Chapter 1
Nate
‘Yo, Nate! There’s a pretty blonde asking for you out front,’ Andreas, one of my coworkers, yells as he walks back into the garage bay. He wiggles his eyebrows at me suggestively.
‘Alright, thanks!’ I call back, sliding out from under the hood of the Mazda CX-60 I’ve been working on. Grabbing the rag I always keep handy when I’m working, I wipe the worst of the grime off my hands before heading toward the reception area. As I walk past some of the guys, they start whistling and tossing knowing looks my way. I roll my eyes at their antics, but the teasing doesn’t bother me. The moment I spot the cheerful woman waiting for me outside, a wide grin spreads across my face.
‘I just picked it up!’ Amber exclaims, her face lighting up as she proudly pats the driver’s door of the blue Toyota Corolla parked beside her.
My brother’s girlfriend had asked for my help in finding a decent second-hand car. I’d scoped out a few solid options within her budget and gone with her and Jake last weekend to check them out. Amber test-drove five different cars before settling on this one, and judging by the grin on her face now, it looks like she couldn’t be happier with her choice.
‘That’s great,’ I reply as I greet her with a kiss on the cheek.
‘I know, right!’ Amber exclaims. She’s almost bouncing up and down from excitement.
‘Absolutely, you picked a great car,’ I nod, chuckling at her enthusiasm. Then I glance around, and frown. ‘Are you alone? I thought Jake was supposed to come with you?’
‘No, he couldn’t get away. A couple of the cows started calving around the same time this morning, so it’s all hands on deck on the ranch,’ Amber explains. ‘Marjorie offered to drive me to the car dealership instead, on her way to pick up Fiona from soccer practice.’
‘That’s nice of her.’
Ray and Marjorie Jenkins are the owners of the ranch where Jake and Amber both work. Jake is the foreman on their ranch, while Amber works as a nanny to help take care of their five children. They recently moved into an apartment together on the ranch, above the stables.
‘Marjorie confessed it was mostly in her self-interest,’ Amber chuckles. ‘Now that I have my own car, I don’t always have to use their minivan if I want to take the youngest kids somewhere. Besides, I got the kids so excited about buying my own car that they wanted to see it for themselves,’ she laughs.
‘What was their verdict?’ I ask curiously.
‘Benjamin said it was fine but not very cool, Tom thought the color was kind of boring, and Violet and Olivia both agreed that it was, indeed, a car,’ Amber summarizes with a grin, clearly amused by the less-than-helpful feedback.
‘I can always pimp it up for you, if you want,’ I smirk at her. ‘Lower the bumper a little.’
‘Sure.’
‘Maybe take the roof off, turn it into a convertible.’
‘Very cool.’
‘Paint a nice dragon on the side.’
‘Great, and maybe do a unicorn on the other side, while you’re at it. That will make me very popular with Violet and Olivia,’ Amber deadpans.
‘Shall I add a flame thrower kit too?’
‘Why not. Or… and I’m just spitballing here,’ Amber says with an exaggeratedly earnest frown, ‘you could just do a regular check-up and otherwise leave my lovely new car exactly as it is?’
‘Buzzkill!’ I accuse Amber, rolling my eyes at her, pretending to be disappointed. Then we both start laughing and Amber tosses me her keys. ‘I’ll do a full check-up tomorrow night, after work,’ I promise her.
‘You know you don’t have to do that, right?’ Amber says, looking at me with a guilty expression. ‘I’m fine with paying so you can just do it during regular working hours. You already saved me money by negotiating a pretty good deal for me!’
‘Not a chance,’ I say, resolutely shaking my head at her. ‘You’re family. Family doesn’t pay for my time. I only bill you for the materials I need to replace, that’s it.’
‘You’re really sure?’
‘Consider it done,’ I tell her decisively. Then I send her a worried glance. ‘But how do you plan on getting back to the ranch without your car, now that Jake isn’t with you?’
‘Already taken care of,’ Amber reassures me with a wide smile. ‘Marjorie gave me the rest of the afternoon off, so I’m going to Hugo’s office right now. He said I could use one of his computers to work on an assignment for my Developmental Observation and Assessment class, and I’ll ride back to the house with him once he’s done working. Jake and I will have dinner with you guys, and after that we’ll drive back to the ranch in his truck. Or he’ll come pick me up later tonight, if the cows take their sweet time and he can’t make it to dinner,’ she explains triumphantly.
‘Nate? Nolan is looking for you! He needs to see you in his office,’ my coworker Jimmy yells from the entrance to our reception area.
‘I’ll be right there!’ I yell back over my shoulder. I turn back to Amber. ‘Do you need a ride to Hugo’s office? I can ask one of the guys to drop you off if you’d like, or you’re welcome to hang out in reception for a bit, so I can take you there myself once I’ve checked in with the boss,’ I offer Amber.
‘Don’t be silly, it’s just a short walk,’ Amber assures me in a sunny tone.
I guess that’s true. The big HercuStruct warehouse that holds Hugo’s office is only about a mile from here. Still, I hesitate when I glance at Amber.
‘Are you really sure you don’t want me to drive you? I don’t mind, you know.’
‘Just get your behind back to work,’ Amber laughs at me, giving my shoulder a playful shove. ‘I’m perfectly capable of walking. When should I come back to pick up my car?’
‘It depends. Are you guys coming home this weekend?’ I ask her.
‘That’s the plan,’ Amber confirms with a nod.
‘Then I’ll have Hugo drop me off here tomorrow morning, and I’ll drive your car home when I’m done checking it,’ I promise.
‘You’re the best, Nate,’ Amber sighs happily. She steps forward to give me a quick hug. ‘I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll see you at dinner!’
‘See you tonight,’ I reply, waving Amber goodbye as I walk back inside. I spot Jimmy still hanging out near the reception area. He’s chatting with our receptionist Paula and doesn’t seem to be doing anything important. ‘Jimmy, could you park the blue Corolla behind the garage for me, while I go see what Nolan wants?’ I ask him.
Nolan Crawford is the owner of the garage I work at. He’s the one who taught me a lot about mechanics when I started showing interest in working on cars as a teenager. He hired me to come work for him as soon as I got my basic certification, and he helped me get a few more specialized certifications through my job as well. I owe him quite a lot, especially since he also lets me use his garage and his tools for free outside of working hours, to work on the motorcycles I fix up as a side hustle.
‘Yeah, no problem,’ Jimmy replies.
‘Thanks, I appreciate it.’ I toss him the keys to Amber’s car and run up the stairs to Nolan’s office. I knock twice on his door and wait politely.
‘What are you waiting for, Thompson? A written invitation?’ Nolan calls me inside through the door.
‘Sorry,’ I say grinning, as I open the door, ‘I was j–’
I abruptly stop talking when I see the person sitting across from Nolan. It’s impossible not to recognize the cascading black waves of her ponytail. Not just because she’s the only female mechanic in our garage, but because Skye is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. Her skin has a permanent golden tan with a rich caramel undertone. The coverall with the auto repair shop logo she’s wearing clearly wasn’t designed for the female body, as it clings seductively to her round hips. It also hugs tightly around her chest whenever she zips it up all the way.
Today, however, she’s tied the coverall sleeves around her waist, revealing the thin black shirt she’s wearing underneath. The fabric clings lightly to her body, accentuating the graceful curve of her small, perky breasts. And yet, none of that compares to the beauty of Skye’s eyes–her most unique feature. The right one is a chestnut brown, while the left one is almost sapphire blue. They’re framed by the longest lashes imaginable. Their naturally black color makes it almost impossible to tell whether or not she’s wearing any mascara.
As always, I feel my body react the moment I spot her. I try to swallow a groan, but I’m not sure I succeed, because Skye’s shoulders tense slightly and Nolan shoots me a disapproving look. Heat creeps up my neck, and I take a seat in the only other chair available, next to Skye, feeling the tension between us.
I distinctly remember the day she came to work here, almost three months ago. I’ve never considered myself an extremely romantic person. Until that first day of February, I would have laughed at anyone who told me they believed in love at first sight. But I can’t deny that’s exactly what happened to me when I met Skye.
Nolan had just walked her into the garage to introduce her to us. The second I turned around and laid my eyes on her, it felt as if lightning struck right in my core. I swear, my heart stopped beating for a second. Skye’s features are simply striking. Her high cheekbones, the almond shape of her unique eyes, her small chin, and the slight curve of her full lips instantly replaced everything I’d previously considered beautiful in a woman.
But it wasn’t just her physical appeal that drew me in—it was something deeper. The look in her eyes, a blend of vulnerability and determination, stirred something inside me. I felt an overwhelming need to protect her, to keep her safe from whatever might hurt her. That instinct only grew stronger when I took her under my wing that first morning and showed her the ropes. It was clear she didn’t have much hands-on experience as a mechanic yet, which wasn’t surprising given she’s only twenty and had just gotten her basic certification. But what did pleasantly surprise me was how quickly she picked up on everything I explained. She wasn’t just eager to learn—she was good at it. Still, there was a certain skittishness about her that made my protective instincts flare up. Every time I saw that hesitation in her, I had to fight the urge to pull her close, to shield her from whatever had left her so wary.
By the time lunch rolled around, I had made up my mind—I was going to look out for her, no matter what. I made it crystal clear to my coworkers that there would be no hazing of Skye. She was under my protection, and anyone who gave her a hard time would have to answer to me. I may not be the toughest guy around, and I may be leaner than my older brothers, but I could definitely beat any of my coworkers if it ever came to that. The guys in the garage are well aware of this, so they all promised to back off and take it easy on her.
Skye and I continued working side by side the rest of the day. Honestly, it was the best day I’ve ever had at work—chatting together, watching her learn, seeing her confidence grow. It felt great!
One day, I had with her.
One glorious day, where I could laugh and joke with her, and I realized not only was Skye the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, but she was also sweet, cute, and downright adorable. One day, where I could fantasize about this amazing girl becoming mine. All afternoon, I debated whether or not I should ask her out. I figured it’d be best to wait a few days, maybe even weeks. Starting a new job is stressful enough, and I didn’t want to rush anything. My plan was to spend some time with her at work, help her get comfortable, and then once she had settled in and the nervousness faded, I’d ask her out.
But then, just as the day was wrapping up, her damn boyfriend showed up to pick her up.
I literally stumbled back when I saw him wrap his arm around Skye possessively and pull her towards his car. The sight fucking gutted me. And when he kissed her, sending me a territorial glare, bile rose in my throat. The way he claimed her and roughly shoved her into his car made him look like a massive jerk. I can’t help but wonder what Skye sees in a loser like that, although I’m self-aware enough to admit that my opinion of him is probably a little biased.
From that moment on, work became my own little version of hell. Normally, I’d have shrugged it off and moved on. I’d known Skye for just one day, and I’m not usually the obsessive type when it comes to women. But there’s something about her that makes it impossible for me to get her out of my head. I’ve had girlfriends before. Girls I thought I loved, even. But none of them have ever affected me like Skye does. The fact that she’s already taken makes it hard to be around her, because every time I see her, my body responds to her without fail. All I want to do is grab her, kiss her, and drag her to my bed so I can love her endlessly. But I can’t. I’ve been deliberately distant and standoffish ever since—trying to keep her at arm’s length, hoping to protect my sanity and avoid doing something stupid that I’ll regret. But it’s clear that Nolan has different plans.
