Page 6 of Mechanic’s Christmas Match

“Because it won’t feel like it’s really mine until I’ve had some friends in it,” Rory told him.

Ana looked up at him in surprise, but Theo just grinned and wiggled out once he was unstrapped.

She gathered their things and headed toward the truck with Theo while Rory unhooked the car seat and swung it out easily with one hand, carefully closing up Ana’s car with the other.

As he approached the truck, she was gazing at him with slightly widened eyes. It took him a second to figure out why. Ana was small and slender. It was probably a lot harder for her to get that car seat in and out.

He felt another wash of pleasure at the idea that he was helping her, making something easier for a person who did so much to help her family and friends every day.

She watched as he strapped the car seat into the truck and double-checked it.

“All good,” he told her, nodding. “Car seat had to go fully on the passenger side, so you’ll have to squeeze in the middle.”

She nodded and looked down at Theo, as if to hide her face from Rory.

Does she like the idea of being squeezed in next to me?

“Ready, Theo?” she asked him.

“Yes,” Theo said, his eyes alight with interest. “Truck.”

“Exactly,” she told him, scooping him up. “We’re going to the car repair shop in Rory’s pretty red truck.”

Theo seemed satisfied with that explanation, and he slid into the car seat and cooperated while Ana got him strapped in.

Rory waited as she came around to the driver’s side and climbed in, settling herself in the middle next to Theo.

“Okay,” Rory said, hoping there was room for the three of them when he got in. He wasn’t a small guy.

But he found that he fit just fine. What he hadn’t expected was the scent of Ana’s peachy shampoo, up close and filling his senses. He’d always loved catching a teasing waft of it here and there, but now that they were sharing such a small space, he was pretty sure it was going to drive him wild.

“Beau will be here any minute,” he said, clearing his throat and begging his mind to fix on something else.

“He seems like such a kind man,” Ana said softly.

“He is,” Rory agreed. “All he ever wanted was to work with engines. He loves having his own shop.”

Ana nodded but didn’t reply. Her expression was serious, and he figured her mind was on the breakdown.

“I’m sorry about your car,” he said after a moment.

“It’s really old,” she said. “And not the good kind of old, like this one.”

Rory laughed and nodded, knowing what she meant.

“I like that I can fix this thing without scanning it,” he told her, giving the dashboard an affectionate pat. “Everything’s straightforward. I’ll probably drive it forever.”

“Where did you get it?” Ana asked.

“Well, you won’t find one like this on a car lot,” Rory chuckled. “Herb Wyeth brought it in last month for a checkup. Said he wanted everything tip-top because he was planning to sell it. He doesn’t really feel safe driving anymore at his age.”

Ana nodded. She probably knew Herb better than Rory did, enough to know that he was exactly the type to want everything on the up-and-up if he was selling his vehicle, and also to feel bad that the older man was giving up a piece of his freedom.

“Anyway, I love my bike,” Rory said, smiling just at the thought of the motorcycle he’d poured so much care into. “But the winters here are too snowy and the weather’s unpredictable. I figured I’d better bite the bullet.”

“Smart thinking,” Ana said.

“He gave me a good price,” Rory said. “Too good.”