“Where are you headed to?” I ask.

“Bardsville.”

“You’re about twenty miles away, so I’ll follow you into town when we finish up. I want to make sure you get there safe and sound.”

“That won’t be necessary,” she says.

“Sure it is. Do you have a spare?”

She points to the trunk. I stand up, strip off my t-shirt, and wipe my face with it before throwing it onto the roof of her car.

“Nothing like a hot summer day in Georgia, right? The heat is a killer.”

She stands there blinking at me with her big green eyes. Maybe I scared her by saying the word ‘killer.’ She should be scared. It’s not safe these days for a woman to be stranded on a lonely mountain road. Anyone could come by and drag her off into the woods. Actually, now that I think about it, that’s exactly what I would like to do. Rip her shorts off and back her up against a tree.

Only if she’s willing and begging for it though, and from the look she’s giving me right now, I’m not betting on that happening anytime soon.

Bummer.

“I have a cooler with drinks,” she offers. “I’ll get one for you. And thank you for helping me. I appreciate it. The heat is making me grumpy. Sorry for snapping at you.”

“My pleasure, darling. I would never pass up a lady stranded on the side of the road without stopping. I’m Sam, by the way.”

I wipe my hand off on my jeans and hold it out.

She gives me a reluctant smile and shakes it with a firm grip.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lila.”

She reaches into the back seat of her car, opens a small cooler, and pulls out two bottles.

“Take your pick,” she says. “Water or kombucha? Either one is fine with me.”

I glance up from the tire and look at the bottles she’s holding out.

“Looks like we’ll be sharing the water,” I say. “You need to throw that other shit away. For God’s sake, don’t drink it. Can’t you see all that crap floating around in the bottom? Something is growing in there, and it looks nasty.”

She laughs and hands me the water bottle.

“Kombucha is supposed to have that icky stuff in it. It’s good for you.”

I shake my head and take a big gulp of water. “No thank you. Water is fine. You’re from Atlanta, aren’t you?”

She looks surprised. “Yeah, how did you know?”

“I can tell. You’re a big city girl and not from around here.”

“Is that a bad thing?” she asks, leaning against the side of the car.

I wink at her and turn back to the tire.

“Not to me, it isn’t.”

Chapter Two

Lila

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