smooshing them closer together in her sports bra to enhance her cleavage.
As she rolled away from the garage, she glanced down and saw remnants of a mud splatter on the inside of her Suzuki’s front fender and smiled. It hadn’t rained the previous night; Jo must have gone looking for trouble. At least she had attempted to wipe the bike clean after “muddin’” and Candy saw the gas gauge registered at full.
Think I might like this Jo. Maybe I should go thank her for the gas. Candy shook her head and blew her breath out through her lips in a raspberry. Why was she so nervous? First, she was anxious to get there, and then she was stalling. He’ll be working all day. Probably just say hi and good-bye, anyway.
She ran her fingers through her hair again.
Well, Sam likes me messy.
She pulled away from the gas station in a roar of determination. Speeding away from the mountain, along the valley road, she hoped that at least she would smell like fresh air when she showed up.
chapter twelve
“You roar in like a parade,” Sam said, hooking a finger into Candy’s belt loop and reeling her in.
It was hard to keep her thoughts together when his face was so close to hers. “A parade?”
“Dirt bike echoing off the water, red hair screaming in the wind.” He smiled, but he was watching her mouth, not her eyes. “That yellow jacket, where’d you get that?”
“This old thing?” Her lemon yellow leather jacket was her favorite vintage eBay find. “I don’t remember. You like it?”
“Yeah. I do.”
How does he make three simple words sound so naughty? When his voice was husky like that, Candy felt it in her thighs.
“Comin’ up!” Ricky Mendez’s voice sounded the alarm on the stairs leading from the cellar, and Sam moved away from Candy with a scowl. He turned back to the pushcart he was supposed to be manning and Candy spun away to go finish setting out Ms. Willow’s display.
“Wait…” Sam stood the cart up and, keeping a grip on the handle, twisted around towards Candy to stop her hasty retreat. “Hey, if you have a minute after you’re finished, you want to come over to the Buffalo Lodge with me to drop off their shipment?”
“The Buffalo Lodge?” she stopped, surprised.
“Yeah, Ms. Collins gave me the key a while back.” Sam gave her a gleaming, heart-stopping smile. He had her complete attention and he knew it. “She got tired of meeting the supply truck when her brother couldn’t drag his hung-over ass out of bed. There’s nobody there, we could hang out for a while.”
“You’re done working?”
“Well, we don’t have much of a delivery today. Since the ‘bossman’ is in the hospital.”
“Bossman?” She couldn’t imagine Sam thinking of anyone as a bossman.
“That’s what Ricky calls Joe Robinson,” he said with obvious distaste. “Guess Shirley’s at a standstill.”
“Oh yeah, I know.” Candy grasped at her chest and made a hysterical face. Parents were so easy to ridicule out of earshot. “Everybody’s in a dither, can’t run the town without him.”
“Anyway…” Sam said, finding her hand. “Larry told me they need to overhaul the whole ordering system. I think we may have a minute.”
Candy’s pulse was racing. She tried not to squeak in astonishment when she said, “Really?”
“When you’re done with your stuff, come around to the back and we’ll walk over together.”
“Okay.”
He leaned in with warm, soft lips. His hand reached for her and she felt him touch the fringes of damp hair that still clung to the back of her neck. “Sorry,” she whispered into his mouth. “I’m a little sweaty.”
He pulled back, his eyes holding hers for several heartbeats. “I like it.” One side of his lips rose in a crooked smile; he winked, then released her and turned back to his work.
Whew. Candy gathered her wits enough to go back to hers. She finished in record time, though she tried to slow down and pretend her little charity gig was more
As she rolled away from the garage, she glanced down and saw remnants of a mud splatter on the inside of her Suzuki’s front fender and smiled. It hadn’t rained the previous night; Jo must have gone looking for trouble. At least she had attempted to wipe the bike clean after “muddin’” and Candy saw the gas gauge registered at full.
Think I might like this Jo. Maybe I should go thank her for the gas. Candy shook her head and blew her breath out through her lips in a raspberry. Why was she so nervous? First, she was anxious to get there, and then she was stalling. He’ll be working all day. Probably just say hi and good-bye, anyway.
She ran her fingers through her hair again.
Well, Sam likes me messy.
She pulled away from the gas station in a roar of determination. Speeding away from the mountain, along the valley road, she hoped that at least she would smell like fresh air when she showed up.
chapter twelve
“You roar in like a parade,” Sam said, hooking a finger into Candy’s belt loop and reeling her in.
It was hard to keep her thoughts together when his face was so close to hers. “A parade?”
“Dirt bike echoing off the water, red hair screaming in the wind.” He smiled, but he was watching her mouth, not her eyes. “That yellow jacket, where’d you get that?”
“This old thing?” Her lemon yellow leather jacket was her favorite vintage eBay find. “I don’t remember. You like it?”
“Yeah. I do.”
How does he make three simple words sound so naughty? When his voice was husky like that, Candy felt it in her thighs.
“Comin’ up!” Ricky Mendez’s voice sounded the alarm on the stairs leading from the cellar, and Sam moved away from Candy with a scowl. He turned back to the pushcart he was supposed to be manning and Candy spun away to go finish setting out Ms. Willow’s display.
“Wait…” Sam stood the cart up and, keeping a grip on the handle, twisted around towards Candy to stop her hasty retreat. “Hey, if you have a minute after you’re finished, you want to come over to the Buffalo Lodge with me to drop off their shipment?”
“The Buffalo Lodge?” she stopped, surprised.
“Yeah, Ms. Collins gave me the key a while back.” Sam gave her a gleaming, heart-stopping smile. He had her complete attention and he knew it. “She got tired of meeting the supply truck when her brother couldn’t drag his hung-over ass out of bed. There’s nobody there, we could hang out for a while.”
“You’re done working?”
“Well, we don’t have much of a delivery today. Since the ‘bossman’ is in the hospital.”
“Bossman?” She couldn’t imagine Sam thinking of anyone as a bossman.
“That’s what Ricky calls Joe Robinson,” he said with obvious distaste. “Guess Shirley’s at a standstill.”
“Oh yeah, I know.” Candy grasped at her chest and made a hysterical face. Parents were so easy to ridicule out of earshot. “Everybody’s in a dither, can’t run the town without him.”
“Anyway…” Sam said, finding her hand. “Larry told me they need to overhaul the whole ordering system. I think we may have a minute.”
Candy’s pulse was racing. She tried not to squeak in astonishment when she said, “Really?”
“When you’re done with your stuff, come around to the back and we’ll walk over together.”
“Okay.”
He leaned in with warm, soft lips. His hand reached for her and she felt him touch the fringes of damp hair that still clung to the back of her neck. “Sorry,” she whispered into his mouth. “I’m a little sweaty.”
He pulled back, his eyes holding hers for several heartbeats. “I like it.” One side of his lips rose in a crooked smile; he winked, then released her and turned back to his work.
Whew. Candy gathered her wits enough to go back to hers. She finished in record time, though she tried to slow down and pretend her little charity gig was more
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