A Fair to Remember

Most of the time, Tara didn’t mind watching the Great Dane while Charlie had fun, but most days she didn’t have Westin Carter coming over, either. Not that she’d had a choice, if she’d protested against dog-sitting this morning, then Charlie would’ve stayed home, and that wouldn’t have worked—especially after her father had forbid her to see Wes again. She still couldn’t believe that one.

After another tongue swipe, Tara commanded, “Sugar, sit down.”

She did, then reached forward and licked the side of Tara’s face with a soft whine. Tara jerked her head back, squeezing her eyes shut with a disgusted sound. After wiping her face, she set down the wrench in her hand and reached up to put a hand on either side of the dog’s face. Holding her still, Tara looked straight into the animal’s brown eyes.

“I’m gonna need you to be nice to Wes—not lunatic dog nice—just Good Dog nice, okay? Think you can do that for me, sweetie?”

Sugar barked in her face, making her ears ring as it echoed in the garage.

Psycho dog, Tara thought with a grimace. She pushed her away, turning her face in the opposite direction to find Wes leaning casually against the frame of her garage door, watching them. Her gaze locked with his for a heart-stopping moment, and everything else faded away.

“Good morning,” he said with a slight smile.

At the sound of his deep voice, Sugar spun in frantic excitement and crossed the floor faster than Tara’s pulse shot into overdrive. She pushed to her feet, while Wes straightened as the dog bounded for him.

“Down!” His firm command stopped Sugar from taking that last leap at his chest.

When Sugar did as instructed, Wes stared hard at her. He dropped the Tee shirt, jeans, and shoes that Tara just now noticed he held against his hip, then leaned to rough the sides of the dog’s neck with a quick smile.

“Good girl.”

Sugar attempted to return his praise with a slobbery kiss under his chin, but he straightened just in time to avoid the tongue. His attention shifted back to Tara. She bit her lip, remembered she had lipstick on, and returned his greeting from a moment ago with a smile. When his gaze slid down to take in her fitted leather vest, shorts and bare legs, her heart pounded and she had to turn around. She could do this, she just had to pretend she didn’t feel like an idiot in the low-cut leather top. She had to wear it like she meant it.

“Nice bike,” he commented, his tone truly admiring as he stepped inside the garage with Sugar prancing on his heels. “Yours?”

“Yeah.” Tara couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands, so she bent to pick up the bolts that connected the shocks to the bike, pulled a cloth from her back pocket, and began cleaning them.

“What are you doing to it?” Wes asked, walking around to the opposite side as he looked at the Sportster’s sleek lines.

“Changing the shocks.” She cast a sideways glance to find his gaze on her. He quickly transferred his attention back to the bike. Tara allowed a small smile. Good so far. “Since Charlie needed someone to watch Sugar, I figured I’d get started while I waited for you.” She looked outside as something occurred to her. “I didn’t even hear a car.”

“I walked.”

He leaned to run his fingers along the leather seat. Tara drank in the sight of him in a tight white tee shirt, blue jeans and brown boots and wondered how his touch would feel skimming her skin.

His gaze rose to hers, lingering on the way up before meeting her eyes. “How’s it going?”

She lifted a shoulder, striving for casual in the face of his perusal. “I’ll know once I put it back together and take it for a ride.” She waited a beat, then set the bolts down, and wiped her hands. “Your things are inside, I’ll be right back.”

She could swear she felt his heated gaze again as she crossed to the door of the house, and had to remember to breathe once she passed out of his line of sight. Yesterday he’d told Charlie she wasn’t his type, yet today…today definite interest darkened those light blue eyes of his. So similar to what she’d glimpsed a few times yesterday, but about ten times hotter and light years away from bored.

Gathering his suit in her arms, she hoped she had the guts to pull the act off. If Wes wanted a wordly woman, could she follow through with more than just appearances? He might just take the suit and leave; she had to be prepared for that. Biker chick or not, she wasn’t about to put herself out there again like she had last night. She’d take her cues from him and see where he took it from here.

Wes was hunkered down next to the Harley with Sugar sitting next to him when Tara returned to the garage. Another good sign. He shifted toward her when she closed the door, but he didn’t quite look at her.

“You actually know what you’re doing here?” he asked with a trace of skepticism. The cool tone of his voice doused her good spirits.

“I wouldn’t have started if I didn’t.” She lifted the suit by the hanger with one finger. “For some reason the cuff buttons were both missing on your shirt, but I sewed on some new ones, so it’s good as new.”

He glanced up again before rising to his feet in one lithe movement. Relieving her of the garment, he held it out as she had, inspecting it. “Thank you.”

“Believe me, it’s the least I could do,” she assured him with a wry smile.

Wes didn’t reply and still didn’t look at her. Tara stood there for a moment, then felt like an idiot and decided to get back to work on the bike. He was a big boy, he’d make up his own mind without an invitation from her. Between the kiss last night and her clothes this morning, the situation ought to be pretty darn clear.

She checked that the bolts were clean, then picked up one of the new shocks. Over her shoulder, she commented, “Someone either went shopping this morning, or…”

“The airline delivered my luggage about nine.?