expecting to hear the sound of his voice in her head. Since she hadn’t heard Grams’ voice after that day up at Lover’s Leap, it was certainly time for someone to step in.
Nobody did. Her head remained a silent zone.
She sighed and reached to unscrew the keeper bolt to free the spare tire, then lifted the tire from the trunk. Rolling it around to the front of the car, she leaned it against the left front fender and went back to remove the jack and the lug wrench from the trunk. After she carried them to the front of the car, she frowned. She had thought she knew what to do, but it had been a long time. She needed a set of instructions.
When she’d bought the Taurus from a used-car lot in Atlanta, it hadn’t come with instructions. “Use your head, dummy,” she muttered. “And your phone. Smart-phones make for smart tire changers.”
She typed “how to change a tire” into her search engine, read through a step-by-step how-to guide, then watched a three-minute video tutorial. Her memory refreshed, her confidence renewed, she searched the vicinity for something heavy to place against the back tires. She’d knelt beside the car and was beginning to loosen the lug nuts when she heard a vehicle pull in behind her. Glancing up, she spied the grille of a white Range Rover … with flashers on top. Her stomach sank.
Maybe it’s one of his deputies .
The driver’s door opened. She forced herself to lift her gaze from the sheriff’s decal on the door.
Of course it’s not one of his deputies. When have I ever been lucky?
Zach Turner climbed out of his vehicle, shut the door, and sauntered toward her. “Need some help?”
Yes . “No, thanks. I can do it.”
She leaned on the lug wrench. The blasted nut wouldn’t budge.
He waited, watching, for a long moment. “Savannah …”
“I’ve got it!” she snapped, frustration giving an added oomph to her force upon the wrench.
“No. Actually, you don’t. You need to turn it counterclockwise.”
Savannah froze. Damn. She knew that. The blasted man had her rattled.
Without acknowledging his comment, she switched directions, but since she’d just spent the last minute or so tightening the nut, she still couldn’t manage to move it. She shifted the wrench to another lug nut and twisted counterclockwise viciously.
“You are stubborn, aren’t you?”
“I’ve learned that stubbornness helps a girl survive.”
After successfully loosening the other lug nuts, Savannah returned her attention to the first. She still couldn’t get it to budge. As a squeal of pure frustration welled up in her throat, she sat back on her heels and glared up at Zach, who stood with his hands shoved into the back pockets of his jeans. His amused grin only stoked her temper hotter.
“Calling calf rope?” he asked.
“Pardon me?”
“Are you done? Ready for me to help now?”
Savannah knew she was being stupid. What good did it possibly do her to refuse his offer of assistance? And yet with every stubborn fiber of her being she wanted to change this tire by herself. She braced herself and then gave one more massive effort, pulling harder … harder … harder.… The nut moved. “Yes!”
She shot him a triumphant smile. “Feel free to go on about your business.”
He folded his arms and returned a challenging look. “It’s part of my job to assist stranded motorists.”
“I’m not stranded,” she grumbled beneath her breath. Now he had her so rattled that she had to take a peek at the how-to guide on her phone to double-check her next move. Yes, jacking up the car was next.
Savannah carefully placed the jack under the Taurus’ frame, inserted the jack handle, then went to work. This part was even less fun than loosening the lug nuts, but she got the job done. Then she threw Zach Turner another smugly victorious grin.
He smirked back at her.
She refocused her attention on her task and pretended to ignore him. She removed the lug nuts, set them beside her
Nobody did. Her head remained a silent zone.
She sighed and reached to unscrew the keeper bolt to free the spare tire, then lifted the tire from the trunk. Rolling it around to the front of the car, she leaned it against the left front fender and went back to remove the jack and the lug wrench from the trunk. After she carried them to the front of the car, she frowned. She had thought she knew what to do, but it had been a long time. She needed a set of instructions.
When she’d bought the Taurus from a used-car lot in Atlanta, it hadn’t come with instructions. “Use your head, dummy,” she muttered. “And your phone. Smart-phones make for smart tire changers.”
She typed “how to change a tire” into her search engine, read through a step-by-step how-to guide, then watched a three-minute video tutorial. Her memory refreshed, her confidence renewed, she searched the vicinity for something heavy to place against the back tires. She’d knelt beside the car and was beginning to loosen the lug nuts when she heard a vehicle pull in behind her. Glancing up, she spied the grille of a white Range Rover … with flashers on top. Her stomach sank.
Maybe it’s one of his deputies .
The driver’s door opened. She forced herself to lift her gaze from the sheriff’s decal on the door.
Of course it’s not one of his deputies. When have I ever been lucky?
Zach Turner climbed out of his vehicle, shut the door, and sauntered toward her. “Need some help?”
Yes . “No, thanks. I can do it.”
She leaned on the lug wrench. The blasted nut wouldn’t budge.
He waited, watching, for a long moment. “Savannah …”
“I’ve got it!” she snapped, frustration giving an added oomph to her force upon the wrench.
“No. Actually, you don’t. You need to turn it counterclockwise.”
Savannah froze. Damn. She knew that. The blasted man had her rattled.
Without acknowledging his comment, she switched directions, but since she’d just spent the last minute or so tightening the nut, she still couldn’t manage to move it. She shifted the wrench to another lug nut and twisted counterclockwise viciously.
“You are stubborn, aren’t you?”
“I’ve learned that stubbornness helps a girl survive.”
After successfully loosening the other lug nuts, Savannah returned her attention to the first. She still couldn’t get it to budge. As a squeal of pure frustration welled up in her throat, she sat back on her heels and glared up at Zach, who stood with his hands shoved into the back pockets of his jeans. His amused grin only stoked her temper hotter.
“Calling calf rope?” he asked.
“Pardon me?”
“Are you done? Ready for me to help now?”
Savannah knew she was being stupid. What good did it possibly do her to refuse his offer of assistance? And yet with every stubborn fiber of her being she wanted to change this tire by herself. She braced herself and then gave one more massive effort, pulling harder … harder … harder.… The nut moved. “Yes!”
She shot him a triumphant smile. “Feel free to go on about your business.”
He folded his arms and returned a challenging look. “It’s part of my job to assist stranded motorists.”
“I’m not stranded,” she grumbled beneath her breath. Now he had her so rattled that she had to take a peek at the how-to guide on her phone to double-check her next move. Yes, jacking up the car was next.
Savannah carefully placed the jack under the Taurus’ frame, inserted the jack handle, then went to work. This part was even less fun than loosening the lug nuts, but she got the job done. Then she threw Zach Turner another smugly victorious grin.
He smirked back at her.
She refocused her attention on her task and pretended to ignore him. She removed the lug nuts, set them beside her
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