A Wild Ride

by Vivian Arend

  And with that, the J and C show took off at high speed.

  “We noticed last night—”

  “It seemed as if—”

  “Well, he as much as said it—”

  “We just wondered if you’d considered—”

  “Because we were surprised—”

  “Totally surprised—”

  “Not that he’s a bad person.”

  “Not at all—”

  “But we were surprised—”

  “Totally surprised.”

  They fell silent. Staring at Nicole.

  Blink.

  Blink.

  Nicole held herself as motionless as possible, but she still felt her lips twitch. “Was there a question in all that? Or a statement? Maybe you should try again, only one at a time, please.”

  “It seems you’ve been having trouble lately with…men,” Cyndi said boldly.

  “Not that Jordan was your fault,” Jodie rushed to assure her. “Still, maybe you should try dating Chase before he gets snapped up.”

  “Yes, oh hell, yes.” Cyndi’s eyes widened and she shook a finger at Nicole. “He is new in town. Date him first before you give up.”

  “I haven’t given up,” Nicole insisted. “And he seemed very nice, but I’m happy to be seeing Troy right now.”

  Jodie’s nose wrinkled. “Yes, we saw that and he’s nice…”

  “Very nice,” Cyndi agreed. “He’s not… Not…”

  “Not very grounded,” Jodie offered.

  Not so many hours ago Nicole had said almost the same thing to Troy, but hearing her sisters say it made her uncomfortable. “He’s got a steady job,” she pointed out. “Has had for years.”

  “Yes…” Cyndi made a face. “At the family garage.”

  Nicole raised a brow. “Don’t tell me his job is undignified, or some such bullshit. Our family makes a living serving farmers and ranchers. And both of you worked there until you had kids.”

  “Oh, it’s not that at all.” Jodie looked horrified. “He seems to float through life, Nicole. Nothing hits him.”

  “Is he working there because he loves it, or because it’s simpler than finding a job he loves?” Cyndi demanded.

  “We want you to be happy,” Jodie said again. “And that means long term. In our opinion, Troy Thompson isn’t the kind of man who’ll be there for you, long term.”

  It was nothing she hadn’t said herself, yet it didn’t sit right to hear it from others.

  “Maybe he’s changed. Changing,” Nicole offered.

  “You sure you want to test drive the beta version?” Cyndi leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee. “Hon, he’s not a forever man.”

  Her other sister was nodding in agreement. “Troy is…a sweet boy.”

  Nicole considered how he’d ravished her at the house party, and how much fun they’d had at the mill the night before. “Sweet. Yep. First word I think of when I consider the man.”

  Jodie acted far too prim for how much of a party animal she’d been back in the day. “Oh, he’s pretty enough.”

  Cyndi smirked. “Pretty? The boy is damn hot, and you know it, Jo. I bet he knows how to—”

  “Okay, no more,” Nicole interrupted before they dove into territory she had no interest in sharing. “You’ve done your sisterly duty and warned me off the big bad. This conversation is over.”

  “He’s going to break your heart. Never taking care of anyone but himself—”

  “—and he’s not done the best job at that either.”

  “Enough.” Nic took a deep breath. “I’m going out with him. I love you both, but you need to back off and let me make the decisions about my life.”

  “Well, that’s not fair,” Jodie said, shocked to the core. “If we can’t run our little sister’s life, who can we boss around?”

  Nicole grabbed another muffin off the plate. “That’s what you have husbands for. Go make their lives miserable.”

  The three of them smiled at each other. No hard feelings because it had all been said and done out of love, and Nicole knew that.

  Although, with the questions she’d already had about her and Troy’s relationship, the conversation had given her a couple more things to think about.

  One thing she knew—she refused to let extra doubts slip in without solid reason. She’d caught herself defending him to the terrible twosome. Now she had to make sure she let him defend himself when push came to shove.

  Which meant asking a few pointed questions over the next while.

  Troy caught himself whistling as he worked. It was a glorious morning. Sun streamed in the open garage doors, the air was fresh and clean, and there were only a few jobs to take care of. He and Len were in the shop more to deal with any tourist emergencies that might show up.

  Len folded his arms over his chest as he stopped beside the toolbox Troy had completely emptied out onto the floor. “You going to do that all day?” he demanded.

  “Nah, I’ll be done this one in about half an hour. The other two won’t take as long, since they—”

  “Not the toolbox, ass. The noise.” Len glared menacingly. “It’s like being stuck in a tree full of love-struck birds.”

  Troy snickered. “What’ve you got against our fine feathered friends? The bluebird of happiness shit on your Cheerios this morning, bro?”

  Len glared harder.

  Troy pursed his lips and dove into the most annoying, perky tune he could think of.

  “You’re such a jerk,” Len muttered, but he smiled as he leaned over and grabbed a square plastic container from the mess on the floor.

  An industrial-size container of earplugs.

  Brilliant. Troy laughed. “My musical talent thanks you for the vote of confidence.”

  His brother tossed the container at him. “You’re more annoying than usual this morning.”

  “Just in a good mood.” He had a girlfriend. Nic was his girlfriend.

  God, he’d gone off the fucking deep end, but he couldn’t stop grinning.

  Len shook his head. “Nope. Good mood is you after winning a poker game, or pulling a fast one on Clay. Today you’re cheerful enough to be nauseating.” He looked Troy over. “I heard about Nic.”

  Of course he had.

  Troy grinned. “Gossip chain did its job. Last night or this morning?”

  “Last night.”

  “And…?” Not that he expected Len to be very verbose about what he thought.

  His brother hesitated. “She’s nice. But you’re going to go deaf.”

  Troy snorted. “Good thing we buy earplugs by the crateful.”

  Len nodded, but he seemed to have something more he wanted to say, so Troy waited in silence, turning away to deal with a few tools. Checking ratchets and pliers for soundness before putting them back into their places in the massive tool chest.

  “You serious about her?” Len asked.

  “We just started dating,” Troy pointed out with only a twinge of guilt at the underlying lie. Also, he wasn’t about to admit to the “this is serious enough we said the word baby” commitment he’d basically given Nic.

  Yeah, he was lying his ass off about so many things…

  His brother made a low noise.

  Tension eased, and Troy laughed. “Was that a ‘go you’ or a ‘give up’ grunt? I’m a little slow at Len-speak today.”

  Len wandered to the toolbox and rested an arm on top. He looked Troy over as he chewed the inside of his cheek. Troy was ready to give up when his brother finally spit it out. “You should get serious about her. She makes you happy.”

  “I’m always happy.”

  A rude snort escaped Len. “You fake it well.”

  “Fuck off.”

  Len smiled, the bright expression fading rapidly. “I mean it, Troy. I know you have fun, but fun isn’t the same as happy.”

  “Taking up counseling on the side?” Troy taunted.

  “Learning from my mistakes,” Len said softly. “Talk to her. Women need you
to tell them how you feel and stuff. I nearly lost Janey because of that.”

  “Nic knows how I feel.”

  Len shrugged. “Didn’t say you’d make the same mistake I did. You’ll make your own.” His brother shrugged. “You like to be unique. Show-off.”

  A jab in the gut.

  Troy pretended to preen. “That’s me. Mr. Show-off.”

  Len wandered away, his unasked-for advice such as it was delivered. Troy went back to sorting tools, but with that one careless comment, his light mood had turned sour.

  The irony of it? The only reason Troy had ever sought the spotlight was for his family.

  When their mom had died, each of the brothers had found different ways to cope. Not only with losing her, but with how their dad had vanished into the comfort of an alcoholic haze.

  Len had gone quiet, and the coyotes had closed in, sensing easy prey. Troy had stepped in the only way he could, turning attention on himself. He’d used his rising sports ability and popularity to draw attention away from his brother. He’d helped the only way a fourteen-year-old boy possibly could, but in the end, him being a show-off had given Len the solace he’d so desperately needed.

  When Mitch rebelled it had been tougher. Then, instead of stepping in himself, Troy had sweet-talked one after another of the senior girls into offering to tutor Mitch. It had been a long shot, but it turned out pretty faces and a soft touch got Mitch through enough of his studies to graduate.

  His little sister and big brother had pretty much needed the same thing—attention. Katy loved for him to drop in and chat, even for a little while, and Clay… Heck, he’d worked himself like a dog trying desperately to keep the garage up and running, never knowing for sure if it was going to work.

  But whenever Troy interrupted, needing something, Clay would light up. Helping his little brother was something he knew he could do, whether it was giving him advice, or ordering him around, or driving him places.

  The ensuing teasing had annoyed him to no end, but Troy had deliberately failed his driver’s test three times in a row just to have a way to make Clay happy.

  Screw it. Troy knew plenty about taking care of people. He didn’t need to give anyone a detailed list about what he’d done in the past. What he did in the future was more important.

  And what he was going to do was sweep sweet Nicole Adams off her fucking feet.

  As if thinking of her had conjured her, Nicole appeared in the doorway opening, her dark hair swinging as she sauntered into the garage.

  “You need a tune-up, sweetheart? Because I’m all yours,” Troy offered, walking to meet her.

  Bright eyes flashed. “I do like a man who’s good with his hands.”

  Troy caught the back of her neck, pulling her close to draw their bodies into contact as he kissed her.

  Nic slipped her hands around him, melting into his embrace. Her willing surrender sweetened the connection, and Troy let her go reluctantly, leaning their foreheads together as he smiled down at her.

  “Good to see you.”

  “I’m not bothering you?”

  “Nope.” He slipped an arm around her waist and brought her into the shop. “Just you and me and Len here today.”

  She glanced around, waving as she spotted his brother. “Hey, Len.”

  Len raised his head from where he was leaning over an open car hood. “Nicole.”

  “How’s Janey?”

  His face lit up. “Awesome.”

  “Good to hear. She asked me over for a barbecue sometime. Oh, and I promised her and Katy I’d set up better accounting systems for them.”

  “Food is good, but you’re really going to help Katy with numbers?” Len grinned. “Glutton for punishment.”

  “Don’t worry, automation is the key.”

  “Still numbers,” Len pointed out. “You can do them in your sleep. Katy and Janey can’t.”

  “Enough,” Troy interrupted with a laugh. “Stop flirting with my girlfriend.”

  Len and Nicole looked at him as if he were out of his mind.

  “Flirting?” she demanded. “In what universe?”

  “He’s talking numbers. I know how that turns you on, babe.”

  “Good grief,” Nic muttered as Len laughed then went back to work. She poked Troy in the side. “Turkey.”

  “It’s true,” he teased. “I’ve seen you get all breathless discussing bottom lines and assets.”

  He squeezed her butt cheek as he spoke, and she squeaked before slamming her lips together. When a quick glance showed Len wasn’t paying attention, she shook a finger at Troy. “Play nice.”

  “I always do,” he promised

  She wandered at his side. “You want me to stop bothering you?”

  “Hell, no. This isn’t rocket science.” He led her to his next job, clearing a spot in the counter close to the car then lifting her onto it. “Here. Best seat in the house.”

  “My hero.”

  Troy looked her over, appreciating the view. The slope of her breasts rose smoothly behind the worn fabric of her favourite T-shirt. He glanced a second time—the minx wasn’t wearing a bra, her soft, bitable nipples clearly pressing against the fabric.

  It took him a moment to get himself under control before hauling open the hood and staring blindly into the dark depths trying to remember what came next. “How was your morning?”

  “Peachy keen.”

  Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. “Ominous.”

  “No, not really. Except…my sisters dropped by.”

  Ha. Now her pensive mood made sense. “Older and wiser coming to warn you off?”

  Bright eyes looked him over as she chewed her lower lip. “…sort of?”

  “Did it work?”

  Nic shook her head. “They’ll hate this, but no. I’ll make my own decisions.”

  She went silent even though the topic didn’t seem finished. Obviously something had been said that morning that had gotten her thinking. Troy gave her some room. She’d spill the beans soon enough.

  In the meantime…

  “You going to give me a hand?”

  She frowned, an adorable crease forming between her eyes. “On the…” she shook a hand at the car “…thingy?”

  “Tune-up. Yeah. Why not? Or are you afraid to get your hands dirty?”

  Nic folded her arms over her chest. “Yeah, right. I’m shaking in my runners.”

  He held out the wrench. “It’s only fair. If I’m going to teach Dale how to do an oil change, I’d better make sure you know a little more than him.”

  Her eyes gleamed as she popped off the counter and joined him at the car. “Oh, that’s brilliant. He’s going to be so disappointed when he tries to unsuccessfully one-up me.”

  Just as competitive as his family. Troy grinned and started his impromptu lesson.

  It took over an hour, working together easily, occasionally bumping shoulders. It wasn’t about getting hot and heavy, but spending time together. Troy enjoyed himself a lot, especially since Nic seemed to get into it as well.

  “You’re good at this,” Nic said once she’d finished positioning a new air filter, wiping her hands on the soft cloth he’d offered. “I’d need a bit of a reminder to do that all over again, but it wasn’t that bad.”

  “I’ve done a million tune-ups. You tend to get good after a while.”

  “Yeah, but it’s more than that. You’re a good teacher.” She handed back the cloth, tilting her head to one side, curiosity written on her face. “You like working here? Doing all the garage stuff?”

  He hesitated, wanting to tell her the truth, but his brother was undoubtedly within earshot.

  Sure enough, Len’s big frame shifted into sight as he moved across the floor to grab something off a shelf.

  Troy deliberately offered a nonchalant shrug. “Sure. Work’s not bad, other than having to put up with boring old coworkers with no sense of humour—hey!”

  Len had wandered close enough that his bulky shoulder knocked into Tr
oy and sent him staggering forward, fighting for balance.

  “Oops, sorry.”

  Nicole snickered.

  It was impossible to get mad at his brother. Troy met Len’s gaze squarely, and his amusement reflected back.

  Len stopped as if he meant to stay for a while. “You looking for a part-time job here at the shop?” he tossed Nic’s direction.

  “Nah. Just bragging rights to Tune-Up Goddess status,” she told him. She leaned back on the counter. “If I can convince Maxwell Kent to sell me the ’93 Ford Mustang sitting in his back forty I’ve been teasing him about forever, I’ll get you guys to make sure she’s roadworthy.”

  Troy whistled. They’d all had their eye on it at one time or another. It was a gorgeous vehicle. “I know that car. The convertible?”

  Nic nodded.

  “Max said he’d never sell. That was his son’s car.” Len raised a brow.

  She folded her arms. “Still going to buy it if I can. I’ll wear him down.”

  Len chuckled. “I bet you will.”

  “It’s a sin to let that car molder in a field,” Nic insisted.

  “Good luck. It would be a great car,” Len offered before turning to Troy. “I’m heading home for lunch. Call me?”

  “If there’s an emergency. Fine,” Troy agreed.

  “You can take off early once I’m back,” Len offered in return, heading toward the door. “Oh. By the way…”

  Troy paused in the middle of pulling Nic into his arms, turning her so her back rested against his chest and they faced his brother. “What?”

  “You’re a brat,” Len pronounced. “That ringtone you put on Clay’s phone?”

  A soft laugh escaped. “Yeah? Did Clay figure it out?”

  “Sort of.” His brother’s grin widened. “Maggie and him decided they like the tune. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a Nine Inch Nails song, and they should check the words.”

  Nic sucked in a breath. “You didn’t…?”

  “Hey, as long as they’re happy,” Troy told Len.

  His brother snorted, shaking his head as he waved goodbye and left the garage.

  Nicole’s shoulders quivered where she leaned against him. “You’re so bad.”