Three Rules I’d Never Break by Remi Carrington

Chapter 12

The next morning, I showed up at the bakery bright and early. “Good morning.”

Tessa wiped her hands on her apron. “Someone is in a good mood.”

“Eli and I talked”—I gestured air quotes—“last night. Twice. He’s been texting all week. He asked about my house. Did you tell him I was building?”

“I did not. Eli doesn’t mention you when we hang out. If I bring up the topic, he goes silent. So no, I haven’t told him you’re building a house.”

“He drove by when I was out there one day. Maybe he saw me.” I couldn’t wait to chat with him again.

Tessa filled a coffee mug. “He called you?”

“Texted. He’s much more talkative with his fingers than he is with his tongue.” I could feel my cheeks heating. “I’m glad no one else is here yet. That sounds horrible without context.”

“Even with context, it’s odd.” She laughed. “Big plans this evening?”

“I’m going to a puppy adoption. Since the house isn’t quite ready, I can’t get one yet. But . . .” I shrugged.

She knew I was eager to move into my new place. “But it doesn’t stop you from looking.”

“Exactly. I am so ready for a fuzzy friend. And I think having a dog will be good. For safety.”

“Unless you get a tiny dog. They aren’t much help warding off bad guys.”

“Have you met any chihuahuas?” I didn’t want that kind of dog. “I’m hoping to get a medium-sized dog. Well, a puppy that will grow into a medium-sized dog. I love the ones that you see on fox hunts. I don’t even know what they’re called. But I’m going to see if I can find a puppy to adopt. Because those little guys need homes.”

“That’s sweet.” She tapped on her phone.

I made an effort not to look at her screen. “Eli?”

“He hasn’t called this morning. Usually, he calls before he gets off so that I can have his breakfast bagged up and ready.”

“Is that your way of warning me that he might not be coming?”

“I wasn’t subtle enough?” She patted my hand before waving at the firemen walking in. “Morning, guys. What can I get ya?”

While she was busy getting the hungry firefighters their pastries, I headed to the door. Eli wasn’t going to stop by, and Tessa was busy.

As I pushed open the door, Joji walked up, a bright smile lighting up her face. “Delaney! How are you this morning?”

She was close to Cami and came into the doughnut shop often. Joji also frequented my store regularly.

“Pretty good. How’s the goat farm?”

“Exciting as always. Listen, are you busy tonight? Clint is getting together with Beau, Mad Dog, and Jeffrey. Poker, I think. Anyway, you should come over. I’ll be bored otherwise.” She nodded toward the counter. “Want to join me for a doughnut?”

I wasn’t opposed to having more coffee and eating another doughnut. “Sure.”

The invitation had me curious. I knew Joji a little, but not well. So being invited over was unexpected. Joji and Cami, however, were tight as thieves.

My gut said that fact had something to do with the invitation. Knowing Cami’s latest quest, I figured it had to do with Eli. But I couldn’t figure out the connection.

Eli seemed to know almost everyone in town, so maybe he was friends with Joji. Was she planning to have us both over?

That would be a quiet evening . . . if he even stayed.

“Sure to which part, hun?” The petite woman held open the door.

“Both.”

“Wonderful.” She glanced at the parking lot. “Grab that table by the window. My sweetie is going to stop by, and I want to keep an eye out.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

Laughter bubbled out of her. “You aren’t. He won’t stay long. When he runs into town on my café days, he stops in. I think it’s because he misses me.” She tousled her red curls. “He likes me. That’s why I married the man.”

She made it sound so simple. I could only hope I’d find that kind of love.

* * *

Givingmyself a lecture about not getting a puppy before the house was ready, I walked into the pet store. I could only stay a few minutes if I was going to arrive at Joji’s on time.

Strolling past the kittens, I headed straight for the dogs. As always, there were very few puppies.

“Are you interested in adopting a dog?” A young woman grinned from a nearby table.

“Very, but I’m waiting until I move out of my tiny place. I can’t have a pet there. But I really want a puppy.” I continued scanning the cages.

In the very last cage, the one next to the volunteer’s table, was the puppy of my dreams. I hurried as my resolve crumbled. How hard would it be to keep a puppy in the store?

Extremely difficult. But if I waited, someone would snatch up my puppy. “But for this little guy, I am going to change my whole plan. I’ll find a way to make it work. What paperwork do I have to sign?”

Tessa would give me grief for getting a dog before the house was ready, but the way she laughed whenever I talked about stopping at an adoption made me think she half expected it.

“I’m sorry. This little guy was adopted earlier today.” She flashed an apologetic smile.

“But he’s here.”

Who adopted a dog and left without it?

She put her hand up, blocking the side of her face nearest the cage. “He has an appointment the week after next to be neutered. The dog, not the new owner. The new owner will pick his puppy up after that.”

“Poor little guy. I hope you’ll be going home with someone amazing.” I squatted in front of the cage. “Because you’re adorable.”

The woman bit her lower lip, then leaned forward. “Just between you and me, the guy definitely qualifies as amazing. Shoot, if he’d asked, I would’ve gone home with him. Hopped right into the back of his pickup.” She winked. “If you know what I mean.”

I laughed out of sheer politeness. What did I care that the puppy would have a hot owner? “Thank you for your help.”

“Have a nice evening.” She walked over to a woman looking at the cats.

After trudging out to the car, I called Tessa. “I found the perfect puppy. He was exactly what I was wanting.”

“So you got a dog?” She laughed.

“No.” I sniffled for added effect. “Someone already adopted him. They just couldn’t take him home until after his surgery. The new owner is probably some pickup-driving hick who only wants the dog for hunting. The poor dog will have to sleep outside and eat stale dog food.” There was a chance I was overreacting to not getting the puppy.

“The poor puppy will have such a horrible life.” Tessa didn’t bother to stifle her giggle. “Need to come over and indulge in ice cream?”

“I would, but Joji invited me over. It was kind of out of the blue, and I’m curious about why she asked. She seems fun though.”

“She’s awesome. I love her. Have fun.” Tessa ended the call without another word.

I stared at the phone. “That was weird. Bye, Tessa. Have a good evening. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.” Talking to myself made me look crazy.

I tossed the phone into the cup holder and headed to Joji’s farm. Thankfully, I knew where I was going. When Cami lived in the trailer on the goat farm, Tessa and I sometimes spent evenings there.

After rolling through the gate, I eased up the road toward the main house and sucked in a breath when I saw Eli’s truck parked in front of the trailer.

He’d switched places with Cami.

Since he lived here on the goat farm, maybe I’d see him tonight. My toes tingled at the thought. Then my whole body tingled when I remembered our kiss. Cool it, Carter.

Fanning myself, I walked toward Joji’s door. I raised my hand to knock but took an extra second to look back toward the trailer. That’s when I noticed the open garage.

A car—no idea what kind—had its hood open, and my favorite deputy was leaning into the engine.

The air out here was definitely warmer.

Had Joji noticed me standing on her porch? I dropped my hand, trying to decide what to do. I could say a quick hello to Eli before going inside, or I could come back outside after going inside and chatting with Joji. But as soon as I knocked, I’d lose the element of surprise.

I tiptoed off the porch, past the chicken coop, and up to the garage. Country tunes rang out from a speaker sitting next to his phone.

Tessa had mentioned that Eli liked cars, but she’d failed to mention that he knew how to work on them.

This was kind of hot. All kinds of hot. Who knew?

“Will you hand me that wrench from the top of the tool chest?” Eli still had his head inside the engine.

Assuming the giant red metal drawer unit was the tool chest, I picked up the tool off the top. It looked like a wrench. “Here.”

“Thanks, Delaney.” He stuck his hand out, and I laid it in his palm. “Did Boingo leave?”

“Boingo?”

“The goat. He likes to hang around when I’m working on the car.”

“I don’t see him.” I glanced around. “Why? Did you expect him to hand you the tool?”

Eli laughed. “He can’t tell a wrench from a hammer. But I figured you’d give me what I needed.”

“How’d you know . . . never mind. Is this yours or are you helping a friend?”

“It’s mine.”

Snapping a picture was oh so tempting. This view would make a great background image for my phone. Or a poster for my wall. The muscles in his arms were visible where his t-shirt stretched over his biceps. And those jeans.

He cursed as metal clanked, and a small piece skittered across the floor.

“I’ll get it.” I kept my focus on the bolt—or was that part the nut—as I walked around the car. Leaning down, I had to stretch to reach it. “Got it.”

He opened his hand.

Standing beside him, I made sure my fingers touched his skin when I placed the nut—pretty sure that was what this was called—in his palm.

He grunted, which I assumed was another version of thank you.

For a full minute the only sounds in the garage were his tools clinking in the engine and my heart thumping. I stayed beside him, looking into the engine.

I couldn’t tell one part from the other. Collectively, it was an engine. I’d never bothered to learn about the different parts.

If this was how he spent his off hours, I wanted to learn more about cars. Hopefully, the internet had easy to understand training videos I could watch. Of course it did. The internet had everything.

I inched closer to him. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get it to run.” He bumped me with his hip.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll get out of your way.” I moved away.

He chuckled but didn’t stand up. “You weren’t in my way.”

I eased up beside him again. “So, is that other car yours too?”

“The classic Mustang?” He pulled his head out of the engine and smiled down at me. “That’s Joji’s.”

“There you are! I thought I saw you on my porch.” Joji materialized out of nowhere as if her name had beckoned her, and behind her, a goat came running up.

It wasn’t that I was unhappy to see Joji, but well, I had forgotten she existed. “Sorry. I saw Eli working and thought I’d say hi.”

“Oh! You know each other? That’s perfect. I hate to be rude, but I need to run over to the ranch. Out here there is never a dull moment. I shouldn’t be too long.” She turned her focus to Eli. “Will you look after my guest? There are snacks on the counter. Help yourself.” She petted a dog that trotted up beside her. “Bones, you listen to Eli. Boingo”—she waggled a finger at the goat—“you better behave. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Eli nodded. “Sure thing.”

Pulling keys out of her pocket, she winked. “Have fun!”

Once her truck was out of view, I turned back toward Eli. “I didn’t know you lived here.”

“Now you do.” Looking down at his hands, he gave a small shrug. “Let me get cleaned up a bit, then we can go inside.”

I was liking this cozy little scene in the garage with the radio playing, a welcome breeze keeping the temps in check, and Eli showing off some of his talent.

Trailing a finger down his arm, I stepped closer to him. “Don’t stop working on my account. I can be quiet while you work or . . . I can be helpful maybe.”

One side of his mouth lifted, resulting in a rather delicious smirk. “Quiet and helpful?”

“Whatever.” I treated him to an eyeroll. “Tell me about your car.”

He continued wiping his hands. “Delaney, you don’t have to—”

“Are you going to make me Google the name and read about it?” I slipped my phone out of my back pocket before strolling to the back of the car. “First, I need to see the logo so I can search up what kind of car. Pretty car. It has nice lines.”

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching me.

“Datsun. Never heard of it.”

“You really want to know?” He tossed the rag aside.

Nodding, I walked back to him. “I’m interested.” Very interested.

The man surely knew that by now.

“They stopped putting the Datsun name on cars before you were born. At least here in the US. This is a 1971 Datsun Z series.” He smiled at the car. “It’s all original except for aftermarket air conditioning. Manual with an inline six and seventy-seven thousand original miles. It sat in someone’s garage for years, and it needs work before there’s any hope of getting it on the road.”

“Inline six?”

“Six-cylinder. The inline indicates the type of engine. My truck is an eight-cylinder V engine. Called a V-8. The cylinders are arranged in a V-shape with four on each side. This car has all six cylinders in one line.”

I hoped I could remember at least half of all that he was telling me. “What are you doing to the car?” I stepped closer to the engine and stuck my head under the hood.

Eli leaned on the car with one arm on each side of me. And for the next little while, he walked me through all the work he’d done and then what was left to be done.

I tried to pay attention even though most of what he talked about sounded like a foreign language. Also distracting was the fact that he smelled like car grease and sage and citrus. Very masculine. Not the least bit unpleasant. I never thought I’d say that about car grease. When Tennessee Whiskey started playing on the radio, I was in real danger of overheating.

He rested his chin on my shoulder. “Anything else you want to know?”

Plenty, but changing the pace might break the magic spell. “I had no idea you were so good with your hands.” Hearing the words out loud, I cringed. That sounded entirely different than the way I’d intended. Heat spread across my cheeks. “I didn’t mean—”

He patted my hip. “I know.”

Eli was my lesson in patience. We were completely alone with a romantic song playing on the radio, but he showed no inclination of backing me against the wall and kissing me until there was no breath left in my lungs. I might’ve dreamt about that a time or two.

Instead, he tugged me back before slamming the hood closed. “Let’s eat.”

Joji had been gone a while, and no part of me thought it was a coincidence that she’d had to leave. Maybe this had been her plan all along.

I liked Joji even more now.

We walked toward the house, and I not-so-inadvertently bumped my hand against his.

He grinned but didn’t grab my hand. When we reached the steps to the porch, he motioned for me to go first.

An engine rumbled behind me. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Joji beamed as she climbed out of her truck.

Eli hovered a hand near the small of my back. “Good timing. We were just about to eat.”

I inched back a hair, and the warmth of his hand seeped all the way to my soul. He glanced down at me, that same grin showing up again. If he was interested, why wouldn’t he indicate that with more than a grin? It required every last ounce of my patience not to kiss him again.

Inside, a colorful charcuterie board sat on the counter. Meats, cheeses, bread and crackers were nestled beside sauces and fruits.

“Joji, this looks amazing.” I picked up a plate.

Eli pointed at a soft cheese. “Joji makes that goat cheese. It’s really good.”

After I filled my plate, he piled his with food. When I sat down, he sat next to me.

Joji joined us. “How’s business?”

One conversation led to another, and we talked for over an hour. By we, I mean Joji talked, and I talked. Eli only added a word here and there.

* * *

After sayinga gushing thank you and goodbye to Joji, I walked out the door with Eli right behind me.

As I walked up to my car, he stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

“This was fun. I enjoyed hearing about your car.”

He nodded and glanced at the garage.

“Well, you have my number.” That was obvious.

“I do.” He grinned, then opened my door. “Drive safe.”

That wasn’t exactly how I hoped the evening would end.

With stars twinkling, I drove home, determined to be patient. Eli wasn’t exactly demonstrative, but the small things he did spoke volumes. I’d focus on those things and wait for him to contact me.

My phone buzzed as I walked into the store.

The door locked?Eli was thinking about me.

I bolted the door, snapped a pic, and sent it to him. Safe and secure.

How long would I have to wait until I heard from him again?