by Marie Savage
“Did you find everything okay?” Tina asked as she smiled and winked at him.
Luke watched as she bit her pencil suggestively, making it no secret what she wanted. Earlier, he would have been fine with discovering the talents she tried desperately to show him, but the crying beauty outside was his priority now.
“Yes, it was fine.” He handed her a twenty, waiting for his change.
“Are you here long? You’re Marla’s friend, right?” She held on to his bill and money, making no attempt to hurry along.
Well, that explained a lot, Luke thought to himself. “Yeah, I know Marla. Is she still around?” Luke tried to be patient and make small talk, but right now he couldn’t give a rat’s ass less about her or Marla.
“No, she took off with some rodeo cowboy last month. They got married, ya know? I think she’s somewhere in Texas now.” She spilled the story as she finally started ringing up his ticket.
So much for Marla not being the marrying type. Luke wanted to laugh. “Good for her. You have a nice day now.” He held his hand out, waiting for his change.
“So, you don’t want to … you know, get together later tonight and have a few drinks?” She held on to his money, not wanting him to rush off.
He hated being blunt with her, especially since he was the one who initiated the flirting earlier, but he didn’t have time to think up a subtler brush-off. “Nah, not today. I’m taking off as soon as I gas up,” he said.
Tina’s smile faded and was replaced by the frown of a scorned woman. Luke watched the pencil she had in her hand, in case she tried to stab him with it.
“Have a nice day, then.” Tina slapped his change down on the counter before walking toward the back, flipping him the bird as he watched her. Just as well, Luke thought. She was probably a gold digger, anyway. Besides, he was not happy hearing that Marla had kissed and told.
Aimee Jo bowed her head, not knowing what else to do at the moment. She was brought up to believe that in times of trouble, you pray on it, and God will show you the answer. The tears she had been fighting for hours, now came down uncontrollably as she asked for forgiveness and for help.
Her car was totaled, but Trooper Stephens said he would have it towed to the nearest junkyard. The bastard who stole her car and her money was long gone. Then, to add insult to injury, her belongings were thrown out and scattered along the highway. The trooper was kind enough to pick up what he could, but most of her things were lost. Either way, she was alone and nearly broke.
With only a hundred dollars, she could afford one night at a fairly decent hotel or maybe two nights at a dump. She was screwed. Why couldn’t she ever catch a break?
Why couldn’t she have been brave enough to have just bought a plane ticket and flown out to California? She’d been so excited to hit the open road. She had never been anywhere in her life except her hometown of Thomasville, Georgia. This was her dream that she’d worked so hard for and saved all her money for, and with the money her meemaw had left her, she thought that for once, her dream was finally coming true.
Now, even if she made it to California, she had no place to stay and no money to get a place to stay. She also had no one to call for help. She had to face it, her dream was over. Gripping her meemaw’s bible tightly in her hands, she bowed her head and started praying as she wept.
Luke was pleased when the two workers finally jumped into their truck and wisely took off. He had been watching them from the sidewalk and had stared them down for at least a minute. They hesitated at their truck at first, as they kept looking at the girl sitting on the curb. When Luke had stepped out of the restaurant, toothpick in his mouth, and ready to kick some ass, their eyes turned to him.
The staredown had begun and Luke had no intention on losing. So what if it was two against one? He had handled more than that. He wasn’t looking to fight, but he’d be damned if he’d run from one. Finally, they must have decided she wasn’t worth the trouble, and they jumped into their county work truck and took off.
When the coast was clear, Luke looked over at her. She was sitting on the sidewalk with her head bowed. Her lips were moving but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. Then he noticed her hands clasped together, resting on her chin. Shit, was she praying? Luke wondered. He walked toward her, feeling a little awkward now about what he was going to say. He watched as she continued to pray, not even aware of him towering over her. What a stupid girl, he thought to himself.
“Hey, are you all right?” Luke asked a little sterner than he intended. The fact she was unaware of the danger she could be in annoyed the hell out of him. Didn’t she have a clue how sitting out here by herself put her in danger?
Aimee Jo was startled out of her prayers by the deep voice of a man. At first, she thought it may be the workers who kept staring over at her earlier. She definitely wasn’t expecting the hot guy from the diner to be standing in front of her. The way the afternoon shined down on him as he hovered over her, made him glow like he was an angel. Was he an angel? Did God send him to her, in answer to her prayers? Or was he just some asshole, trying to pick her up? Damn, she didn't need this right now, she thought to herself.
“I’m okay.” She continued to wipe her tears, looking away from him, and hoping he would just go away. She had to be delusional. No way would God send someone like him, would he? She had hoped that by the time she looked back over, he would be long gone. No such luck as he sat down next to her.
“If you were okay, you wouldn’t be sitting out here crying, now would ya?” He sighed as he sat his ass down on the hot concrete. “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong? Maybe I can help.” Luke smiled at her, hoping he appeared less threatening. But he wasn’t prepared for the sparkling of her baby blue eyes as she watched him sit down beside her. Even though she was crying, she was still the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes on.
His southern accent reminded Aimee Jo of the boys she’d wanted to date in high school—the boys who’d never paid her any attention. Time had changed the scrawny, pigtailed, pimply, simple dress wearing church girl. Now, she had a woman’s figure, clear complexion, and with her part-time job at a boutique in the mall, sexier dresses to wear. Things were different now—she was free at last to dress how she wanted and to date whomever she wanted. But right now, she had no time for this nonsense. Maybe if she kept quiet he would leave.
They both sat there for a few moments as the afternoon sun continued to shine down strongly on them. Aimee Jo watched as people walked by and stared, but kept on moving, not making any point to talk to them.
Luke sat patiently, waiting for her to break her silence. He couldn’t ever remember a time he was so patient with a girl before. This was definitely out of his comfort zone.
“You know, I can’t help you if you won’t speak to me.” Luke looked over at her, needing to resolve this and fast. He was sweating his ass off. Not to mention, he had already stayed longer than he expected to, and he needed to get back on the road. He could just give her a few bucks and get the hell out of here, but he really wanted to know what her deal was.
His sweet southern drawl and sexy smile made it very hard for Aimee Jo to ignore him. Maybe she was wrong; maybe he was an angel, after all, or he was just feeling sorry for her. Maybe God was answering her prayers.
Trooper Stephens had felt bad about her predicament too, and had offered to speak to Joe, the owner of the restaurant, about hiring her. He’d also offered to talk to the minister at his church to see if they could find a place for her to stay in temporarily, just until she got back on her feet.
Aimee Jo had appreciated his gesture, but staying in Mobile was not her plan. She had his card in case she changed her mind. As much as she hated the idea, she might not have any other choice.
She looked at him again, still wiping away her tears. He sat casually next to her, like they were best friends instead of complete strangers. She had to admit, he seemed harmless and wasn’t coming off creepy, like the other two guys had. He would p
robably just offer her a few dollars, which would never be enough to help her. At the thought that he was nice enough to care, she couldn’t help but give a small smile.
“My name is Luke. Luke McIntyre. What’s your name?” he finally asked.
Aimee Jo shook her head as her smile grew. This guy was definitely persistent, she thought to herself. “Aimee Jo Elliot,” she said softly.
Aimee Jo—he liked her name; it somehow suited her. Luke felt on edge as he spoke. He did want to help, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t find her beautiful and had ideas of the many things he could do to her sexy body.
However, now that he had seen her up close, he noticed she seemed younger than he’d thought, maybe too young. Thoughts of his fifteen-year-old sister came to mind, as well as a statutory rape charge.
He watched as she took the bible that was in her lap and held it in her hands, which confirmed the whole praying thing. He felt like an ass now for all his dirty thoughts from earlier. She was a good girl, just his luck, and his demeanor changed to big brother mode. Now, instead of bedding her, he just wanted to help.
She was quiet for a few more minutes. Maybe if she didn’t speak anymore, he would give up and go away. She watched as he kicked his jean clad legs out to stretch and rested back on his arms, making it very clear that he wasn’t going anywhere. Finally, she gave in and spoke. “Why do you want to know about me?” Aimee Jo asked.
“Just because,” he quickly answered. It was his general answer for things to keep from opening up about himself.
Aimee Jo hesitated for a second, but then began her story. “Well, I don’t know what to do. I have no car, no money. I’m stranded here.” She didn’t know why she wasting her breath telling him all this. He would never be able to help her get to California.
Her sweet southern accent, mixed with her pained words of desperation, were putting Luke on edge. He watched as some of her tears ran down her soft cheeks and dripped down to her smooth neck. He was in awe of her smooth tan complexion that even all her crying couldn’t tarnish. He doubted she had any makeup on. She was a natural beauty that turned him on all the more.
“What happened?” He regained his composure and remembered why he was sitting beside her. Damn, he wanted to touch her, comfort her, and wipe away her tears, but for right now, he just needed to let her talk.
“My car was stolen, and when the troopers found it, it was totaled. Everything I owned was in there.” Thoughts of how badly she was screwed caused her to get upset again and she bowed her head and cried.
Damn, he hated seeing chicks cry. A mix of sympathy and anger overwhelmed him as he was reminded of the many nights he’d seen his mama crying. His hands ached to touch her, to hold her hand, to put his arm around her, and pull her to him. But he gripped his hands tightly, resisting the urge, for fear of scaring her away.
“Hey, don’t cry. Look, I have my cell. Is there anyone I can call for you?” Luke asked as he pulled his phone from its holder on his belt, ready to hand it over to her—anything to stop her tears.
Aimee Jo started shaking her head, knowing he would offer. She should tell him that she had no one to call, but for some reason, she couldn’t. She didn’t dare tell him that, it wasn’t his business.
Like she had done all her life, she had to put things in perspective and realize that she was the only one that could fix this. As much as she appreciated the fact he was trying to help, she needed to figure this out on her own and fast.
Determined, Aimee Jo stood up quickly, brushing the dirt off her dress. She might as well get ready to ask the diner owner for a job. “Thank you, Mr. McIntyre, but I’ll be fine in a few minutes. I’ll figure something out.” She looked around, anywhere but at his face. She was such a bad liar that she couldn’t look him in the eyes. He would know she was lying.
Looking up at her, Luke sat there a second, stunned by her quick turnaround from crying chick to determined woman, in just a matter of seconds. He went ahead and stood up to face her. Towering over her, he looked down at her tear-soaked face and those gorgeous doe eyes, full of unshed tears, and he knew deep down that she would not be okay.
Walk away, Luke, just walk away. It’s a trap. Don’t fall for the damsel in distress trick. The voice in his head kept preaching over and over. Too bad his mouth didn’t listen.
“Do you live around here? Can I give you a lift?” Now, he fucking did it. Who was this guy speaking right now? It couldn’t be him.
Aimee Jo stared at him and thought to herself, damn, this guy was persistent. She’d only just met him, but he was willing to help her. There must be something in it for him to keep being so generous.
“No, thank you, I’m not from here. I’m from Georgia,” she said, surprised that she responded so quickly to his gesture. Why on earth did she tell him where she was from? Aimee Jo wondered. She quickly turned her back to him, hiding her face in case she spilled any more information about herself.
Luke looked at her and was getting irritated. She had turned her back to him, and for some odd reason, it annoyed him. Here he was trying to help her, and she turned away. His patience with her was wearing thin.
“Where are you headed, then?” He had to know what she planned to do. No way could he leave not knowing she would be okay.
Aimee Jo felt bad that her crying had caused him to come check on her. She wasn't begging for attention, especially his. She was embarrassed and didn’t want to explain the stupidity of her situation. If she was going to learn how to stand on her own two feet, she had better start now. She put on a brave face and turned to face him one last time. “Look, Mr. McIntyre—”
“Luke,” he said, interrupting her.
“Huh?” she said, losing her train of thought.
“My name’s Luke. Mr. McIntyre is my father.”
“Fine, Luke,” she emphasized, “I appreciate you are trying to help, but I will be okay, really. You can go on about your business,” she said, trying to dismiss him.
Luke stood there, amused as she motioned her arms for him to leave, like his mama used to when she was shooing him out of the kitchen. It was cute and he was impressed that she did manage to have a little fight in her. He thought she was just some wounded lamb, but apparently, he underestimated her. He also knew that she was full of shit. “Bullshit!” he said, calling her out as he crossed his arms and planted his boots firmly in place.
“Excuse me?” Aimee Jo was startled by his language and his tone. So much for him being a gentleman, she thought.
“Excuse yourself,” Luke said as time and his patience were ticking away. “You were just sitting here on the curb with your suitcase and no way of going anywhere and crying your eyes out. You are anything but okay, darlin’,” he said.
Aimee Jo was fuming. Who the hell does this guy think he is? He may be cute but he was way out of line. “I didn’t ask you for help and it is none of your business, anyway,” she spit back, ready to take him on. She wasn’t sure where this spark of bravery was coming from, but she was going with it.
Luke chuckled as he watched her get riled with him. She probably didn’t realize that it made her even more attractive to him. He liked girls that had a little firecracker in them. “Maybe not, but sitting out here crying is sure not helping your situation. And if you hadn’t noticed, it has caused a lot of unwanted attention. Remember those two guys earlier that were watching you? If I leave they could come back,” he reminded her.
That got her, and she didn’t have a snappy comeback this time. Frustrated that she couldn’t argue with that fact, she turned away from him once again. She stood tight-lipped, trying to figure out if she should say anything more to him. A big part of her wanted to, but could she really trust him? Trusting people never seemed to work out in her favor, but her only other options were to stay here, where she knew no one, or go back to Georgia. Neither option was going to help fulfill her dream. Hitching a ride with the sexy guy was sounding better by the second.
Luke was a patient man
, but he didn’t have all day to convince her to allow him to help. He already spent more time and energy on her than any other woman. He was a busy man and no way was he going to beg her to let him help. Finally, he decided to give up and go on his way. “Fine, I was just trying to help, but I have no time for someone who is constantly turning away from me and I have to drag info from.” Luke was tired of talking to her back. Obviously, this was going nowhere.
Aimee Jo could tell by his tone that he was about to give up. A part of her, a large part, didn’t really want him to leave. She felt a strange comfort from him being near, even though she didn’t know him, and his know-it-all attitude was pissing her off.
Luke was done. He tried to help but this was ridiculous, and it was certainly not like him. He didn’t go around begging women to accompany him. In fact, the opposite was true—they begged him. So what if she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, there were other fish in the sea.
“Well, I tried. Good luck. I hope it all works out for you, but I’m out of here.” Luke started walking away, heading toward his truck. He was pissed he’d wasted all this time talking when he should have been out of Mobile an hour ago. Now, he was behind, but at least he was no longer hungry, for food that is.
Aimee Jo panicked and turned to see him walking away. She was right—he had a great body, but his jean clad butt was walking away and if she didn’t act quickly, she would blow her chance. Would he really just offer her help and expect nothing in return? Aimee Jo wondered. She really didn’t want to stay here. She knew no one and it would take her forever to raise the kind of money she needed to get to where she was headed.
“California,” she called out to him. The feeling of abandonment far outweighed her fear of him.
Luke stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around. Was he being played? There was no way she could have known that was where he was headed. Maybe he didn’t hear her correctly. He turned back to face her again. “Did you say something?” he asked as he watched her now come to him, pulling her suitcase behind her.