“What about the daughter, Sam?”
Zeb frowned. “She didn’t have it much better than her mother from what I could tell, but she fared better. She’s got spirit, that one. Got herself a degree and was planning on buying out the café she managed before it burned down. I hear she’s up at Sanctuary now, married to one of them fellas. Have you been up there yet?”
“No.”
“You should take a run up while you’re in town. Good men, all military types. Run by former Navy SEALs, but then no one’s perfect,” Zeb said with a grin and then sobered again. “Who knows? Maybe Sam will have more information, but I wouldn’t count on it. She was pretty young when she came to town. Not sure how much she remembers.”
“Thanks. Maybe I will.”
Zeb continued talking about Sanctuary while Jaxson worked, telling him about Matt Winston turning his family legacy into a place for vets to transition back into civilian life. Like Penny, Zeb only had good things to say about it. It made Jaxson wonder again why Harry and the guys at O’Malley’s hadn’t.
Jaxson gave the wrench a final tug, then stepped back and admired his handiwork. He’d need to buff out some scratches when he got back to Campbell’s Junction, but at least he was no longer without transportation. “All done.”
“You do have your daddy’s knack,” Zeb said with approval.
High praise indeed. “Thanks. You’ve got a good setup here. When Penny said she knew a guy, I admit, I was skeptical.”
“Understandable,” Zeb said with a chuckle. “How is it you know Penny?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
Zeb shook his head. “Just said you were a vet and needed a hand, but I figure there’s got to be more to it than that.”
Oh, there was.
“She nearly ran me over. That”—Jaxson waved toward his bike—“happened when I was trying not to become a hood ornament on her van.”
Zeb’s eyes widened, and then he laughed. “She failed to mention that. Penny’s a good girl with a big heart, but she’s easily distracted. I try to get out of the way when I see her coming.”
Jaxson couldn’t help smiling, too. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind from now on.”
“Now that your ride’s fixed, how long are you planning on sticking around?” Zeb asked with a calculating gleam in his eye.
“I don’t know. A couple days maybe. Why?”
“I’ve got some things in the back you might be interested in. Don’t get too many guys around here that can appreciate the classics.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to decline, but Jaxson found himself nodding. He liked Zeb. Zeb reminded him of his father in many ways, and the smell of grease and motor oil was comforting and familiar.
“Sure.”
Zeb led Jaxson to a door at the back of the bay, out onto the rain-soaked pathway, and into another garage. This one was more along the lines of a typical detached garage, common to the area. Zeb had several old bikes in there. Harleys. Indian Chiefs. A classic Triumph.
Jaxson whistled. “Where’d you find these?”
Zeb shrugged. “Picked them up over the years. Most people look at them and see junk, but I see potential.”
Jaxson did, too. He paused, running his hand along the curve of the Triumph’s frame, appreciating the lines and craftsmanship. It needed a lot of work, but the bones were good.
“They’ve just been sitting here, waiting for someone to give them some love. You interested? You could stop by while you’re in town. I’d appreciate the company. I’ll even tell you stories about the trouble your daddy and I used to get into. He was something of a hell-raiser back in the day.”
He tended to think better when his hands were busy, and it’d beat sitting alone in his motel room at night. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
Chapter Fifteen
Penny
Since dropping Jaxson off at the motel, Penny had been determined that she would not seek him out again. He wasn’t interested in her kindness or her friendship or anything else for that matter, and she had better things to do.
Yet there she was, standing in Zeb’s garage, dripping all over the floor and rationalizing her presence there by telling herself she was simply ensuring that the problems she’d caused were getting taken care of.
Neither Zeb nor Jaxson were in sight, but Jaxson’s bike was, which meant that he probably was, too. The low rumble of male voices out back, barely audible over the pouring rain, confirmed it.
Penny took the opportunity to lean down and get a closer look at the motorcycle. It looked better than it had the last time she saw it. All the parts seemed to be in the right place and facing the right direction.
When the voices grew louder, she straightened to standing. She should leave before they saw her. Clearly, they had things under control. But her feet wouldn’t move.
“That you, Penny?” Zeb called out.
She’d just say hello and thanks, and then she’d leave.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
She pasted a smile on her face, clutched the potted plant to her chest, and summoned her courage. Jaxson was standing beside Zeb, his expression set in an unreadable mask. He looked the same, but he didn’t have the same darkness rolling off of him as he had before.
She looked at the bike again. It looked old but in good condition. Well, except for the fresh scratches. Was it, like the pocket watch, an heirloom of sorts?
Zeb’s throat cleared. “What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to thank you again for helping. Here, I brought this for you,” Penny said, holding out the pot to Zeb. “It’s a citronella plant. It should help keep mosquitoes at bay when the weather gets warmer.”
“Thanks.”
I should go now. “So ... everything’s okay? With the bike, I mean?”
“It’s all good,” Zeb assured her.
“Great. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing,” Zeb said with a smile. “Jaxson took care of everything.”
“Oh, good.”
An awkward silence stretched between them, growing more awkward by the moment.
“Well, I should get back to my deliveries. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“It is.”
“Great.”
Penny turned and walked back out into the rain, grateful for the cool drops against her hot cheeks. Jaxson hadn’t said a word to her. Not one word. Not a hello. Not a thank you. Not a hey, I’m sorry I acted like an aster. He’d just stared at her as if she were some kind of rare bug or something.
Maybe he was still mad about the incident. Or maybe he figured he didn’t have to be nice anymore since she’d already told him everything she knew.
Not that he’d been nice per se. More like less grumpy and more tolerant to get information.
It didn’t matter. Now that his bike was fixed, he’d be on his way soon enough.
Which reminded her, she needed to pay a visit to Sanctuary, sooner rather than later.
Penny finished her scheduled deliveries and then drove up the mountain road that would take her to Sanctuary. It had been a long time since she’d been to the Winston resort, but the drive was just as beautiful as she remembered. As was the resort itself. The manor house had been restored with meticulous detail, and the grounds appeared well-kept.