Turbocharged

by Jessie Gussman

  Kaitlyn’s head was inches from Nate’s nose. There was just enough female in her scent to make his heart stutter.

  He slipped out from behind her and spoke over his shoulder. “Fire her up when you’re ready. I’m getting the baby.” Ignoring Dusty and the challenge he’d implied, Nate walked away.

  “Tallest girl I’ve ever seen.” Dusty muttered. “What’re you defending her for anyway?”

  “Stop acting like a jerk! Nate’s not a girl, and you know it.”

  “Calm down, sugar. I didn’t mean no harm. I was just yanking his chain. Who is he, anyway?”

  Nate gently picked up Gary, whispering to him.

  Kaitlyn explained to Dusty who he was and why he was at her garage.

  Nate really didn’t want to care. He wanted to keep his distance from Kaitlyn, even if she hadn’t had anything to do with Tank. But he couldn’t deny that her words and actions warmed his heart. He hadn’t expected that. Couldn’t remember the last time someone outside of his family was ready to stand up for him.

  After throwing the milk in the microwave, he grabbed a diaper from the shelf and laid Gary down to change him. It was the best way he knew to wake up a baby.

  Raised voices, the door slamming, and Bobby’s excited chatter sounded in the background.

  He snapped up Gary’s blue sleeper as Kaitlyn came and stood at his elbow. “Sorry about that.” She braced a foot on a tire rim that sat on the floor by the play yard.

  “Not your fault.” He picked Gary up and handed the squirming baby to Kaitlyn. “Hold him while I get the milk.”

  “O, no! I can’t! My hands are dirty.”

  Nate hid his grin as he held the baby out.

  She took him gingerly.

  Gary’s face immediately scrunched up in a pre-crying squall.

  Nate opened the microwave door. “It was nice of you to take my side, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t step between the next fellow and me.” He swirled the warm milk in the jar.

  Kaitlyn’s mouth dropped open, and she stopped bouncing Gary to stare at Nate. “What? How about a thank you for saving your pretty face? You’re great with the boys, and I like you in spite of myself, but come on. We both know you couldn’t fight your way out of a kindergarten spitting contest.”

  “You like me in spite of yourself? What’s that supposed to mean?” Nate screwed the bottle lid on and reached for Gary, who let out a wail before Kaitlyn handed him over. She looked so adorably uncomfortable that he really wanted to hand her the bottle just to see what she’d do, but he didn’t want to try to talk over a screaming baby.

  “Well, no offense, but feminine guys usually turn my stomach.” Kaitlyn lifted one shoulder and shifted her feet, but she watched the baby and bottle like someone who needed to learn and didn’t want to spend the night pacing the floor with a screaming infant. Again.

  “Feminine?” Nate couldn’t decide whether to be happy his disguise had been so effective or irritated that she thought he was feminine.

  “Hey, I said no offense! And, come on. You look like you belong in church.” She said it as if it was the biggest insult she could give.

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Church guys are…weak.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, that’s just my take.”

  “So you go to church a lot? Because you didn’t strike me as the type.” He didn’t try to hide his smirk.

  “No.” She cringed as Bobby skidded on the creeper, coming perilously close to hitting her truck. Missing it by centimeters, he skidded out of the garage.

  “Didn’t think you had. So, how do you know what church guys are like?”

  “Everybody knows.” She jutted out her chin and rolled her eyes.

  “Have you ever been in church?”

  “Well, no.” She shifted her body like an ant was crawling up her back.

  “Never been in church, but you know all about it?”

  She put her hands on her hips and planted her feet. “I don’t need to be in church to know I don’t want to be there.”

  “Don’t want to be there or afraid the roof will fall in when you walk through the door?”

  “Uh…”

  “Found something you’re afraid of, didn’t I?”

  “No! Absolutely not. I just don’t need anyone else telling me what to do.”

  “Yeah.” Nate looked down at Gary, who had almost finished the bottle. “She’s scared.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes then leaned over the back dual as though checking to see how the brakes looked.

  “Fine. I’m weak. I couldn’t possibly know anything about trucks or wiring since I’m a weakling church guy. So bet me.”

  “What?” She jerked around, her eyes narrowed. “If the truck starts…and runs.”

  He nodded. “If the truck starts and runs, with the electronics working, you’ll go to church with me on Sunday morning. If it doesn’t…” Nate scratched his head trying to think of something.

  “You’ll go bar-hopping with me Saturday night.” Kaitlyn smirked, apparently sure that she had him there.

  “Humph. Thought you were rotating shopping cart wheels?”

  “Right.” Kaitlyn lifted her brows. “When I’m done.”

  “Never been in a bar.” Nate pulled the empty bottle from Gary’s mouth.

  “What?” Kaitlyn’s eyes went huge. “No way!”

  “Serious.” He tossed the burp cloth over Kaitlyn’s shoulder. “Here. Burp him.” He held out Gary.

  “But I don’t know how.” Kaitlyn took the baby, one hand on each side, her pinky fingers sticking out as if she was taking tea with the queen. Gary faced Nate, and Kaitlyn twisted him first one way, then the other, trying to figure out how to get him turned. She must have squeezed a little too hard.

  Gary stiffened and started to cry.

  “Pretend he’s a piston that’s just been cut.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Just trying to help.”

  “Pistons don’t wiggle or cry.” Kaitlyn raised her leg and half-propped the baby on it to try to get a different grip. “You don’t have to stand there smirking.”

  “If I do it for you, you’ll never learn.”

  “This isn’t on my bucket list,” she snapped, finally getting one hand under Gary’s stomach, but the other was somehow crossed so Gary almost ended up upside down.

  Nate swooped in, for Gary’s sake, and adroitly flipped and turned the baby, setting him on Kaitlyn’s shoulder.

  “Show off.”

  “I’ll do anything to impress the girl.”

  She awkwardly patted Gary’s back. “I can’t believe you’ve never been in a bar.”

  “And I can’t believe you’ve never been in a church.” Nate didn’t say it, but he figured it probably took more effort on his part to stay out of bars than it had on her part to stay out of church. Especially when one factored in how he earned half of his money.

  With the baby settled on her shoulder, Kaitlyn looked Nate up and down once more. “You’re not even dirty. If you actually figured out the wiring on my truck, I guess it would be worth an hour in church.” She narrowed her eyes. “As long as I don’t have to wear a dress.”

  “Wear a bikini if you want. I don’t care.” He laughed. “You’re such a girl. First concern is what to wear.”

  Kaitlyn opened her mouth, probably to argue, but then closed it.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think you could argue with that.”

  “You didn’t agree.”

  He held out his hand. “If it runs, and all the electronics work, you’re going to church. If it doesn’t, I’m going bar jumping.”

  “Hopping.” Kaitlyn struggled to hold the baby, and disentangled her right hand in order to shake.

  “But if your parents are still gone, you’re getting a sitter for the boys. They can go to church, but I think they’re a little young to hang out at bars.”

  “Deal.” Kaitlyn grasp his hand. Her skin felt calloused and rou
gh, but her bones were delicate and her hand disappeared into his. He supposed that if he’d spent more time touching girls and less time running from them that maybe his palm wouldn’t feel scorched where it touched hers. For some strange reason, he wanted to use the connection to pull her closer, but she yanked her hand back.

  “Here. Take Gary and I’ll go start it.” Kaitlyn handed Gary to him without meeting his eyes. His fingers brushed hers as he took the baby. He felt a slight tremble in her hand. His hands didn’t exactly feel steady either.

  She walked quickly to the driver’s door and, standing on the step, she reached in, turned the key on and pushed the start button. The engine fired right up.

  “Check out the electronics,” he called over the rumble of the motor.

  Kaitlyn spent the next several minutes trying out the wipers, lights, turn signals, and playing with the Jake. Finally, she looked down at him. “I want to take it for a ride first.”

  “I’ll open the garage door.”

  Bobby paddled furiously back into the garage and skidded the creeper to a stop beside him. “Can I go? Huh? Can I?”

  “Sure. Hop in.”

  Bobby scrambled eagerly up, and Kaitlyn climbed in beside him, giving Nate one last look.

  They weren’t gone long.

  Nate had set the sleeping baby down when Kaitlyn rolled back into the drive. He closed the overhead door as she pulled in and shut the motor off. Her door opened. “You win.” She didn’t look overly happy about the situation. “Everything works like new.”

  6

  The baby monitor crackled quietly in the corner as Kaitlyn yanked another bolt tight. It was well after midnight. Nate had left hours ago, and she really should be getting some sleep while Gary slept. Except her mind boiled with doubts and questions, and she’d just toss and turn. Being in the garage always calmed her spirit, and at least she was getting something done, too.

  Nate had surprised her today. Not only with his proficient handling of the kids, but he’d figured out the wiring in her truck that she’d spent days trying in vain to decipher. But really, the thing that confused her more than anything, was that she…liked Nate, enjoyed his company, respected him as a person…oh, goodness…was attracted to him.

  Fitting the wrench on the next bolt, she gave it a yank. She could not be attracted to someone like Nate. He was a nice guy, no question, but he was so…weak-looking. She liked bad-boy truckers. Tattoos, bulging muscles emphasized by wife beaters, loud, vulgar mouths, music, and preferably a big motorcycle in the mix there somewhere. Definitely not a soft-spoken guy like Nate who was better with babies than bikes, dressed like a preacher heading to chapel, and who cooked but had never been to a bar.

  Holy cow.

  Nate didn’t have a single quality that typically attracted her. And he certainly hadn’t shown any interest in her, hadn’t tried to touch her, let alone kiss her, hadn’t even made any suggestive remarks. Yet here she was, couldn’t get him off her mind, replaying his words, seeing his strong jaw and grin over and over in her head, and getting goosebumps thinking of the enveloping feel of her hand in his big, rough palm.

  She almost slapped herself in the forehead. That had to be it! His hands didn’t fit the rest of him. They were big, rough, working-man hands. She had become so desperate for someone to believe in her that she was falling for a pair of hands. Wow.

  Putting the three-quarter inch wrench in the box, she dug around for a smaller one. She couldn’t have chosen a worse set of hands to fall for. Of course not. She had to pick the ones that belonged to the brother of the woman she had dreadfully wronged just a couple of weeks ago. At least that’s what everyone believed. And her reputation had lent credence to that conclusion. Tank had not come up with evidence to the contrary, and neither had she.

  She couldn’t remember what happened.

  But she’d seen the pictures. Pictures didn’t lie.

  That’s why she needed to get her head on straight, keep her guard up, and push Nate away—once he found out what she had done, what everyone knew she had done—he would hate her. And rightfully so. She hated herself.

  Her phone rang. Throwing the wrench in the box, she walked to the workbench and looked at the ID before swiping it. A little shot of anxiety spun around in her chest. It was her dad. “Hello?”

  “Kaitlyn, you’re still up?”

  “Yeah. In the garage.” She fished a rag out of her pocket and started wiping her hands with it.

  “What about the boys?”

  “I have the monitor.”

  “Hmm.” Her stomach dipped as her dad took a deep breath on the other end of the line. His voice trembled. “Karen’s not doing well. We could be here for a while.” He swore. “I don’t even know how long.” His voice trailed off and in her mind, she could picture his hand running over his bald head, could see him pacing. “How are the boys?”

  “Doing good.” She didn’t want to upset him anymore. She could handle the school for now.

  “Eve is helping you?”

  “No. She and Tank went on vacation, remember?” Kaitlyn cringed as she spoke, but thankfully, her voice remained unchanged.

  “Oh. That’s right. Man, it seems as if we’ve been out here a year. OK. I don’t want to leave Karen, but I think it’s too much for you to have the boys and run the company.”

  “I’m fine, Dad. The boys are fine.” Kaitlyn debated whether to tell him about Nate.

  Almost speaking to himself, her dad said, “I’d feel a lot better about things if Kyle were there.”

  Her dad didn’t mean to kick at her sore spot, but she would never be what her brother had been in her dad’s eyes. She worked in the family business, learned to repair the big rigs that supported them, and felt that she pulled her weight pretty well. But she wasn’t a boy, wasn’t a son, wasn’t Kyle. A huge wall of grief and guilt slammed into her chest. She was the reason Kyle had died. And she would never be good enough to take his place.

  After spending the next five minutes reassuring her dad that she had everything under control, he decided to stay in Pittsburgh, leaving the boys with her.

  Kaitlyn clicked off on her phone. The screen darkened. Maybe that’s why she was attracted to Nate. Maybe she wasn’t nearly as competent as she wished, and subconsciously, she had found a kindred spirit in Nate.

  ~*~

  Nate threw another stone at the window he hoped was Kaitlyn’s and checked his phone again. Nothing. He didn’t expect her to be awake at two thirty in the morning, but he had been hoping that she’d at least have her phone close enough that it would wake her.

  He tossed the last pebble in his hand and muttered. Being a trucking company owner reeked. Thankfully, he was just a substitute. He hoped Tank and Eve were having a great time, but after a few days, Nate was ready for them to come home.

  “What?” The door cracked, and Kaitlyn looked out. Her long legs were bare and she wore only a pair of short shorts and a cami.

  Nate’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. It took an embarrassingly long time for him to dislodge it and beg his brain to form sentences. “The garage is locked.”

  “Yeah?” Her feet were perfectly arched with long, slender toes. No polish on the nails.

  “Key?”

  “Um? For?” She propped one slender foot against the other ankle, bending her leg in a way that made Nate’s hand twitch.

  Nate ripped his eyes away from her legs and focused on the doorframe which was not nearly as…soft, touchable, and interesting. He cleared his throat. “Got a truck here with a set of brakes cammed over. I need to have it done by five so the driver can go load.”

  “You want me to come out and work on your truck now?” Kaitlyn asked incredulously.

  “No.” His eyes flicked to hers, but he refused to allow them to fall below her neck. Although one glance was all it had taken for her image to be stamped in his brain. Man, she looked good. “The garage is locked. Although I could break in, I thought I’d try to get the key first.”r />
  “You have brakes?” She ran a hand through her hair, which until now, he’d only seen in a ponytail. Currently it lay, wild and feminine, in appealing disarray around her shoulders and upper arms.

  “Got ’em out of Tank’s parts room.”

  “Hang on.”

  The door closed for a few seconds, and then she was back, holding out a set of keys. “It’s the one with a ‘G’ on it. Give me a few and I’ll be out.”

  He took the keys, relishing the tingle in his fingers as they brushed her hand. “I’m good. You must have Gary sleeping, and you need the rest.”

  “You can do brakes yourself?” She looked at him skeptically, rubbing the spot where his fingers had touched her hand.

  His heart skipped a beat. “Thanks.” He smiled into her eyes ignoring her question.

  It didn’t surprise him too much that he had barely backed the truck into the garage when Kaitlyn, now dressed in her typical jeans, T-shirt and work boots, with her hair tamed in a ponytail, came strolling in carrying a baby monitor.

  “I told you I could do it.” Nate climbed down out of the cab, thankful that he’d put his ‘disguise’ outfit on.

  Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as she walked past. She bent down, looking between the tires. “Ah yeah. Front duels. Both sides cammed over. Wow.”

  The monitor crackled.

  “Mommy? Mommy!” Bobby’s voice sounded sleepy and confused.

  Nate met Kaitlyn’s startled gaze.

  “I thought he seemed to be taking Karen’s absence too well.” She looked at the truck and then started for the man door. “He asked about you when I put them to bed. Would you come in? He really admires you and might settle down better.”

  Nate might have considered the request odd, except it was no secret Kaitlyn wasn’t the best with children.

  He couldn’t say no. “Sure.”

  “Mommy!”

  “Come on.” Kaitlyn urged as she ripped the door open and started jogging to the house.

  Nate caught her easily but stayed a step behind, allowing her to lead as she tore into the house and up the stairs.

  “I’m here, Bobby.”

  “I want Mommy.” Bobby stood at the top of the stairs, blinking, dragging a blue blanket.