Page 3 of Dirty Whispers

I can already tell that Harper is incredibly special. She's not merely looking at the trees out the window, she's studying them. I can already picture her holding a stack of books and wonder if she wears reading glasses.

"So, you ladies are up here for the summer, or…?" I begin.

"We're not sure how long we're staying." My stomach tightens when she smiles at me so sweetly. "We rented the house for a month, but if our studies are going well, we might stay a bit longer."

"What are you studying?"

She looks at me through her long lashes. "Don’t get mad, but we're not allowed to tell anyone."

I stick out my bottom lip in an enormous pout that makes her laugh. "Don't I get points for saving the beautiful damsel in distress?"

Her delicate cheeks flush with the slightest tinge of pink.

"I'll take your car to the shop, then I can run you home in a more comfortable vehicle. This old beast can yank a tractor out of a foot of mud, but it's not the most comfortable ride." As if on cue, the truck hits a pothole, shaking us both.

"I don't mind. I'm just glad that we weren't stuck there."

"As soon as we park, I'll put the Old Hemlock Valley hotline in your phone in case you ever have an emergency."

"Ha! Barrett already did that. It sounds like a great system." Harper smiles, then bites her bottom lip for a second. "Although I hope we never have to use it."

I'm glad that Barrett found the girls, and not one of the opportunistic single guys around town. Yes, that makes me selfish. I don't give a damn.

When we pull into Valley Automotive, my brothers are both still here. I park the tow truck around the back, then carefully help Harper down. We stand face to face for a moment, just staring at each other. Does she feel this same warmth between us? This pull?

I keep holding her hand, looking deeply into her dreamy blue eyes. "Do you have to get home right away?"

Her adorable gasp of surprise tells me that she's not used to men hitting on her. Good. "Um, yeah. Jocelyn and Nikki need me to get this week's work straightened out."

"You're the one in charge?" I bow slightly. "Am I speaking with the big boss lady?"

Damn, I love the way she laughs. "No, I'm just more…um…particular with the details. I guess you'd say I'm...." She hesitates. "The super organized type, let’s call it that."

Harper looks at me as if she has just announced she has the plague. Little does she know that I love the idea of a woman who takes charge. Has a plan. Plus, she's quirky and sweet – that's a fabulous bonus.

My grin is so wide it feels like it's stretching my face. "Okay. We won't let them get started without you. I'll just be a minute."

I escort her to my Jeep, then pop my head into the back of the shop. "Just picked up a dead car from the Maple Trail lot. Gonna run the driver home, then we can take a look."

Walker, my oldest brother, stands up from where he's bent over a half-rebuilt engine. "Carson, you wanna roll it in so we can take a look right now?"

My middle brother tosses back the last of his coffee. "On it."

I hurry out to the back lot so that we're pulling out before my brothers see that I'm driving a girl home. Of course they'll find out soon enough, but I want to get to know her a bit first before trying to field any questions that need answering.

My hopes are already ludicrously high considering we've just met, but I have a great feeling about her. It's not just the wave of heat that enveloped us when I helped her out of the truck, either.

The Jeep is a lot quieter, so we can talk more easily. "So, seriously, what kind of work are you doing here?"

Harper gives me a shifty side eye. "I really can't talk about it."

"Let me guess. You're spies." My hands drum on the steering wheel as I take a long, slow corner. "It's always the shy, pretty ones. You'll be pulling some sort of torture device from your purse and demanding that I turn over the secret maps any second. Right?"

She giggles sweetly. "We're interning for a professor, not doing any spy stuff. Sorry to disappoint you."

My hand reaches out and squeezes hers for a second. "Trust me, beautiful, I am not the least bit disappointed." The way she blushes so sweetly makes me wonder just how innocent she might be. "So, you're in university?"

"Yeah. I'm technically finished my course, but I'm considering taking another year in the fall."

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