Her Sweet Talkin' Man by Myrna Mackenzie

had his answer. Ford was only here for one reason: To see him.
    For the first time in years, Ace’s palms felt sweaty.
    Anger welled up in him. Ignoring Ford’s advance, he turned to his elderly customer. “As you can see, this vehicle not only has all the comforts of home, Mrs. Vedemen, but it also is the exact same shade of blue as your eyes.”
    The white-haired lady ducked her head and chuckled. “I didn’t come in here to buy a car, Mr. Carson. I came to see if you were as outrageous and flirtatious as I’ve been led to believe.”
    He smiled and shrugged. “I only speak the truth.” And he realized that he had indeed been telling the truth. Louise Vedemen might be close to eighty, but she still had clear blue eyes that held a trace of mischief.
    â€œI believe my friend was wrong about you, Mr. Carson. You’re even more outrageous than I’d expected, but you know, you just might be right about my eyes and this car. I’ve got money and I need some fun. Why shouldn’t I do something bold and silly like buying a car to complement one of the few assets I can still call my own?”
    â€œI’m sure you have other assets,” he told the woman. “A cheerful disposition, a winning smile, honesty and directness. Those count.”
    â€œYes, they do, young man,” she said, turning serious. “And looking out for your fellow man counts, too. I hear that you saved Crystal Bennett from an assault last night. That shows character.”
    Her words echoed around the showroom. They reminded Ace that Ford was standing not ten feet away, waiting. The man made no pretense of talking to other customers or salesmen. He simply waited, arms folded.
    Ace wasn’t too happy about having last night’s incident reviewed in front of Ford. He hadn’t come here to impress anyone. Besides, thinking of the incident at the ribbon-cutting ceremony only reminded him of what he’d felt when he saw Hines cornering Crystal the day before. The violence of his reaction surprised him even now. “I’m afraid character had little to do with it,” he told his customer. “More like blind anger.”
    She lifted one shoulder in a gesture of dismissal. “The result was the same. You saved Crystal. Now, what do we need to do to finalize my purchase of this car?”
    â€œStep over here,” Ace said, and he led her past Ford to a large mahogany desk in the corner. A half hour later he took Mrs. Vedemen’s hand in his own. “Enjoy your car,” he told her. “Have fun with it.”
    He watched as she left the dealership. He glanced at Ford, who was standing there chatting with a customer as if he was in charge here, as well as down the street at Lone Star Auto.
    He also saw that a small crowd was gathering, and that Fiona and Crystal were a part of that crowd. Ace looked at Crystal and raised a brow.
    She blushed prettily and managed to look about as uncomfortable as a woman could. He’d just bet that Fiona had talked her into coming here today. He’d also bet that she was here in part because she wasworried about what would happen between him and Ford. She was doing that mothering thing again, as if he needed her as much as Timmy did. She obviously felt that she owed him something for his actions last night.
    A curious warmth spread through him, but he fought it down. He had no business dwelling on the worried look in her eyes or on the fact that he felt a strange desire to go to her, take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be all right.
    She’d heard those kinds of lies before and she didn’t need to hear them from him, a man she already knew enough not to trust too far. She was a woman who needed stability like most people needed air, and he was a man who’d spent his life fighting the outward trappings of stability. He’d chosen a wild untamed road where she didn’t belong and would never