Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

C assie maneuvered her old truck around the potholes, littering the unpaved road that led from the diner to her home. The engine made a funny coughing sound, and she sent a quick prayer that it wouldn’t stall to any higher power that cared to listen. The truck was older than Cassie. She had inherited both her cottage and the vehicle when her grandmother passed away almost a year ago. Neither was likely to last much longer, but at least she had an offer on the home and would head off to college with a little cash in her pocket. The truck would stay behind if it made it that long.

That’s why she was on this shortcut on this crap road. She could have chosen a smoother, asphalted drive, but it took longer and gave the truck more opportunity to break down. As much as she complained about it, the vehicle also reminded her of her grandmother, and she missed her so much. The older woman had opened up her home to ten-year-old Cassie when her mom took off for California with a new boyfriend.

She had no idea who or where her father was, neither did her mom, whom she hadn’t heard from since she left twelve years ago.

Cassie cursed under her breath when the engine hiccupped again. Her server paycheck wasn’t big enough to cover a car payment, so the truck would just have to suck it up and not break down. She barely had enough money left over for groceries once she’d paid her regular bills off each month.

She shouldn’t really complain. At least she had a place to live and a job. That was more than some folks. Plus, with only a high school diploma, higher-paying positions were scarce.

That’s what happened when your career plan was to become the high school star quarterback’s trophy wife when he turned professional. Unfortunately, her ex decided to trade up from his hometown sweetheart once the professional team’s offer arrived. Something about “image” and “branding” that her humble background didn’t live up to. Heartbroken and humiliated, Cassie had moved back in with her grandmother. And she’d stayed away from flashy, charming men since then.

Her thoughts automatically went to the tall Swedish customer she’d served earlier in the day. She wouldn’t call him flashy, but he’d known how to work those smoky gray eyes, his brilliant white smile, and that dark blond hair. Just thinking about their flirtation about wild and untamed things made her warm and tingly in all the right places. So yeah, he’d absolutely been a charmer and, therefore, on her list of things to avoid. The sexy Swede reminded her too much of the things that had made her hook up with her ex.

A pothole Cassie hadn’t seen because she’d been too busy thinking about her former boyfriend, also known as Jerkface, rattled the truck so hard she bit her tongue. She added the injury to the long list of atrocities committed by him, but then she sighed.

To be fair, she’d never really been in love with her ex. The attention she’d gotten in high school as the star athlete’s girlfriend had dazzled her. Without that status, she would have been just an awkward kid from the wrong side of town with a lovable, but weird, grandmother who insisted she could cure any ailment with the contents of her herb garden. She laughed out loud. Even a town as small as White Spruce had a wrong side and a right side. Ridiculous.

The relationship wouldn’t have lasted much longer, even if her ex hadn’t broken up with her. The thing she regretted most was not going to college right after high school. She’d had a scholarship, but gave it up so she could stay in town with Troy, aka Jerkface. Their plan had been that she’d work and pay the bills while he trained and stayed in shape for the professional career he knew would come soon. And he’d been right.

But soon, Cassie would have her dream too. In another two weeks, she’d head for Eastern Washington University on a full scholarship thanks to a foundation who gave rural women a second chance at college. And this time, no man would talk her out of it or distract her from her goals.

Cassie cranked the steering wheel to take the last of the windy road’s turn before her driveway. The high beams of the truck swiped over a large black obstacle, and she instinctively broke hard. She stopped only a few feet behind a large SUV with Washington State plates.

Huh, had she conjured this car by thinking about the state in which she’d be going to college? If her grandmother was still alive, the old woman would have thought so. She’d insisted the world being full of special forces and supernatural powers. At times, she’d even claimed herself a witch who knew the correct spells for healing and curses. Not that Cassie had ever known her mild-mannered grandmother to hex anyone, but the old woman had insisted she could if she wanted to.

Cassie stuck her head out the window, but still couldn’t see much more than the wide backside of the vehicle in front of her. “Hello,” she called out.

The Swedish guy from earlier appeared from around the vehicle with a tire iron in his hand. “Hey,” he said cautiously in that charming Scandinavian accent. He shielded his eyes with his hand. The guy was massive. A few inches over six feet and carrying an impressive amount of muscle, he looked like a modern-day Viking. Cassie flipped off her high beams, and the guy blinked a few times.

“It’s you.” He smiled, making him look younger than the twenty-five years she’d guessed as his age. A few years older than herself, she’d noted. But that had no importance because he was on the list of things to avoid, she reminded herself, and therefore, how close their ages were was not important.

“It’s me,” Cassie agreed, and silently berated herself for the lame answer. But just like in the diner when she’d fumbled the coffee pot and his phone, she got all flustered as she took in the sheer bulk and hotness of the guy. That ridiculous statement about huckleberries being wild and untamable still embarrassed her. And the whole time he’d been in the diner, she’d had to work hard not to stare at him while he ate his pie. The guy had made clearing a fork a work of art—pornographic art. Thinking about it now made her even warmer than she already was from thinking about them flirting earlier.

Get a grip, Cassie. You got this. Be calm and collected, just like when you have to serve high-maintenance customers in the diner.

In the restaurant, he’d worn an unbuttoned denim long-sleeved shirt over a white tee. Now, only the t-shirt remained, and its pristine white was a distant memory. Dirt and oil streaked the front, and sweat made it cling to some very impressive abs. Cassie swallowed.

The guy raised the tire iron in a greeting and walked toward her.

She kept a wary eye on the hand gripping the iron and tried very hard not to be distracted by his square beard-covered jaw or smoky grey eyes.

Something in her eyes must have alerted him. He frowned and followed her gaze to his hand. “Sorry,” he said and put the tool on the ground.

He reached her truck and put a deliciously ripped arm on the lower edge of the open window. A tattoo encircled his left bicep. It looked like a snake of some sort. “I got a flat tire, and the spare is flat too. To add to an already crappy situation, I can’t get a cell phone signal out here.”

She nodded and cleared her throat, forcing herself to look away from his arm. “We’re too far away from a tower.” She met his gaze, and the air between them crackled with electricity. Was she the only one who noticed?

He frowned. “I’m basically screwed.”

“Probably should have had the spare repaired before heading out here.” She smiled to take the sting out of her comment. “Why are you out here?” she added.

He sighed. “The map navigation system told me it was a shortcut to the motel.”

Cassie nodded. “It is, but the road is horrible on suspensions and tires.”

He shook his head. “I should have checked that the spare tire was okay before driving this far. I share this car with…roommates. Some of them lack organizational skills.” He straightened up and took a step back. “But you’re right. I should have checked before starting the trip.”

She’d picked up on the weird pause before he said who he lived with, but again, not any of her concern who the guy shared a house with. Cassie opened the door and jumped down. “Maybe my spare will fit?” She could help him without flirting with him or getting distracted by his muscular, delicious, hot body. Well, in theory, she could.

The guy glanced at the wheels of her truck and then shook his head, causing a few dark blonde strands of his hair to escape the confines of his low ponytail. “They’re not the same size.” He lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe his face, and Cassie sucked in a harsh breath as she took in the bare skin on display.

To cover up her reaction, she walked around the SUV. He’d taken the flat off and propped it up next to another tire, also flat, against the side of the car. Cassie hesitated and looked him over one more time, her gaze lingering a moment on the now covered abs. A real shame to hide all that deliciousness.

She didn’t get any homicidal maniac vibes from him. “You can use my house phone to call a tow truck.” She swallowed again, hoping she wasn’t making a big mistake. “The repair place in town won’t be open until tomorrow, but you can have the tow truck leave the car in their parking lot and get a room at the motel for the night. I can drive you there."

“I appreciate the help.” He held out his hand. “My name is Sten.”

“Cassie.” She returned the handshake, and sparks erupted up along her arm. Heat rushed through her body, settling between her legs.

His eyebrows shot up, either because of the blush in her cheeks that felt as if they were on fire right now, or because he, too, had just been electrocuted.

So much for keeping herself cool and collected and undistracted.