Page 69 of Billionaire Protector

“So you’re saying I should get seven, one for every day of the week?”

She couldn’t stop a matching smile. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. But why stop there? Maybe you should get one for every day of the month.”

“I like that idea.” He winked, before walking around the car and holding the door open for her. She hesitated, but it was inevitable. She entered the lawman’s lair. A second later, he folded his powerful form next to her.

He revved up the engine, which literally purred as he pulled away from the curb. He bridled its power the way he controlledhis own considerable strength. “I’m not that uneconomical. There really is a good reason why I have five cars.”

“Plus a motorcycle.”

“Plus a motorcycle.” His grin widened.

So did hers. “Let me guess – five is your favorite number?”

“Nope.” He turned down the road, headed for the double lane street that was the closest thing Harmony Creek had to a highway. “I inherited the truck from my dad. I put it together with him while I was in high school.”

“I remember that.” Memories rose, of a teenage Cole flushed with excitement, giving her a rare hug the day he received the present. It has been the day he turned sixteen, and she’d used her lunch money to buy him a card with a sappy message and a picture of two puppies. For once their differences didn’t matter as he told her all about the car and the big celebration his parents planned. She laughed and smiled and even blushed when he made her promise she would attend.

She didn’t tell him her sweet sixteen was the following week, or how her father was sure to forget, which, of course, he did. But not Cole. Somehow he’d broken into her locker (the one time he’d broken any rule of any sort) and left a dozen pink carnations with a handmade card. There’d been no name, but she’d recognized that confident, sprawling handwriting. He had never mentioned it and neither had she, but deep in her closet, under a pile of raggedy tee shirts and shredded jeans, that card was carefully preserved in a shoebox bed of pink tissue paper.

She forced herself back to the present. “I understand keeping the truck for sentimental value, but what about the Lexus, Corvette and what else?”

“You don’t want to know my real splurge.” He made a comical face. “The Lexus is practical. With my parents getting older, I needed a dependable family car. The motorcycle is fun,and the others are convenient. It’s nice to have extra cars to lend out when relatives visit.”

Which they did often. Although Cole was an only child like her, he had numerous aunts, uncles and cousins who saw him regularly. It made her own lonely childhood, with her absent mother and few relatives estranged from her father, seem even more stark. But if he had extra cars…

“Wait a minute.” She sat up. “You didn’t offer one to me when my car broke down.”

“No, I didn’t.” The words were strong, confident and just on the wrong side of mischievous.

She ground her teeth. He’d wanted her dependent on him. She shifted in the annoyingly comfortable seat. “What about this car? It has no sentimental value, and with its limited capacity, it isn’t really convenient. Any good excuses?”

“Absolutely.” Cole gave a boyish grin. “It’s fun.”

Sarah shook her head, but still the mood lightened. Why did he make it so hard to stay angry at him? “Are you sure it’s not to grab the attention of the one woman who’s not infatuated with you?”

“There’s a woman who’s not infatuated with me?” Cole recoiled in mock horror. “How is that possible?”

He sounded so aghast, Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. “Judging by the reaction of the movie club, it’s hard to believe.” She shook her head but soon sobered. She’d been just as enthralled as them. “Why did you tell Mrs. Carmichael you weren’t allowed to accept money for extra work? We don’t have any rules like that. You made me sound like a tyrant.”

“Sorry about that.” Underneath the teasing words, a genuine note rang. “I had to think of an excuse to stop her from paying me. How could I take money from a lady who lives on a fixed budget and treats her pet monkey like a grandchild?” He turnedthe wheel, expertly navigating the car. “If you don’t mind, can we keep that rumor going?”

“Why? Don’t tell me you’re planning on building another fence.” When he didn’t respond, she sighed. “How am I supposed to stay mad at you if you keep doing nice things? Are you building another fence?”

“Not at the moment.”

“A shed?”

“Nope.”

“A mailbox?”

“No.”

“Wait, I got it. A house?”

He stayed silent.

“Oh for crying out loud–”

---