Heart of Dixie - Tami Hoag (1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

spin. Jake suffered a cold flash at the thought, momentarily forgetting that the car wasn't capable of going anywhere anyway. He followed Dixie into the station office.

    "I'll just jot a note for Eldon," she said, rummaging for paper and pen through the debris strewn across the counter. He identified pieces of mail, credit card receipts, candy wrappers, dirty rags, and spark plugs among the litter.

    Jake had to jam his hands in his pockets to resist the urge to straighten things. He had had orderliness bred into him by a Marine father and a CPA mother, and was still a firm believer of "a place for everything and everything in its place." The sight of a mess the magnitude of this one tended to make him feel vaguely ill. He watched with a kind of horrified awe as Dixie finally unearthed a dirty scratch pad and a ballpoint pen that looked as if it had been chewed on by voracious rodents. With the pen held between the first and middle fingers of her left hand, she bent to compose her note.

    "How long do you think it'll take him to fix it once he gets back?" Jake asked, absently noting the strange way she held the pen.

    "Hard to say." She scribbled the last of her missive, signed it with a flourish, then lifted her head to give Jake a long look and a shrug. "Could take five minutes. Could take five days. Could take longer if you've blown--"

    He held up a hand to cut her off. "Please, don't say it again," he said through his teeth. "I don't think I could stand to hear you say it again."

    Dixie nibbled her lip. "Well...it could take longer. Depends on whether he has to send out for parts or not. You probably guessed Eldon don't have much call for Porsche parts. Do you have some place you need to be?"

    "I have some...research to tend to." He sighed and fussed with the cuffs of his shirt, then, unable to stop himself, he reached out and straightened a dusty box of chewing gum on the counter. He was essentially where he needed to be, but he wasn't going to accomplish much if he was stuck on foot. "Is there a car rental place anywhere around here?"

    "Nope. Eldon might have a loaner for you, though. You'll have to talk to him. It won't be a Porsche."

    Jake flashed her a smile. "I won't be fussy as long as it can take me where I want to go." "Right," Dixie muttered under her breath as she watched him adjust the wall calendar so it hung properly. She led the way out. He'd practically broken out in hives at the sight of the station and he probably wanted to go have himself disinfected after having been inside it. The man was a perfectionist deluxe. Sure he wouldn't mind Eldon's loaner.

    "I don't suppose there's a cab company around here either."

    "Nope," she said. "But I'll give you a lift to the Cottages. I'm headed that way myself."

    "Thanks. That'd be great." He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder as she headed toward a battered tan Bronco. "Dixie..."

    Oh, dear, she thought. She turned to him, feeling wobbly and strange. Jake Gannon's touch went through her like currents of electricity, sizzling down through her breasts, sapping the strength from her knees. She hadn't counted on his touching her. She hadn't figured he'd want to. But he was, and even though his touch was casual, it was very strongly reinforcing the fact that she found him too darned attractive.

    You're in big trouble here, Dixie darling.

    If he tried to kiss her, she wouldn't be able to fight him off, she thought, swaying slightly toward him. He wasn't her type and she wasn't the kind of girl who let strange men kiss her, but there was a limit to her strength. A girl could only resist just so much magnetism, and Jake Gannon had a boatload of it. She leaned into the pressure of his hand on her shoulder and tilted her face up, resigning herself to her fate and wishing she had put on a little lip gloss.

    "Yes, Jake?"

    "I...just want to thank you," he said, staring down at her upturned face with a curious light in his eyes. "I realize you're going out of