Shifting Gears

by Audra North

  No, she needed to do a few important things first, before she told him that she was sorry.

  That she loved him.

  She wasn’t sure what would happen after that. If he was going to suck up to Dobson after all that, then she might simply have to love him from a distance.

  But at the moment, he was counting on her to kick some ass, and she was going to deliver.

  Chapter 18

  Grady had come into the office early that day.

  Like a fool.

  He’d hoped that Annabelle would come in early so that he could talk to her.

  Then again, he’d hoped she would come see him after her flight got in yesterday, but she didn’t. He’d hoped she would call him after bringing Lee to that amazing win on Friday.

  But she didn’t.

  Had he made a mistake? Should he have gone after her last week, despite the advice Kerri had given him? Should he even still believe there was a chance to make things right?

  Was she not coming in today because she was avoiding him?

  Damn it. The mere thought gutted him. Maybe he should just go home and try to forget everything. He could look into getting an office somewhere else so that Annabelle wouldn’t have to run into him every day, and after a while maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to see her again. He was out of the racing world, anyway—at least in a professional capacity. Ranger was covering the team management now that Annabelle was the full-time crew chief. There was no real reason why he had to stick around the Hart Racing offices.

  And it wasn’t like he was getting any work done today, anyway.

  It was a quarter past nine. He’d wait for five more minutes. Five minutes, and then he’d admit defeat and leave.

  He was staring at the clock … 9:17 … 9:18 … she still hadn’t arrived … when the phone rang.

  He didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID. He was tempted to ignore it, but a part of him held out hope that maybe it was Annabelle, calling from a different number.

  He picked up the handset. “Grady Hart.”

  “Mr. Hart. This is Kevin Shankar from Celestial Motors.”

  Grady’s brain took a second to process that it wasn’t Annabelle. But when he realized who it was instead …

  Oh. Shit.

  While Dobson was the biggest subcontracting auto manufacturer in the country, Celestial was a very close second, and had been growing steadily for the past five years.

  “Mr. Shankar. Of course. I—what can I do for you this morning?”

  The other man got straight to the point. “I heard a rumor that a certain executive got up to his well-known old tricks with one of your employees, and that you turned down a deal because of it.”

  Damn, word traveled fast. Grady had turned down the deal. He had written to Dobson—but it wasn’t a letter of apology. It was a letter stating that Carbon Works would not be doing business with U.S. Classic Auto, but that Grady hoped Dobson got all that he deserved from the industry in the future.

  Still, he hadn’t expected that to be anyone’s knowledge but his and Dobson’s. Who had told Shankar that? And why was Shankar now calling to tell Grady about it?

  Grady tried to hedge a little to figure out what Shankar wanted. “Well, uh … she’s not technically my employee.”

  That was all he was willing to say. If Shankar wanted to know who the woman was, too bad. Grady wasn’t willing to breach Annabelle’s privacy.

  But Shankar apparently didn’t care about that, anyway. “Either way, I heard about what went down and wanted to reach out. Since it sounds like things with Dobson aren’t going to go through, I’m wondering if you might be willing to let my team look at your muffler design. It’s possible we might be able to do a deal.”

  What? For a moment, Grady was stunned. Shankar wanted to do a deal with him because of what he’d heard about how Dobson had treated Annabelle?

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Shankar. I mean, yes, that would be great, but I’m also confused. Why are you calling me about this now? Because of what happened, I mean?”

  The reply was short and matter-of-fact. “Anyone who’s willing to turn down a deal with Dobson to defend what’s right is a guy I want to do business with.”

  Oh. Well. Shit.

  He hadn’t even been the one to do it. Not when it had counted. Annabelle had done that. She’d defended what was right, and Grady had just followed her like he always did. Like he always would, in the end. He loved and respected and admired her.

  He owed it all to her. She was worth following.

  “At any rate, I’ll have my assistant contact your team and get something on the calendar. I’m looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Hart.”

  When Grady hung up the phone, he looked at the clock. His five minutes were long up.

  Time to head out for a while, go home, and regroup.

  He rose from his desk, about to grab his bag and keys …

  And that was when he heard her.

  * * *

  “Grady.”

  Annabelle was running. She’d meant to be here earlier, but she’d gotten delayed and now she was rushing, trying to get to Grady.

  She wasn’t even sure why she was rushing.

  No. That wasn’t true. She was doing it because she’d had to wait for so long already, just to get those things in place that she’d sworn she’d do before she saw him again, and now she was rushing because she didn’t want to be away from him for another second.

  She hadn’t even reached his office before she was saying his name, and just as she came up on the doorway, he was there, walking toward her, and they collided against one another. Body against body. Heart against heart.

  Grady’s arms went around her, pulling her against him and steadying her so that she wouldn’t fall.

  Her protector. It was time to tell him how much she loved him for that. For that, and all the rest of him.

  “Annabelle.” She felt the breath whoosh out of him as he said her name, and his arms squeezed just a bit tighter, only for a second, before he started to release her.

  But she brought her arms up in a flash, wrapping them around his waist and not letting him go.

  “Grady.”

  He pulled her tight again, and spoke into her hair, “Oh, God, Annabelle. I’m so sorry. I really—I want to explain. I’m so sorry for acting like such an ass. I was so confused in the moment and I know that’s no excuse, but I’m terrible with stressful situations and I didn’t think. I should have trusted you and been there for you and—”

  “Shh.” She brought her head up, tipping it back and rising on her toes so that she could silence him with a kiss.

  He was saying all the things she needed to know. That she’d already suspected, anyway. And she wanted to hear him out.

  But later.

  When they parted, he was shaking his head as though he couldn’t believe what was happening, but she put a finger on his chin, stilling him, and looked into his eyes.

  “I love you, Grady Hart.”

  His eyes went wide, and she felt his entire body pull tight at those words. But she wasn’t done yet.

  “I love you because of who you are. Not because of your job or how much money you make or anything like that. I love you because you are the best man I know. I heard about what you did with Dobson.”

  His eyebrows went up. “You heard about that, too?”

  She smiled. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but he looked so perplexed about the wonderful thing he’d done that she couldn’t help loving him even more. It was so very Grady, somehow.

  She focused on him, putting all the love she had into her gaze. “You’re someone I can depend on and want to depend on. I. Love. You.”

  He was shaking his head again. “Annabelle. Annabelle.”

  It was all he seemed capable of saying, so she continued, watching his expression the entire time. “I hope I haven’t sent you into a panic with my profession of love, but I had to tell you. And to say that I’m sorry. You gave me an
incredible gift. You helped me to feel safe and cared for, and I made the mistake of thinking that being able to depend on you meant being dependent on you, and I didn’t handle it well.” She took a deep breath. “But I think I’ve fixed that.”

  He seemed to have untied his tongue, because suddenly words were spilling out of him. “God, Annabelle. You don’t have anything to fix. I think you’re perfect just the way you are. I love you, too, baby. I love you. I would move heaven and earth to make you as happy as you make me.”

  She grinned. “No need for that. In fact, the only thing moving is me.”

  He blinked. “What do you mean?”

  Oh, goodness. This was the part she was most nervous about. Not even confessing that she loved him was as scary as telling him this next thing. She didn’t want to hurt him for anything, but she hoped he understood the reasons behind her decision.

  She took a deep breath.

  Here goes.

  “I wanted to come earlier, but I had something to take care of. Ranger put me in contact with someone who owns apartment complexes all over Charlotte, and he agreed to consider my application for tenancy despite my terrible credit. He ended up approving it, and I met with him this morning to sign the lease. I’m moving out of your place and into my own.”

  She tried to keep the excitement out of her voice. It wasn’t that she was glad she wouldn’t be staying with him anymore. But she was just so damned proud … of herself, and who she’d become. Someone who mattered. Someone significant in her own eyes.

  She prayed he’d see the hand he’d had in helping to make that happen.

  Luckily, he didn’t make her wait. A huge grin broke out across her face, and he whooped with joy before picking her up and twirling her around. “Your own place! You did it! Congratulations, Annabelle. I knew it. I knew you could.”

  Oh, Lord. Now she was crying. Of course she’d suspected he would understand. She’d been pretty sure he would. But the way he’d reacted was beyond what she could have hoped for. It was a celebration of something she’d wanted for so long, but had never been able to reach before she’d met Grady.

  Herself. Her own life. Standing on her own two feet.

  Well, technically right now she wasn’t standing at all—Grady had her feet off the ground, whirling her so fast and making her so dizzy that she felt like she’d never be able to walk straight again.

  But she didn’t mind, because if there was one man she knew she could depend on to support her even when she walked the most crooked, meandering path, it was Grady Hart.

  And when he finally stopped spinning and set her down, then kissed her deeply and hungrily, she knew she’d made the right choice to wait before coming to him.

  “Wanna get out of here?” He murmured against her lips, and she nodded.

  “Yes. But this time, I’m taking you to my place.”

  He winked. “Sure thing, gorgeous … but just for one night.”

  She laughed and took his hand. “One night at a time.”

  Epilogue

  “What do you think? The silver or the blue?” Annabelle sat on the couch in her living room and held up two photos in front of Grady, who was sprawled on the cushions next to her. One picture was of a brand-new silver sedan and the other of a brand-new blue sedan.

  The first car that she was buying all on her own. Paying for it in full and everything. She was having a hard time not squealing every time she thought about it. The fraud case against Donnie had been settled six months before, her credit was finally good again now that she’d been cleared of all the debt he’d accumulated, and she’d used the bonus she’d gotten from Ranger when Kerri had won the entire Diamond Cup series to round out a down payment on a house.

  It was like winning the lottery, except her winning ticket was the most amazing man in the world.

  Grady tapped the photo of the blue one. “This one looks good with your eyes.”

  Annabelle laughed. “Silver it is.”

  “Contrary woman. You just love to argue with me.” He laughed. “But it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s your car, and besides … I get paid either way. That car uses a Carbon Works muffler, no matter what color it is.”

  Kevin Shankar had come to evaluate Grady’s product shortly after Annabelle had moved into her first apartment just over a year ago, and within a few days, they’d signed a major deal. From there, Grady had expanded his business into other auto parts, snowmobile parts, and even bobsleds for the Olympic team.

  She set the photos down and smoothed her hands over her jeans. “Actually, there’s something else I want to ask you that has nothing to do with the car.”

  “Oh yeah?” Grady sat forward and put an arm around her shoulders. “What is it, baby?”

  Deep breath. Here goes.

  “Well, seeing as we’ve been together for over a year … and seeing how I close on the new house in a few weeks…”

  She swallowed hard. She’d done a lot of gutsy, very unladylike things this past year—both as crew chief for Hart Racing and as regular Annabelle Murray—but this was the most nerve-wracking of them all.

  “I was wondering if you might be interested in moving in. With me.”

  She braced herself for his answer.

  But he didn’t say anything. At least, not right away. Instead, he slid his arm off of her shoulders and pushed his hand into his jeans pocket, fishing around for something.

  She frowned. “Wha-what are you doing?”

  He chuckled at her expression. “Aw, Annabelle—ah, got it!” He pulled his hand free, but kept it curled in a fist so that she couldn’t see what he was holding, and then he turned a bit until they were facing one another. “It’s funny that you should ask me such a question tonight, because it was just this morning that I decided to take this out of my desk drawer, where I’d been keeping it, and put it in my pocket. Just in case.”

  He took her hand with his free one, stroking over her fingers. “You must have read my mind, or maybe I read yours, because I had a feeling that tonight was the night to ask you…”

  He opened his other hand, the one that had been hiding whatever he’d taken from his pocket, to reveal a beautiful ring with a sapphire center stone and tiny diamonds set all around the gold band.

  “Oh my God!” Annabelle gasped and stared. It was gorgeous. Was it—

  “We started by taking it one night at a time, didn’t we? Well, now I’m ready to flip that around and say that I don’t want to be away from you for even one night. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not any other night for the rest of our lives.”

  “Oh, Grady,” she whispered.

  “Will you marry me, Annabelle? Will you marry me … and then will you let me move in with you? I’d consider myself the luckiest man on Earth if you said yes.”

  “Yes!” She knew she was shouting, but she didn’t care. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, overflowing with happiness.

  After so many years of struggling to be her own person, she’d gotten everything she’d ever wanted. He might be the luckiest man on Earth, but she was surely the luckiest woman to have Grady Hart as her husband.

  They really were quite a pair.

  Acknowledgments

  Producing a book like this takes so much more than the work of only one person. My writing this story wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my husband and children, who are everything I could ever wish for, and more.

  Thank you to Kerri-Leigh Grady and Tahra Seplowin for encouraging me to write In the Fast Lane, the first book in this series. You are inspiring, fabulous women whom I am lucky to know.

  To Lizzie Poteet, here’s to another fun and productive collaboration. You are a rock star editor, and I’m pretty sure you have editing superpowers. Don’t worry: a stylish pair of black-frame glasses will help keep your identity a secret.

  Thank you, as well, to Courtney Miller-Callihan for being not just a great agent, but a great friend, too.

  Eternal gratitude to Serena Bell
, Amber Belldene, and Shelley Ann Clark for beta reading this book and not being afraid to tell me they hated certain characters.

  And to my readers, I am so grateful for you. You are a blessing and I thank you all.

  Racing’s never been so racy …

  The Hard Driving Novels

  By Audra North

  And don’t miss

  CROSSING THE LINE

  Coming Spring 2016

  Visit AudraNorth.com

  About the Author

  Audra North fell in love with romance at age thirteen and spent the next twenty years reading as many romance novels as she could. Even now, after having read over one thousand of them, Audra still can’t resist the lure of a happily ever after, and her collection continues to grow. She lives near Boston with her husband, three young children, and a lot of books. Visit her website at audranorth.com or find her (way too frequently) on Twitter @AudraNorth. Or sign up for email updates here.

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen