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His lips quirked up. “I’ll be right back.”
She shrugged out of her overshirt and tucked it behind her on the windshield. The wind was cooling off, but the heat from the engine and the sun baking the hood kept her warm. The view was barren and achingly lonely. The desert wasn’t one of her top places to live. She’d made a list of all the places she’d wanted to live when she was a girl. Small towns weren’t exactly the Mecca of excitement, but the middle of the Nevada wasteland was definitely not on her bucket list.
Her signal was spotty, but she managed to get a few texts out to Bells.
She heard grunts and curses as Shane poked around the back. “Shane. I’m not going to play nursemaid if you break something because you’re too impatient to wait for the mechanic.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She grinned and started another game of Words with Friends with her mother. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”
“No.”
She winced when the truck rocked and the tailgate slammed. Oscar would be coming out again. He lifted himself onto the running board and then into the tire wheel well. “Move over.”
Yep. Oscar was definitely back. A slash of grease smeared his cheek and into his beard, and his face was dusty. “You got under the truck.”
He pushed her over a few inches and stripped off his thermal shirt.
She tapped her cheek. “You’ve got—”
“Yeah, I know.” He wiped at it, and she snatched the shirt out of his hand.
“Hold still.”
He turned his head. “Stop mothering me.”
She grabbed his chin and turned him back to face her. “Stop being an ass. And stop grinding your molars. You’re going to end up with a headache.”
“Too late.”
She got the worst of the grease off, but his shoulders were sprinkled with sweat and grime. His black tank top stretched across his chest, and she officially wanted to jump him. She needed her head examined.
“Lean back and watch the sunset.”
He followed orders for once but kept his arms tightly crossed over his chest. She forced her hand in under his biceps and curled his arm around her. “Enjoy the sunset. We can stress about the tires when the truck gets here.”
“I don’t know how you turn it off.”
She nodded to the red-streaked sky. “That’s how. The situation sucks, but that’s beautiful.”
His shoulders eased, and he hauled her against him. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
NINE
Ninety minutes had beena pipe dream. Two hours and fifteen minutes later Shane heard the rig before it came into view. The desert played tricks with sounds, especially at night, but he knew that distinctive engine noise. It wasn’t surprising that they had to wait out the tow truck. A service couldn’t chain up his Silverado to just anything.
He smoothed his hand up and down her arm. “Up and at ’em, Sunshine.”
She pressed her nose into his chest and her cold hand under his shirt along his back. The temperature had dropped, but she hadn’t wanted to move from their spot. He had to admit it was a good vantage point. Not one truck, car, or bike had come along, but it would have been the best way to flag someone down if they’d had the chance.
“Come on, babe.”
“Holy crap. It’s dark.”
“You conked out right after the sun set.”
“Yeah, I guess I did.” She burrowed into his chest. “I don’t want to move.”
