Page 7 of Cowboy’s Last Stand (His to Protect #1)

“Do you know what’s wrong with it?” she asked.

“I have a pretty good idea,” he said. She seemed kind of stressed, so he didn’t elaborate. He took a seat beside her on the porch steps. He let her drink her coffee and waited for the caffeine to kick in.

“How did you sleep?” she inquired politely.

“I got a few hours. You?”

“Same.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “Your eye looks terrible.”

He touched the tender spot.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not really.” His bruised ribs were uncomfortable, but he didn’t say that.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

She sipped her coffee. “I thought you were leaving today.”

He couldn’t tell if she was eager to get rid of him or not. “Do you want me to fix your car before I go?”

“Can you?”

“It depends.” He asked her a few diagnostic questions to narrow down the possibilities. “I think it’s the alternator belt or the alternator itself. I won’t know for sure until I remove some parts and get in there.”

“How much will it cost?”

“An alternator belt is pretty cheap. An alternator, not so much. Either way, the labor can be expensive.”

Her brow furrowed. “I can’t afford an expensive repair.”

“You’re in luck because I’ll do it for free.”

“Why?” she asked. “Why would you do that?”

He chose his next words carefully because he could tell she didn’t trust him. She was suspicious of his motives and protective of her son. She probably didn’t want his charity, either. “I like to fix things. It makes me feel… less broken.”

Her eyes softened. They were a golden-brown color, like topaz. “You’re not broken. Lost, maybe, but not broken.”

He didn’t argue. He was lost and broken, and this detour into Texas wasn’t helping. It wasn’t the salvation he’d intended it to be. Instead of facing his problems, he was avoiding them once again, digging himself in deeper.

“Are you looking for work?” she asked gently.

“Not really. I’m still enlisted.”

“You’re on leave?”

He nodded. “Until January.”

“Then what?”

“Then I report for duty at Camp Pendleton.”

“That’s in California.”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to walk there?”

He gave a wry smile. “I might.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “There’s something strange about all of this.”

Jason stayed quiet, his stomach churning.

“You showed up out of nowhere last night and overpowered three men—”

“Three drunks,” he interrupted. “And you helped.”

“One had brass knuckles.”

Jason pointed to his temple. “I remember.”

“Now you’re bringing me breakfast and offering to fix my car. Who are you, my guardian angel?”

“Hardly,” he said.

“So you aren’t doing this out of the goodness of your heart?”

She’d handed him the perfect opportunity to explain why he’d come here, but the words stuck in his throat.

What would she think of him if he told the truth?

She needed his help. He couldn’t afford to alienate her.

He also couldn’t afford to deceive her. He had to tell her something about his connection to Mike.

“I knew your husband,” he said finally.

Her face paled at the revelation. “What?”

“I knew Mike. In Afghanistan.”

“You knew Mike.”

“I knew he was killed in action.”

Tears filled her eyes, making them luminous.

“After I was injured, I thought about him a lot. Because it could have been me. Maybe it should have been me.”

She shook her head as if to clear it. “I don’t understand.”

“I wanted to come here and pay my respects.”

“You walked all the way from Montana to pay your respects to a stranger?”

Heat crept up Jason’s neck because the explanation was only half true. “I’d already planned to hike cross-country. It only took two weeks to get here from New Mexico.”

“Only?”

Jason shrugged, uncomfortable. He’d have walked to the ends of the earth for her.

“How did you find me?”

“I had Mike’s address. I was going to stop by, say my piece, and leave. But when I got here, you were driving away. I decided to keep walking, maybe come back later. I was having second thoughts, to be honest. I hadn’t called ahead, and…” He cleared his throat. “I realize this is strange.”

“Yes,” she agreed coolly. “It is.”

“I spotted your car at the bar. I thought you might be having a drink or meeting a friend. I didn’t know you worked there.”

“Why didn’t you say anything last night?”

“I should have.”

“Why didn’t you?” she repeated.

“I,” he said honestly. “When I saw you up close, I lost my head. We hit it off, and…”

“You decided to pay your respects by trying to sleep with me?”

Jason’s flush deepened. He didn’t deny that he wanted her. He couldn’t tell her how much or for how long. He couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Not now—maybe not ever. “I wanted to help you. I still do.”

She glanced at her car, speculative. “Do you think I’ll offer sex as payment?”

He kept his tone calm and even, though the accusation rankled. “No, I don’t think that. I’ve never had to pay for female company, and I’m not going to start now. If you don’t want me to fix your car, just say so.”

“I’m not refusing your help,” she said. “I’m trying to avoid a misunderstanding. Some guys can’t take no for an answer.”

He considered the point based on recent experience. She probably dealt with men like Billy every night. She had a right to be wary of anyone in her orbit and in her son’s orbit. “That’s not how I operate.”

“How do you operate?”

“With women, you mean?”

“Yes.”

Jason gave a wry smile. “It’s been so long since I’ve operated, I can’t remember.”

She arched a skeptical brow.

“I haven’t been told no very often,” he admitted.

“That I can believe.”

He pictured the pretty blonde from the bar last night. In another life, he might have gone out with her. He’d indulged in anonymous encounters in the past. Since he’d been injured, he hadn’t even tried to get lucky. He hadn’t felt whole enough to share himself with anyone else.

“Look, I’m no saint,” he said. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m interested in you, but I’ll respect your boundaries. I assure you that I can take no for an answer.”

She studied his face in silence. He was being honest about his intentions toward her, if not his reasons for being here. He wouldn’t lay a hand on her unless she wanted him to. He might be a lost soul, haunted by his past, but he wasn’t a predator.

“Will it take more than one day?” she asked finally.

“Not if I can get the right parts.”

“There’s an Auto Stop about a mile away,” she said. “We can walk there.”

Some of the tension eased from his shoulders at her acquiescence. He hadn’t earned her trust, nor did he deserve it. He hadn’t completed his mission, and he wasn’t sure he had the courage to follow through.

Although he’d been cleared to return to duty, he wasn’t ready to move on.

He needed this extra time and space to get his head together.

He needed closure. He appreciated the opportunity to do a few good deeds for Natalie Luna before he left Texas.

It felt right to offer his assistance. It felt like fate.

She happened to require a mechanic on the same day he’d arrived at her doorstep. She needed a protector too.

Maybe he was her guardian angel, after all.

Or maybe he was just a man who couldn’t face his past or tackle his future, so he’d found a lovely woman to focus on in the present.

While Natalie went inside, Jason stuck his head back under the hood. He decided to set aside the issues of fate and mental fortitude now. She’d granted him permission to fix her car, and he was thankful for the reprieve.