Loving The Country Boy (Barrett's Mill Book 4) by Mia Ross Read Free Book Online Page B

Cambridge.
    “Great. I’ll take a look at them when I get back.”
    They settled the bill and Paige helped her lug everything outside. When she got a look at Tess’s wheels, she laughed. “This truck’s like a hot potato in your family, isn’t it?”
    “I guess it is,” she agreed. “As long as Heath can keep it running, anyway.”
    “He’s notorious around here. There’s not a girl within fifty miles who could walk past that man and not take a second look.”
    Did he look back? Tess wondered before she could stop herself. They barely knew each other, so it was absolutely none of her business who he admired or ignored. She wasn’t normally the jealous type, so her reaction made no sense whatsoever. Then again, so little in her life made sense these days, she’d kind of gotten used to it.
    “Is that right?” she asked to be polite.
    “Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Paige added hastily. “He’s a great guy, but we’re more like cousins than anything. But if he ever took it into his head to change that, he wouldn’t have to ask me twice.”
    She punctuated her confession with a wink, and Tess wasn’t sure how to respond. Finally, she settled for a nod and a quick good-bye before heading for the other side of town.
    Before she knew it, she was making the turn into Morgan’s Garage. She didn’t find its owner in his office, but in one of the large bays, wrestling lug nuts from the tire of a delivery truck whose bright color made it look like a huge lemon on wheels. When Fred caught sight of her, he rose to his feet, wiping his hands on a rag he took from his back pocket. The motion reminded her of Heath, and Tess firmly brought her mind back to her very important mission.
    “Mornin’, Tess.” Well-lined from what she assumed was a lifetime spent outside, Fred’s weathered cheeks crinkled with a smile. “It’s not often we get treated to such a pretty view in here. How’re things with you?”
    Since coming to Barrett’s Mill, she’d been asked that more times than she could count. She was gradually getting accustomed to it, and she had a smile ready for him. “Aside from the time difference, I’m doing well. How about you?”
    “Can’t complain, and if I did nobody’d listen, anyway.” With a good-natured chortle, he continued. “Olivia’s car needs more work than we thought at first. Parts are on their way, but it’ll be out of commission another day or two.”
    “I’ll tell her later, but that’s not why I’m here.”
    While she outlined her reason for coming, he gave her a frown that said he could easily relate to what they were going through. “Of course you can have him. That mill’s real important to folks around here, so we need to get it up and running. I’ll go fetch him for you on one condition.”
    In her experience, conditions weren’t good for the one asking the favor. But the boys were in a jam, and beyond dragging Paul away from his ailing wife, she didn’t see any other options. Knowing how devoted he was to the family business, she suspected he’d agree to just about anything to get the benefit of Heath’s expertise, so she braced herself for Fred’s terms. “Okay.”
    “If this turns out to be over Heath’s head, give me a call.”
    “I’m sorry?” she said, totally confused.
    “My granddaddy—God rest him—worked his whole career as a sawyer at that mill, raised six kids and had a good life because of the Barretts. Come to think of it, if you need me, I’ll be happy to come out and lend a hand myself.”
    The sweet, generous offer just about floored her, and it took all she had not to gape at him. She’d never been around people who stepped up when things got tough for their neighbors, simply because it was the right thing to do. Even before his niece married Jason, Fred had felt a kinship with her family and was willing to put aside his own obligations to help them out. Beyond tradition, it was something she’d seen so rarely, she almost didn’t