The Mechanics of Mistletoe - Liz Isaacson Page 0,39
a summer camp.” She shot a glance at Bear. All she wanted to do was kiss him. She blinked, and she could see herself pressing Bear against the wall and kissing him, kissing him, kissing him.
He seemed to know it too, if the sly smile on his face said anything.
Someone knocked on the glass, and she yelped as she spun toward the sound. Bear stood, but it was just Lindsey Laurel and her boyfriend. “Thank you for the food, Bear,” she said through the glass, her voice muffled.
“Okay,” Sammy said. “What is going on?”
“Nothing,” Bear said, but Sammy was already striding for the door. She unlocked it and stepped outside.
“What’s with the food?” she asked Lindsey.
“Bear bought the whole food truck,” Lindsey said with a smile. “Anyone can eat there for free today.”
Sammy opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t. No words formed, and only a sigh came out.
Bear pressed in behind her, and Lindsey said, “Thanks, Bear.”
“Yep,” he said, lifting his hand. They walked away, and when Bear lowered his hand, it landed on Sammy’s hip. He leaned closer to her, and she pressed back into him almost unconsciously.
“See, Sammy?” he whispered. “It’s not just you I help.”
“You’re too good for me,” she whispered back.
“Nonsense,” he said. “And you should know you’re the only one I want to help. I literally would do anything to make your life easier, but if you don’t want me to do that because it makes you feel weak, I’ll stop. I really will.”
She turned toward him, aware that she couldn’t kiss him while framed in the front door of her shop, and not with Lincoln watching. “I don’t need you to stop. But could you check with me before you make such amazing offers to my son?”
“Of course,” he said without missing a beat.
“I’m just…I manage so much, and there are so many little details that only I know about. I feel like my life is so much more complicated than yours.”
“All the more reason for me to help you if I can.” He had an argument for everything, didn’t he?
Sammy decided she didn’t care. He was helping her, and she sure liked spending time with him. She glanced at Lincoln and back to Bear. “What are the chances that you and I will ever be able to go to dinner alone in the near future?”
“Alone?” Bear dropped his gaze to her lips, where his eyes stayed. “Seems a little impossible at the moment.”
“Oh, come on,” she teased, putting her hands on his chest and gently nudging him back into the shop. “You’re Bear Glover. You can make the impossible possible.”
He chuckled and shook his head. When their eyes met, he said, “I’ll start working on it.”
“Mm hm,” Sammy said. “All right, Lincoln. Time to get back to work.”
“That’s my cue to leave,” Bear said. “Those other meals are for your parents. Do you want me to take them by?”
Sammy’s first instinct was to say no. She could do it. Bear saw her hesitation, and he lifted both hands up as if in surrender.
“Go ahead,” she said. “And you can take Link too. I’ll be done here in a couple of hours.”
“Great,” Bear said, picking up the bag with the extra meals in it. “Come on, Link. Let’s go see your grandparents.” He grinned at Sammy and added, “Maybe they can help with that alone thing.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ranger Glover looked up from the engine of the truck, ready to throw something inside and set the whole thing on fire. He was going to get down to Mack’s Motor Sports today. He’d been tinkering with these blasted trucks for far too long.
Shiloh Ridge Ranch had the budget to replace vehicles that didn’t work.
“Nothing?” Bishop asked as he came into the vehicle shed. He let in a blast of heat with him, and Ranger gave him a glare for that reason alone.
Bishop was the youngest of all the Glovers, and he lived in the newly designed and rebuilt homestead with Bear and Ranger.
“Nothing,” he said. “I’m just going to go down to Mack’s.”
“Hm.” Bishop stepped around to look at the engine too. He did have a knack for machinery, Ranger would give him that. He also had a way with getting women to go out with him, and Ranger had been sticking close to his side for a few months now, trying to learn how he did it.
He didn’t seem to do much more than Ranger did. They were cousins, and Ranger’s eyes weren’t