A Family for the Rugged Rancher by Donna Alward

Author:Donna Alward [Alward, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-09-07T20:00:00+00:00

The farmyard was dark except for the light Emily saw coming from the machine shed. It was past ten o’clock and still Luke hadn’t come in. He hadn’t had any supper, either. She’d waited for him long after Sam had gone to bed, finishing up the last batch of jam and leaving it to set on the kitchen counter. She couldn’t forget all that Liz had told her during their chat—and what she hadn’t.

She carried a warm plate in her hands as she crossed the gravel drive. The man had to eat something. If he wouldn’t come in, she’d take it to him.

She balanced the plate on one hand and opened the door to the shed. All that was visible of Luke as she entered was his legs. The rest of him was underneath her car. A long yellow cord disappeared along with the upper half of his body—a trouble light illuminating the dirty job of changing her oil. Clanking sounds echoed on the concrete floor as he put down the filter wrench and oil began draining into the catch pan. “Luke?”

At the sound of her voice he slid out from beneath her car, the sound of the creeper wheels grating loudly in the stillness. The rest of his legs appeared, then came his flat stomach, his broad chest and muscled arms and then his head—now devoid of hat, his hair dark with sweat in the oppressive heat of the shop. Her gaze fixed on his arms as he pushed himself up to sitting.

Emily felt a bead of perspiration form on her temple in the close atmosphere of the shop. Throughout the afternoon the heat had increased until the kids had dropped, sapped of their energy. It hadn’t let up after sundown. Even the peepers were quiet tonight, and when the creeper came to a halt, the silence in the shop was deafening.

“What are you doing with my car?”

“Changing your oil. It looked like it’d been a while.”

It had, but that wasn’t exactly the point. “I…you…” She didn’t quite know what to say that didn’t sound grouchy and angry. Especially since she was both of those things. Part of it was the heat. But a bigger part was that he’d taken it upon himself to do this without even consulting her.

“You might have asked me first.”

Luke shrugged. “It’s just an oil change, Emily.”

Pride kicked in. “And the cost of the filter, and the cost of the oil.”

“If it means that much to you, I’ll deduct it from your pay.”

Her hand shook beneath the warm dinner plate. She didn’t want to lose any of her precious paycheck right now. And if she were to lose any of it, she should be the one to say where it went.

“That really wasn’t on my list of things to do with my first check, Luke.” She was trying—and failing—to keep a quiver out of her voice. “It’s been a long time since I had my own pay. I’d like to be the one to decide what happens to it.

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