In the Stars_The Friessens

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  “Yeah, I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve got some more studying to do…”

  “Ah, come on,” Charlie said. “All work and no play, you know the saying. Come on, Evie. You can join us, too. Tell Mr. Mysterious to loosen up and come have some fun.” She tossed Evie a glance over her shoulder, then slid her hand over his bicep. “You’ll have fun, and hey, I promise no chick flick. You get to pick whatever macho blood and guts movie you want.”

  Her hands were soft, and there was something about her persistence and the way she touched him that had him considering her proposal. Maybe she knew she was getting somewhere, as she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him.

  “Please, Danny, pretty please?”

  Yup, she was all soft and warm, and damn, she smelled good.

  “Okay, fine,” he said. As Charlie looped both her arms around his neck, he took in shock, he thought, in Evie’s eyes. She squeezed the leather of one of the bridles. Just then, Charlie planted a kiss on his lips that went from zero to a hundred. Wow! When he broke the kiss and looked over, Evie was at her truck, door open, lifting her hand to wave.

  “Hey, aren’t you coming?” he called out. Charlie was still plastered against him, her hand now resting on his chest.

  “Nope, not this girl,” Evie said. “You, though, have fun. Later!” Then she was in her truck and backing out.

  “Well, three’s a crowd anyway,” Charlie said, and he took in her expression at the rattle and roar of Evie’s truck, which was sounding more and more as if it was on its last legs.

  Chapter 2

  Danny had finished cleaning all the saddles, and Charlie had talked nonstop the entire time about her classes, her dad, her family, and how Chicago was the one place she was destined to live. Where was she now? Waiting for him downstairs, at her insistence, likely perched against her overpriced Mustang, as he showered in the loft above the barn. That was where he lived now, an open-concept suite with a bed, kitchen, living room, and reasonable bath. It gave him privacy and a place of his own, even if it was on his parents’ ranch outside North Lakewood.

  He turned off the shower and stepped out, then pulled a towel from the rack and dried off. Tying it around his waist, he stepped out barefoot, seeing his unmade bed and clothes tossed in a heap in the corner. He yanked a clean pair of jeans, socks, and underwear from his dresser and tossed them on the bed. He could hear talking from the open door at the bottom of the stairs that led into the barn—Charlie, he thought. Who she was talking to now, he didn’t have a clue.

  He quickly pulled on a white dress shirt and tucked it in before pulling on a belt and his boots. Then he grabbed his wallet and keys after running his fingers through his short red hair. He jogged down the stairs into the barn and took in the stalls, how neat and tidy everything was, and the box of tools he’d left out.

  Charlie was leaning against her Mustang, the phone pressed to her ear, talking away to someone, and then there was his dad, walking his way, taking in the tall, slim, gorgeous, and stacked Charlie. He wasn’t sure what his dad was thinking, from the amused expression on his face. Danny quickly tucked the tools back into the tack room and secured the door just as he heard the scrape of his dad’s boots on the concrete of the barn floor.

  His dad glanced back to Charlie as he approached. “You heading out for the night?”

  “Yeah, we’re hitting a movie and stopping for something to eat, likely a beer and a burger in town after.” That was what he’d planned, anyway, not that he’d shared that last part with Charlie yet.

  His dad nodded. “Well, don’t be drinking and driving. I know your mom was wondering what was happening with the girl with the Mustang. She’s a looker, and your mom says she’s the one who’s stopped by here a few times. You dating?” His dad tilted his head in her direction, and the question alone seemed odd coming from him. It had his mom written all over it. He took in Charlie again, who was still talking on her cell phone and didn’t seem to care whether anyone was listening.

  “We’re friends, is all,” Danny said.

  Yeah, right. She’d been chasing him as long as he could remember in between the other guys she’d dated, but their attraction had never gone past…what? He shrugged. Nothing serious. He enjoyed whatever this was.

  His dad ran his hand over Danny’s hair and ruffled it a bit. “You’d best get clear, you think? Your mom was saying she thought she’s the daughter of that First West banker in town, Perry Adams?”

  Danny took Charlie in as she spotted him and said goodbye to whoever she was talking to. She pocketed her phone and started into the barn, that smile pasted to her lips.

  “She is,” Danny said. Charlie’s dad had been running the second largest bank in the area for decades, he thought—but then, Charlie never let a moment pass without fitting that fact into a conversation, as if her father’s identity defined who she was.

  “You ready?” she asked.

  “You finished all the saddles, Danny?” His dad called out over his shoulder as he headed to the back of the barn, past the stalls, to where the gate led out to the paddock.

  “Done and put away,” he said. That had been without Evie’s help, too. It wasn’t lost on him how she’d slipped away. He’d call her the next day and find out what it was that’d had her dropping by. He suspected something, as he thought about it now. He had a feeling there was more.

  His dad lifted the gate and latched it behind him, walking out to where the horses were in the corral.

  “That was Darlene,” Charlie said, in his space, so close he could feel her heat. “She said there’s a party tonight at Matt’s in town, and I was thinking maybe after the movie we could head over. There’s a pool there, and…”

  He noted that she had somehow steered him, and they were walking to her shiny red Mustang, her hand linked to his arm.

  “Not into a party tonight,” he said. “Just the movie, and let’s grab a bite after. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, a pile of studying to do, and…”

  She stepped in front of him, giving him pouty lips as she slid her hands up his chest and around him, pressing all her softness against him. Damn, she smelled good. “Please, Danny, it’ll be so much fun.”

  He wondered how many guys that worked on. Probably all of them. The kind of parties her friends frequented may have been fun for her, but watching everyone getting shitfaced wasn’t his idea of fun. “Nope, not tonight,” he said. “Why don’t I follow you to your place, or you can leave your car here and I’ll drive?”

  The disappointment was there in her expression even though he could see she was trying to hide it as she looked around him to his older blue and white Bronco. It was dusty, with some rust here and there, but it ran, and he liked it, and it was his, bought with his hard-earned cash, not handed to him like her overpriced sports car, gifted by her father.

  “But my car is—”

  “A little too red and flashy for my taste,” Danny replied. He took in her frown, and for a minute he thought she was going to try to convince him, but she surprised him by turning and starting to his Bronco, tossing him a glance over her slender shoulder.

  “Well, are you coming?” she said, waiting expectantly.

  “Yeah, I am,” he said. He walked over to her as she stepped around to the passenger side and again waited for him. He reached around her and opened the door, and she climbed up and in. He closed the door behind her, and as he stepped around the Bronco and slid behind the wheel, she began applying a light shade of lipstick.

  He backed up and drove down toward the highway that would lead into town. “So, movie. You sure you’re going to be okay with me picking?”

  “I did say you can pick. Just hoping whatever you choose has a storyline with not too much blood and guts and blowing everyone up,” she teased. “Any ideas yet?”

  He could hear her rustle in the passenger seat. Now she was probing and likely trying to steer him in a certain direction, but he already had a movie in mind and would rather wait until they got
there to tell her, or maybe he would buy the tickets without revealing it. He’d get her seated in the theater, waiting for the show, and just thinking of the wait making her squirm had a smile tugging at his lips. She wasn’t the patient type, and maybe that was why she intrigued him so much.

  He shook his head. “We’ll see when we get there.”

  She reached over and tapped his arm. “You’re such a tease, Friessen,” she said just as they hit the edge of town and turned down past the gas station. Danny could see the new restaurant up ahead on the right, with lights and glitter and what looked like several people going inside.

  “Hey, isn’t that Evie’s pickup?” Charlie said, pointing to a truck at the side of the road across two parking spots in front of the restaurant, hood up, steam coming out.

  “Yeah,” Danny said. He signaled and pulled over behind it.

  “What are you doing?” Charlie asked and glanced to her watch.

  “Stopping,” he said and jammed the Bronco in park, then turned off the ignition.

  “But the movie… We’ll be late.”

  Maybe it was the sharp glance he tossed her way that had her stopping. Seriously?

  “Sorry, that was completely selfish,” she said.

  He raised his brows, and she appeared sheepish and shrugged. Danny yanked the handle on his door and stepped out to Evie’s pickup, seeing the steam and what looked like a blown radiator hose as he peeked in. The engine looked to be held together with duct tape and twine. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to the elbows.

  “What are you doing?” Charlie appeared beside him, making a face at the steam and hiss, sweeping her hand in front of her face.

  “Taking a look. It appears this just happened.” He reached in and then pulled his hand back, feeling the burn from the steam. “Shit…”

  “Hey, I’m sure she’s already headed to the station for a tow. What can you do? Let the professionals handle it, Danny—you know, a mechanic?”

  He tossed her another glance before resting his hand on the front of the truck and seeing the tear in the hose. He just needed to get that off, grab another, and fasten it on. “Mechanics cost money, and this looks like an easy fix,” he said, turning around and seeing the restaurant just ahead. It was her dad’s place. Maybe that was where she was.

  “I guess Evie is struggling,” Charlie said. “I know her dad’s already missed the last two payments on his line of credit. His restaurant isn’t producing, and Dad said he thought they were down to just family for staff, since Mr. Wetzel doesn’t have the cash flow to cover people’s wages.”

  Danny was leaning on the frame and took in Charlie. “Your dad shares personal banking business with you?” he said. He should probably tell his parents. He knew his dad had an account there, and he did as well. Maybe it was time to look at another bank.

  This was the first time he’d ever seen Charlie speechless, as if she was fighting to think of something to explain her faux pas. He saw the moment she realized, as she winced. “Please don’t say anything to anyone. I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said, appearing sheepish. He’d never seen her out of her comfort zone before, caught doing or saying something she shouldn’t have.

  “No, you’re right, you shouldn’t have, but it’s your dad who was in the wrong. He shouldn’t be sharing clients’ private information with you or anyone. Not sure how comfortable I am knowing your dad has loose lips.” He rested his hand on the rim of the truck, turning and seeing Evie coming out of her dad’s restaurant, a jug in one hand and what looked like duct tape in the other.

  “So I guess the movie is out,” Charlie said, and he heard her sigh beside him.

  He saw the moment Evie noticed them, the slight hesitation before she kept walking, and he gazed down to Charlie beside him. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “Evie’s my friend. I’m not bailing on her.”

  Charlie shrugged before nudging him teasingly. “I get it, Friessen. It’s probably why I like you so much. You have a soft spot for helping those who need it. It’s just…can’t you be a knight in shining armor at a time that’s a lot more convenient?”

  “Knight in shining armor, huh?” he said. He’d never been called that before, and he took in the grin spilling now from Charlie’s expression.

  “Yeah,” she said. “It’s just one of your many flaws.”

  Chapter 3

  When it rained, it poured! Seriously, Evie’s entire life as of late had become a storm. Her bank account was declining rapidly, and her last stop for twenty dollars at the ATM had left her twelve dollars and thirteen cents, which wasn’t going to pay for a new hose. Her truck was parked at the side of the road, two doors down from her dad’s barbecue stop, which was currently closed for the night. To make matters worse, it was practically in front of the new chain restaurant, which was nearly packed, and everyone was watching through the window. So, with a roll of duct tape and a jug of water to fill the leaking radiator, she’d figure out some way of patching it up so she could at least get it home and figure something out. This was just one more sign that her heap of rust was one step from the junkyard.

  She saw two people standing by her truck, one a guy, the other… Shit, Danny and Charlie! Of all people, why did it have to be them? Evie was itchy and sweaty and tired, and she wanted to go home and climb into the shower and try to forget what a disaster today was turning into.

  “You ran into a little trouble here,” Danny called out to her just as Charlie smiled brightly and lifted her hand in a wave as if they were the best of friends. Not! They definitely ran in different circles, Charlie fitting the mold of the all-American girl and Evie trying to just fit.

  “What can I say? Thought I’d add some entertainment to the area, breaking down in front of the new chain, just adding some humility to my day.” She took in the smile from Danny. The blue of his eyes had only gotten better with age. He was shaking his head. “So have you stopped to help, or is this just…?”

  Danny took in what she was carrying. “I can understand the water, but not sure the duct tape is gonna work here,” he said. “Took a look at that hose, and it’s likely beyond repair.” He actually took the duct tape from her hand and rested it on the lip of the truck. She could see he already had grease smudged on his forearm and the edge of his white shirt. Then there was Charlie standing there.

  “Didn’t you know there’s nothing duct tape won’t fix?” Evie said. “Just put enough on there and it’ll hold it together to get me home. Aren’t you two on your way to a movie?”

  A date, actually. She’d seen how Charlie had set her eyes on Danny the moment she’d pulled in that afternoon, but then, she’d always had a thing for him, whispering it in the halls of school and to Evie time and again when she was between guys. Evie’d just thought Danny had enough smarts not to fall for all that flash, glitz, and a pretty face. Guess he was just like every other guy.

  “What kind of friend drives right on by and doesn’t stop to help? You got an old rag, a wrench?” He was leaning in her truck engine again, touching the steaming hose. He pulled his hand back and shook it off as he hissed. “Yup, way too hot to touch right now.”

  “I got a pair of work gloves in back, pliers in the glove box,” she said.

  Danny walked around her, leaving her standing by the open hood of her truck with Charlie. She glanced over to where he was pulling open the back of his Bronco.

  “Danny saw you broke down and wouldn’t drive away and leave you,” Charlie said. “He’s quite the guy. Chivalry seems to have missed most, but Danny’s brought it back—kind of like he’s the last of a dying breed of men who know how to be men.”

  Evie just stared at Charlie, stunned. She’d always figured, with her looks, she was more airhead than brains. Then Danny was back with an old rusty toolkit. He dropped it on the ground and grabbed an old pair of work gloves from it, then set to work figuring out how to fix the unfixable. With a greasy rag, he wiped the hose, and she found herself just watching his focus.

&
nbsp; “Evie, rip off a strip of duct tape and hand it to me. Let’s hope it holds enough to move the truck.”

  She pulled at a length of the heavy gray tape and used her teeth to rip it, then took in the intense gaze leveled her way as she handed it to him. He’d been her friend since they were kids, but he was a man now, handsome, with strength in his forearms, broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and even his butt, which she tried not to glance at. She could see why Charlie was chasing him down.

  He was wrapping the duct tape around the hose, holding it with one gloved hand, and she knew by the expression on his face that it was hot. “Rip off some more, keep it coming,” he said, and thankfully she had something else to focus on.

  “You think it will work?” Charlie asked.

  “Just a patch job, but enough to get Evie home,” Danny said as she bit off another piece and handed it to him. He shook his head at her. “Using your teeth? I can just hear your mother, if not mine, saying dental work is expensive,” he teased and then winked.

  Now why did he have to do that?

  “There, that should hold it,” he said, then opened the water reservoir. “You got more antifreeze?” he asked.

  Evie just shook her head. “I’ve got water, which will work just fine.”

  Danny gestured to the jug and took it from her to pour it in, handling the fix that she could have done easily, but this was the first time it felt as if he were taking care of her, and she liked it more than she should have. Instead of feeling good, she felt alone, and she didn’t understand why, not really. His romantic interest would be played by Charlie, the all-American hot babe, who had everything—including the guy Evie had never allowed herself to think of as more than a friend.

  “Okay, that should take care of it,” Danny said. “Climb in, start it up, and I’ll follow you to your place.” He closed the hood and tucked the tools and gloves in his kit.