Page 40 of Peach Blossom Hollow

“No doubt.”

“He’s still a little weird around laundry left on the floor and electric toothbrushes that make that buzzy razor sound.”

“So you’re not actually a cat lady?”

“Not yet.” She flashed him a smile that had him wishing their day wouldn’t end.

Violet tried to focus on what Leo was doing to her car. But try as she might, her attention kept straying to his hands and the flexing muscles in his forearms. He’d discarded his jacket so as not to get it dirty, and she had a pleasant view of his arms, rendering it nearly impossible to concentrate. Then again, she was focused there because when she looked up she was struck by how close together they were standing.The flecks of green in his blue eyes were mesmerizing.

It didn’t help that he was strong, tanned, and confident doing mechanical things that, frankly, were beyond her comprehension.

But the mind-baffling actions weren’t just limited to working on her car. He’d had all sorts of adventures that freaked her out. She liked to believe that she, too, led a life of adventure, but compared to him, her so-called big moves paled. For one, she couldn’t imagine getting within six feet of a bull, let alone climbing on top of it to see how long she could stay there. And then there was his hockey career. She couldn’t imagine facing off against some of the NHL’s greatest players, trusting them not to hurt her as they slammed each other into the boards at high speeds.

Leo could get hurt. So hurt.

“And there you have it.” He stood back and dusted his hands together. “Pretty easy.”

“That’s it?” she asked. It had been embarrassingly fast. If she wasn’t so afraid of electricity, she could have watched an online tutorial and done this herself.

The job would have gone even faster if they hadn’t had to run down to Ryan Wylder’s to borrow a wrench, since Leo’s had gone missing from his tool kit. Luckily, Ryan lived just across from the school, less than half a mile from her place, and had actually been home and not out with Carly Clarke on her ranch.

He’d been home, fretting over a certain piece of jewelry he planned to give his girlfriend. Ryan had held his breath as he’d shown it to Violet, seeminglyworried she’d tell him it was awful. She assured him it was lovely and very much Carly’s simple style.

“Want to see if it’ll go?” Leo asked Violet.

Violet got behind the steering wheel and cranked the engine. It started without a problem, but she hesitated before turning it off. She leaned out the open window to call, “Should I keep it running?”

“Nope. You should be good now.”

Grinning, she rejoined him in the driveway. “Thank you. I can’t believe the job was so simple.”

“Next time you need something, call me before you pay a mechanic.” Leo slammed the hood and leaned against the car’s front panel.

“Clint has really reasonable prices.”

“Good. But if the problem’s small, I can teach you how to solve it yourself. It’s good to know a bit about cars.”

She leaned against the panel beside him, feeling the November midday sun warming her back. They’d have to return to the city in a little while for tonight’s game, and Violet marveled at how fast the past fifteen hours with Leo had spun by. At the same time, last night’s Thanksgiving dinner felt so long ago.

“I can’t remember the last time I spent so much time with one person and didn’t mind,” she mused.

“True introvert, huh?”

“Sometimes. Some people are fun, but draining. Not in a bad way, though!” she said quickly. “I just get tired.” She tapped his forearm, making sure she touched fabric and not skin. No need to combust on the spot by contacting that fine, golden flesh. “You’re easy to hang out with.”

“Thanks. So are you.”

“What do you normally do when you have time off?”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Violet Granger, are you trying a pickup line on me?”

“No!”

He laughed as she ducked her head. “You’re so easy to tease. Lately, I’ve been helping Maverick over at his new place. It was a real wreck when he bought it.”

“It seemed okay last night.” The old farmhouse still needed some work, but the wood floors had obviously just been refinished and looked amazing.

“There’s a reason for that. But yeah, I mostly hang out with the guys and work out. Buy groceries.”

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