Page 14 of Their Reluctant Catch

Callum straightens, brushing his hands on his overalls. He’s younger than Grady, with sharp blue eyes that twinkle with mischief. “Mel said she’s pretty. And knows her way around cars. That true?”

Something stirs deep in my chest—tight, prickly, and suspiciously close to jealous possessiveness. I force a casual shrug. “She’s... competent.”

Callum’s grin widens, and he leans his butt against the workbench. “Competent, huh? That why you’re looking a little territorial?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Watch it, Cal.” My tone is friendly, but there’s a weight to it that wipes the smirk from his face.

Grady barks out a laugh and claps me on the shoulder. “Well, I’ll be damned. Todd Turner, getting possessive over a stranger. Is it like that?”

I don’t answer right away, my jaw tightening as I glance toward the rental. I mutter, “Yeah. It is.”

Grady’s grin stretches wider, and he slaps me on the back again. “Good for you. ’Bout time you settled down.”

“Like you lot are any younger,” I shoot back, shaking off his hand.

Grady chuckles, leaning against the workbench. “No, we’re not, and you know as well as I do, women—especially good ones we aren’t related to—are hard to come by around here.”

“Tell me about it.” I shift my weight, glancing toward the Civic. My thoughts drift, unbidden, to Savannah. Her sharp green eyes, the way she seemed more at home talking about engines than standing in a kitchen with a cup of coffee.

“You ever think Elliot, Mason, and Jack had the right idea?” I keep my tone casual.

Grady raises an eyebrow, and Callum pauses mid-motion, wiping his hands on his overalls.

“You mean...” Grady begins, his eyes narrowing.

I nod. “Sharing. With Colton, I mean. We’ve talked about it before, in passing.”

Grady barks out a laugh. “Well, I’ll be damned. You are thinking about a throuple? Remember the gossip and backlash from the aforementioned relationship, right?”

“Yeah, well.” I shrug. “Things have settled, and people aren’t giving them a hard time anymore.”

Callum snorts. “They’re too afraid of Mason.”

I grin. The man has quite the reputation. “True, but think about it. It makes sense. We’re already sharing everything else—theSpirit, the house. Why not a woman?”

Callum scratches his chin, his expression pensive. “You think she’d go for it? The woman, I mean. Savannah.”

I let out a long breath, leaning against the workbench. “I don’t know. She’s a tough read. Booked the B&B in advance, so she’s not just passing through, but she doesn’t strike me as the hiking, hunting, or fishing type. Maybe she’s into mushing huskies. Hell, I haven’t even asked her that.”

Grady smirks. “You are planning on asking her?”

“Eventually,” I mutter, glancing at the Civic. “If she’s sticking around, it’s worth knowing.”

Callum grins. “And if she’s handy with engines, send her our way. We could use another set of hands in the shop.”

Grady holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t worry, Todd. We won’t poach on your territory. But seriously, we’re way behind on maintenance and repairs as it is.” He gestures around the garage, where a half-disassembled tractor sits in one corner and an outboard motor is propped up against the wall. “You wouldn’t believe the backlog we’re dealing with.”

“Speaking of being behind”—I glance around—“where’s Finn?”

Grady waves a hand toward the back door. “Out at Karen Winters-Malloy’s place. Her boiler’s acting up again.”

I let out a low whistle. “That thing’s still running? I thought Finn told her to replace it last year.”

“He did,” Grady says, smirking. “But you know how Karen’s husband is. Frank Malloy doesn’t spend a dime unless it’s absolutely necessary. Stingy bastard.”

Callum chuckles. “I’d call him thrifty. Grady prefers stingy.”

“Whatever you call it,” Grady mutters, placing his hands on the corners of the bench and leaning back more comfortably, “it means Finn’s out there freezing his ass off trying to patch up a boiler that should’ve been replaced a decade ago.”

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