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Cowboy Crazy(5)

By:Em Petrova


“Did you have an accident?” he asked, and she realized she’d never answered his first question.

“I—no. Well sort of.”

The other side of his mouth twitched up to match the left. She stared at his white teeth, fighting to find her voice. But she knew exactly where her nipples were, as the traitorous buds were pinched tight.

“Which is it?”

“I drove into a herd of deer. I didn’t hit any, but I came to a stop. When I tried to go again, the car wouldn’t move.”

He grunted and hitched his thumb in his jeans pocket. The frayed edges of his pocket told her he’d done this time and again. Realizing she was gawking, and at a bad spot on his body, she raised her gaze and met his.

That didn’t help a bit.

Mentally shaking herself, she tried to make herself less of an idiot. “I tried everything, but the car won’t move.”

“The engine runs?” So help her God, he was unbuttoning his shirt as he moved around the vehicle. She stared for a minute then realized he was stripping off his outer layer to reveal a faded black T-shirt. It strained across his chest and biceps. A tiny hole near the shoulder revealed a patch of tan skin, making her wonder what else was tanned.

Hell, she’d been in the sun too long. Heat stroke had set in. Or she needed that energy bar. Her blood sugar was low. Why couldn’t she stop looking at him?

“Lady, you’re not really giving me a lot of answers.” His tone was amused, and the crinkles around his eyes said the same.

“Sorry. Yes, the engine runs.”

“Good. Pop the hood.”

She did and took a second to bring her curls to order before she went out to join him. She’d obviously baked her brain in the Texas sun, because she was acting like a smitten schoolgirl. She wasn’t even in the market for a man—far from it. What was wrong with her?

He leaned over the engine and shifted a few things around, giving her a perfect view of his strong back rippling with muscle. His shoulders were broad, and she imagined him easily hooking a calf around them, carrying the animal out of a ravine without losing his breath.

She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the sun setting.

“Do you mind starting the engine for me?” He cocked an eye at her, and her nipples bunched into hard peaks under her tank top once more.

“Not at all.” I need something to do before I make a bigger fool of myself.

She ran around and started the engine then rejoined him, gazing at the moving parts that might as well belong to an alien ship. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

He scuffed his knuckles over his jaw, creating a rasping noise that lifted every hair on her body. “Not yet, but I’ve got an idea.”

“What’s that?” Damn, he smelled clean, like soap and water, even if he looked as if he’d put in a solid day of work.

“I’ve got an idea you won’t be getting anywhere in this car tonight.”

“Motherfuck.”

His hazel eyes widened. He threw his head back and laughed. The sound ricocheted around her body. She tried to compose herself, but he kept on laughing, and seeing a cowboy laugh was an amazing sight.

His shoulders rolled and his eyes gleamed. His teeth flashed white. Damn, watching him was like a party for her body. Parts she didn’t know she had took notice.

Still chuckling, he removed the metal roof prop and lowered the hood. Once he’d shut it, he turned and wiped his hands on his jeans, leaving another grease smear.

They stared at each other for a minute. Apprehension flooded her system. This guy might seem as wholesome and good as the landscape, but he could easily overpower her and hurt her. After all, she’d been hurt by only a match.

But the cowboy’s good looks and boyish gleam in his eyes invited her trust. Besides, what choice did she have? Sleep in her vehicle and walk tomorrow or accept his help.

“So what’s wrong with the car?”

“I think it’s the transmission.”

Her jaw dropped. “That sounds sort of…big.”

“It is.”

“Is there a garage around here?”

He pushed a breath through his nose. “You don’t know where you are, do you?”

“Um…” If she admitted she was clueless, it made her more vulnerable. He could dump her in a ditch and leave her for dead. Or worse—rape her then leave her for dead.

It was pretty damn hard to trust anyone when the man who’d claimed to love her had tried to kill her.

Slowly, she shook her head.

“Well, where are you headed?”

Again, she shook her head.

“You don’t know? Or you can’t remember?”

“I’ll know it when I see it.”