Torino Dreams

By DelSheree Gladden

Kate hates hiding, but the risk of her past sneaking up on her is too great to risk getting involved in anyone else’s problems. At least, until getting involved is the only way to avoid a run-in with the police.

The snow was to blame for the car wreck, but desperation forces Kate to make Sam an offer she’s sure she’ll regret. If she can fix Sam’s car and send him on his way without the getting the cops involved, she can get back to her normal, safe life.

It should be easy enough. Kate knows cars better than almost anything else. She can repair the damage to the car, but can she protect herself from falling for Sam and putting everything she’s worked for in danger?

• Language: English
• Publisher: DelSheree Gladden
• Release date: Jan 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463478455

DelSheree Gladden

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. She didn't speak a single word for the first few months of preschool. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting before it was published.Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her family spent several years in Colorado before returning to northern New Mexico. When not writing novels, you can find DelSheree reading, hiking, sewing, playing with her dogs, and working with other authors.DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series and has hit the USA Today Bestseller list twice as part of box sets. DelSheree also has contemporary romance, cozy mystery, and paranormal new adult series. Her writing is as varied as her reading interests.

Book preview

An Offer

Snow in the desert could only lead to one thing, sliding down a sheet of black ice, right at another car. Kate tried everything to get her truck to turn, spin, jump up onto the sidewalk, anything to keep it from hitting the Beamer at the bottom of the hill. Knuckles as white as the snow blowing through town, she yanked against the steering wheel in one more desperate attempt to avoid crashing. It lurched wildly to the left and for a split-second Kate thought she had done it. Until she realized she had just spun herself in a circle and was still heading straight for the other car. She closed her eyes and groaned right before the sound of metal-on-metal tore through the air.

Pain blossomed across her forehead. The rebound of her head from the steering wheel to the back of the seat hurt almost as bad. Blood ran down her cheek, but her hand refused to move and wipe it away. Her entire body was numb and useless. The most she could do was roll her eyes open, blinking slowly until her vision cleared enough to actually see something. White. That was all she could see. It was snowing harder every minute. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before forcing her fingers to unbuckle the seatbelt. Getting the door to move seemed ten times harder than usual, but she shoved it open and stumbled out of her truck.

The other driver was out of his car already, staring at the crumpled rear end of his BMW in disbelief. A string of furious words burst out of his mouth at the sight of it. Kate cringed when she saw the bumper dangling off one side, the crushed corner of the trunk, flat tire, and misshapen wheel well. It was such a nice car, too. A top safety pick, even. The driver noticed Kate, finally, and turned his glare on her. Snow had already covered his stylishly cut black hair almost completely. Kate was surprised the heat of his anger hadn’t melted the icy flecks by now.

Are…are you okay? Kate asked him shakily.

What were you doing? Didn’t you see me sitting here? he demanded, his basso voice loud in the snowy silence. It was the kind of sound that burrowed under your skin and warmed you up no matter the temperature, but his blatant accusation annoyed Kate instantly.

I slid on the ice! I couldn’t do anything to stop. I tried hitting my brakes, but it didn’t do any good. It wasn’t as though she’d hit him on purpose.

He stared at her as though she were an idiot. You hit your brakes? Don’t you know anything about driving in snow?

Was he kidding? It snows here maybe twice a year and it never sticks and freezes like this. So, no, I don’t know what to do when my truck starts sliding down a hill! I live in the desert. I’m not supposed to have to know how to drive in snow.

Yelling at him made Kate’s head hurt worse, but she wasn’t about let that asshole treat her like an ignorant child. He looked as though he were about to say something infuriating again. Kate’s body tensed, expecting another nasty comment from Mr. I Know How to Drive in Snow and You Don’t. The angry tension filling him seemed to soften, very slightly, as he stared at her. Instead of yelling again, he just huffed in irritation and yanked his phone out of his pocket. Kate’s eyes flew wide.

What are you doing?

What do you think I’m doing? I’m calling the police to report this, he said. His fingers began dialing and Kate panicked. Lunging for his hand nearly pitched her into the snow when she tripped over a piece of the wreckage, but Kate grabbed his hand and stopped him from making the call. He ripped his hands away from her, glaring once again. What is wrong with you?

Please don’t call the cops, Kate begged him.

Keeping his finger perched to complete the call, his expression changed so slightly it was almost imperceptible. Kate couldn’t tell if he was curious or just a little bit scared. Her breath froze in her chest. Either one would work for her at that point. Whatever it was, it was keeping him from dialing. Too bad it didn’t last.

I’m calling, he finally said.

Please, you can’t call. Kate was desperate, begging a complete stranger for help. One she had just crashed into with her truck. I only have two points left on my license. If they give me a ticket, I might lose it. There were other reasons she didn’t want the police involved, but Kate was not about to bring those up.

He smirked. That’s your problem, not mine. His finger moved to complete the call.

I’ll fix your car! Kate blurted out without thinking.

It was enough to make him pause. The way he scoffed at her offer made Kate want to punch him in the mouth. You? You are going to fix my car?

Yes. Please, just don’t call the police.

He laughed outright, and not hitting him got even harder. Why would I let you fix my car when I could just file a claim and have an actual professional fix my car?

I am a professional! Kate snapped at him. Was he always so irritating?

A professional what? he asked, ignoring her attitude completely.

Oh, that was it. Kate’s freezing hands balled into fists. A professional mechanic, she said through her teeth.

Maybe he realized Kate was about to add to his reason for calling the police by punching him in the face, because he tamped down his obvious disbelief and mellowed his tone considerably when he spoke. Even if that’s true, I don’t know you or have any reason to trust you. Why would I risk you taking off without fixing my car rather than just getting it fixed through your insurance?

Uh…it’d have to be your insurance. I don’t have any at the moment, Kate said. Embarrassment settled on her shoulders like a diesel engine.

Of course, he said derisively. I guess the about to lose your license excuse should have prepared me for that. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll just go through my insurance then. I’m still going to want this on a police report.

I’ll fix it for free, Kate said. Her stomach dropped out at the very idea of it, but she had to say it. If you make a claim on your insurance, you’ll have to pay a deductible, and you’ll have to go to court, too, because I’ll definitely fight it if the cops try to give me a ticket. I can’t afford to pay a reckless driving citation right now.

He lowered his phone, but he didn’t look as though he were planning on giving in. How are you going to fix my car for free if you can’t afford to pay a ticket? Do you have any idea how much parts cost for a BMW?

Of course I do. The 7 series is an expensive line to work on. Your Beamer isn’t the first one I’ve ever fixed up. Not that Kate got the chance to work on luxury cars very often anymore, but she definitely remembered back when she did. That used to be the only kind of car she worked on. I have some friends that owe me big favors. I’ll get the parts and do the work myself. It will be like this never happened when I finish. I promise.

And what am I supposed to do for a car while you’re fixing this one? Are you going to get me a rental? He just used Kate’s lack of funds as a reason she couldn’t afford to fix his car. He knew good and well she couldn’t pay for a rental for him while she fixed his car. It might take her a couple of weeks to round everything up. Kate swallowed every last bit of bitter pride and made him an offer.

I’ll loan you my car until I get yours fixed.

His face screwed up in disgust. I am not driving around your beat-up old truck. That thing looks like it’s about to fall apart if I so much as look at it.

Kate glanced back at her twenty-year-old Dodge pickup. It was one of those massive, solid trucks that could survive anything. In fact, under the snow, you couldn’t even tell it had just been in a wreck. There were a few new scratches on the bumper, and it may have been a little more lopsided than before, but otherwise it looked great. To her, at least. It was rusted and dented and the paint had seen better days. Mr. High and Mighty would definitely never drive her monster. But that wasn’t what she’d meant, anyway.

No, Kate said, I’ll lend you my other car. This is my work truck. I have a Ford Torino GT fastback at home. You can borrow that.

His eyes lit up at the offer. Kate suddenly felt as though she were going to throw up.

You have a Torino? Is it restored? What year is it? he asked.

It’s a ’70, and yes it’s fully restored. It’s gorgeous. Misery puddled around her. She couldn’t believe she was even offering her baby to him. If anything were to happen to it…. She had to force those kinds of thoughts out of her head before her lunch ended up painting the snow.

Still, he said, it’s a safer bet just going through my insurance.

His phone came back up. Kate flinched at the sight, but what good was arguing really going to do? This guy was standing in the quickly piling snow in a great looking jacket and an even better looking suit. Kate didn’t know much about clothes, but his looked expensive. He didn’t care about her problems. She closed her eyes and sulked as the falling snow slowly soaked through her sweatshirt.

Kate missed the first part of his phone conversation, but her eyes popped back open when he said, Yeah, I’m going to need my car towed…. No, you don’t need to contact the police. I just need it towed to my mechanic’s…. Yes, thank you.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and folded his arms across his chest. Kate’s words tumbled out in a rush. You’re going to let me fix it?

I’ll undoubtedly regret it, he said with a hint of a smile, but I’m willing to let you try. I can always file a claim with my insurance later if I need to.

He said it as though he were doing it for her benefit, just to be nice, but she saw the excitement in his eyes when she had offered up her prized possession to him. This wasn’t about being Kate’s knight in shining armor. It was all about the car. Kate’s knees threatened to buckle at the idea of anyone else touching her Torino, but she couldn’t stomach the other option either. She pasted on a wilted smile.

How long is this going to take, anyway? he asked.

It’ll just depend on how fast I can get the parts. The actual work won’t take that long. Hopefully I can get you taken care of in a couple of weeks, Kate said, praying he didn’t change his mind because of the length of time.

He just nodded his head and checked his watch. AAA should be here in ten minutes.

The mention of time jogged Kate’s memory of why she was rushing to get home in the first place. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. 3:05. He would be getting home any minute. Anxious energy wriggled through her body, making her fingers tap against her half-frozen legs.

Ten minutes? Kate asked. Can’t they get here any sooner? We’re right in the middle of town.

Do you need to be somewhere?

I just need to get home soon. Kate should have been home already.

He frowned and studied Kate for a moment. A snowflake landed on his nose and melted immediately, forcing him to wipe the bead of water away with his gloved hand. Why do you need to get home?

I just do. It was bad enough she had to give him her Torino. He was not getting anything else from her. The less personal information he knew about Kate, the better. He shrugged and looked away.

The deepening snow around Kate’s feet had soaked through her tennis shoes. Her toes were hovering on the verge of pain from the cold and going completely numb. Kate’s fingers, at least, were tucked inside her sweatshirt, safe from the icy wind and snow. She was freezing, but she did her best not to shiver. Despite the snow dusting his hair, the other driver looked perfectly comfortable leaning against his Beamer as he waited. Next to him, Kate probably looked like a drowned rat in her beat-up work jeans and oversized sweatshirt, with no coat, no gloves, not even a beanie to keep her ears from freezing off. Kate shrank in on herself a little more in a rare bout of self-consciousness. Usually, she couldn’t care less what she looked like to other people, but for some reason, it was different in that moment.

Grease-covered hands, ratty jeans with a rag sticking out of her back pocket, that was how she felt comfortable. If her baggy sweatshirts and old baseball caps kept customers from staring at her, all the better. Who was this guy to make her feel like she wasn’t good enough to be standing with him in the middle of a freak blizzard? Even if he was rather attractive, and from the look of his shoulders, well built, that didn’t make him better.

He glanced over at Kate just as a stream of melted snow slid down her cheek. She brushed her sweater-covered hand across her face to avoid his gaze and stared at it in surprise when it came away covered in blood. She hadn’t realized that she’d cut her head bashing it into the steering wheel. Great, this was my favorite sweatshirt, Kate thought.

Are you okay? he asked, suddenly right next to her.

She shoved her hand down and looked up at him. Yeah, fine. Don’t worry about it.

You’re bleeding. Do you need to go to the hospital? he asked. Actual concern colored his voice. It was almost as surprising as him reaching up and touching Kate’s face.

Heat rushed through her and she turned away. Her hair fell over her cheek. She was happy to leave it there. I’m fine, Kate repeated.

That cut looks pretty deep.

Kate stepped away from him. I’ve had worse.

His curious expression made Kate bite her tongue. No personal stuff, she reminded herself. I just want to fix this guy’s car and forget this day ever happened, she thought. The dull flash of yellow lights approaching rescued her from having to say anything else. Kate pointed down the road, and said, AAA’s here.

He looked behind him and nodded approvingly. That was fast. Looks like you’ll get home soon, after all.

Great. Let’s get the Beamer loaded up and get out of the snow, Kate thought. Her fingers tapped anxiously against her folded arms as she watched the tow truck attempt to position itself.

I’m Sam Dalton, by the way, he said.

Kate Laramie.

He reached out for her hand and she shook it quickly, tucking her cold fingers back under her arm right after. For a moment he looked as though he were going to say something else, but the tow truck driver called him over. He walked away and Kate climbed back into her truck, ready to lead the way. She counted the minutes it took to load Sam’s Beamer onto the truck’s bed. Both of her feet and every one of her fingers were tapping anxiously by the time the driver waved for her to pull ahead and show him where to go. Kate wanted to speed away, but given what had just happened, and the thickening snow, she forced herself to drive slowly. When she finally pulled up to her house, she dashed out of her truck and ran for her front door.

The bundled-up ball of laughter that was throwing snowballs in the front yard saw her before she could get to him. He turned to greet her with a grin. Kate scooped him into her arms and hugged him fiercely. I’m so sorry I was late getting home, Lincoln. What are you doing outside? Why didn’t you use your key and go inside to get warm after you got off the school bus?

I was having fun out here, Lincoln’s happy little voice answered.

Lincoln, you can’t be out here alone. You know that.

Worry wrinkled his little face as he considered that. Sorry, Kate.

It’s okay, buddy. Just remember for next time. Go inside as soon as you get home.

He nodded. All traces of his childish glee disappeared when he pulled back and saw the gash on the side of Kate’s head. She couldn’t stop his eyes from traveling down to the tow truck that pulled up behind her. The Beamer was already being unloaded and Sam was walking up the drive to them. Lincoln took it all in and looked back at Kate with all the seriousness a five-year-old could muster. Another accident, Kate?

I know, buddy, I know. Go inside and get warmed up. I’ll come inside in a minute, okay?

He nodded and let himself into the house, forgetting to take his boots off, as usual. Kate couldn’t get herself to be upset with him, though. Not today. She stood back up feeling much better than she had a minute earlier, now that she knew Lincoln was safely inside. Kate turned around to find Sam standing right behind her.

That your son? he asked, motioning toward the door Lincoln had just gone through.

No.

He looked as though he was expecting more, but he wasn’t going to get it. Kate didn’t discuss Lincoln with anyone.

Chapter 2

Capable

It wasn’t until Kate walked down to the tow truck that she realized she knew the drivers. She should have expected to see Shawn and Dustin as soon as she heard AAA, but she was a little distracted at the time. Kate got a quick wave from Dustin, who was unloading the Beamer, and a scolding hug from Shawn as soon as she was near enough to grab. Sam watched the whole exchange from a distance. After Kate blew him off, his impatient scowl wasn’t all that surprising. She was starting to wonder if that was just his regular look. It was too bad, because a smile would really make it hard to look away from him. Startled at herself for even thinking such a thing, Kate shook off thoughts of Sam’s attractiveness and tried to focus on what Shawn was saying to her.

I thought I recognized that piece of shit you’re driving around, Shawn said when Kate pulled away from him. I didn’t recognize you covered in snow instead of grease.

Gee, thanks, Kate muttered.

He fingered a strand of her hair with a smile that made her stomach turn. Having your hair down didn’t help either. You without a ponytail bobbing around behind you is weird. His voice turned softer as he said, It’s a nice kind of weird, though. You should wear it like this more often, Katie.

Irritated, she pulled away from him. Don’t call me Katie, Shawn.

Shawn frowned at her outright rejection, though she didn’t know why he was surprised. I’m just saying you look nice with your hair down. What’s wrong with that?

It gets in my way when I work, Kate said, not bothering to voice the real answer of why she didn’t want him commenting on her looks. There was too much history between them for that kind of talk. Kate tucked her hair behind her ear without thinking and Shawn saw the cut.

Kate, that looks bad. You should get it checked out. You might need stitches, Shawn said.

That’s what I tried to tell her, Sam said.

Kate jumped. She hadn’t realized he’d come up behind them. I’m fine, she said to both of them. Shawn frowned at her while Sam just shrugged.

Is she usually this stubborn? Sam asked.

No, Kate said, as Shawn said the opposite.

That cracked Sam’s scowl and he smiled. For some stupid reason, Kate blushed. It had been such an awful day. Not wanting to look at Sam any longer, Kate turned back to Shawn. Can you guys help me push the car into my garage?

That’ll cost you extra, he said, it’s not really in our contract.

The punch Kate threw at his shoulder was a little harder than necessary—blame it on, well, everything—but Shawn just laughed it off. Help me push it in, you jerk.

Fine, fine. Dustin, get your lazy ass over here and help push.

Nobody asked Sam to help, and he didn’t offer. Wouldn’t want to dirty up his suit, or anything. So, with Shawn and Dustin at the back and Kate up at the wheel so she could steer and push at the same time, they slogged through the snow that was piled on her driveway and got the Beamer into the empty space of Kate’s two car garage. Right next to her Torino. Shawn and Dustin knew better than to touch her baby, but Sam wandered over and ran his fingers along its contours slowly. Kate’s stomach flip-flopped, but she didn’t say a word.

You really gonna fix this guy’s car? Shawn asked quietly. He seems like a bit of a tool, if you ask me.

Kate threw him a look that said very pointedly to shut up. Yes, I’m going to fix his car, and I’m going to need some parts to do it. Can you help me out with that, Shawn?

Parts for a 7 series aren’t cheap, Kate.

Oh really? I didn’t know that, she snapped. He threw his hands up defensively. I know they’re expensive, but you owe me a pretty big favor, Shawn. I gutted your Mustang and made it brand new without charging you a dime.

I know, Kate, but …

She sighed and rubbed her forehead to try and dull the throbbing. Look, Shawn, just do the best you can. Get me the lowest price possible at least. I can afford to pay for some of it, but not retail prices.

Okay, fine, Shawn finally agreed. He shook his head at her and glanced over at Sam. Why are you doing this?

He was going to call the police to report the accident. What else could I do?

Let the police come, he said with the duh obviously implied. You slid on ice. They wouldn’t have given you a ticket, Kate.

You know I can’t get mixed up with the police. Not even for something like this. Besides, I would have gotten a ticket for being uninsured anyway, even if they didn’t blame me for the accident. I don’t need that at the moment. Shawn opened his mouth to argue some more, but Kate shut him up with a look. He settled for shoving his hands in his pockets and pouting.

Dustin stomped over to us, and said, It’s freezing out here, man. Can we get going, or what?

Yes, Kate answered for him. Go ahead and take off, guys. Thanks for your help getting it into the garage.

Shawn looked over at Sam, his eyes narrowing. Before he could play at protecting her, Kate shoved him out of the garage. He trudged through the snow looking like a very sad puppy. Oh well. He would get over it. He always did. Why he even tried escaped her. Shawn knew better than anyone that Kate didn’t need help like that. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself all by her lonesome.

So, Sam, Kate said as soon as Shawn and Dustin drove away, let me get you the keys and you can get me out of your hair.

Sure, he said without taking his eyes off the Torino.

Kate squeezed between the two cars to reach the pegboard where she kept the keys and grabbed them off the hook. When she turned around, Sam wasn’t looking at the car anymore. He was watching her. It made her uncomfortable, but not necessarily in a bad