Page 23 of Finding You

“I have two brothers,” she whispered as tears stung her eyes, and immediately slammed the computer shut.

Think happy thoughts…think happy thoughts…

“High school reunion bowling,” she muttered. “When the heck was the last time I even bowled? And a dance? Do I look awkward when I dance?” But that led to her thinking about all the dances she went to in high school and the thrill of slow dancing with a cute boy.

And that made her think of Devin.

Still…it had been a long time since she’d gone dancing and it sounded like it would be a good time.

“O-kay…the festival. Carnival rides and games…good food, zip lines, walking through the haunted house and hopefully not making a fool out of myself because I’m a big chicken who scares easily.”

But she knew Devin would be right there beside her without passing judgement.

And really, all those carnivals she went to as a kid were always a lot of fun, and wasn’t she due for some?

“Muffins, brownies, cake, and good coffee,” she said a bit more firmly. “Tomorrow’s going to be a good day.”

Because she loved cakes and cookies and sweets, that was a great thought to end the day with and hopefully lead to some sweet dreams.

It took a few more minutes, but eventually MacKenzie reached over and shut off the bedside light and did her best to clear her mind of how appealing life was in Sweetbriar Ridge.

And how appealing the town mechanic was too.

Midnight.

Devin tossed and turned and cursed. If he didn’t get some sleep soon, he was going to lose his mind. He was tired. Bone-weary tired. And yet–for the third night in a row–he could barely sleep a wink because of the woman in the next room. When he was awake, she was there. When he closed his eyes to go to sleep, she was there–only in a much dirtier, X-rated version.

Ugh…why am I being punished?

All he had wanted to do was help a person in need. It wasn’t unusual for him. But he hadn’t thought it through. Having an attractive woman in his home was wreaking havoc on his senses. Her shampoo smelled like strawberries and her perfume was something florally and he could smell them both everywhere he went.

And considering he was with her pretty much all day, every day, there was no escaping it.

She had charmed everyone who worked for him and who came into the shop and he had a sneaky suspicion that most of the cars that had come in today for routine maintenance had more to do with people wanting to get a look at MacKenzie than any real car issues. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have started asking around if anyone had a spare room for her or–at the very least–asked some of the single women in town to come and befriend her so maybe they’d get a little time apart. If he wanted to keep his sanity, it certainly made sense to look into doing that tomorrow.

Only…he really enjoyed hanging out with her. At work, she had things running smoother than they’d ever been. Without the constant distraction of the phone or the front desk, he and the guys were getting cars done faster. And that led to a better turn around so they could work on more cars in a day, which meant more money for the business.

Because of MacKenzie.

Or…you could just hire someone who actually lives here.

There was that, but he didn’t know of anyone who had the same skills that would have caught on so quickly and who wasn’t afraid of a challenge.

Like MacKenzie.

Groaning, Devin punched his pillow. Why the hell was he over-romanticizing everything about her? Maybe there were dozens of people in Sweetbriar Ridge who had the same skills or even more! For all he knew, someone else would have come in and had things running even more efficiently. Just because she’s beautiful, didn’t mean he needed to be this tied up in knots. What he needed was to get a grip.

Fast.

But when he thought about anyone else working with him, it didn’t feel right. He knew just about everyone in town and there wasn’t a single one that he was going to feel this way–professionally, that is–about. No one else had her laugh. Her smile. Her…everything. Hell, Devin caught himself simply seeking her out during the day just to get a glimpse of her or to hear her voice. Never in his life had a woman simply captivated him the way MacKenzie had from the first time he laid eyes on her. But eventually, something was gonna have to give. He was either going to kiss her or seriously find one of the single women in town to take MacKenzie on as a roommate.

Liar.

Okay, fine. He didn’t really want MacKenzie to stay anyplace else in Sweetbriar Ridge, and she had told him she wasn’t comfortable with that idea the very first night she came home with him. He was a grown man who had self-control. Sort of. Or at least he thought he did until she had come into his life. Now he felt slightly out of control–at least with the direction of his thoughts–and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it.

As corny as it sounded, Devin was a fairly traditional guy - he didn’t believe in casual relationships or flings. At this point in his life, he was looking for a relationship - a long-term one. He was ready to settle down and have a wife and kids. That wasn’t going to be the case with MacKenzie. She was here temporarily; she had a plan, a life, and it didn’t include staying in Sweetbriar Ridge.

Could he honestly indulge in something physical with her knowing it was going to end almost as soon as it started?

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