LITMIR.BIZ

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regret tumbled through her and she had to face the fact that she really didn’t want to go anywhere, least of all home, where she’d have nothing more to do than think about the job she’d lost and face her housemate’s endless supply of cheer.

      And to tell the truth, she wanted to talk to Ryan. She wanted to know what he’d been up to for the past near-decade and find out what kind of life he lived, what had happened with him and Sarah and the family they’d started.

      Just simple curiosity. That was all.

      Ryan’s face fell, but he nodded. “That’s fine. I understand. I’ve got to...get back to my hotel and work on a few things. Make some calls.”

      “You’re not staying with your parents?” she asked. She’d just assumed they were the reason for his visit. Why else would he be back in town?

      Darkness fell over his eyes, but he blinked it away in an instant. Katie had caught it, though, and she wanted to know what it meant.

      “No,” he said, his tone strange. “No, I’m not. I don’t...see much of them anymore...at least not my dad. Not since I left.”

       They weren’t the only ones you left.

      “Okay, well—”

      “It was nice to see you, Katie. It really was. I hope it’s not the last time.”

      She tried to keep her face neutral, but was pretty sure a funny look escaped. It was an odd thing for him to say, but then the past half hour had been odd; her whole day had been odd. This was just another slice of crazy to add to the pie.

      She gave him a small grin and held up her palm in a wave before heading to her truck. Somehow she managed to unlock the door and get inside, but it wasn’t until she reached to put her seat belt on that she realized her hands were shaking. She leaned forward until her head rested against the steering wheel, where she stayed until her whole body ceased its trembling and she could breathe again.

      She put her key in the ignition and turned it, but the result she got was definitely not the one she expected.

      Katie tried again, but all that came out of the engine was a sputtering cough.

      “All right, old man. Don’t do this to me. Not today.”

      She gave it another go and heard the same thing; the engine turned over, but it wouldn’t start.

      “Okay, please?” she begged, trying a different tactic. Maybe if she talked a little sweeter to it, the old hunk of metal would do as she asked, which really wasn’t a whole lot, considering its job description.

      She gave a loud groan and slammed her fists against the dashboard, throwing a fit like the smaller children sometimes did at the museum. She was about to try one more time when a sound interrupted her—a soft knock on her windshield.

      Ryan.

       Great.

      Now she could add being a damsel in distress to her list of experiences. October 15 was turning out to be a very bad day indeed. If this kept up, it wouldn’t hold the position of her favorite month much longer.

      He motioned for her to roll down her window. That little maneuver hadn’t been possible for a year or so, so she opened the door instead.

      “Need some help?” he asked.

      “Maybe...possibly. I don’t know.” She threw her hands up in the air.

      Why did he look...pleased?

      He gave her an utterly charming smile and she wanted to hit him.

      “Jump out. Let me have a look,” he instructed, and once again, she obeyed. She would really have to stop doing that... He didn’t deserve it.

      Once she’d hopped down, Ryan reached inside the truck and found the lever that opened the hood. He walked over and propped it open, bending to peer inside. She really wished he hadn’t done that, because her eyes immediately latched on to his backside, which was even better than she remembered—a fact she would never, ever tell him.

      After only a few minutes of poking around, Ryan pulled his head out from under the hood and faced her. A few streaks of grease tattooed his hands, which did nothing to make him look worse. “Your piston rings are worn,” he said, looking a little too smug for his own good. “We’ve got to get you some new ones.”

      Katie ran a hand through her still-pinned-up hair, which had probably started to resemble a toilet brush by then. “How long will that take?” she asked, glancing down at her watch. Even though she wasn’t going to be working at the museum much longer, Katie still had a job to do. She was determined to make this Pumpkin Festival the best the town had ever seen—even if it was the last. Especially if it was the last. And she had some shopping to do the next day and...oh, jeez...what if something happened, what if there was more wrong with her truck than Ryan had already discovered? She needed it to pull the trailer for the hayride Friday night.

      “Well, that depends, Katydid.”

      She pretended to ignore the old nickname that made her pulse kick up its pace.

      “On what?”

      “On whether or not they have the right kind of rings at that piddly old shop on Main.”

      She glared at him.

      Peach Leaf had always been too small for Ryan Ford.

      He’d always wanted more—a fact Katie resented for the obvious implication that Peach Leaf was a small town full of small people. Including her.

      He had always wanted to find something bigger...ever since they were kids. And she had always known he would. Even if Sarah’s unplanned pregnancy hadn’t separated him and Katie, something else eventually would have.

      She would do well to remind herself of that the next time he bent over to check her truck’s engine.

      “All right, well. Let me make a call and see if they have what I need.” She reached inside the truck for her purse. “Maybe if they do, they can send someone over here with it.”

      “Nonsense,” Ryan said.

      “Huh?”

      He rolled his eyes. “That’s not necessary. You’re obviously—” he raised a hand to gesture in the general area of her stomach “—in no condition to wait out here for someone from the shop. October or not, it’s too hot for you to sit around outside. I’ll take you over there. If they have the parts, we can pick them up and bring them back here. You have tools, don’t you?”

      She glanced up at him and nodded. He was serious. He really planned to take her to the store. “I don’t know what you’re here for or what your schedule is, but I really doubt it includes taking me over to Main Street to buy truck parts.”

      Ryan’s jaw tightened. “You always did have trouble accepting favors.”

      “And you had trouble sticking around.” The ugly statement was out before she could censor it, and Katie slapped a hand over her mouth. It might be true, but that didn’t mean it was okay to speak out loud. Her words were harsh and hateful, and she instantly regretted their escape.

      The hurt she’d caused passed quickly behind Ryan’s eyes and then it was gone, but his tone became detached, cold. “Just let me take you to the store, Katie. I’ll help you fix your truck and then I’ll leave you alone. How’s that?”

      It should have been fine. It should have been exactly what she wanted to hear. She’d been curious about what had become of Ryan Ford many times over the years. Of course she had. She’d wanted to know about his life. What kind of job he had. Where he lived. Did he stay married to Sarah...and how was the child the two had made together? But now that she’d seen him—without a wedding ring, she noticed, and looking quite well—it should have been enough to let him go permanently. He’d obviously been fine without her all this time, hadn’t he? Of course he had been, or

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