Undone (A Country Roads Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hand.
    Oliver nodded as he let go of Paige’s hand and looked up at Brendan. “So what happened?”
    Paige turned to look at Brendan too. It was the first time he’d gotten a full look at her face without her sunglasses on. She had long dark eyelashes that framed her large gray irises. It took him a second to remember how to speak. He cleared his throat and looked past her to the other two men.
    “It’s the radiator. I’m going to have to order a new one, so it’s going to take a few days.”
    “That’s fine,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s not like I have anywhere to go.”
    Trevor’s face fell. “The interview didn’t go well?”
    “Nope,” Paige said, shaking her head. The tension in her shoulders came back but she tried to mask it by pasting a smile on her face. He desperately wanted to see a genuine, full-on smile from her.
    “Things haven’t exactly gone Paige’s way since she moved here,” Trevor said.
    “Oh, I think my bad luck started long before I moved here,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. Every time she did that, it pushed her breasts up and it took everything in Brendan not to stare.
    “I don’t think it was Paige’s fault,” Brendan said and everyone turned to look at him. “It was with Bethelda Grimshaw,” he said to Oliver.
    “Oh,” Oliver said, shaking his head ruefully. “Don’t let anything she says get to you. She’s a horrible hag.”
    Paige laughed and the sound of it did funny things to Brendan’s stomach.
    “Told you,” Brendan said, looking at her. Paige turned to him, a small smile lingering on her lips and in her eyes.
    God, she was beautiful.
    “Things will turn around,” Oliver said. “We’ll call you with an estimate before we do anything to your car.”
    They said their good-byes and as Paige walked out with her father she gave Brendan one last look, her lips quirking up slightly before she shook her head and walked out the door.
    “I don’t believe any of that nonsense people are saying about her,” Oliver said as they both watched Paige and her dad walk out. “She’s lovely.”
    Lovely? Yeah, that wasn’t exactly the word Brendan would have used to describe her.
    Hot? Yes. Fiery? Absolutely.
    “Yeah, she’s something alright.”
    “Oh, don’t tell me you aren’t a fan of hers. Son, you barely took your eyes off her.”
    “I’m not denying she’s beautiful.” How could he? “I bet she’s a handful though and she’s got a temper on her, along with a smart mouth.” But he sure did like that smart mouth.
    “That’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black,” Oliver said, raising one bushy eyebrow. “If all of her experiences in this town have been similar to what Bethelda dishes out, I’m not surprised she’s turned on the defense. You know what it’s like to be the center of less than unsavory gossip in this town. To have a lot of the people turn their backs on you and turn you into a pariah,” Oliver said, giving Brendan a knowing look.
    “I know,” Brendan conceded. “She deserves a break.”
    “You should help her find a job.”
    “With who?”
    “You’ll think of something,” Oliver said, patting Brendan on the shoulder before going back to his desk. “You always do.”

Chapter Two
    Find the Beat Again
    I want to hear more about your hot mechanic.”
    “Abby, I already told you, he’s not my hot mechanic. He’s just a hot mechanic,” Paige said as she fidgeted with the pillow in her lap.
    Paige had called Abby pretty much the second she’d gotten back to her parents’ house. She needed to get some perspective, and who better to help her get it than her best friend? They’d met on the first day of kindergarten almost twenty years ago, bonding over a love for puffy Cheetos and their Little Mermaid lunch boxes.
    “ Hmm, but I think you want him to be your hot mechanic .”
    “Can we stop calling him that?” Paige asked, flopping back onto her bed. “His name is