Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 (4 page)

As she drove away, she thought about the first time she’d met him. It had been shortly after Ryan’s betrayal, and she’d been feeling very insecure. Jared had been at the same pool party as Taylin, and had been the life of the party. He was cute, in that bad-boy kind of way, and was the complete opposite of Ryan. So, really, he was the rebound guy and she’d completely fallen for it.

Maybe she would have Rachel set her up. Not with Luke McKay, but with one of the other men she’d wanted Taylin to go out with. Or, maybe she just wouldn’t worry about dating right now. She really didn’t have time to date, anyway.

A text message came through as she pulled into her driveway. She looked at the screen and couldn’t help smiling. Jared had sent her an apology and begged for her forgiveness, using every sad smiley face emoji on his phone.

She should just tell him they were done. But after another apology text came through, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to give him one more chance.

L
uke didn’t want
to be in his office very long. It was beautiful outside and he wanted to spend the day on the lake fishing. He’d arrived early, mainly so he could avoid running into Reece. The HR director usually didn’t show up until after nine, but since she’d sent him an email telling him his paperwork had somehow been lost and she needed it today, there was always a chance she’d come to work early.

He took the stairs to the second floor and made it to his office without running into anyone. A flyer was taped to the outside of his door with a schedule of the upcoming fall festivities the hospital sponsored. It didn’t feel like fall outside, it felt more like the middle of the summer.

He scanned the list of activities and a feeling of homesickness washed over him when he read about the hospital’s pumpkin-carving contest advertised for the second week in October.

His parents hosted a big family party each year on the ranch, inviting not only Luke’s siblings and their families, but also his aunts, uncles and cousins. They also had a pumpkin-carving contest. His mother was an artist and her imaginative and intricately carved pumpkins were well known back home. People would come from neighboring counties to see the pumpkins each year. Over time, Luke and his siblings had become pretty proficient at carving. His family and a few of his cousins had a healthy competition going on between them, each of them coming up with more elaborate pumpkins each year. He would really miss going, especially since he’d won last year and wanted to keep his title.

It might be fun to enter the contest here. The prize the hospital offered the winner wouldn’t be much fun for a single man, but a weekend stay at the exclusive spa, Harmony Springs, would be a great gift for a married couple. Dave and Rachel had done so much for him since his move to Mitchel Creek. He’d been trying to think of a thank you gift he could get them, and this would be perfect. That is if he won.

Entering his office, he found the file folder with the insurance papers and then took a seat at his desk. It didn’t take him long to fill out the paper with his information. Even though his marriage had been over long before the divorce, it still hurt to skip over the spouse information. He wondered if he’d ever get over Vivian. Not that he still loved her, because he didn’t, but he’d fought hard for her and their marriage.

Before taking the documents to HR, he checked his email. Most of it was spam, but there was one from his sister, inviting him to his niece’s birthday.

Luke, I know you won’t be able to come to the party, but Eliza made me send you an invitation. She loves you, and really misses you. We all do, but hope you are finding happiness in Georgia. Seth wants to come visit you and fish on your lake. He graciously said I could tag along. We’re going to try and come in the spring. Mom said she’d watch the girls for us. Love you, big brother! Diane.

Luke’s throat tightened. He missed his family so much. While leaving Montana had been his choice, he still felt like he’d been driven out of the place he loved because of Vivian. The first time he’d run into her was about six weeks after her baby was born. That had hurt— both his pride and his soul. After seeing her with her boyfriend and baby a few more times, Luke knew he couldn’t live in the same town anymore. The minute his sister told him about the opening in Georgia, he’d filled out an application to be transferred.

Swallowing back his emotions, he pulled out his phone and put in a reminder to get his niece a present. In fact he should email his mom for a list of everyone’s birthdays. No matter how far away he was, he wanted to stay connected to his family.

Feeling raw and lonely, Luke scooted back his chair and gathered up the papers. He wanted to get out of the hospital and onto the lake. He opened his door, and stopped short, barely avoiding knocking down Taylin Nichols. In the process he let go of the file, sending his papers flying.

“Sorry,” she said, bending down to pick up his papers. “I was just about to knock.”

“It’s okay.” Luke crouched down, wondering why she was here. She wasn’t dressed in scrubs, which meant she wasn’t working, especially since the morning shift had started nearly two hours ago.

They both stood up, and she handed him the papers she’d collected. “It looks like you’re in a hurry. I won’t keep you long.”

Just like the two other times he’d met her, his body reacted to her nearness, sending his pulse racing and making it hard to think. This kind of attraction was dangerous. After all, hadn’t he felt the same thing the first time he met Vivian?

“What do you need?” He knew he sounded harsh, but this girl made him feel off balance.

Her blue eyes narrowed. “
I
don’t need anything. I’m here on assignment from Margaret.”

Luke could tell she was irritated, although her Southern drawl took the edge off of her clipped answer. “Okay.” He stepped back and held open his door. “Come on in and have a seat.”

She walked passed him, and he caught the sweet scent of her perfume. Keeping the door open, he followed behind her and sat on the edge of his desk. “How can I help you?”

“This isn’t my idea.” She pulled an envelope out from her purse. “But Margaret put me in charge of the employee bulletin board.” She handed him the envelope. “If you could please answer the questions and then email it to me before Friday I would appreciate it.”

“Okay,” Luke said, opening up the envelope. He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. The questions were fairly basic. He glanced up to find her watching him. “Do people really want to know this stuff?”

“Actually, I think they want to know more.” She smiled. “You should be thankful I didn’t give you the list Margaret first gave me.”

“Why? What did it say?”

Taylin stood up and slipped the strap of her purse over one shoulder. “Let’s just say her questions were on the personal side and had more to do with your social life.”

Luke didn’t have a social life. “I don’t date co-workers,” he stated flatly. “Maybe you could add that to the bulletin board.”

One of her eyebrows lifted. “I can if you want me to.” She turned around and headed for the doorway, but stopped and looked back at him over her shoulder. “By the way, I don’t date co-workers either. And just so we’re clear, even if I did, you’re not my type.”

Before he could come up with a decent comeback, she disappeared out his door. Luke stared at the doorway, wondering if he should go after her and apologize. He wasn’t a jerk, but he’d sure just acted like one.

Then her parting words sunk in.
I’m not her type?

He stood up and grabbed the file folder, and once again set off for the HR office. All the way there he couldn’t stop thinking about the pretty blonde and how he wasn’t her type. Reece wasn’t in her office, so Luke dropped off his file without incident. He exited the hospital, and crossed the parking lot to his Harley.

That’s when he spotted Taylin Nichols.

She stood by a car, which he assumed was hers, with a flat tire. It looked like his fishing trip would be delayed a little longer. He couldn’t just walk on by and leave her stranded. Despite how he’d just behaved, he really wasn’t a jerk.

She held her phone out in front of her, watching a video. The closer he got he could see the video was on how to change a tire.

“Can I help?” he asked.

She yelped and fumbled with her phone. Luke’s hand shot out and caught it before it landed on the asphalt.

“Nice save.” She reached out and snatched the phone. “And, no thank you, I don’t need help.”

“So you were just watching a how-to-change-your-tire video for fun?”

Her eyes regarded him coolly. “I was watchin’ it to refresh my memory. It’s been a while since my daddy showed me how to do it.”

She went around him and popped the trunk open with her key fob. He stood back and watched as she opened the side compartment housing the jack. Maybe she did know what she was doing. Still, his mother would be very disappointed if a son of hers didn’t help a girl with a flat tire.

“I told you I don’t need your help, Mr. McKay,” she said, sounding confident, despite her unsuccessful attempts to remove the jack.

Luke was sorely tempted to leave her alone, but he couldn’t just walk away. He gave her another minute before intervening. Without saying a word, he leaned over and simply turned the nut on the top of the jack counter clockwise to loosen it.

He bit back a smile at the irritated look on her face when she still couldn’t remove the tool. She was so stubborn and he wondered if she would ever relent and allow him to assist her.

“I swear,” she said in her cute Southern drawl. “This demon jack is doing this on purpose just because you’re watchin’ me.”

He laughed, and she cut him another irritated glance before the corner of her mouth lifted. “All right, Mr. McKay, let’s see what you can do.”

With a slightly smug smile on his face, he moved in beside her. “Will you please call me Luke?” He made one small twist of the jack and pulled it out.

“How on earth did you do that?” She leaned in close so her arm brushed up against his.

For a second Luke couldn’t speak. Her tantalizing scent surrounded him and the warmth from her arm was wreaking havoc on his nervous system. He swallowed and moved away just enough to break contact.

“It’s a little tricky. You just have to know how to twist it the right way.” He removed the tire iron and skirted around the end of the car to the flat tire.

She followed him and he was sure she was going to insist on placing the jack herself. Instead, she watched him loosen the lug nuts before he positioned the jack and lifted up the tire. With a captivated audience of one very beautiful girl, Luke proceeded to change out the flat tire for the spare. After lowering the car and removing the jack, he stood up and moved to the trunk.

“All done,” he said, putting the jack back in its compartment.

“Thank you, Mr. McKay.”

He turned to look at her, lifting an eyebrow. “Luke, remember?”

Her lips curved up. “Thank you, Luke.” She held out her hand for him to shake.

Luke knew what would happen if he touched her and was grateful he had an excuse to avoid it. Shaking his head, he pointed to his grease-stained palm. “I better go in and wash up.”

“Hang on,” she said, digging through her purse. “I think I’ve got something you can use.” She pulled out a small package of baby wipes and removed several sheets. “These work well to get stains out of clothing, so they should work for your hands.”

“Thanks.” He took the wipes and did his best to remove the grease. When he finished, he looked up and met her blue eyes. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah.” She moistened her lips. “Don’t forget to send me the questionnaire.”

“I’ll get it to you by tonight.”

“Thank you.” She pointed to her tire. “And thank you for helping me. I… um, haven’t actually ever changed a tire. When my daddy tried showin’ me and my twin sister we didn’t wanna get our hands dirty.”

She was a twin? Luke fought back the urge to find out more about her.

“You’re welcome.” He took a step back and waved. The rule about not dating co-workers had been an impromptu thing and part of him regretted making it up. “Have a good day.”

“You too.”

Turning around, he made his way toward his motorcycle, resisting the impulse to look back to see if she was watching him. As he strapped on his helmet, he reminded himself that today was all about fishing, no girls allowed. Not even in his thoughts.

Despite his self-imposed edict, Taylin Nichols filled Luke’s mind the entire ride to his house. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do about her. They worked together and both attended the same church, even had mutual friends. Maybe instead of ignoring her, he should try to be her friend.

As he turned onto the street where his house was, he knew being friends wouldn’t work as long as he was attracted to her. His heart had nearly pounded out of his chest when she’d inadvertently bumped into him while he’d changed her flat tire.

Luke’s house came into view, and he paused at the end of the driveway to admire the beautiful structure. It didn’t seem like home yet, but hopefully it would happen once his stuff was all moved in.

He slowly moved down the driveway and parked in front of the garage. A late model minivan pulled into the house next door. Luke was anxious to meet his neighbors. He took off his helmet and watched as a woman with silver-streaked dark hair climbed out of the driver’s seat. The sliding door of the van opened automatically and two kids, a girl and a boy, exited the vehicle.

“I call the TV first,” the little boy shouted as he darted past his sister toward the front door.

“No!” the little girl whined as she followed the boy. “Nana says it’s my turn to watch TV.”

“Y’all are both grounded from the television unless you come on back here and help me with the groceries,” the woman called after them.

“Yes, ma’am,” the little boy said.

Luke was surprised when the kid obeyed. His sister was right behind him. They each took two grocery sacks and trekked back toward the front door. He could see there were several more sacks in the vehicle and decided to offer his assistance.

He crossed the yard and noticed the wary look in the woman’s eyes. Smiling, he lifted a hand and waved. “Hi, I’m your new neighbor, Luke McKay.”

Surprise replaced the guarded look. “You sure aren’t from around here, are ya.”

“Nope.” Luke grinned. “Born and raised in Montana.”

“Goodness, you’re a long way from home.” She held out her hand. “Iris Bradford.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bradford,” Luke said, shaking her hand briefly.

“When did you move in?” she asked, glancing at the obviously empty house.

“I haven’t yet officially, but my contractor is finishing up with the repairs and I’m planning on moving in on Friday.”

The two children had wandered back over to the van, eyeing Luke with interest. “Hi there,” he said, wondering if they were twins. They both looked to be around six or seven.

“You talk funny,” the little girl said, her accent so thick it almost sounded fake.