Chapter 12

12

Morning sun flashed between tapered trees as Caleb drove into Aurora Cove. He'd already called ahead first thing and arranged for Mitch to tow Grace's car. There was only one road close enough to the forest where she could have left it. He would have rather taken her to get her wrist fixed up first, but when he'd called Brad for a favor, the soonest he could fit them in was midmorning, so her wrist had to wait and they would deal with the car first.

"You need to be prepared for the fact it might be a few days before we get you back on the road." He rolled his hands around the steering wheel. "Is there anything you need in the car that's important?"

She nodded. "My raincoat. Everything else was in my backpack." Her hands twisted in her lap. "If you tell me where I can stay?—"

"You're staying with me." His tone was curt, but he didn't apologize.

"Caleb. You've been so kind, but you don't owe me anything." Her accent was neutral. He suspected she was working hard to keep it that way, so it was more difficult to know where she came from.

"I almost ran you over. It's the least I can do."

"I don't know." She stared out the window, arguing done for now at least.

She should stay with me till her car is fixed.

He tried to ignore this new tantalizing notion rattling around in his head but the idea was seductive, tempting him with her presence, her warmth filling the empty spaces in his solitary existence even though he knew better than to entertain such thoughts for long.

He pushed the idea aside. It would be temporary and then she would be gone. He had learned the hard way the consequences of letting people in too close, of allowing himself to care. He still bore the scars.

Yet, even as he pushed the notion away, a flicker of longing ignited within him. He couldn't deny the pull he felt toward Grace, the desire to keep her safe, to shield her from the danger hunting her. An edge of anxiety gnawed at his senses, one that only eased when he was close to her, as if there was some unseen danger his sixth sense was picking up, only assuaged by her closeness where he could protect her.

"What can you tell me about the men chasing you in the woods?"

Grace glanced around, as if afraid someone might overhear. "I can't drag you into it."

He reached for her arm, a gentle reassurance. "You're not alone in this. If you're in trouble, I can help you."

She managed a weak smile. "Caleb, you've already done enough. I can't risk more people getting hurt because of me."

Caleb sighed, swallowing his exasperation. Give her time.

He pulled up at Mitch's garage. It hunkered low in the heart of one of Aurora Cove's major intersections. The concrete lot, weathered by snowstorms and unforgiving temperatures, was cluttered with snowmobiles and battered pickup trucks bearing the scars of wild adventures. At the forefront sat Mitch's tow truck, his pride and joy, its polished exterior gleaming under the winter sun. Secured on the bed of the tow truck was an aging Ford. "Yours?" Caleb's gaze shifted to Grace.

She nodded silently. Under a crumpled hood, one of the Ford's wheels dangled at a peculiar angle, a testament to the run in with a tree she had described the night before. Caleb was no mechanic, but it didn't take an expert to discern the prognosis was far from optimistic.

"Maybe you should wait here." He turned off the engine.

Grace unclipped her seat belt without hesitation. "No. I'm coming in." She lifted her chin. No negotiating.

"Okay." He jumped down from his truck, the sharp air stinging his cheeks.

By the time he reached her side, Grace had already swung open the passenger door. Caleb extended his hand to help her out.

"You don't have to do that."

"Why does everything with you have to be a goddamn fight? I have no ulterior motives. I help every woman out of my truck. It's a fucking big step."

The line of her mouth pinched, and he regretted his words. He blew out a breath and offered her his hand once more.

She slid her uninjured hand into his. So small.

"Thank you." She stepped down beside him.

Pleasure rippled through him when she didn't remove her hand straight away. "You're welcome."

His reply brought a smile to her lips, and she rocked on the balls of her feet as if weighing her words. "It's been a long few years."

Same, sweetheart.

Time stretched out between them, and for a few beats, there was nothing in his world but Grace. The rise of her cheekbones, sooty lashes that framed exquisite eyes that made him feel like she saw right through him.

"Come on." He hurried her across the lot to the main building. Frost obscured windows framed with peeling paint. Mitch was a genius with an engine, but building maintenance wasn't his forte.

The door creaked as Caleb pushed through. Inside, the aroma of motor oil mixed with heated metal and the hum of a space heater greeted him. Mitch lifted his head from where he was bent over a running engine, his weathered flannel shirt peeking through the open zip of his dark green coveralls.

He raised a hand in greeting and leaning into the car, silenced the engine. Wiping his hands on an oily rag, Mitch approached them, a smile on his grizzled face. "Meyer. Good to see ya."

Mitch had owned the garage as long as Caleb could remember. He'd sold Caleb his first car, the car that Caleb had written off within a week, much to Mitch's amusement and his Dad's incredulity.

"I picked up that clunker like you asked me." Mitch acknowledged Grace with a tug of his baseball hat, then beckoned for them to follow him back outside.

Grace went ahead of Caleb, her long legs drawing his attention.

Mitch leaned against the gleaming hood of his tow truck. "Your car, Miss?"

"Yes." Grace took a step toward her car. "Is it bad? Can you fix it today?"

Mitch sucked air through his teeth and snorted. "Not gonna lie. It's not great." He pointed to the skewed front axle with a wrench he dug out from a deep pocket. "You took a beating out there. The front axle's seen better days, I'll tell ya. Gonna need some new parts, and those don't exactly grow on trees around here."

Grace pressed her lips together and blinked.

"How long are we talking about?" Caleb scuffed gritty snow with his boots.

Mitch scratched his beard, considering. "I've got to order in the parts. Takes a bit, especially with the weather delays we've been having. I'd say give me a few days. Gotta make sure it's fixed up right. Wouldn't want you out there with a half-baked repair in this weather."

"A few days." Grace made a poor job of hiding the exasperation in her voice. "How much?"

Mitch hooked his thumbs inside the front zip of his coveralls and cleared his throat. "Okay… the cost. It's gonna run a bit steep. Parts and labor, you know how it goes."

Grace's brow furrowed, and Caleb had the crazy urge to kiss the lines away with his lips. "How much are we talking?" he asked.

"I can't say until I've ordered the parts, but at least three hundred dollars."

Grace's intake of breath was sharp. "Three hundred? I don't have?—"

"Order what you need, Mitch." Caleb sensed Grace's attention burning holes in his back.

She spluttered. "What no?—"

Caleb took hold of her arm and wheeled her away so their backs were to Mitch. "You need your car fixed?"

"Yes, but?—"

Caleb squeezed her shoulder, unable to avoid noticing how fragile her slight frame felt beneath her clothes. "We'll work something out. Maybe set up a payment plan if that makes you happy, okay? But let's just get the car fixed. You're not the first one to find themselves in a tight spot. We're a community here. We look out for each other."

"You don't have to do this." A mixture of gratitude and anxiety played across her features.

"That's where you're wrong. This is what I do. I help people." He spread his hands. "It's my job."

"Of course …it's your job." The light dimmed in her eyes.

Why the fuck did I say that? Shit.

He pinched the skin across the bridge of his nose, gathering himself, trying to mask his inner turmoil. "Go ahead with ordering the parts, Mitch. Let me know when it's all sorted."

"Will do, Meyer." Mitch pointed to the tow truck cab. "Help yourself if you need anything out of the car." He hurried back into the warmth of the garage.

Caleb boosted up on the flatbed and retrieved Grace's thin raincoat. The woman was so gloriously unprepared for Alaska, it bordered on the insane.

He jumped down and handed her the raincoat. "You travel light. Most women I know, my sister included, would have several suitcases back there."

She shot him a tight smile. Nothing more. Whatever secret she harbored, she wasn't for letting him in.

Not yet anyway.