Sheltering Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

was the most sweet-natured guy on the crew. He grabbed his towel and wiped off his neck. “Sorry,” he muttered under his breath.
    Charlie slurped through the straw again, making that irritating rattle against the ice at the bottom of his big plastic cup. Then he grinned at Clay’s scowl. “Come on, tell Uncle Charlie what’s wrong. Before you rip all your muscles apart.”
    In defeat, Clay sat on the opposite bench. “I did a stupid thing, but that doesn’t mean I know what’s wrong.”
    “I think you started the story in the middle there, bud,” Charlie pointed out.
    Clay shook his head and took a breath. “Her car’s got mechanical issues. It’s twelve years old and has a billion miles on it anyway, but I know she’s gotta be on a tight budget—she’s a grocery-store clerk with two kids. So I heard her pull in last night, because the thing was grinding and slipping. This morning I decided to take a look, see if I could see anything. She came out of her house and I was under the hood of her car. She didn’t like that so much—that I was digging around in her car without talking to her, without asking her. But I thought I could fix her up with a good mechanic who works cheap—”
    “Your buddy Stan?”
    “Stan, yeah. He’d do it cheap for a friend of mine if—”
    Charlie sat up straighter. “He never did it that cheap for me, and I’m a friend of yours!”
    “You’re not a broke woman with a couple of kids! Stan’s got a family to feed, too, you know? You wanna hear this or not?”
    “Yeah,” Charlie said in a semi-pout. “Lay it on me.”
    “I said she shouldn’t drive the car, especially if it’s the transmission. And told her she could borrow mine. But you know how me doing her a favor always seems to be a big issue with her…”
    “If I recall, you’ve done everything but paint her house and she won’t go out with you, if that’s what you mean by an issue,” Charlie said.
    Clay narrowed his eyes at his friend, but he continued. “So I suggested she use my car and I’d have Stan look at hers.” He swallowed. “She went ballistic. Accused me of being controlling and abusive.”
    Charlie whistled. “What? You?”
    Clay hung his towel around his neck. “Thinking about it later, I realized I should’ve knocked on the door, told her I had heard the engine and offered to help instead of just doing what I wanted.”
    “Ya think?”
    “I just didn’t want her taking any chances. And it seems like if the choice is between accepting a hand from me or taking a chance, she’ll go with the chance.”
    Charlie shook his head. “You should brush up on your approach, my brother. The lady is not into you.”
    “I’m not going to ask her out again. I promised her that—it upsets her too much. I just wish she’d relax a little and let me be a friend.”
    Charlie pitched his empty cup halfway across the room and hit the trash. Then he sat forward, elbows on his knees. “Listen, I know you’re used to good luck with the ladies, although I can’t figure out why. But once in a while you pick out a smart one and get turned down. It doesn’t usually put you all upside down.”
    “It’s not me, Charlie. It’s her. She’s got no reason to keep me at such a distance—I haven’t done or suggested anything that should put her guard up.” He just shook his head. “But I’ve learned my lesson—I haven’t seen a meltdown like that since my little sister Beth had a conniption fit because someone closed her romance novel and lost the page.” He smiled. “And with four sisters, I come from experience with conniptions.”
    “What’s your plan now?” Charlie asked. “Because for some reason you probably don’t even know, you really like this girl. I don’t think you’ve been out with anyone else since you moved next door to her.”
    Clay stood, tossing the towel and reaching for the weights. “I thought maybe I’d lie low, go slow and lift some weights.”
     
    D ORY FOLLOWED