“Jesus,” he muttered, throwing the truck into park and killing the engine. The warm engine ticked noisily but otherwise there wasn’t any sound. Snow tended to muffle all noise, leaving everything in a peaceful quiet that any other moment, Josh would’ve enjoyed.
Not at this particular moment though.
He climbed out of his truck and went to the front to check the damage. The orange tabby cat he’d avoided sat in the middle of the driveway, blinking at him as snowflakes fell gently, clinging to his fur.
“Frickin’ cat,” Josh grumbled as he knelt down to inspect his dented bumper. It didn’t look too bad, but if he didn’t back out and take off now, the snow would bury him quick. Or the freezing roads would send his truck into a spiral.
He needed to get out of here stat.
“Spike! Oh my gosh, there you are!”
Awareness prickled over Josh’s skin despite the layers of clothing he wore, and slowly he stood to his full height, keeping his back to the woman with the sweetly familiar voice. And it wasn’t just anyone’s voice; it was Mindy Fenton’s.
Crap.
“Joshua Powers, is that you?”
Taking a deep breath for courage, he turned to find Mindy blinking up at him, a black knit cap jammed on top of her head, her wavy, blond hair a curling mess around her face. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, her green eyes bright, and damn if she didn’t look beautiful. “Hey, Mindy,” he said weakly.
She looked from him to the cat and back at him again. “Don’t tell me your truck is in the embankment because of Spike.”
Josh frowned. “Spike?”
“My cat.” She waved a hand at the orange tabby but he’d already moved on from their conversation, trotting up the driveway toward the house, his tail sticking straight up in the air. “Spike,” Mindy called but the cat ignored her.
“I, uh, swerved to avoid hitting him, yeah.” He brushed his hand across his face, wiping away the dampness left by melting snowflakes. “Sorry about that. I’m gonna head home.”
“Wait a minute.” She rushed toward him, fairly fast in the slush, and grabbed his arm. “Are you okay? Is your truck all right?”
His arm burned where she touched him. He didn’t try and get out of her grip either. “I’m fine. The bumper is dented but no big deal.”
Mindy frowned, releasing her hold on his jacket sleeve. “Oh, Josh, I’m sorry. I know your truck is relatively new. You should take it in to a shop and have it looked at. I’ll help pay for the repair.”
How did she know his truck was new? Did she keep tabs on him like he did her? Not like he’d talked to her lately and he’d only owned the Toyota for about six months. And no way was he going to make her pay for anything. “I appreciate the offer, Min, but I’m gonna have to pass.”
She smiled faintly. “You called me Min. I haven’t heard you say that in a long time.”
He was starting to sweat in the middle of a cold-as-hell storm. That made no sense. His reaction to Mindy made no sense either. Well, it sort of did but after all these years, he figured he could remain calm around her and not act like a fumbling boy. “I should head out. See ya around.”
“Bye.” Her voice was soft, as was her gaze, and she stood at the end of the driveway next to the mailbox, watching as Josh climbed into his truck. He thought she’d run back up to the house, considering the snow was starting to fall faster. Thicker. But she didn’t so much as move a muscle.
Was that wistfulness in her eyes? She looked…sad. And he hated to see her sad. That had been his soft spot long ago—Mindy in despair over some stupid guy. After a while, he’d wanted to tell all those guys to screw off and prove to Mindy that she belonged to no one but him…
Growling under his breath, he reached out and grabbed the keys, giving them a twist in the ignition. The engine chugged, as if it wanted to turn over but couldn’t quite make it, and then…
Nothing.
Josh leaned back in his seat, staring at the unlit dashboard. What now? He tried to start the truck again. And again. But it was no use.
Something was wrong with it. He was freaking stuck. In front of Mindy’s house.
Damn it.
A loud rapping sounded on the driver’s side window, startling him, and he looked to find Mindy peering at him through the glass, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. He rolled down the window—hey, at least that worked—and she took a step back as if she needed the distance.
“Your truck won’t start,” she stated rather obviously.
“Clearly.” Leaning in, he pulled the lever to pop the hood and climbed out of the cab, going to the front of his truck to try and figure out the problem. Vehicles were too damn smart nowadays, hooked up to computers or whatever. He couldn’t see what was wrong, so he let the hood drop with a loud clang, and turned to find Mindy watching him.