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“You have a nice place here, Sam.”
“Thank you.” He cocked an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t want a job as a waitress, would you?”
Tori laughed. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m just passing through town.”
“Where you headed?”
She didn’t know. “Nowhere in particular. I’m just driving.”
“She’s got some nice wheels, too,” Nate said. “A ’66 Corvette. Red.”
“No way.” Sam laughed. “I had a Vette years ago, but mine was a black Stingray.”
“And you let it go?” Nate asked, amazed.
“Let’s just say it’s one of the things my ex-wife decided she couldn’t live without.” Sam shook his head. “A woman has no business coming between a man and his car. Stay single, son, and you don’t have to worry about those kinds of problems.”
Tori absently rubbed her ring finger, now minus the large diamond Jed had given her. She didn’t want to be accused of theft, so she’d taken the time to overnight the engagement ring back to him, along with a short note telling Jed to go to hell. She wanted nothing from either man, Jed or J.C.
Just then the door to the café opened and Ernie came in, dressed in his grease-stained overalls. “Ms. Sheridan,” he called.
Tori got up and met the thirtysomething mechanic halfway across the café, holding her breath, hoping that whatever was wrong with her car, it could be fixed cheaply.
“My suspicions were right,” he began. “It’s the rear end.”
Ernie had warned her earlier if that was the problem it wouldn’t be easily solved or inexpensive. “It’s going to be expensive,” she sighed.
He nodded. “That and it’s hard to find parts. Plus, it takes a lot of hours to put it back together.”
Great. What did she do now? Go crawling back to J. C. Sheridan? No way, even if she had to sell the car.
“Can you quote me a price?” she asked.
Ernie pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket with the estimate and handed it to her. A week ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about the staggering amount, but now… And she already owed Ernie for the time it had taken him to tear apart her car.
“Thank you, Ernie. I’ll come back with you now and pay you for your time.” She went to the counter and took money out of her purse for her tea. Nate stopped her.
“It’s on me,” he said. “Let me know if I can do anything.”
Can you come up with a miracle? she asked silently, and smiled. “Thank you, Sheriff, you’ve done a lot already.” She raised her chin and followed Ernie out the door, wondering what she could get for a broken-down Corvette.
Nate wasn’t sure if he’d ever see Tori Sheridan again, but found he was glad when he got a call from Ernie asking him to stop by.
When Nate got out of the patrol car the mechanic met him in front of the garage. “What’s the problem?” he asked.
“Problem is right,” Ernie said. “Her credit card was declined, but they also asked that it be confiscated. What do I do?”
So, Tori Sheridan might look like money, but according to her credit rating, she didn’t have any. “Did you call the credit card company?”
“Yeah, first thing.”
Nate hated to ask the next question. “Are there criminal charges against her?”
“No. They just said that Victoria Sheridan isn’t authorized to charge on the account any longer.”
Nate couldn’t help but wonder who Tori had ticked off, her husband, her boyfriend, her boss? “Then, do what you’re told. Take the card.”
Ernie looked pained at the suggestion. “But what about the car that I took apart? And what if Tori is stranded? Man, she’s such a nice lady.”
As hard as he tried, Nate hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Tori Sheridan. But he didn’t need any more on his plate right now. He had to stay focused on his job, not on the pretty stranger who’d come to town needing help. He didn’t listen to his own common sense; instead he walked into Ernie’s office to talk with Tori.
“I’ve got bad news,” Nate began. “Your credit card was declined.”
Her honey-brown eyes widened as she jumped up from the chair. “That can’t be. There’s a twenty-five-thousand-dollar credit line on that card.”
Nate couldn’t comprehend having that kind of money at hand. “Maybe I should rephrase that and say that you just aren’t authorized to use the card any longer.”
“What?” Her voice was hoarse. “No, he wouldn’t do that to me.”
His protective instincts kicked in. “You sure there isn’t anyone you can contact? Could be a phone call would straighten this out.” What man in his right mind could strand this woman without any money?
“I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction,” she said angrily, then looked at Nate. “Oh, no! I don’t have any money. Not even enough to pay Ernie.”
“Then Ernie will have to hold on to your car until you can come up with the payment.”
Tori looked embarrassed. “That’s going to take a while, but I promise I’ll get him the money.”
“I believe you. Besides, that car of yours is worth a lot more than the price of the repairs. I’m sure Ernie wouldn’t mind holding it in the shop for a week or so. Would you, Ernie?”
“Oh, no, Tori,” the mechanic said. “It’s a beautiful car. I just hope I get the chance to fix it.”
Tori nodded. “I’ll have to let you know on that.”
This was where Nate usually got himself into trouble. He’d done his duty as sheriff and helped her off the highway. He didn’t owe Victoria Sheridan any more than that.
“Do you have any idea what you’re going to do?”
“Not a clue,” she answered dejectedly. “You wouldn’t have an empty jail cell?”
“Do you have enough for bus fare home?”
Tori’s pretty eyes suddenly lost their sparkle. “That’s the last place I want to go.”
That was when an idea came to him. He excused himself and headed down the street, back to the café to have a talk with Sam.
He walked into the empty restaurant and found his friend clearing a table. “Hey, Sam, you still need a waitress?”
“You know I do,” the older man said and carried a stack of dirty plates into the kitchen. When he returned he poured two glasses of iced tea and handed one to Nate. “Why? You need to moonlight to save up more money to buy the ranch?”
Nate didn’t need to be reminded of how he’d been scraping together every dime he had to be able to bid on his old homestead.
“I don’t think I’d do well on tips,” he joked. “I’ve given too many people around here tickets. No, I have someone else in mind. What do you think about hiring Tori?”
Sam cocked an eyebrow.
“It seems her credit card got declined. She’s stranded here.”
Sam shook his head. “They see you coming, don’t they? The soft touch.”
So he’d helped a few people and gotten a reputation. “Hey, I just figured since you needed a waitress and Tori needs a job, that it would be good for the both of you. But if you’re not interested…”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. How do I know she’s reliable?”
“You don’t,” Nate answered. “You’ll have to take a chance. But what other choice do you have? There hasn’t been anyone else willing to work here.” Nate wasn’t sure that Tori wanted the job, either. “So, how ’bout it?”
Before Sam could answer, the woman in question walked through the door. She saw them at the counter and with her shoulders squared, she came toward them. “Sam, do you have a pay phone I can use?”
“In back, next to the rest rooms.”
Nate waited until she walked off. “Well, do you want a waitress or not?”
Sam breathed a long sigh. “I guess I could give her a try.”
Nate wasn’t finished, and he wondered if his next favor would push their friendship too far. “What do you say about letting Tori stay in the room upstairs?”
Sam didn’t say a word for a long time, then grinned. “Man, she’s really gotten to you. Sure, why not? If anything, I’d like to have her hang around just to see what develops between the two of you.”
Nate got up. “Nothing. I’d do the same for anyone.”
“I know. That’s your problem, Nate. You give to everyone. When are you going to learn to take?”
Nate froze. He’d learned all right. And he’d been paying for his selfishness ever since. “I will when I get the ranch back.”
Tori stood in front of the black pay phone for a long time. She didn’t want to call her father, but what choice did she have now? If she had thought this through before leaving town she wouldn’t be in this mess. She didn’t have her ATM card with her, and besides she was already sharing a joint account with Jed. The one credit card that had been in her small evening bag was the corporate one. Her other bank cards were at home and there was no way to get to them. And if she called the credit card company it would take too long to issue her a new one. So she had no choice but to call J.C. She had picked up the phone and begun to dial when she heard her name called out.
She turned to see Nate Hunter walking toward her. His large frame easily filled the narrow hallway. He looked intimidating in his khaki sheriff’s uniform, but his authoritative demeanor actually made her feel safe.
“I think I may have a solution to your problem,” he said.
It would take a lot to solve her problems, but she hung up the phone. “Did you find a bag of money in my car?”
He smiled and tiny lines crinkled around his silver eyes. Her stomach suddenly did a somersault. She doubted it had anything to do with being hungry.
“I wish. As he mentioned before, Sam needs a waitress for the morning shift.”
Tori blinked. A waitress? She’d never waited tables. “I don’t have any experience.”
“Sam’s willing to give you a try. And I hear the tips are pretty good.”
Tori felt her insecurities surface but she pushed them aside. Heck, she’d never worked for anyone besides her father. Waitressing had to be easier than working for J.C. “It sounds wonderful, and thank you, Sheriff.”
“Please, call me Nate.”
“Thank you, Nate, but I don’t have a place to stay and no money…”
“That’s not a problem, either.” His smile widened into a grin and she could barely manage her next breath. What was wrong with her? Just days ago she had planned to marry Jed.
“If you’re not too particular about the decor,” he began, “Sam says you can stay in the room upstairs. Then you can work and save up enough money to pay Ernie for your car and parts. I’m sure he’ll let you make payments.”
Tori had trouble handling all this kindness, these people who would accept a stranger into their town, into their homes. She blinked back tears of emotion. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I think yes is a good start.”
“Yes, I’ll do it. I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”
The sheriff stepped closer. “I can think of one way.”
She managed to swallow the dryness in her throat, almost afraid to ask. “What is that?”
“Let me drive your car once it’s fixed.”
She found herself laughing for the first time in days. “You got yourself a deal. And Sam’s got himself a waitress.”
Chapter Two
Fighting back a gasp, Tori glanced around her temporary home. The sheriff hadn’t lied when he’d said the room wasn’t much to look at. The walls were dingy beige and the floor was a worn vinyl covered partly by a mud-brown throw rug. At least there was a bed, or more accurately a frame and mattress.
Next to the only window sat a scarred dresser layered with several coats of paint, the last a pea-green. Along the far wall were several boxes labeled as restaurant supplies.
“What have I gotten myself into?” she breathed as she eyed the mass of cobwebs along the ceiling. Just then her appraisal was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
With a loud knock, Nate Hunter walked through the door. He nodded in greeting and held up her small suitcase. “I thought you might need this.”
Tori doubted her honeymoon trousseau would be practical for her stay in Haven. She blushed, recalling the skimpy silk-and-satin unmentionables that filled the bag, guaranteed to lure any man into her bed. Just days ago, Tori had had plans to seduce her new husband in the tropical island of Kauai, Hawaii.
Now, the only ideas she had for her ex-fiancé could get her arrested. And Jed wasn’t worth it. Tori bit back her anger and smiled at the sheriff. “Thank you. It’s not much, but it’s all I have.” With her quick departure and limited funds, she’d only managed a little clothes shopping at the discount stores.
“You’re welcome.” He glanced around the room. “Oh, boy, it’s worse than I remembered.”
Tori wanted to agree, but she was too grateful to have a place to stay.
“It’s fine,” she said. “Really, this is all I need. Besides, Sam has been nice enough to let me stay here. With a little cleaning…”
“It will still look bad,” Nate said ruefully.
Tori remained silent as she glanced inside the tiny bathroom that contained a stall shower, sink and toilet. She grimaced at the thought of the last time it had been cleaned.
Get a grip, girl. Tori looked back at the sheriff. “Like I said, a good cleaning and this will do just fine.”
