A Taste of Paradise

“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?”