“Nope, but the lady’s been under more cars than you can count, including Jags.”
She smiled and closed the door.
* * *
THE MILE-AND-A-HALF WALK back to the B&B was more than Parker thought he could handle after finishing his first day in a factory. He’d grown up and gone through school with the intention of being a teacher. Finding he didn’t like hormonal teenagers, he worked on his masters and PhD and taught college. That setting was perfect for him.
Summer jobs were in offices apart from his one experience as a short order cook. Nothing he’d done was equal to the back-breaking work of loading and stacking boxes. He now understood why this job was available when he’d gone to the factory asking for work.
Parker picked up one foot and put it down, then the other. Each step felt as if his legs were weighed down with lead. His back and neck hurt. He truly sympathized with how McKenna felt with ant welts all over her body. However, he didn’t think there was any cream strong enough that he could buy to help soothe his soreness—it was that bad.
He had to pass the garage where McKenna left the Corvette for repair. When he reached the place, he’d rest awhile before continuing. It took him longer to get there than expected.
“Hi, Parker.” McKenna’s chipper voice stopped him. He almost stumbled, but that would make it even harder to go on. She sounded happy and...fresh, but even more surprising was seeing her dressed in coveralls, wearing gloves and her body bent under the hood of a car.
“McKenna,” he replied, frowning, forgetting his own pain. “What are you doing?”
“I was just helping Zeke out.”
He eyed her from head to foot.
“He lent me the coveralls.”
“And I hired her.” Zeke came from around the other side of the car. “Do you know what a wizard she is with these tools?”
Parker didn’t. He knew her ability only by reputation and by the car they’d driven since leaving Chicago.
“We even had a Jaguar in here today.”
He looked to McKenna. “A guy from the highway needed bearings repacked.”
“I thought Jag owners only went to Jag service centers.’
“True,” Zeke said.
“The nearest dealer is 120 miles away. So Zeke convinced him to let me look at it.” She placed what looked like a small wrench into a toolbox. “I’m sure he was going to the dealer as soon as he left here, but I made sure the car could make it without the trouble he described.”
“Sounds like you had a wonderful day.”
“I did, but it’s time to knock off. Wait right here.” Pulling off the gloves, she placed them on a cabinet. “I’ll go wash my hands. I have dinner all ready. I thought you might be tired.”
She left without a comment from him. Both Parker and Zeke watched her leave.
“I never thought I’d see a lady mechanic,” Zeke commented. “You got a good one there.” He winked conspiratorially.
Parker moved his attention from watching McKenna to Zeke. Did the guy think they were a couple, even if they weren’t married? What had McKenna told him about their relationship?
“I know,” Parker replied.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ENTERING THE B&B, McKenna went straight to the shower and washed her hair. She’d used the special cleansing soap at Zeke’s for her hands, but she needed to rid herself of any residual oil.
Parker showered after McKenna. He stayed in the bathroom a long time. He’d looked tired and McKenna knew his muscles had to be aching, but he was doing a good job of hiding it.
When he came out of the bathroom, she had dinner set out on the small table. He was dressed in clean shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.
“What are we having?” he asked.
“Sandwiches, soft drinks, followed by a massage and a rubdown.”
“What?”
“You can try to hide it, but I know how you normally walk and what you’re doing is an imitation of it.” He gave her that not-quite-lopsided grin and McKenna changed the subject. “How was the day?”
“Grueling.” His voice was serious and honest. He took a seat across from her at the table. “It was worse than you said. I never stacked so many boxes in my life.”
“Just think of the muscles you’ll build,” she teased. He’d lifted and carried her. He’d kissed her. She’d felt the strength of him. The last thing he needed was more muscles.
Parker devoured his food, further confirmation that he’d worked like a horse. She gave him credit, however. He’d stayed the whole day and then dead on his feet started walking to the B&B. Despite his tough attitude, it was lucky that Zeke had driven them the last half mile here.
McKenna got up and took an extra blanket from the closet shelf. Spreading it on the floor, she made a large enough space. “Come on, lie down on your stomach.”
“I’m all right. I don’t need a massage,” Parker protested.
“Liar,” she said. “Your muscles need stretching or you’ll be useless tomorrow. Take off the shirt and lie down.”
Reluctantly, he did as she instructed. When she reached for his shoulders, Parker jumped. His entire body stiffened. “Sorry,” she said. “My hands are a little cold.” She tried again, determined to help him get rid of some of the strain the day had caused.
“I broke protocol today,” she told him, her hands working his shoulders.
“You what?” Parker turned his head to look at her.
She kept focused on her task. “I ordered the pump. It’ll be here in a few days if all goes well. Though it might take as long as a week.”
“How did you break protocol?”
“I charged the cost of the part to the Wellington account. I surmised that needing the part constituted an emergency.”
“So we’ll be here a week?”
“Probably. I’ll have to install it and then we’ll be on our way.”
McKenna kneaded Parker’s right shoulder. He was right-handed so he’d probably stack to the right, using those muscles more than the others. Parker’s moan was more from pleasure than pain.
“I broke protocol today, too.” His words were muffled and sleepy sounding.
“How?”
“I’ll show you when you’re done.”
McKenna worked methodically, going from one shoulder to the other and then down his back to his waist. She didn’t need to do his legs since most of his muscle use was upper body.
“Do you have any nut allergies?” McKenna asked.
Parker shook his head.
Pouring almond oil into her palms, she applied it liberally to his arms and back. She continued to do so until he fell asleep.
She stood up. Pulling a blanket from his bed, she covered him. Then she got a pillow and slipped it under his head. He stirred a moment, grabbing her hand and tucking it under him. McKenna nearly toppled over. She waited until he settled into a deep sleep, then finger by finger, she slowly extricated it. She’d let him be like that for a while, but he couldn’t stay on the floor. With working all day at a job that needed him in good condition, sleeping for hours on the floor was not a good idea.
McKenna plumped the pillows up on her bed and rested against them. She picked up a book she’d been reading. Slipping her finger to the bookmarked section, she opened it and looked at the words. They blurred in front of her. Her eyes went to the man sleeping at the foot of her bed. The blanket rose and fell with his breathing. McKenna caught herself matching her own breathing to the rise and fall of his.
They were so different, she told herself. Yet there were so many qualities and interests they shared. While they might argue at times, they worked together more than against each other. Why else would Parker submit himself to the torture of manual labor for someone he didn’t connect with? And
she would never have known his true character if she hadn’t taken this trip with him. Sometimes their relationship was as rocky and bumpy as the road they traveled, but the road eventually straightened and smoothed.
Parker was Marshall’s friend. Was she really doing this for Marshall, she asked herself honestly? Parker had made her remember the truth about this trip. She was enjoying it. Meeting Sherry and Joanna had been pluses in her life, even if she’d only been with them for a short period of time. But day-to-day she was with Parker. He hadn’t abandoned her or her quest. She knew there was more to Parker and why he wanted this long drive to California.
* * *
“PARKER,” MCKENNA WHISPERED an hour later. He didn’t stir. She left the bed and got on her knees next to him. Leaning closer, she called his name again. When he didn’t open his eyes, she touched his face with the back of one finger. His jaw was slightly coarse with stubble even though he’d shaved that morning. Her hand moved to his hair. It was soft and her fingers threaded through it. “Parker.” Her voice was even softer. “Wake up, Parker.”
His eyes opened. She was close enough to him to feel the warmth of his breath. He raised his head and his arm went around her. McKenna bent forward and Parker pulled her closer to him, his mouth seeking hers. Was he awake yet, she wondered? She tried to speak, but his lips closed over hers.
Push him away, her mind told her, but she didn’t. Her eyes closed as emotions sailed through her. She let them rage for a second longer, then ended the kiss.
“This is not a dream, Parker.”
When she could see he was fully awake and focused, she smiled. He fell back and away from her. She moved away at the same time. Parker drew in a long breath and sat up. Reaching for his shirt, he pulled it on.
“I guess I broke the rules again.”
“You were asleep, dreaming.” She gave him an excuse, but it was more for her than for him.
He got up and offered her his hand to help her off the floor. McKenna placed her hand in his and he pulled her up. Immediately, she stepped out of embrace territory.
“You’re not the only one who broke protocol today,” Parker said.
McKenna stared at him. Other than their kiss, what else was newsworthy?”
Parker went to the clothes he’d worn to work. He pulled a couple of papers from a pocket and handed them to her.
“What’s this?”
“Look at them.”
Unfolding the first paper, she grinned widely. “Where did you get this?” On the page was a picture of Joanna and her parents. They were all smiling and looking like a happy family. Quickly, she opened the second page. It was an email message to Parker’s account.
This is us at the lake. My stepfather, Glenn, owns a cabin here and the place has swimming, sailing, horseback riding and everything else you can think of. Plus there’s a guy in another cabin with dreamy eyes. I think he notices me. I’ll keep you posted.
Joanna
“She’s in good spirits,” McKenna said as she looked up from the pages. Parker was sitting at the table. “Where did you get these?”
“That’s the protocol thing. I got the email and I printed these in the factory office during my lunch hour. They have a place where you can use a computer. I finished my edits and went to send them in. That’s when I saw the message from Joanna.”
“Getting the edits done must make you feel good.”
“It does, but it’s a little scary, too. You never know if they’ll come back with more changes.”
“Let’s hope they don’t. Are you going to write another book immediately?”
“I doubt it. Right now I’m making notes on this trip.”
“Can I see them?”
“Not yet. When I have some order to them.”
McKenna looked down at the papers again. She was a little disappointed. She wanted to know what Parker was writing in relation to her. Probably better not to know, she thought. “I’m so glad things are working out for Joanna.”
Parker agreed. His energy level seemed completely restored.
“Did you check all your email?” McKenna asked.
“You’ll be proud of me. I spent my remaining time getting to know my coworkers. This is quite a community.”
“The part should be here soon and you’ll be out of that factory.”
“I’ve developed a huge respect for people who work in factories. Robotics have replaced a lot of people doing repetitive jobs, but for small companies like this one, people still do everything. And they are proud of what they do.”
“Sullivan’s Travels,” she said.
“Who’s that? I thought you were Buz and I was Tod?”
McKenna laughed. “It’s you. You’re Sullivan.”
“All right, I’ll play along. What’s my role now?”
“Sullivan was a rich guy who planned to make a documentary on the plight of Depression-era victims. What he learned during his travels was the power of laughter.”
“What you’re saying is I started out with one thing in mind, but now it’s changed because of what I’ve learned on the road?”
“I knew you were a quick study,” McKenna said. “You’re not the only one. I’ve discovered a few things, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like...” she hesitated. “Like you’re not the stuffy professor I thought you were.”
“I know.”
“You know I changed my opinion of you?”
He only had to turn those brown eyes and that grin on her for strange things to happen to her insides. Of course, he knew. He’d kissed her just a few minutes ago. Everything that she’d believed about him had wilted under the power of his lips.
* * *
ZEKE AND MCKENNA took turns getting lunch. On the fourth day of her working at the garage, it was her turn. She picked up their meals at the restaurant he’d sent her to for coffee that first day. Smiling at the waitress who’d called her Ms. Zeke when she came in wearing his coveralls, she waved as she went out into the bright sunlight. The name began as a joke. It stuck and everyone in the small restaurant referred to her as Ms. Zeke. Secretly, she believed Zeke liked that. He was a widower and he’d taken to her quickly after their initial meeting.
“Lunch,” she called as she entered the office. Zeke wasn’t there. Lately, he was never there. A steady flow of cars needing attention came in and out of the garage.
She suggested moving the Corvette to free up the bay, but Zeke said they could only work on one at a time and the third bay would be unused anyway.
Zeke came to the door, cleaning his hands. “Mail’s here,” he said.
McKenna looked up at him. “Is it here?”
“It’s got my name on it, but it’s from a parts store back east.”
McKenna jerked around looking for a package.
“I put it in the bay by the car,” Zeke said.
She headed for the door, eager to tear open the box and begin to fix the Corvette.
“Aren’t you gonna eat?” he called.
“I’m not hungry,” she shouted back.
It wouldn’t take her long to install the pump. Maybe she could get it done tonight after she finished working on the car Zeke had assigned her. She could test her work tomorrow and possibly she and Parker would be back on schedule the next day.
She wanted him out of that factory even though he no longer dragged himself home each night. She knew she was the one who felt it more than Parker. He adapted well. While McKenna liked Zeke and she loved the physical work of finding and fixing the problem with cars, she was antsy to keep going. She and Parker had made it almost to the halfway point of their trip. She wanted to go on. She needed to go on. She was getting way too close to Parker for comfort. She couldn’t have feelings for Parker. He was the last person o
n earth she needed to fall for.
Fall for!
McKenna halted her thoughts. She was not falling for Parker. No matter how he made her feel, he was there when Marshall died. She couldn’t be in love with him. Yet...she was. She’d fought it, remembered her husband, tried to keep him in her mind when Parker edged him aside. But Parker had unlocked her defenses and taken hold of her heart. Denying it seemed too dishonest now.
McKenna ripped the box with the water pump in it harder than she’d expected. It was the correct model. All the gaskets, glue and other parts were inside. A rush of adrenaline made her want to begin the repair immediately. The sooner she got the Corvette back on the road, the sooner she could return to her former life.
Why didn’t thoughts of that make her happy? They seemed to have the opposite effect instead.
“McKenna, why don’t I finish the engine block on the Camaro?” Zeke proposed. “I know you want to get to this right away.”
Misty emotion filled her eyes. She came just short of flying across the floor and straight into his arms.
“I’m gonna hate losing my lady mechanic, but I knew it had to happen someday.”
This time she did hug him. “Thank you, Zeke.”
McKenna went right to work and in just a couple of hours, the car was ready to test. She went in search of Zeke.
He was pumping gas. She saw him through the office window, where her uneaten lunch still sat. Her stomach growled at the thought of the food. She left and cleaned her hands, then came back and dove into her sandwich and watery drink.
“Finished?” Zeke asked coming into the office.
“All done,” she said between bites. “It’s ready to test.”
Zeke glanced toward the wall. The Corvette couldn’t be seen from here.
“Why don’t you go test it?” McKenna suggested.
She watched a series of expressions cross his craggy face.
“You don’t mean that?” he said.
“Ever drive a Corvette?”
“Been one of my dreams since I got my first Hot Wheels car at age three.”
“It wasn’t a Studebaker?”
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