She only wanted to know one thing. “I’m sorry, but does that mean you can fix Sally?”
He tilted his head at her personalization of the car, then shook his head. “Nope. Least wise, not tonight I cain’t.”
“You cain’t? I mean, you can’t?” It wasn’t like she hadn’t expected it, but the news still hit her hard in the stomach.
“Nope. Don’t have all the parts I need. We don’t have many furen cars around here.”
Furen? He had to mean foreign. “So when can you get it fixed?”
“Once I get the parts, I can try and fix it. If you’re lucky, I could give it a shot on Monday.”
Milly took his arm. “Brig, that’s too late.”
“Cain’t help it.”
“But you’ll try and get it done before then?”
It was almost as though Milly wanted her back on the road more than she did.
“Maybe. But I ain’t promisin’ nothing. That car’s on its last legs. If’n it was a horse, I’d put it out of its misery.”
It was like hearing about a dear friend going into the hospital. She wasn’t, however, ready to give up lifesaving measures. “But you’ll try, right?”
“If you want. Still, I gotta warn ya. It won’t be cheap.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how much it’d cost. After all, that’s what credit cards were for. “I understand. Just let me know, okay?”
“Don’t worry none. I’ll give you a heads-up before I start workin’ on her. Course, you’ll have to pay for the parts I’m gonna have to order, plus labor. That okay?”
“I understand. So when do you think you’ll get what you need?”
He ran a hand over his beard and she almost expected to see food crumbs fall out. “It’s Friday night so I cain’t order nothing until tomorrow morning.” He studied her like she was a bug under a microscope. “I reckon since you don’t want to be hanging around, I’ll check with a friend and see if he can get them to me tomorrow afternoon. I ain’t promisin’ nothing, though.”
“Right. I understand. No promises, but I’d appreciate whatever you can do.”
Milly had sidled up closer to her to listen in on the conversation. She didn’t look happy. “So you’re saying she’s stuck here for tonight and maybe tomorrow night, too?”
Brig hefted his body around to scowl at Milly. “Maybe Sunday, too, or longer. Like I told her. Cain’t say. Unless you want to give her your car to use, then that’s the way it is. I ’spect you might want to come up with a plan to keep her squared away.”
She couldn’t ignore his ominous tone. “What’s going on that’s making everyone so nervous?”
Brig and Milly exchanged a look that didn’t make her feel any better. Just as Milly was about to answer her, the double doors of the diner opened. Christy’s mind blanked as her gaze fell on the three men who sauntered in.
Oh, mamma. Who the hell are they?
They were huge, larger than any men she’d ever seen except maybe Brig. They had to be inches over six feet tall with shoulders that could carry the weight of the world with ease. Their arms rippled with strength that couldn’t be hidden under any material. Their wide shoulders tapered into lean waists that were enclosed with belts and large, silver buckles. Worn jeans held strong legs that led the way down to frayed cuffs layered over traditional cowboy boots. Each wore a hat that had the brim tugged low and wasn’t adorned with any kind of color or embellishment.
She took them in, her gaze jumping from one man then to the other as though she couldn’t focus on just one for too long. Two of them had similar physical characteristics, with hypnotizing eyes that were shaped the same way and brows that were thick. Both had blue eyes, although the blue of one held hints of gray. As the three of them stood together, shoulder to shoulder, those two men edged even closer to each other, giving her the impression that they had a special bond they didn’t share with the third. She guessed that they were related.
The third man, his dark blond hair looking more tousled than the other men’s combed brown hair, had brown eyes. But calling them brown wasn’t quite right. She searched for the word that would describe them best.
Mocha.
His eyes were the color of her favorite coffee drink with added milk. All he needed was the whipped cream on top.
Wow.
Her gaze dropped to his crotch.
I’d like to put whipped cream on top of that.
Her attention flitted from him to the other two.
Oh, yeah. Whipped cream with a cherry on top of each of them.
She’d gone on her trip to see as many of the amazing sights of the country that she could see, and now she’d found the most amazing sight of all.