Mending Fences

She usually met with men in the safety of offices and restaurants to go over business plans, but this was different. Grabbing her purse, she locked the front door and walked to her car while Jack pulled into the drive. She caught him giving her the once-over, but then he quickly looked away.

She was used to men checking her out. Her looks were one of the challenges she’d faced at work—getting the tech heads to trust her and businessmen to take her seriously. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what Jack might look like if he shaved.

Slipping in behind the wheel, she turned the key but nothing happened. The car turned over but wouldn’t start.

“Sounds like you’re out of gas.” He leaned close and smelled like sunshine and spice. His nearness gave her goose bumps.

“I guess I pushed it too far.” She’d been back and forth to the hospital several times the last couple days. On her way home last night, the gas station in the four-corner town her mother lived near was closed.

“You can ride with me.”

Laura looked up into those kind blue eyes of his, but she wasn’t buying. “What did you say your last name was?”

He smiled, displaying perfectly even, white teeth—no doubt the handiwork of a good orthodontist. “Jack Stahl.”

“Thanks, Dr. Stahl, but there’s a gas can in the barn. I’ll be just fine.”

He backed away as she got out. “It’s just Jack. I’ll get the can if you show me where.”

She hesitated only a moment before leading the way. She matched his long strides across the lawn and opened the barn door. “Where are you from?”

“East Lansing. What about you? You don’t strike me as the U.P. type.”

“What gives you that idea?”

He gestured toward her waist. “The latest in cell phones.”

“What, no one in the U.P. has a cell phone?” She didn’t want to admit that her mother lived alone, not yet.

“Yours is pretty high-tech. Are you a professor?”

She laughed. “No.”

“Landscaper then, you mow a mean lawn.” He actually winked before he picked up a five-gallon gas can as if it weighed nothing.

“Thanks.” She focused on anything but him. Something about him made her feel off-kilter.

“Nice tractor.” He pointed toward the old John Deere. “Antique?”

“It belonged to my father.”

“Does it work?”

“I don’t know.” She followed him out.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached in and popped her gas cover. She watched as he unscrewed the cap. His hands were large and broad with clean fingernails cut short. He wore a modest wedding ring, but he hadn’t mentioned a wife. Was he divorced? It didn’t matter. Like Anthony, he had a daughter.

“How far?”

His question scattered her thoughts. “What?”

“How far to the restaurant?”

“Five or six miles.”

“I’ll follow you, but you may want to stop and fill up just the same.”

“Will do, Jack. I’ll meet you there.”

Jack took a deep breath before opening the door to the pizza parlor. “Italian, huh?”

“You can order pasta, pizza, even meatball subs.” She gave him a quirky grin.

“I’ll remember that.” He held the door for her. When she passed by him, he inhaled her perfume. It was soft and incredibly pleasing. He hoped she didn’t live next door. He was noticing things he’d be better off ignoring.

He spotted a middle-aged woman with a file laid open on the table. After the introductions had been made, Maddie Smith, the Realtor, smiled. “I hope you don’t mind a booth,” she whispered. “More private.”

“Fine with me.” Laura scooted in next to Maddie.

Jack sat across from them. Laura looked ready to get down to business. Surely that meant she was eager to part with the barn instead of negotiating. He didn’t want to waste time haggling.

“What do you like on your pizza?” Maddie asked.

“Everything or nothing. I like it all. Whatever you choose is fine.” Jack didn’t care what they ate or drank. He wanted to put his offer on the table.

The waitress quickly took their order and left. Soon the restaurant started to fill up with customers.

Jack took a sip of his soft drink. “I need a place right away but I know the mortgage process doesn’t work that fast.”

He looked at Laura. Her brow furrowed slightly, so he touched her arm with reassurance. The softness of her skin registered, which reminded him to move his hand away. “Hear me out. I’m interested in making an offer.”

She leaned back against the red vinyl of the booth.

He wasn’t sure if he’d offended her with his touch or his honesty. Either way, he wasn’t about to be discouraged. “I’d like to rent with the option to buy within a year at your listing price.”

Laura sat forward. “You don’t even know my listing price. How do you know you can afford it?”

“I can afford it.”

Her eyes widened. “What if you decide after a month that there’s too much work needed?”

“I can’t see that happening, but if I pull out, I’ll give you six more months rent so you can relist.”

She shook her head. “I have to sell. Can you tell me what’s stopping you from buying?”

Jack also leaned forward. “I have a daughter to consider. I think this place might be good for us. But if I’m wrong, I need the ability to change gears.”

“I see.”