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“Duke, come back to me. Everything’s going to be okay. Just look at me.”
The warmth stayed in my arm and also appeared against my cheek, and everything slowly cleared. Abbey’s thumb rubbed back and forth, pulling me out of my waking nightmare. When I lifted my eyes, she held me in her gaze. Her other hand rested on my arm, her fingers caressing my skin.
“There you are.”
Her soft voice washed over me, and I took a deep breath.
ABBEY
“There you are.” I stroked Duke’s cheek. When he was telling me about his tour, he’d suddenly stopped and froze. His eyes clouded over, and his breathing became erratic. He was having a panic attack, and I couldn’t bear to see him like that.
It took a few minutes before I could bring him to focus. When I touched him, it helped. And then when I laid my hand on his face and stroked his cheek, he came out of it completely.
He let out a deep breath and cupped my hand to his cheek. I liked the way his scruff scratched against my palm.
“Hi,” I breathed. “You’re back.”
“Sorry,” his voice caught.
“It’s okay.” I moved my thumb along his cheekbone, soft and slow.
Duke held my hand a moment longer before pulling away. I let my hand drop and placed it in my lap along with my other. He was retreating, and I didn’t know him well enough to push him to accept my comfort any further than I already had.
This was the second time I’d seen him vulnerable, and he pulled away from me as soon as it was over. He only needed me in the moment, and I knew well enough not to assume I was making that much of a difference for him. He didn’t need me. I was sure he would have handled his nightmare all by himself, and if I hadn’t asked questions, he wouldn’t have had this episode at all.
“Thank you.”
I almost missed his words. He’d spoken them so quietly.
When I met his eyes, there was only sincerity. “Of course.” I couldn’t keep his gaze. Instead, I twisted my hands in my lap and glanced out the window. “What next?”
“We have your phone taken care of and lunch, so that means your car. Let’s get it and head to the ranch. I don’t want to be here too long and end up driving in the dark.”
I snort-laughed. “Duke, it’s two-thirty. The sun doesn’t set for hours.”
“And people around here will keep you tied up for hours with their curiosity. You’re the new person in town. Everyone wants to know all about you. If we don’t get out of here soon, the whole town will mob the repair shop.” His face scrunched and frustration filled his eyes.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the horror reflected in his expression. Just like him, I wasn’t interested in being the center of attention today. Just like him, I wasn’t ready to tell my story to a bunch of strangers.
But I needed to know one thing before we left. I pulled on a straight face and asked, “Are you good, or do you need me to drive?” I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see how he’d react. Any man would snap out of whatever they were thinking, come back to their senses, and go all caveman about their car.
He pointed his finger at me. “You are not driving my patrol car, but maybe you can have a go at my truck back at the ranch.” He smiled, and I felt my heart flutter. The grin made him look so much younger and even more handsome. His answer was not what I had expected, but now I had butterflies in my stomach.
The mechanic’s shop was only a few minutes down the road. When we arrived, the place was empty except for the handsome guy around my age behind the counter. I swear there was something in the water around here. We approached the counter, and he smiled at me. It was pleasant, but nothing compared to when Duke or Liam smiled at me. They turned my insides upside down.
“Chase,” Duke greeted the man with a head nod.
“Hey, Duke. You here to pick up the car?” Chase reached under the counter and produced a folder. He took out a few forms.
“Yes. This is Abbey. It’s her car. What do you need from her in order to release it?” Duke glanced at me, and I stepped forward and extended my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Abbey. I’m Chase.” He gave me a firm shake and then dropped my hand.
“Is this your shop?” I looked around. It was clean and more maintained than I would have expected for a small-town mechanic. Movies usually depicted them as dirty and unkempt, but Chase’s shop was anything but.
“It is. I’ve had it for a few years now. I bought it from the original owner and changed it up a bit.”
“Wow, that’s incredible. What do you need from me?” My innate curiosity about people wanted to know how someone so young would have been able to buy out the owner, but I knew we were tight on time. Duke wanted to get home, and I was ready to get back to the ranch as well.
