“I don’t plan to stay that long.” She didn’t even look at him as she folded her arms over her chest and waited.
By the time Charlie had her car hitched to his to tow it, every star was out and bright in the sky. Surelynowshe saw how dark it could get out here in the middle of nowhere without streetlights or shops around. Charlie had always loved the Texas wilderness, personally. The lack of light pollution made the starsall the more brilliant out here. That’s why people called it God’s country.
When everything was secure, he opened his passenger-side door for her. No matter how irritated he was in any given situation, Charlie could always find the time to be a gentleman. It was more a matter of pride than anything. She got in and sat pouting while Charlie started his own extremely reliable ride and began the drive back home.
At first, he was annoyed with her attitude when he was going so far out of his way to help her, but then he considered her situation more carefully. She was a beautiful woman, traveling on her own, stranded on the side of the road. And he was a stranger who had just coaxed her into his vehicle and was taking her somewhere unknown. No matter how many times he insisted they were just going to his house so he could fix her car, she had no way of knowing that was true. Someone with less savory intentions would probably say exactly the same thing.
He began to feel a touch guilty for treating her so coldly. Unfortunately, he determined that the best way to put her at ease was to make some kind of friendly small talk, and friendly small talk was not an activity he personally excelled at. He cleared his throat several times before finding a word or two that might be worth saying. “So, I’m guessing you’re not from around here.”
She turned to glare at him. “Why do you say that?”
“Your clothes, for one,” he said. “You don’t dress like you live around here. You dress more like… a city girl. And your car is definitely not right for driving around these parts.”
“You can’t blame me for the car.” She leaned back with an irritated groan. “It’s a rental, and I didn’t choose it. The agency I work for did.” She slumped deeper into her chair. “Clearly, they were too cheap to get me a reliable car.”
“Or the rental place scammed ’em,” Charlie offered. “It’s usually best to check the car in person before accepting it, but I don’t suppose you would have been able to tell it had a nearly dead starter.”
“Battery,” she said.
“Starter.” There wasn’t a doubt in his mind now that he’d seen the thing try to start for himself.
“Whatever.” She brushed his correction aside. “The point is, I didn’t choose the car, and I’m starting to regret allowing anyone else to choose for me. But you know what they say about hindsight, right?”
Charlie didn’t entertain her question, instead choosing to change the subject. “So, I was right that you’re not from around here.”
She stared out the window for a while before answering. “I’m from Los Angeles.”
“Of course you are.” He couldn’t help rolling his eyes in the dark. He might have guessed. It was always going to be New York or Los Angeles, wasn’t it? “Why are you in Texas?” he asked. He probably should have worded it more like,What brings you to Texas this time of year?That would have been far friendlier and less suspicious-sounding. But it was too late to correct it. Anyway, Charlie had never been good at this sort of thing.
“My name’s Anna,” she said, giving him a sideways glance. “In case you were wondering.”
Charlie silently cursed himself. He hadn’t even asked her name, and yet he was worrying about the precise wording of his interrogation. It hadn’t even started out properly. He hadn’t even asked her name. He grumbled, “I’m Charlie.” He paused before adding, “Greene.”
She sighed. “Nice-ish to meet you, Charlie Greene. I’ll give you my last name when I know you’re not a crazy stalker.”
“Ask anyone in town,” he said, “and they’ll tell you who I am. Well, more likely they’ll tell you who my father was, but I’m not a total stranger around here.”
“Well, I’ll be in town tomorrow, hopefully, so I’ll be sure to do that.” After a brief silence she said, “They’re expecting me, by the way. Just so you know.”
“Of course.” She was obviously lying, but he didn’t let on that he knew. If it made her feel safer, he’d let her keep her white lie.
“Also, I’m location scouting.”
“Huh?” That seemed to come out of nowhere.
She clarified. “You asked what I was doing in Texas. That’s the answer. I’m location scouting for a movie. I need to find a quaint town with old buildings and a lot of charm. Someone recommended Denson Oaks as a possibility.”
That sounded like a nightmare just waiting to happen. Whoever recommended Denson Oaks as a good location for a movie was someone Charlie would have liked to have several words with. “Denson Oaks is not the town you’re looking for.”
Anna shot him a stubborn look as he pulled into his drive and started up toward the ranch. “How wouldyouknow? Have you readTexas Sunrise?”
“Texaswhat? No, I don’t think I’ve heard of that, whatever it is. But the people of this town take pride in their home. They aren’t going to agree to a film crew trampling all over it.” He was certain of his conclusion. No one in Denson Oaks would really agree to this, would they?
“We’ll see about that, I guess,” Anna said right before Charlie put his truck in park and pulled the e-brake.
CHAPTER 5
ANNA
