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“Thank you, Connor,” she said softly. “You’ve gone above and beyond, you really have.”

He watched her move behind his cluttered desk and sink down into the chair, reaching for a pen, before he pulled away and closed the door behind himself.

Connor had always been a sucker for a woman in need, but Olivia Grant was different. She probably didn’t need him as much as he thought, but there was something about the expression in her eyes. There was a reserve there, like she’d seen what life had to offer and she expected nothing more. She didn’t seem depressed, exactly, just… resigned. It was strange. It was like the world had battered her, and it was what she expected.

Connor couldn’t remember ever meeting a more intriguing woman, though. She was delicate and reserved, but there was a core of strength to her that would not give.

He headed out into the empty truck bay, but there was nothing pressing that needed done. The entire team had already done all the prep work and cleaning before the festival, so there was little to occupy him. There was always paperwork, but she was in his office…

Heading to the locker room, he changed into a pair of shorts and a soft gray t-shirt. He’d lift some weights or something while he waited for her.

CHAPTER 4

Olivia hung up the phone, frustrated to hell. Gathering up her stack of post-it notes, she left Connor’s office in search of him. Maybe if she could get her clothes and take a decent shower, she wouldn’t feel so grumpy.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she shook her head in surprise. She’d been in there bitching and finagling for the past hour and a half, and it didn’t seem to have gotten her anywhere. As sympathetic as the insurance representative was, she couldn’t make a rental car materialize out of thin air. The Lockhart BBQ Fest struck again. Even the representative had mentioned it, and that she’d love to bring her husband down.

The woman promised to put feelers out for a rental at the other agencies, but no guarantees. The dealership where they’d taken her wrecked Highlander didn’t have any courtesy vehicles either. Apparently, the crash she’d been in had affected almost fifteen other drivers, so the cars were gone. The world was conspiring against her.

Then the world gave her a gift. She found Connor working out in a gym on the other side of the open bay garage. There was a discarded t-shirt on the floor near the bench press where he was doing reps. For the first time in a very long time, she just stopped and stared at a beautiful working form. His chest was deep and strong, the pectorals delineated, and it glistened with a light sheen of sweat as he breathed between his reps. Dark chest hair narrowed into a line down the center of his stomach, then beneath the elastic band of his shorts, teasing her.

Men hadn’t held much appeal for her for a long time. She’d dated, but it hadn’t been a priority in her life. She was content being alone. Every once in a while, she found herself wondering about more, though. Couples around her intrigued her, because she couldn’t imagine being vulnerable to anyone. At least not the way they seemed to be. She’d worked years to be this self-sufficient.

Her body craved closeness, though, and as she watched Connor work out, a low heat built in her belly. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man, and here was a handsome one, plunked right in front of her.

Well, it didn’t matter, anyway. Between her head and her bruised ribs, she wouldn’t be doing any sexual gymnastics soon.

Connor glanced back and caught her staring at him. He replaced the bar and rolled up from the bench, his abs tight. Then he crossed over to her, loose hipped. “Did you get resolution on anything?”

She pursed her lips. “Not really. Only that I wasn’t the only one affected by the crash and that resources were tapped out.”

He frowned and grabbed a towel laying on a bench. “Yeah, I kind of wondered about that. We’re not a big town, and that crash yesterday called on all of our services. We even had adjoining counties respond to transport the injured to the hospital.”

She crossed her arms across her belly. “And the driver of the truck?”

A hard glint flashed through Connor’s eyes. “Oh, Jack is fine. As he has been every other time he’s crashed while he was drunk. I talked to the sheriff, and apparently Jack didn’t see that traffic was coming to a stop at the light, so he plowed through everyone. He’s in jail, and already been denied bond.”

Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “He’s driven drunk before?”

Connor nodded once, swiping the towel over his face. “Yes, a couple of times. He doesn’t care what suspension or fine the judge hands down. This time, though, he’ll be doing serious jail time for killing that woman. Her name was Evelyn Ritchie, by the way, and her daughter Jessamy is doing fine. They still can’t find family, though.”

Olivia winced, wishing she was a stronger woman and it didn’t hurt so much to hear that. Jessamy. What a beautiful name for a precious baby. She hoped she thrived and overcame this horrible tragedy. And she hoped the family was located soon. The thought of a baby being in the hospital with no one to rock her or love her… It was one thing for a grown woman, an entirely different thing for a baby.

“Hopefully he roasts in there,” she murmured, anger rolling through her. If the man had gotten away with it that many times, he needed to be put away and forgotten about. Innocent lives had been changed forever because of him.

Sighing, she moved to the bench where the towel had been resting and sank down, tired and sore to the bone. “The only bright spot is that the clinic where I’m supposed to be working is having issues of its own. They had a water main break two mornings ago, and they appreciate adjusting the schedule a bit. I was supposed to report in two days. Now I have a week. And I’m supposed to call them first before I go down to make sure they’re open. The apartment where I’m staying is above the clinic itself, and the source of the line break.”

His lips tilted up in a smile, and she wondered what he was thinking right then. Was he happy that she had more time? She wasn’t oblivious. She’d felt his eyes on her several times, and she had a feeling he was attracted to her, though Heaven knew why. She was a beat-up mess. Well, he was a firefighter. Maybe that’s what he went in for, damsels in distress.

“So, I realize you letting me stay here was an emergency situation. I promise I will move to a hotel as soon as possible.”

He waved a hand. “I’m not worried about it. The guys will be back on-station in a few days, some of them. And the rest Monday. Even at full staff, we will still have room for you in this big place, so you don’t have to feel displaced.”

Appreciation rolled over her. He had really gone out of his way for a crash victim. “Do you bring a lot of strays home?”

He chuckled, the sound deep and mellow. “No. I have to admit, you’re the first.”

“I feel flattered…”