Page 40 of Mechanic’s Christmas Match

Ana turned to see the tall, handsome cowboy Mal had shown around the other day standing just outside.

She and Valerie got up instantly and headed for the door.

“You guys don’t have to leave,” Mal protested, but she was headed for the door herself, opening it up to let the man in.

Good for her, Ana thought to herself, even as a tiny voice in her heart whispered that both her friends would soon pair up, and she would be the only one to never have a man of her own.

She and Valerie excused themselves, in spite of Mal’s protests. Valerie headed down Park toward her shop and home. And Ana walked back up Park Avenue toward Ambler, focusing her mind on feeling happy for her friend.

Mal was a kind person who gave generously to every cause in town. Ana had her mom and Theo, but Mal was completely alone. Of course, so was Valerie, but she really seemed to enjoy her solitude. It would be perfect if Mal were the first of their friend group to find true love.

As she made her way down Ambler toward home, Ana kept her focus on the slate sidewalks and the twinkling lights in the shops, and didn’t turn her head once to look over at the Village Green.

11

RORY

Rory stood in the entry area of the Village Green, feeling trussed up like a holiday ham in his church clothes with a tie added, the silken thing squeezing his neck as if to intensify the torture.

He wasn’t really looking to impress Maggie as much as he was hoping not to let Ana down by showing up looking too casual at the nicest restaurant in town.

But Maggie wasn’t here yet, and he was feeling more and more out of place as the minutes ticked by.

Well-dressed couples walked past him into the restaurant and disappeared into the dim, expensive-looking space.

All Rory wanted was to pace the thick carpet while he waited, but he didn’t want to look like a caged tiger, no matter how much he felt like one.

It didn’t help that the walls were hung with vast oil paintings and there was a piano at the center of the lobby that was probably worth more than any vehicle he’d ever worked on. Even standing still, he was a little afraid that he would ruin something priceless with a single gesture of a body that suddenly felt too big for his surroundings.

“Sorry, sorry,” Maggie called out as she dashed in the front door. “My parent-teacher meeting went long.”

“Hey, Maggie,” Rory said calmly. “I just got here myself.”

It was a little white lie, meant to make her feel better, but it still made his stomach twist. He wouldn’t have felt the need to lie to Ana. He probably would have teased her that he’d been standing here so long moss was growing on him, or something equally silly.

“Oh, good,” Maggie said, frowning in a way that almost seemed like she was disappointed she hadn’t inconvenienced him.

But there was no time to puzzle over it as the hostess floated over to them.

“Hi there,” she said. “Mr. Dunn, your table is ready for you.”

“Thank you,” Rory said, gesturing for Maggie to go through the door to the restaurant first.

As he followed, he couldn’t help noticing she was wearing the kind of outfit she’d worn in Ana’s shop—a sort of lumpy sweater over a long, plain skirt. There even seemed to be small, red handprints on her left hip.

It just means she’s down-to-earth, he reminded himself. Maybe that would make her a better match for me.

The hostess led them past the shining wooden bar that sparkled with crystal, and Rory wished he could make himself less broad so he wouldn’t have to worry about taking out a king’s ransom in glassware if he sneezed on his way past.

Tables of people eating and chatting filled the rest of the big space, and the hostess wove them through the other diners to a small table for two in the rear corner.

Rory breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t a booth. For a big guy like him, a table was sometimes a better option. Plus, chairs allowed him to demonstrate that he was a gentleman.

“Here you are,” the hostess said.

Rory pulled out Maggie’s chair for her with a flourish.

“Thanks,” she said with a tight smile.