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“You make it look easy.” She bent down and looked over his shoulder, her breath warming the back of his neck and her subtle perfume teasing him.
“It is. My sister could’ve handled this.” He, along with his older brothers and dad, had made sure their baby sister knew how to take care of herself, and that had included minor repairs to her car.
Once he loosened all the nuts, he cranked the jack up more so the tire lifted off the ground, and then he pulled off the flat. “Looks like you drove over a nail.” He pointed to the nail head embedded in the rubber tread.
“I did something similar last week, but the mechanic only found the hole.”
Her breath on his neck reminded him just how close she remained. The memory of the last dream he’d had that she stared in resurfaced, and he forced the memory of the night his mutt Baxter got sprayed by a skunk up instead. If anything could kill a guy’s growing erection, it was the smell of a skunk or in this case the memory of the odor.
Grabbing the spare tire, he mounted it on the car and worked as fast as possible to get it secured in place. He needed to get away from Allison and her sexy legs. “Good to go.” He carried the flat tire and jack back to the trunk.
“You were right.” Allison stood leaning against the driver’s side door and watching him. “If I’d called the auto club, I’d still be waiting. Last week it took them an hour to get to me. Looks like I owe you two favors now.”
Man, he knew just how he’d like to collect those favors too. Too bad those weren’t the type of favors she had in mind.
Chapter 2
Who the hell is that? She’d arrived alone and didn’t have a boyfriend. So who was the bastard changing her tire? He’d been standing out here for the past hour waiting for her. Now, some ass with more muscles than brains had her attention. That wasn’t how things were supposed to be. He should have her attention, not anyone else.
Across the lot, the SOB who’d changed Allison’s tire closed the trunk. After exchanging a few words, Allison got into her car. He’d missed out on an opportunity tonight, but there would be others. He’d make sure of it.
Turning the key in the ignition, he pulled out. He knew the route Allison would take home. He’d just follow and make sure she arrived there safely and, more importantly, alone. She hadn’t shown the dude who’d changed her tire any affection, but he also hadn’t been a stranger. She’d known him. Nothing and no one was going to come between them. He’d make sure of that. Allison might not realize it yet, but she belonged with him. No one loved her as much as he did. Soon she’d know the truth. And if anyone tried to get between them, he’d do what he had to.
Chapter 3
She’d skipped the flowers in the gift shop downstairs and grabbed a baby blue teddy bear and a balloon instead. Now seeing Charlie’s hospital room, she was glad she’d opted for the bear. Vases filled with flowers overwhelmed the small room, making it smell more like a greenhouse than a hospital room. In her opinion, it was a huge improvement. She’d never liked the industrial cleaner smell that seemed to cling to every hospital or doctor’s office she’d ever stepped into. The smell of flowers, on the other hand, she adored.
Stopping next to the bed, she hugged Charlie, who looked wiped out but happy. “Did you throw my cousin out?”
“I’ve considered it a time or two,” she said with a smile as she accepted the bear. “But no, he just went to the cafeteria. You know him and coffee.”
Oh, she knew all about Jake’s obsession with coffee. Other than her cousin, she’d never known anyone who had started drinking the stuff at the age of twelve. From what Jake had told her, Charlie was just as bad, and it had been difficult for her to give it up when she became pregnant.
“Is he sleeping?” From where she stood, she could only see the back of the newest Sherbrooke member.
Charlie nodded as she placed a hand on her son’s back. “For the moment. It won’t last. He eats almost every hour on the hour.”
“Sounds a lot like Jake.” Her cousin was and always had been a bottomless pit when it came to food. How the guy never gained weight amazed her.
“You know my husband well.” Charlie managed to get the words out right before a yawn escaped.
Unable to help herself, Allison walked around to the bassinet for a better look at Garret. Sound asleep, he looked like the most peaceful baby on Earth, with a full head of light blond hair and tiny fingers, which were curled up in a fist. “He’s beautiful. Did you decide on a middle name?” When Jake called and announced they’d had a boy, he’d told her they were still going back and forth on a middle name.
“Ruari, after Ma’s dad.”
“Garret Ruari Sherbrooke. Sounds nice together,” Allison said, watching the little bundle move but not wake up. “Garret? Isn’t that Aunt Elizabeth’s father’s name?” She’d heard the name somewhere before, but she wasn’t positive where.
“No, it’s Elizabeth’s grandfather’s name. So Jake’s great grandfather. Some of Jake’s other ancestors have it too. I guess it was originally a surname and someone decided to use as a first name generations ago. Believe or not, when we told Elizabeth his name yesterday, she cried.”
She’d only seen her Aunt Elizabeth cry a handful of times. If a simple name made her cry, it must mean a great deal to her. “Has she been in today too?”
“She promised to stop in later this afternoon before the fundraiser.”
She’d make sure she was gone before then. While she loved her aunt, she didn’t love the secret service agents who accompanied her everywhere. Not that she had anything against them personally. It was just the fact that they were around. Ever since her Uncle Warren first decided to run for president, the agents had become a permanent part of his life as well as his wife’s and, to some extent, his children’s lives. While Jake had told them to take a hike not long after Uncle Warren took office, her cousin Sara still had agents assigned to her. Whenever they went out together, the agents weren’t far behind, making her grateful her Uncle Warren and not her father resided in the White House.
Unfortunately, secret service agents would be at the fundraiser tonight. Nothing under the sun would keep Aunt Elizabeth from a fundraiser supporting Jake’s foundation.
Charlie readjusted her position in bed and winced but didn’t complain. “Ma and Sean will be back later today too and they’ll stay a while. They’re leaving on Monday, so Sean will probably have to drag Ma out of here tonight.”
