She was bending down to take the lug nuts off the hubcap when she heard the roar of an engine coming down the highway. She had a savior, thank God!
* * *
Jasper sighed wearily as he drove back to the resort in his pickup. He’d had a long first day. After completing the usual employment paperwork, he’d met up with the superintendent of the construction company to walk the site. He had put on his hard hat and steel-toe boots and followed him outside. The superintendent had introduced him to his laborers as well as several key subcontractors, such as the electrician, plumber and finisher and painter. Jasper shook hands with each of them. He intended to talk to them extensively, on the sly of course, to see if he could figure out exactly what was going on at his hotel.
The day had been long. Jasper had forgotten what backbreaking work it was to be in construction. He was ready for a nice hot shower and to change into his linen trousers and Tommy Bahama polo shirt. That is, until he saw a statuesque beauty bending down on the side of the road, wearing skimpy shorts and a formfitting tank top.
As he stopped his truck on the opposite side of the road, he got a nice view of her well-shaped behind. He was admiring the view when the beauty gazed up at him. With her hand shielding her face from the sun, she yelled, “If you’re done staring at my butt, would you care to lend me a hand?”
Jasper smiled broadly as he jumped out of the vehicle. A woman with attitude! He liked her already. “My, my,” he said as he crossed the road, “someone is sure testy.”
“You would be too if you’d been standing out in this blistering heat for an hour. I have delicate skin.”
“I bet.” Jasper chuckled. He was unprepared for the sight that greeted him once he got up close and personal. The woman was tall in what had to be four-inch heels, but that wasn’t all. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was breathtaking. She had creamy latte-colored skin that complemented her sleek, sophisticated bob with honey-blond highlights. And, well, her green eyes were nothing short of arresting! They stopped him dead in his tracks.
Courtney sighed wearily. She was used to men’s reactions toward her looks, but there was something about this one that was a little bit different from the other men she’d encountered. There was something strong about him and his dark chocolate skin that appealed to her on a physical level. She guessed he must be six foot two, maybe three, and despite his less-than-desirable attire of ripped jeans and a T-shirt, he smelled all man.
“Well, are you going to help me or not?” she asked. “Or do you always stare at ladies dumbfounded? I doubt that gets you very far.” The second the words were out of her mouth, Courtney realized she sounded a bit harsh.
“Listen, lady.” Jasper quickly snapped out of his daze at her tone. “It’s you who needs my help, not the other way around.” He glanced down at her attempt at changing a flat tire.
Courtney stood up straight. She’d never had someone give it back to her like that, and she had to begrudgingly admire it even if she didn’t like it. “You’re right, so if you would please be so kind as to help me out of a pinch, I would appreciate it.”
“That’s better!” Jasper walked around the entire length of her rental car and then stated, “Can’t do it.”
“Well, why the hell not! It’s just a flat tire,” she responded gruffly.
Jasper laughed at her indignation, which only infuriated Courtney further. She stomped toward him, giving him a great view of her pert bosom in the formfitting tank top. “Because, my dear, you have two flat tires.” He inclined his head in the direction of the passenger’s-side rear tire.
“How can that be?” Courtney shook her head. “Who gets two flat tires?”
“Apparently you do?” He grinned broadly. “You must have rolled over some nails.”
“For Christ’s sake!” She should have listened to the hotel manager instead of going off on her own. Now look where she was, stuck on a dirt road with a construction worker. “Well, if it’s money you’re after to help me, I’m sure I can accommodate you.”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed at her condescending tone. This high-class diva was probably used to getting what she wanted with a bat of her eyelashes. She probably thought he was some poor schmuck off the street whom she could speak to any kind of way. She was wrong. “I don’t have to do a damn thing. And if I were you, I wouldn’t be throwing around the fact that you have money in these parts. It might attract the wrong sort, if you get my drift.” And with that comment, he started walking back toward his truck.
Courtney stormed after him as best she could in four-inch heels on a rocky dirt road. “Wait, just a minute. Where do you think you’re going?”
Jasper turned around and Courtney caught a flash of anger in his eyes, but just as quickly it was gone. “I’m leaving. Or do you need me to get an interpreter for you?”
“Oh!” Courtney was flabbergasted. “You’re just going to leave me here?”
Jasper opened his truck door and hopped in the driver seat. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Perhaps you should be more kind to Good Samaritans.” He turned on the engine. It sputtered to life and seconds later, he shifted into gear, leaving her staring at his bumper. It was what she deserved considering the way she’d spoken to him. She had acted like a princess and as if she were entitled to a ride. He owed her nothing.
So why did he feel terrible? From his rearview mirror, he could see her standing in the middle of the road. She looked shell-shocked that he had left her stranded on the road in a bad area of town where beautiful, rich women like her disappeared in a nanosecond.
Seconds later, Jasper was reversing his truck to scoop her up. His mother had raised a gentleman, so he couldn’t very well leave her alone. When he reached her, her arms were folded across her chest and he could see she was pouting. He swung open the passenger door. “Get in!”
Courtney paused, debating whether she should get in the vehicle. It was dirty and looked as though he hauled debris of some sort in it. Not to mention the fact that he could be some crazy ax murderer. How would she know? She probably wouldn’t realize it until he’d taken her to some abandoned house in the woods never to be heard from again.
“I’m not going to ask you a second time, princess,” Jasper warned.
Courtney didn’t have a whole lot of options. If she stayed there, she could be stuck until nightfall and what would become of her? Throwing caution to the wind, she jumped inside the truck. Something in her gut told her she could trust him. Plus, she didn’t want to be left on the dirt road to fend for herself. She would just have the hotel manager send someone for the car.
“I am not a princess,” Courtney said, looking over to hazard a glance at the stranger.
“You sure act like one,” Jasper replied, shifting into gear and pulling back onto the highway.
“Wow, you sure know how to talk to a lady.”
“Is that what I’m doing? I thought I was giving you a ride back to your resort. Because trust me, if I was trying to talk to you, you would know it.”
Courtney turned around and stared at the stranger. She was surprised, but yet oddly turned on by his confidence. He didn’t seem to have the same social graces that some of her boy toys did, but perhaps that was why she tired of them so easily. “You sure are cocky.”
“I’ve been told that before.”
“But you don’t care?”
Jasper shrugged, which Courtney took to mean he couldn’t care less what others thought about him. She wished she could do the same. She always had to be conscious of how she was viewed by the public. It was up to her to sell the Adams Cosmetics