Page 18 of Cowboy's Last Stand
“I haven’t been told no very often,” he admitted.
“That I can believe.”
He pictured the pretty blonde from the bar last night.In another life, he might have gone out with her.He’d indulged in anonymous encounters in the past.Since he’d been injured, he hadn’t even tried to get lucky.He hadn’t felt whole enough to share himself with anyone else.
“Look, I’m no saint,” he said.“You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m interested in you, but I’ll respect your boundaries.I assure you that Icantake no for an answer.”
She studied his face in silence.He was being honest about his intentions toward her, if not his reasons for being here.He wouldn’t lay a hand on her unless she wanted him to.He might be a lost soul, haunted by his past, but he wasn’t a predator.
“Will it take more than one day?”she asked finally.
“Not if I can get the right parts.”
“There’s an Auto Stop about a mile away,” she said.“We can walk there.”
Some of the tension eased from his shoulders at her acquiescence.He hadn’t earned her trust, nor did he deserve it.He hadn’t completed his mission, and he wasn’t sure he had the courage to follow through.
Although he’d been cleared to return to duty, he wasn’t ready to move on.He needed this extra time and space to get his head together.He needed closure.He appreciated the opportunity to do a few good deeds for Natalie Luna before he left Texas.It felt right to offer his assistance.It felt like fate.She happened to require a mechanic on the same day he’d arrived at her doorstep.She needed a protector too.
Maybe he was her guardian angel, after all.
Or maybe he was just a man who couldn’t face his past or tackle his future, so he’d found a lovely woman to focus on in the present.
While Natalie went inside, Jason stuck his head back under the hood.He decided to set aside the issues of fate and mental fortitude now.She’d granted him permission to fix her car, and he was thankful for the reprieve.
Chapter Five
Natalie tried notto watch Jason work on her car.
Marcus distracted her with his constant questions and nonstop energy.He wanted to know all about Jason.She rarely entertained male visitors, so her son wasn’t used to seeing a man around their house.Marcus had been three when Mike was deployed, and four at the time of his death.He hardly remembered his father.That was a good thing and a bad thing.Good, because he wasn’t mourning.Bad, because he didn’t mournwithher.
“Who did he fight?”Marcus asked.
“He told you he fought somebody?”
“Somebody mean, he said.”
Natalie put her arm around his shoulders and kissed his curly-haired head.He allowed the affectionate gesture for a moment.Then he broke free and started punching the air in the living room, Rocky Balboa style.She wanted to tell him that fighting wasn’t cool, but she doubted she could convince him.This was the kind of conversation a father should handle.Sometimes, she was angry with Mike for not being here.
“I helped fix the screen door,” Marcus said.
“I saw that.Good job.”
“And I drove the car.”
“You what?”
“I drove the car while he pushed.”
Natalie watched as Marcus did a series of kickboxing moves too close to the TV.She didn’t approve of Jason allowing her son to help him move the car, but she supposed he’d been in control the whole time.
“Be careful,” she said to Marcus, shaking her head.Then she opened up the fast-food bag on the kitchen table.The breakfast sandwich was cold, so she stuck it in the microwave for a minute.She ate her breakfast while Marcus set up a row of stuffed bears on the couch.He karate-chopped them one by one.
Natalie’s attention drifted back to Jason, leaning over her engine.His dark head was bent in concentration.He’d discarded his jacket and the long-sleeved Western shirt.The gray T-shirt he was wearing stretched across his broad shoulders.He’d tucked a red shop rag into the back pocket of his jeans.His physique was lean but strong and well-muscled.She watched his biceps flex as he cranked a wrench.
Marcus sent one of the stuffed bears flying toward a lamp, but Natalie hardly noticed.She chewed with relish, enjoying the view.She wondered if allowing Jason to fix her car was the right decision.He’d known Mike, and that added a painful layer to his presence.There would be an emotional cost for continuing to spend time with him.Even if he was just a nice guy doing a lady a favor, she suspected that he would cause a significant disruption to her life.
Jason lifted his head and caught her looking.She felt a flush creep into her cheeks, but he wouldn’t be able to see it through the dusty front window.He gave her a thumbs-up to indicate that he was ready.
