And on that hopeful thought, she smiled and put Matt Banks in her rearview mirror, at least for now.
* * *
“Dammit.” Matt Banks slammed his cell phone onto the counter, lucky he didn’t break the screen. Harper Sanders drove him mad.
Or maybe he was just mad at himself for the distance he kept between them. Distance he’d promised to maintain, and Matt was a man of his word. Not wanting to think about why he stayed away from a woman he desired so badly, he ran a hand through his too-long hair and groaned when the memory of that day stayed with him. Her older brother, Noah, had been home on leave from the Marines, and he’d stopped by Matt’s garage that he’d inherited from his late father.
Matt thought Noah had come to ask him to service his jeep that sat in the street while he’d been gone.
Instead, the bulky soldier had stepped into Matt’s personal space. “I saw the way you were looking at my sister at the tavern last night.”
Matt had been eyeing Harper.
He always scoped out the gorgeous full-figured woman he’d been in love with forever. But they’d grown up together as friends. They’d been young. Neither made a move. Then she’d gone to college and he’d waited, knowing she’d be home for good one day, and he’d planned to act then. That time had come, and he’d been considering how he was going to ask her out, but she’d left with her friends before he could do it.
“So?” He stood up to her brother.
“So she can do better than a garage owner without an education, that’s what. And since I’m not around to make sure you keep your hands to yourself, I want your word you’ll leave my sister alone,” Noah said, his fists clenched as he made his point.
In doing so, Noah had hit at the sore spot Matt never admitted to the world. His father died and he’d taken over the garage, giving up any dreams he’d had of higher education or being more than a guy who worked with his hands for a living. Over time, he realized he found running the business fulfilling, working on cars soothing to his peace of mind.
But at the time? With the bigger man looming over him and Matt’s own insecurities new and in full force? Knowing that like him, Harper had lost her father only when she was much younger, her brother was like her male parent and role model. And he’d pointed out shortcomings in Matt he’d thought about himself.
So he’d caved. “Yeah. Right. Whatever,” he’d muttered. “I’ll leave her alone.”
And he had.
Because his own father, someone he admired with all his heart and soul, had taught him a man’s word was his bond. He’d watched Harper from afar, and it was fucking pathetic. Especially lately, as she’d dated man after man, Matt wishing he could step up and claim her as his own. He wasn’t one to talk. He’d dated her best friend. Hell, he’d really pursued her, all in a misguided effort to get over Harper.
He shook his head and his thoughts returned to more pressing matters. The sound her car had made as she drove out of town. He hoped like hell that noise wasn’t what he thought it was, or her serpentine belt was either going to break or already had. Which meant the car was destined to overheat, causing damage to the alternator, the radiator, and the steering pump, among other things. Which didn’t make sense since he’d inspected her car last month and it had passed.
If it wouldn’t make him seem like a stalker, he’d jump into his truck and follow her route now. But he wasn’t one hundred percent certain where she was headed nor did he think she’d appreciate the tail. Which meant he’d better get busy finishing up his work for this afternoon because he fully expected a phone call when her car died and she ended up on the side of the road.
Sure enough, the call came an hour later, and due to the grateful tone in Harper’s voice, he couldn’t bring himself to say I told you so.
Instead, he closed up shop, stopped by his place to pick up a few things, and headed towards Denver. The word ‘opportunity’ had been floating through his head all day as he’d waited for her call. He’d made a promise to her brother when he was little more than a kid who merely thought he was an adult. A twenty-two-year-old forced to grow up fast but who hadn’t had enough experience to stand up for himself as a man.
Matt had that experience now. He was a fully-grown man who knew what he wanted, what he deserved, and more importantly, what he could give to Harper. Even his father would forgive him for breaking this promise because Roger Banks had believed in true love. Although Harper’s brother, who had retired from the Marines, now ran a gun shop in town, and would probably want to use one of those weapons on Matt after he defied him, Matt didn’t care.