t help but feel guilty about the way I’d behaved. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on it. I was stranded on the side of the road, and it was getting darker by the second. I knew staring at my engine wasn’t going to do me any good, so I closed the hood and got back in my car.
I took my phone from my purse and started searching for a local towing company. I hoped I’d be able to find one who’d be willing to help, but no such luck. They were either too expensive or couldn’t get to me until later in the week. I had no husband, no friends or family that I could call.
I was stuck, and I had no one to blame but myself.
I was on the verge of tears when I spotted a set of headlights coming up behind me. Seconds later, Smokey’s pickup truck eased in front of me and parked. I watched in disbelief as he and his oldest, Hayes, got out of his truck and started walking toward me. When he made it to my window, he leaned down and asked, “You find a tow?”
“Not yet.” I was embarrassed to admit, “The ones I called were too expensive.”
“Not surprised.” He looked over to Hayes, then said, “Grab the chain from the back.”
“Wait... What are you doing?”
“We’re gonna pull you to the clubhouse.” When he saw the confused expression on my face, he added, “Q called and said you were having car trouble.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, he said your radiator hose blew.”
“My what?”
“Don’t worry about it. The brothers can fix it.”
“But I can’t afford to...”
“It’s all good. We got you covered.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” He gave me a reassuring smile, then opened my door. “This won’t take long. Why don’t you go wait in my truck?”
I nodded, then got out and rushed over to his truck. Once I was inside, I closed the door, then turned and looked out the back window, watching as they hooked the chain to the hitch on Smokey’s truck. Once they had it secured, Hayes got in my car to steer while Smokey got in his truck and started driving toward town.
We hadn’t gotten far when Smokey turned to me and said, “It’s late. I’ll drop you off at your place, and Beau can swing by and pick you up in the morning.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Nope, it won’t be a problem at all.”
“That would be great. I really appreciate it.” I brought my hand up to my mouth as I yawned. “I didn’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come along.”
“Guess it was a good thing Q gave me a call.” Smokey’s eyes skirted over to me as he asked, “Is it just me or is there something going on between you two?”
“Between me and Q? No. No. Not at all,” I gasped. “I don’t even know him, and I have no intention of getting to know him. I’m done with men. I’ve been burned one too many times, and I’d just rather be alone.”
“I see.” Smokey turned his attention back to the road as he said, “Well, if you ever decide to take a chance, you should know he’s one of the good ones.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
Smokey had no reason to lie to me, but I found it hard to believe that Q was this great guy who I could trust wholeheartedly. Hell, I found it hard to believe that there was any man I could trust to that degree which is why I refused to take a chance on him.