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It was a cruel joke–one he hadn’t gotten over.

“Can I help?” Jess asked.

Linc closed his eyes, but it did nothing to block out the image of Jess’s red lips forming those words.

Lipstick should be outlawed, especially when it came to Jess. Her blonde hair, red lips, and green dress today had been a lethal combination.

“Probably don’t want to mess up that outfit.”

Really, he hoped she listened to reason because he wanted to see her in that dress again someday.

She crossed her legs at the ankles. “Can I get a ride home when you get finished?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” She sighed. “I hate standing around. Are you sure I can’t do something to help?”

“Let me get this oil draining, and we’ll go. In the meantime, you can just stand there and look pretty.”

Jess gave a sarcastic laugh. “That’s rich.”

“Think of it as helping with minimal effort or expense.”

“That’s the definition of not helping at all,” Jess said.

Linc lifted the wrench, unscrewed the oil filter, and positioned the pan to catch the old oil.

Jess cleared her throat. “What do guys like on a date?”

“Wha–” Linc raised his head, banging it on the frame rail.

“You okay under there?” she asked.

Stars sparkled at the edges of his vision. What was he doing here? Why was he under a truck?

Oh, that wasn’t the strange part.

Jess asking him for dating advice was.

The only topics that were safe to talk about were horses and the ranch. He avoided everything else like the plague, hoping to spare himself from this conversation specifically.

He might not be boyfriend material, but he didn’t want to hear about Jess’s dating life.

“Fine.” He rubbed the spot on the side of his head and slid out from beneath the truck.

There she was. Jess Patton, looking like the woman of his dreams in a dress that hugged all of her curves.

She reached out a hand, and he took it. He gave one little pull, and she came tumbling down from her pedestal atop the sparkly heeled shoes.

Jess landed on his chest, pushing him back onto the creeper.

She stared down at him, and her hair fell in a wall beside them.

“Oops,” she said, shrugging one shoulder.

Linc didn’t dare move. Even taking a breath was out of the question.

His arm was wrapped around her waist. How’d that get there?