I took a step closer to her. “Look, I used to work on cars with my grandfather. I still do it for fun now and then. Why don’t you let me fix it for you? Then you’d just have to pay for parts.” I was already planning to lie my ass off about how much those parts cost.
Tessa’s gorgeous eyes met mine. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
I gave her my best genuine smile and shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t have a lot to do around here right now. You’d honestly be doing me a favor. I could use a project.”
Tessa studied me carefully as if searching for some hint of an ulterior motive. She pressed her lips together and gave her head a small shake as if to clear something from her mind. “Thank you.”
“It’s no big thing, really.”
Her gaze broke away from mine as she looked out across the fields surrounding the Coles’ ranch house. “It is to me.”
Walker cleared his throat. “Well, that’s settled.”
Tessa’s head jerked in Jensen’s direction. “What about the horses? I won’t have a way to get here in the morning.”
Jensen waved a hand. “It’s no big deal. I can switch your shift to the afternoons and give you a ride out here after work.”
Tessa’s battle with her pride was evident on her face. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Now, why don’t I drive you back into town?”
Tessa nodded. “Thank you.”
I bit back the words that wanted to escape my throat, that I could take her. I knew I’d pressed my luck about as far as it could go for one day. I was going to fix her car. I had a reason to be in touch. An excuse to see her. I had my in.
As Tessa followed Jensen to her SUV, she turned. Her dark hair blowing in the wind against the backdrop of the rolling hills was a breathtaking picture. Her gaze caught and held on mine. “Thank you again, Liam.”
That gaze packed a punch. “Anytime.”
She gave a small nod and went to hop into Jensen’s vehicle.
I had what was probably a dopey smile on my face when a hard thump landed across my upper back. Walker. “Good man.” I watched as the girls pulled out and headed down the gravel lane. I ignored Walker, but he pressed on. “You’re not going to tell her how much this all costs, are you?”
“No way in hell.” I met Walker’s stare. “Whatever happened to her…it was bad.” I didn’t have the full picture, but I knew the kind of fear Tessa battled, the walls she had built. Nothing good was at the root of those things.
Walker’s face darkened. “I know. I just wish she’d open up to someone.”
I looked back to where Jensen’s SUV was disappearing, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.
Not unlike the girl the vehicle carried.
11
Tessa
Early morning sun filtered in through the window as my fingers ran over the worn edge of the postcard. I knew I should stop. If I kept rubbing circles on it, the paper would eventually disintegrate. But I couldn’t resist its pull. I wanted to touch the card my mother had once held in her hands.
I dusted my finger over the lettering that formedSutter Lake. This postcard was one of four items I owned that had belonged to my mother. The only four things that tied me to my origins. When I had looked at the various tickets Gena had purchased for me, destinations where I might begin my path to starting over, Oregon had tugged at my heartstrings.
I never knew why my mother had a postcard from the small Oregon town. I had no one to ask those kinds of questions. But last night, I had been given a piece of my own history. My great-grandparents had lived here. I wondered if there was a way to find out what their names were, where their house had been.
That’s the thing about not having something, it only makes you want it that much more. A dull thud reverberated in my chest at the thought of family. Home. Roots. A place to belong. It all seemed like an impossibility. I was courting danger from just how involved I’d gotten with the people of Sutter Lake.
Danger for me. And for them. Gena’s face flashed in my mind, and guilt swamped me. Six months after I’d fled DC, there had been a fire at her salon. She’d been inside. Gena had almost died that day. I’d tried to follow the story as much as I could from afar. The fire inspector had found evidence of arson, along with a note spray-painted on a wall.Mind your own business.
There was only one person it could’ve been. Garrett had stolen Gena’s business, her livelihood, her sense of safety, and almost her life. I couldn’t put anyone else at risk. But there was still a part of me that wanted to push for more. Home. Family. Roots.
One day.It was a promise. A vow. One day, I would be able to reach for those things. But after my discovery about Bethany, I no longer thought it would be because Garrett would lose interest in me.
