My jaw tightened. “Personal.”
That earned me a full grin. “I’ll let her know.”
I waited by the door, trying to ignore the curious looks from the waiting room. It was a small town and everyone in it would know the scared mountain man had been here within the hour.
Let them talk.
The hallway door opened, and Emily walked out. She stopped when she saw me, surprise flashing across her face before something warmer—something that looked almost like happiness—replaced it.
She was wearing scrubs again. Pink today, with her hair in that braid, and a few curls were already escaping around her face. She looked tired but pretty, and when our eyes met, I felt that same pull. That same magnetic draw that terrified me.
“Tucker?” She walked toward me, concern already forming in her expression. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
Before that genuine worry in her voice could undo me completely, I cut her off. “I’m fine. I came to give you a ride.”
Her brow furrowed. “A ride? To where?”
“Joe’s Garage. Your car’s ready.”
Understanding dawned in her expression, followed by confusion. “Wait. I haven’t even called them yet. How is my car—” She stopped, her eyes narrowing. “What did you do?”
“I had it towed last night. After I dropped you off.”
I watched emotions flicker across her face—surprise, then understanding, then something that looked like frustration mixed with something softer.
She placed her hands on her hips. “You had my car towed.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Tucker—” She stopped, glanced around at the waiting room where people were definitely listening, then lowered her voice. “Can we talk about this outside?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. Your car is fixed and I’m here to take you to pick it up.”
Her jaw set in that stubborn line I was starting to recognize. “I need to get my purse.”
“No, you don’t.” I knew she’d be pissed when she found out I’d bought her not one, but two new tires and had Joe put them on already.
“Tucker.” The way she said my name—exasperated, firm, with just a hint of something else—made my chest tight.
“Fine. Get your stuff.” She disappeared back down the hallway, and I saw Mandy watching me with barely concealed amusement.
“What?” I growled.
“Nothing. Just enjoying the show.” She grinned. “Emily’s got you all kinds of twisted up, doesn’t she?”
I didn’t dignify that with a response.
Emily came back a minute later, purse over her shoulder, jacket in hand. “Okay. Let’s go have this conversation somewhere private.”
I followed her outside, aware of the looks we were getting and that the gossip mill would be working overtime tonight. I realized I should care about that more than I did.
The second we were in the parking lot she turned on me. “You can’t just do things like that without asking.”
“Like what? Help?”
“Yes.” Her voice rose slightly, and I saw color creep into her cheeks. Not from embarrassment—from genuine frustration. “You can’t just have my car towed and my tire fixed without asking me first.”
“I didn’t ask permission to stop and help you yesterday either.”
