Overdrive by Juanita Kees

Author:Juanita Kees
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781949068399
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2018-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Charlie added the finishing touches to the stallion’s mane that flared out across the hood of Carter’s newly finished pickup and tried not to daydream about kissing Chase last night. But, oh boy, could the man kiss. She touched a hand to her lips.

They’d talked. About her future, her plans, and the inevitable arrival of reality in town. With all her secrets out in the open, she could rebuild, prepared to continue the fight for her daughter. She still had so much to fix within herself before she could face her family.

A shadow fell over the hood, blurring the line she followed with her brush. Lifting it so she didn’t smudge the paint, she looked up to find Marty watching her, hands on his hips, a slight tremor running through the muscles of his arms. She’d noticed the tremors had gotten worse since she’d arrived. How long before the disease stole his movement, his dignity?

“Looking good, girl. Carter’s gotta be happy with that.”

Charlie stepped back to admire her work, a stab of pride warming her blood. She’d put her heart and soul into this job, just as she had put everything into the new design she hoped would one day go on Mason’s pickup. “You like it?”

“I darn well love it. You’ve got talent, girl.”

She let the praise flow over her, inhaled it, embraced it. “Thank you, Marty.”

The old man flicked an imaginary speck of dust off his sleeve. “You look so much like your mother. The way she was in the early days.”

“I hadn’t realized how much until you showed me the photograph. She’s changed since then.” When had the light gone from her eyes?

“She was a beauty. Crowned Miss Florida way back when she was just eighteen.”

“Really?” Charlie raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t known, had never seen any evidence of it either in trophies or photographs.

Marty leaned lightly on the fender and ran his hand over the smooth cream duco. “Your father snapped her up right out from under the noses of his rivals.” He shook his head. “She changed after that. I guess she had to when your father made it big on the track.”

“You were a big name too. I’ve seen photos of you on the podium.”

Marty grinned. “First place to his third. He hated losing. Especially to me.”

“Why is that?”

He winked. “Because I had more skill than he did, but he had old money behind him.”

That sounded exactly like her father. He believed he could buy everything. Including people and happiness. “Do you miss it, the rush, the adrenaline, the win?”

“No.” Sadness clouded his eyes. “I had a wife I hardly ever saw, children who grew up with only glimpses of me. I had a short time to enjoy them all before I had to leave again. No time at all to make a real home for them. Instead they lived in the attic above the shop while I raced cars to make money to build my dream. This.” He pressed his shaking hands into the pockets of his coveralls and looked around the garage.

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