Page 65 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
She smiled. “Anytime.”
He grinned and shut the door, and she… rolled her eyes.
“Anytime?” she muttered to herself. What a stupid comment.
She was nearly gone and wouldn’t be back for months. How would she help him “anytime”?
When he climbed into his seat, he shot her a lazy smile. “Don’t worry, Ms. O’Sullivan. I’ll have you at that airport with time to spare.”
She opened her mouth to make a flippant retort, but the words died in her throat as the engine sputtered when he turned the key.
Her panicked gaze went from his hand to his face, searching out a reassuring look as he tried again.
But his smile melted into a frown when he turned the key for the third time and… nothing. The engine didn’t even sound like it was trying to turn over. All they heard was a grinding complaint.
Dahlia didn’t know much about vehicles, but that noise?
“That doesn’t sound good.”
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JJ stared under the hood with a frown. He tucked his hands in his pockets to warm fingers that were getting numb from the cold. His brow furrowed. It didn’t make sense that it’d be the battery, as that was replaced relatively recently.
He was no mechanic, but he knew enough. He’d systematically gone through every issue he could think of, but it wasn’t anything obvious. At least, nothing that could be fixed in a jiffy.
Which meant…
The truck door slammed, and JJ winced. Guilt nagged at him. He supposed there was no denying it any longer. Dahlia came to stand beside him, crossing her arms and shivering against the cold as she frowned down at his engine. “What’s the problem?”
“I’m not sure yet.” But he had a suspicion. And it wasn’t a good one. “Why don’t you wait in the truck? It’s warmer in there.”
She gave a huff of laughter. “Not by much.”
He flinched.
“Can I help at all?” she asked.
There was impatience in her tone, but the offer was genuine, and it did nothing to ease his guilt.
If his suspicion was correct, they weren’t getting off this mountain anytime soon. At least, not soon enough to make her flight.
Five minutes later, he pulled back from where he’d been leaning over the engine and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I think the starter motor’s shot.”
Dahlia was quiet for a second, her pointed look silently asking if this was going to be a big problem.
He winced, and she huffed. “Please tell me you can fix it.”
He shook his head. “Not without a replacement.”
“What? How long will that take?”
He glanced out at the sky. His gut grew heavy at the sight of the dark clouds looming. They were closer and more ominous than the last time he’d checked. “I’ll need to give the guys a call.”
He pulled out his phone and saw Dahlia pinch the bridge of her nose. “I’m not going to make my flight, am I?”
She sounded so dejected, it made his insides tighten. He wished more than anything he could reassure her and tell her he’d have her there in time.
But while he prided himself on being reliable, not to mention handy, he wasn’t a magician. He couldn’t magically summon the supplies he’d need.
