20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Hannah

My mind was already on my next stop as I packed up my tools. Today had been one of my busier days, but I only had one more client, then I could take a long, cold shower. The sun had been brutal, beating down like a hammer. My mother had instilled the importance of skincare from a young age, so I’d slathered on sunscreen every couple hours, but I was still soaked in sweat.

This job wasn’t for the weak, but that was why I loved it. Not many things were better than spending my days taking care of horses, moving my body, and rarely having to sit behind a desk. If I had to work in an office—well, I’d probably be fired on my first day for spacing out. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that.

I approached my truck, not noticing the flat tire until I was already upon it.

“Shit.”

This wouldn’t do. I had a spare, but driving on a spare wasn’t ideal when my next job was forty-five miles down the road.

Circling the rear, I put my tool bag on the ground and went back to check out the tire, realizing the front one was flat too. A pit of dread swelled in my stomach as I bent down to look at it. There was no mistaking the wide, jagged puncture in the tread. I trailed around the truck to examine the other tires, swallowing down bile as I confirmed all four had been slashed in the same way.

I hadn’t run over something sharp. Someone had done this on purpose.

Wind knocked out of me, I fell into my front seat, my legs dangling out the door. I needed to get to my next job. That wasn’t a question. The “how” was what was stumping me. I’d call Cay or Mac, but they were both working. Phe was too. I also needed my truck towed. I couldn’t exactly leave it at my client’s ranch, and it wasn’t drivable.

Calling a tow was my first step. Once that was arranged, I sucked it up and made another call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Remi. It’s Hannah.”

“Hannah,” he breathed, and my toes curled. He had a way with his mouth, and my name uttered from it sounded better than ever. “Good to hear from you. Been a while.”

He wasn’t pleased with me, and he had every right to be pissed. Since he’d walked me home from Joy’s Elbow Room, I’d gone back to avoiding him. I hadn’t wanted to, but being near him, I would’ve had to fight myself from jumping into his arms—and that was exactly why I’d kept my distance. The fact remained, getting close to Remi wasn’t going to end well for me. He wasn’t here for long, and I knew myself well enough to predict how this would go. I’d get attached like always, and he’d break my heart in one way or another.

“I hate to call you like this, but I need help. Are you busy?” I asked.

“Not with anything I can’t put off ’til later. What do you need?”

I rolled my eyes skyward. This man, contrary to what I’d originally thought of him, was a good one. I’d known before I’d called he would drop what he was doing to help me. And that was why I had to say away. He might not have wanted to admit it, but he was Graham’s son, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Before I could finish telling him where I was, he was already on the move, coming for me.

All I could do was brace myself and wait.

Remi was spitting mad. He kicked the hell out of my tires, spewing a litany of curses as he paced.

“Who the hell did this?” he snapped. “Where’s the owner of this place?”

“I don’t know, and the owners are working.”

Hands on his hips, he scowled at me. And goddamn if he didn’t look good in a ball cap, maroon T-shirt with the sleeves rolled all the way up, and a pair of faded blue jeans. When my eyes reached his face again after checking him out, his scowl deepened.

“Hannah,” he growled, “you don’t seem to be taking this seriously. What the hell?”

I shrugged. “It’s a pain in the ass, but I don’t have time to throw a hissy fit over it. I need to load my tools in your truck and get to my next job.” Tipping my chin toward the house, I went on. “I talked to Jacob, the owner of this property while waiting for you to get here. He’s going to check his cameras but said he’d be surprised if anything was picked up with where I’d parked.”

“Don’t have time for a hissy fit,” he muttered, pacing in tight circles next to my broken-down truck. “Dammit, Hannah. Who did this? An angry ex? Someone else?”

“Don’t have any angry exes.” I bent to grab my tool bag and started toward Remi’s truck, his heavy footsteps nipping at my heels. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was Cleve. He’s been trying to poach my clients. Jacob told me he’d been out here last week, looking for work, and that he’d informed him I’d be out this week to do the job. Cleve was well aware I’d be here.”

As soon as I put my bag in the bed of his truck, he gripped my bicep and whirled me to face him.

“Why do you sound so nonchalant about this?” he demanded.

“Oh, I’m mad, Remington, but I don’t have time to dwell on it. I’m already late for my next client—which is where I need to keep my focus. Once I’m done, I’m gonna kick Cleve’s ass.”

His glare could’ve set me on fire; it was so hot. “You’re not kicking anyone’s ass. We’re going to the police.”

“Of course.” I looked down at his hand. “Can you let me go? I can drive if you want.”

His grip loosened, and he slid his hand down my arm all the way to my fingertips. He held them, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles as he frowned at me. The two actions were so incongruous I almost laughed but held it in. I didn’t think Remi would appreciate it very much.

“You’re not driving.” He pulled me toward the passenger side and yanked open the door. “Get in, Hannah.”

I must’ve been too slow to comply because he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me clear off the ground, plopping me in the seat. Then he leaned in, stretching the seat belt across my body, and latched the buckle. His head was right at my chest. Without thinking, I stroked my fingers along his nape, where it met his T-shirt and ventured just beneath it.

He turned, his eyes landing square on mine. “What are you doing?”

“Saying hi to you. Maybe trying to calm you down.”

“You think touching me is going to calm me down?”

I dug my teeth into my bottom lip, nervous at how fiercely his brow dipped over his stormy eyes.

“Let me roll with this, Rem. I need to work right now. When I’m done, I’ll deal with it all.”

“Including me?”

I nodded once, letting my hand glide out of his shirt, down his neck, to his chest.

“Yes. Including you.”

The starbursts around Remi’s eyes had returned, but he wasn’t grinning at me. He was laughing his ass off at the miniature pony poking me in the back of my head with her muzzle while I was trying to trim her sister’s hooves.

I snarled at him, my upper lip curling. “You’re supposed to be assisting me.”

He held up the rope I’d given him, keeping Penny in place. “I am. You didn’t tell me I’d have to keep the other ponies away.”

Reaching behind me, I patted Nickel’s flank. “Get on, girl. It’s not your turn yet.”

She chuffed, hot air blowing my ponytail around, but she did not budge, leaning her body against mine.

Normally, the owners or a caretaker helped me while I was trimming, but that wasn’t happening today. It was my fault for agreeing to come while the owners were on vacation and their teenage son had been left in charge. He was too busy playing video games to get his lazy butt out here, and Remi was too busy laughing to be much use.

To be fair, the ponies were tiny, ornery, and adorable. If I didn’t have one leaning her entire body weight on me while I was trying to tend to her sister, I would’ve been laughing too.

“Don’t think she’s listening,” Remi remarked.

“Nope. Nickel does what she wants.”

It didn’t take me long to take care of the ponies’ hooves. I got through all four and their two mini-donkey friends as quickly and efficiently as I could. My efficiency had been tested by Nickel needing snuggles, but it was an inconvenience I didn’t mind too much.

The donkeys were enamored with Remi. At one point, they tag-teamed him, both nipping at his jeans and nuzzling his stomach and back. He took it well, letting them do their donkey thing and giving them both plenty of head scratches.

I almost wished he wasn’t such a natural with the animals. It only made him more attractive, which was annoying. If he’d hated the horses or had been bothered by the donkeys, it would have made the pull I felt toward him much easier to resist.

Damn him.

He was sitting in the dirt now, Calliope’s head in his lap, scratching behind her ear. His lips were moving as he spoke to her quietly. Once I packed my tools away, I crouched next to them.

“What’re you guys talking about?”

He grinned at me. “That’s between us.”

“Oh, I see. First you steal my pal then you keep secrets with her? This is the last time I bring you on a job with me, Remington.”

He cocked his head. “Seems to me I brought you.”

“I’ve already got Cleve trying to hijack my jobs. I don’t need you doing it too.” I gave Calliope’s dusty flank a good pat and rose to my feet. “I’m ready to hit the road when you are.”

I started for the truck, and it didn’t take long before Remi’s hurried footsteps sounded out from behind me. He caught me easily, hooking me by the belt loop.

“You need to take this seriously, Hannah. You can’t let this slide.”

“I’m not letting anything slide.” We reached the truck, and I turned to face him. “I’m going to have to pay for four new tires and a tow truck, and that pisses me right off. If Cleve pulled this nonsense, he’s going to be the one who fixes it.”

He stepped into me, and there was nowhere for me to go once my ass hit the truck. Taking his ball cap off, he spun it around to put it back on backward, and my breath lodged in my throat.

I’d already been through a lot. I could not handle Remington Town with his sleeves rolled up and a backward baseball cap. It was too much. Too damn much.

Then he braced his arm beside my head, taking his torture farther, and brought his face a couple inches from mine. His glare could have melted glaciers.

Never one to back down, I tipped my chin up. “I like your starbursts better than this frown.” I pressed my lips against his downturned mouth, and he stilled, neither responding nor pulling away. “Kiss me back, Remington.”

He took my chin in his hand, keeping me still. “As sweet as your lips are, I’m not going to be distracted. What someone did to your truck is a whole hell of a lot more than nonsense. It’s malicious and violent. I can’t stand the idea of anyone coming near you or your property with the intent to destroy, and I won’t be idle while that happens. I’m taking you to the station to report this. If the cops won’t deal with it—”

I kissed him again, hard and fast, and all I got was another glare. “I never said I wasn’t going to report it.”

His exhale was heavy and warm as his forehead fell to roll over mine. “That’s right. You didn’t.”

“Remington,” I whispered. “Let’s go. It’s hot, I’m tired, and I want to get this over with.”

He stayed like that for another minute, his sweat mingling with mine. It wasn’t gross, though. It was him, and the closeness felt too good to complain about.

He took my hand in his and stepped back, giving me a thorough once-over. “All right, sweetheart. Let’s get you cooled down and taken care of.”

The drive back to town was pretty quiet. But for every one of those long miles, Remi kept hold of my hand with the air blasting.

Cooled down and taken care of. Exactly as he promised.