Turn Up the Heat Read Online Free PDF Page A

was, but he didn’t need to know that.
    â€œYeah, absolutely. You can let go. Thanks.”
    â€œSuit yourself, city girl.” He shrugged and let her go without preamble.
    Bellamy’s cheeks flamed as she tested her weight on her throbbing ankle. After a few ginger steps got her through the door and into the parking lot, it looked like her pride had taken a bigger hit than anything else. What the hell else was new? She flipped the handle of the battered pickup truck and climbed inside.
    â€œSo, what kind of car do you drive?” Shane asked, getting in and starting the truck.
    â€œA Mazda Miata.”
    He shifted his weight and looked out the driver’s side window so she couldn’t see his expression as they pulled away from the lot, and her heart sank. Maybe the sporty convertible was out of his area of expertise.
    â€œIs that going to be a problem?” Bellamy asked, rubbing her hands together.
    Shane scoffed, flipping the heater on high. “No. They’re just a pain in the ass to fix, that’s all. Pardon my language.” He muttered the last part, like he was actually embarrassed he’d let the curse slip. “Can you tell me what’s wrong with it?”
    Bellamy looked at him blankly. “Um, it doesn’t run.”
    Shane’s smirk-and-eyeroll maneuver translated to a glaring Hello, Captain Obvious . “Yeah, I got that part. I was thinking more along the lines of what happened to make it that way. Weird noises, dashboard lights, stuff like that.” He gave her a sidelong glance.
    Her cheeks flooded with heat. “Oh. Well, come to think of it, it has been acting a little funny lately. Every once in a while it makes this grinding noise. I figured it just needed a tune-up or something.”
    Again with the well-duh look. So she’d skipped a freaking tune-up. Was it really that big a deal?
    â€œAnyway,” she continued, after biting her tongue. “Just now, a whole bunch of white smoke started coming out from under the car. It kind of jerked a little, made the noise again.” She broke off, wracking her brain. There had to be technical terms for her botched explanation, but hell if she could come up with a single one. “Then it just kept lurching forward instead of really going anywhere, even when I hit the gas, so I pulled over. That’s pretty much it.”
    Shane’s frown was less than encouraging. “You just passing through?”
    â€œSort of.” God, what a mess this bright idea of hers was turning out to be. “I’m supposed to be meeting friends of mine at the Pine Mountain Resort for a long weekend.”
    Wait, did he just roll his eyes again before he looked out the window? Really?
    â€œThat’s only a couple of miles from here. You’ll need to call someone to get a ride.”
    Bellamy pulled back, frowning. “Do you think it’s that bad?”
    Shane’s black-coffee eyes met hers for an instant. “I don’t think it’s good. At the very least, I’ll probably have to come back with the tow truck to get it to the garage for a better look.”
    She must have done something cosmically terrible to have karma bite her in the ass. First Attila the Boss, then Derek, and now this. “That’s me, right there.” Bellamy pointed through the window to where she’d left her car on the narrow, muddy shoulder by the scenic overlook.
    â€œYeah, I figured. Not too many two-seater sports cars on the side of the road up here. Especially in January.” Shane pulled over, but not before she caught the cocky smile he tried to hide as he looked over his shoulder to check his blind spot.
    Wow, his shoulders were broad.
    â€œYou coming, or do you want to wait here? I can leave the truck running if you want,” he offered without much enthusiasm.
    Shit, when had he gotten out too?
    â€œNo thanks. I’d like to see what you’re looking at, if that’s