Page 9 of Montana Heat

She huffed, crossing her arms again. “Okay. With that money, we’re doing fine.”

Exactly. I picked up another muffin. Old Mrs. Kimble was a woman after my heart. She knew blueberry was my favorite.

“But don’t you think it’s a good idea to make sure the main business can stand on its own?”

“Why?” I scowled. “It’s not like I’m going to stop carving stuff.”

In fact, if I followed Cori’s and Emma’s advice—Grant’s and Daniel’s wives came by regularly to talk to Susanna—and put my carvings on social media and a website, I could probably get more orders. But neither Susanna nor I was good with online stuff.

I’d definitely have to find someone who could handle creating the social media and website side of my business if I were truly going to entertain those suggestions.

But I, for sure, didn’t want to do it. To me, social media meant more peopling—something I tried to avoid.

“Reducing prices by seventy percent isn’t a good business strategy.” Susanna was twirling her pen in the air again.

“You might not feel that way if you’d try these muf?—”

My phone rang, cutting off my argument. I saw Chief Garcia’s name on the screen, so I answered in case there’d been a wreck or a breakdown he needed my help for.

“Just FYI, customer incoming,” he told me after we greeted each other. “Her Subaru didn’t want to start when she was leaving the station. It’s important she doesn’t get stranded, so do a full workup if you have time.”

“No problem. Who is it?”

“Out-of-towner.”

Interesting that the police chief was sending me a stranger who should be heading out of town soon, but business was business. “Okay. I’ll look out for her.”

I left Susanna to take another phone call, this one on the garage’s number. She glowered at me as I turned away, letting me know she intended to pick up our argument again later.

The joy.

I took my coffee to the front window, watching for the Subaru that needed my help. Behind me, I heard Susanna talking with someone interested in buying some of my carvings. A grin pulled at my lips as she let out a slight squeak at the massive price they offered.

Small town meant a lot of word-of-mouth business. It also helped that I’d presented some pieces at recent town events so people could see my skill up close.

It took every bit of restraint not to turn around andI-told-you-soSusanna.

I could go pro bono with the mechanic shop if I expanded my woodwork to small furniture items. But I wouldn’t. I liked things the way they were now.

The navy-blue Ascent pulled in, and I studied the vehicle. Looked pretty standard, not that I could tell all problems from a distance.

The owner parked but didn’t get out, so I looked closer. And froze.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this beautiful—andoh-so-serious—woman. Her brows were furrowed as if she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to stay.

Her captivating pink lips mouthed the name of the garage from reading the sign before she sat back and gave an adorable pout. She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder and reached for the door handle.

I couldn’t look away.

I wasn’t immune to lust at first sight. Though my intimate acquaintances were not as frequent as they used to be before moving here, I wasn’t a stranger to sexy women. But none of them ever caught my attention in such a way without my even talking to them. This woman was undeniably beautiful, but more than that, she wascompelling.

Feeling this drawn to a woman at first glance had me unsettled, but the second she stepped out of her car and stood, I relaxed.

Yeah,no thanks.

No matter how pretty she was—and her long legs, athletic build, and slender waist just made her more so—she was not my type. She was clearly a city girl, from her business slacks down to her high heels, and I was as small-town as they came. I hadn’t beenraised in Garnet Bend, but small-town Iowa made me just as far out of her league.

Her long brown hair had to have been styled in a fancy salon. Her slacks and jacket were the epitome of professional business casual. She practically screamed high-maintenance.; she liked the finer things in life and probably did whatever she had to to avoid getting her hands dirty.

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