Midnight Heat

by Cat Johnson

  “That I do. How you want that burger cooked?”

  “Medium well.”

  “You got it. The burger comes with fries. That all right?”

  Justin dipped his head. “Even better.”

  The bartender nodded. “I’ll get you that beer, then I’ll put in your order.”

  “Thanks.”

  In no time at all the bartender had slid a foamy mug in front of him and then turned toward the kitchen. Justin picked up the beer and drew in a long swallow of the frosty brew.

  The worst of today was behind him. Time to relax. The only thing he had to worry about now was getting a full belly and falling asleep at Bonnie’s. Unless he decided to get a head start on loading the trailer tonight rather than doing it all in the morning. That would depend on what he found waiting for him inside the house.

  He was pretty sure Bonnie and Tammy’s place was just a few miles away. It was if the GPS on his phone was right. He figured he could enjoy one beer with his burger and fries and still safely drive. No problem. He wouldn’t have more than one, though.

  The bartender came back and paused in front of the blonde, who still stood at the end of the bar, probably hoping in vain that someone would help her fix her car.

  She’d better not look in his direction. Cute though she was, Justin was in no better position to perform car repairs than the bartender. He had no tools and no parts with him either. And he had a full schedule already. He had a whole house worth of shit to move between today and tomorrow.

  The woman needed to drive her vehicle to a service station where a mechanic could take a look at it. If it wasn’t drivable, then she’d have to call a tow truck.

  “What you decide to do?” the bartender asked the blonde loud enough that Justin could hear from where he sat.

  “I think I’ll give it a little longer and then go out and try to start it and see what happens. Maybe it’ll be better.”

  The bartender’s brows rose. Justin agreed with the reaction, figuring it was pretty doubtful the car had gotten better all on its own. Cars didn’t tend to heal themselves.

  “And if it’s not better?” the bartender asked. Justin didn’t miss his doubt-filled tone.

  The girl sighed. “Then I guess I’ll have to get it to the service station. Can I have a diet soda while I’m waiting?”

  Waiting for what, Justin wasn’t sure.

  “Yes, ma’am.” The bartender came to Justin’s end of the bar and grabbed a tall glass.

  “What is she waiting for the car to do?” Justin asked.

  “Cool down. From what she described to me when she came in, it overheated.” The bartender packed the glass with ice and then grabbed the soda gun.

  Justin nodded. Her car would cool down, and she might even be able to drive it for a little bit before it overheated again, but make no mistake, it would overheat again and it would keep doing so until she got it fixed.

  “She check the fluids?” He already knew from their conversation that the bartender hadn’t gone out to check it himself. But maybe the girl had checked the coolant level herself.

  The bartender snorted out a laugh while filling the glass with cola. “Look at her. You think she’d know how to check it?”

  “Probably not.” Justin didn’t need to glance at the girl again to answer that. She didn’t look the type to get her hands dirty.

  She was definitely the kind who was used to having someone else handle these sorts of problems. Whether that other person was usually a hired mechanic or her boyfriend, Justin didn’t know, and to be honest, he shouldn’t care.

  He was just passing through. It didn’t matter that it would take him only five minutes to pop her hood and take a look. For once, the problem wasn’t his responsibility and he didn’t have to deal with it.

  “I’m gonna go drop this off with her quick, then I’ll see if your burger’s up.” The bartender hooked a thumb in the direction of the girl.

  Nodding, Justin watched the man move to the end of the bar and deliver the drink to the girl. He heard the frustration in her voice when she thanked the bartender for the soda. He fought the guilt creeping up on him.

  He supposed he could check the car to see if there was water in the radiator.

  Crap. He hated that he’d even thought that.

  Nope. He wasn’t gonna do it. Wasn’t gonna go out there and try, and probably fail, to fix her car. He was firm this time.

  Dammit, sometimes not helping was more difficult than just giving in and doing it.

  This trip was about moving Bonnie and her mother’s stuff. About getting away from all the do-gooders and well-wishers and memories he couldn’t escape in Oklahoma.

  This trip was not about getting involved with any cute young thing or her problems, even if she did have a sexy voice. And soft blond curls. And an ass that looked damn enticing when she leaned forward to reach for her glass while she was perched on a barstool.

  Justin did his best to concentrate on his beer. On the television hung in the corner of the room. The bottles on the shelves behind the bar. Anything and everything so he wouldn’t go over there and offer to help that girl with her car.

  His efforts worked. The bartender returned with the burger and fries in hand, and then Justin had another goal—filling the empty space in his grumbling stomach.

  Still, he wasn’t heartless. When the bartender came over to see if the burger was all right, Justin asked, “Is there a service station nearby for her?”

  “Oh, yeah. There’s a few actually. I already wrote down the number of one and gave it to her. I know the mechanic there. He won’t rip her off.”

  Justin nodded.

  Good. He didn’t have to worry. She’d get her car taken care of and for a fair price. Feeling satisfied the situation was well in hand, he took another bite of the juicy burger and let the flavor of grilled beef and cheese fill his mouth.

  “Can I get you another beer?” the bartender asked.

  He shook his head. “I better not. I gotta hit the road right after this. I will take a glass of water, though. Thanks.”

  “You got it.” The man nodded and reached for a glass as Justin glanced at his cell phone.

  No messages from his mother or his aunt. That was good. He’d text Rohn when he got to Bonnie’s place to let him know he’d found it okay.

  Happy with that plan, Justin reached for another salty hot fry. He had to admit, though it didn’t look so nice from the outside, the place was pretty damn good.

  Too bad sometimes the opposite was true—for bars and women. You couldn’t always judge just by looking, because what you saw wasn’t always what you got.

  Yup, one more reason to steer clear of the hottie at the end of the bar. As if he needed another one.

  Chapter Ten

  “What’s happening? Where are you? Why didn’t you call me back?”

  While sitting at the bar, Phoenix digested the rapid string of questions fired at her through the earpiece of the cell phone.

  “My car’s broken.” She figured that answer would satisfy Kim for now.

  “Oh my gosh. That’s horrible. Where are you now?”

  “I’m in a bar in Phoenix. I pulled off the highway and into a parking lot when the engine started to smoke.”

  “That really sounds bad. What are you going to do?”

  “Hopefully get it fixed. I think it’s still drivable. At least enough to get it to a service station.”

  “Wow. That seriously sucks.”

  Phoenix ran a finger through the condensation on the glass as she let out a snort. “No kidding. But listen, I need a favor. If for any reason my mother calls you, you have to lie for me and say we’re having dinner.”

  “What? What are you talking about? And why in the world would your mother call me?”

  “I don’t know, but just in case, I told her I couldn’t come to dinner tonight because I was going to a dinner party you were throwing for some faculty, and that one of the teachers coming was bringing her
single brother and you were going to introduce me.”

  “Jeez. Did you have to make it so elaborate? Phoenix, when you lie, you’re supposed to just keep it simple. A dinner party? When have I ever thrown a dinner party?”

  “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I panicked.”

  “And a hot single brother, too. Jeez, I wish our lives were half as exciting as your fib made them out to be.”

  “I know—”

  “Why stop at a fancy dinner party for the school staff and their relatives? You should have told your mother I was having Angelina and Brad over to dinner, too.”

  “All right. I get it.”

  Her friend continued, “Next time—”

  Phoenix interrupted Kim. “I hope there isn’t a next time. I hate lying and I suck at it.”

  “Yes, you do. But you better improve at it and fast.”

  “Why?” She was never going to lie again after this fiasco.

  “Um, hello. You’re trapped in Arizona with a broken-down car. How are you getting home?”

  “I’m hoping to get it fixed.”

  “And if you can’t? Or if it takes them like a week to fix it? Then what are you going to do? We have classes starting soon.”

  Phoenix rested her forehead on her hand. Kim wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know.

  “I’m well aware of that. If the garage can’t fix it, I was hoping you’d come and get me?” Phoenix tacked a question onto the end of that statement. When she heard no response from Kim except for a deep sigh, she added, “Please.”

  Kim let out a breath. “Of course I’ll come get you. You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t strand you in Arizona.”

  “Aw, thank you.” Feeling guilty for putting Kim out, she said, “I can always rent a car if you can’t get me and the car is beyond fixing.”

  “Stop. I’ll come get you. A girls’ road trip. How exciting would that be? How could I miss that?”

  “I could do with a little less excitement right about now, but thank you. I appreciate it.” Renting a car on top of paying for a hotel room for the night was going to put a serious dent in her vacation savings fund. With any luck, she’d be on her way back home tomorrow and wouldn’t have to pay for a room for more than one night.

  “What about your mother?”

  “I’ll keep lying to her, I guess.” Though she hated to do it. Her father was going to flip out if he found out the car had broken down. He’d told her not to buy a used car. And especially not one so old.

  “I was talking about your other mother. Bonnie Martin,” Kim reminded her of the reason behind this ill-fated journey.

  “Oh.” She’d forgotten how much more complex her family tree had recently become. “The car was smoking so badly, I pulled over before I got to her house. I made it to the Phoenix exit, at least, but I stopped at a bar right off the highway.”

  “You’re not going to leave without seeing her, are you?”

  “No. It would be pointless to come here, go to all this trouble, and then leave.” Phoenix had been so wrapped up in the car problem, she hadn’t thought much about her original plans.

  Because the bartender couldn’t help her, the car repair would likely have to be done by a mechanic. She didn’t know what to expect from a service station, but she did know one thing—she didn’t want to leave Arizona without at least attempting to get a glimpse of Bonnie Martin.

  Phoenix blew out a breath. “I’ll figure something out. Listen, I’m going to go see what I can do with the car. I’ll call you to let you know what’s going on.”

  “You’d better.”

  “I will. Promise. ’Bye.”

  “’Bye. Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” Phoenix disconnected and laid the cell on the bar.

  She looked for the bartender and found him at the other end, talking to the cowboy who’d walked in not long after she had.

  He was tall and solid, with plenty of muscles visible beneath the short sleeves of his taut T-shirt. He wore a cowboy hat that gave him the look of a man out of his time.

  It felt as if she’d stepped back into some long-gone era and into a time and place where this tall drink of water could have ridden his horse to the local watering hole.

  She watched while he devoured the last bite of the burger he’d ordered. The sight had her mouth watering—both from the aromatic food and the tasty-looking man.

  Wait until she told Kim about the gorgeous scenery. If Mr. Sexy Cowboy was an example of the kind of men who lived in Arizona, she might consider visiting again. Next time they could make it a girls’ getaway.

  It would cost less than going to Aruba, that was for sure. And it didn’t require a passport—which was part of the reason behind her being stranded in this surreal cowboy bar in the first place.

  If Phoenix ever straightened out the mess with her car, not to mention the situation with her birth mother, she’d have to remember to tell her friend all about the finer points of this road trip.

  While enjoying the eye candy sitting at the other end of the bar she sucked on her straw. That resulted in a loud slurp that resonated through the bar and told her that her glass was empty.

  Both men glanced in her direction. Her cheeks heated as she noticed the sexy cowboy grin.

  The bartender walked over. “Can I get you a refill?”

  She shook her head. “No. Thanks. I have to get going to see about my car. What do I owe you?”

  “Nothing. It’s on me.”

  “Thank you.” She would have been more grateful if the man had been able to fix her VW, but it was still nice he’d bought her a soda while she waited for the smoke to clear.

  Time to go deal with her car. As the bartender cleared the glass and cocktail napkin from the bar, Phoenix pawed through her mess of a purse and found a dollar bill. She tossed it onto the bar as a tip.

  He’d given her both the number of a service station and the soda, so she figured she owed him at least a tip. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to keep the staff on her good side. There was a chance she’d be back in here again if the car burst into flames or something.

  Phoenix climbed off the barstool and turned toward the exit. She wished she was dressed a bit sexier when she noticed the cowboy glance up as she walked past him toward the door.

  Story of her life. The first cute guy she’d seen in what felt like ages and she met him at a dive bar located in another state hours away from where she lived.

  She met his hazel eyes as he treated her to the slightest nod of his head. She smiled back and then the moment was over. She was outside in the dusk.

  With a sigh, she walked around the building and toward where she’d parked, luckily under a security light. The car was still there and, from what she could see, no longer smoking.

  That was a good sign. She moved closer and held her breath as she glanced through the window.

  The interior seemed fine. She’d been half-expecting to see charred and smoldering upholstery, but all looked normal. Another good sign.

  She opened the door and took a sniff. No smoke smell. No steam seeping from beneath the hood. So far so good.

  Gathering her courage, Phoenix slipped behind the wheel but left the driver’s side door open just in case she had to make a quick exit from the vehicle.

  Silently praying to whomever was the patron saint of automobiles, she stuck the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered to life. She glanced at the temperature gage and watched as it stayed down in the cool range.

  Phoenix wasn’t insane enough to try to drive back to California without getting the vehicle looked at, but she was confident she should be able to make it a few miles.

  She had a choice to make. She could drive directly to the service station before it closed for the night, but then be stranded there while her car was worked on. Or she could take a chance and drive to the address she had for Bonnie Martin and hope the car didn’t overheat again. Then, in the morning, after she’d spent the night in a hotel, she
could head to the service station.

  Glancing at the directions she’d printed out from the Web, she made a decision. She’d head to Bonnie Martin’s house tonight. There was a very real possibility if she didn’t go now, she’d chicken out and never go.

  Of course what the hell she was going to say when she got there was quite another story.

  Chapter Eleven

  Fueled up with the food he’d eaten at the bar, Justin was more than ready for a night of moving boxes and whatever else awaited him at Bonnie’s house.

  He paid his tab and headed out into the parking lot. He braced himself to see the cute thing from the bar outside, bent over her engine and looking helpless. He knew damn well he wouldn’t be able to resist going over and helping her.

  Even if she didn’t have such a fine ass, he would help her. The sucker in him couldn’t turn away from a woman in need.

  There were already too many things going on in his life right now, and he was definitely no damn knight in shining armor, so why did he feel compelled to help every damsel in distress? His mother had raised him right, he supposed, but sometimes the overwhelming impulse to act like a gentleman could be damn inconvenient.

  Luckily for him, when he stepped out of the bar and into the cooling evening air, the woman and her car were nowhere in sight. Hopefully she’d gone directly to the service station the bartender had recommended.

  That would have been the smart thing to do. Unfortunately, not everyone did what was smart, including Justin. He knew that with a certainty as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his brother’s truck.

  He shouldn’t have taken the truck on this long-ass trip. For a quick getaway? Yeah, sure. For a long-distance moving job? No way. If Jeremy’s truck broke down because he’d pushed it too hard, he’d never forgive himself. Hopefully nothing would go wrong. And if it did, he could always go to Tyler for help fixing it.

  With that plan as assurance, he climbed into the driver’s seat amid the familiar things surrounding him in the cab—Jeremy’s things. The stuff he couldn’t bear to part with.

  Yup, he was as messed up as his mother in his own way. Which reminded him that he needed to call home when he got to Bonnie’s place.