“She seems like a nice gal. I reckon she won’t be that hard on you.”
“There’s a drill sergeant underneath that innocent librarian veneer, trust me.”
He hadn’t spent enough time in the library to know anything about Olivia other than she was in charge in some capacity. “We’ll be there soon,” he assured her. “You won’t be late.”Not that late, anyway.
“First you show up in record time to tow my car, then you stay while I conduct business, and now you’re making sure I get to Anita’s wedding on time.” She turned, her ruby-red lips forming a brilliant smile. “How you haven’t been snatched up by some girl yet is a mystery to me.”
“Aww, I ain’t all that.” Truth be told, his single status was a mystery to him too. He didn’t want to be single. More than once he’d put himself out into the dating scene only to have his heart stomped on like a wood floor in a country bar each and every time. After his last date, he’d given up on women entirely. “I could say the same for you,” he said, turning into the Amazing Grace parking lot.
“No time for romance. Or much of anything else.”
Before he could wonder what she meant by that, they were at the church. As soon as he pulled up in front of the building, she opened the door and hopped out, dragging her big bag with her. “Thanks again.”
“No prob—”
The door slammed shut.
“—lem.” He watched her rush inside, more of a habit his grandmother had drilled into him when he was growing up than paying attention to how good she looked in that dress. Well, yeah, he was noticing that too. He wasn’t blind. Harper Wilson was something else. Gorgeous, smart, and she obviously cared about her business. He just hoped she didn’t overwork herself. It was never a good idea to wear yourself out.
He towed her Merc to his garage, unattached it in a parking space near one of his two work bays, parked the tow truck in its spot, then jumped into his pickup truck and headed home. It was too late for him to attend the ceremony, but he could make it to the reception.
A short while later, he whipped his truck into his driveway, ran into the house, and took a quick shower, making sure he got all the grease he could from underneath his nails. Then he wrapped a towel around his waist, went to his room, and looked for a shirt to go with his pants. What shirt went with navy blue? He looked at the four shirts that didn’t sayRusty’sGarageon them. One was white with long sleeves, the other three short-sleeved plaid. Too hot for long sleeves. That narrowed down the choices a little.
Senior’s ringtone, a country song from the sixties, trilled from his phone as he pulled the green-and-white plaid oneoff the hanger. “Hey, Senior,” he said, putting the phone on speaker mode and setting it on his bed. “What’s up?”
“Not a dang thing,” his grandfather said. “Other than chasing after your niece and nephews.”
Rusty grinned as he slipped on the shirt. “I reckon it’s the other way around.” His sister Amber had four children under eight years old. But his grandfather still had some kick left in him.
Senior laughed. “And you would be right.”
“I hate to cut this short, but I have a weddin’ to get to.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Tanner and Anita.”
“Oh, that’s right. Them two were just gettin’ together when I moved to Amber’s. You takin’ anyone special with you?”
Rusty finished fastening the last button and started tucking his shirttail into the pants. “Just me, myself, and I.”
“Well, shoot. I was hopin’ maybe you’d found a young lady you were sweet on.”
“Nope.”Not in the plan.“Are we still on for next week?”
“Yep. Can’t wait to get back to Maple Falls for a spell. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy livin’ in Little Rock. Found a good church to attend, and it gives me time to spend with my granddaughter and grandbabies. Austin’s a fine sort too.”
“He sure is.” His sister had hit the jackpot when she married him. Not any husband would agree to have his wife’s grandfather move in with them, but he’d been just as enthusiastic as Amber when she proposed the idea to Senior. Rusty also approved, even though he missed his grandfather at the shop and at the home they’d shared together. The onlyperson who took convincing was Senior—a lot of convincing. But now that he was settled, he seemed content.
Except when it came to driving. Rusty steeled himself for what Senior was going to say next.
“Don’t worry about pickin’ me up,” his grandfather said. Rusty mouthed his next words along with him: “I don’t wanna be no bother.”
“You’re not a bother.” Rusty’s pants slid to his hips. It had been a while since he’d worn them. Riley’s wedding last year, now that he thought about it, and he’d lost some weight since then. He grabbed his belt and threaded it through the loops.
“I can still drive, you know.”
He buckled the belt on the last notch. The pants were still a little loose, but now he didn’t have to worry about his trousers dropping to the floor. “We’ve been through this.”Thousands of times.“You don’t see well enough to drive.”
