girl’s voice behind him startled Jace. He smacked a knuckle and bit back a curse before glancing over his shoulder. Katie stood in the doorway.
“Fixing the motor.” He didn’t think she was really looking for details. He didn’t know too many six-year-old girls who were interested in fixing an engine, but you never knew.
“Did you break it?”
“Uh, not intentionally.” He fought back a smile. Life with this kid must be a real treat. “I should have fixed it sooner, though.”
“Is Mr. Rick helping you?”
“Yeah. Hey, hand me that wrench over there.”
“This one?”
“No, the next one over.”
The girl scooted over the grease-coated floor on her knees to the pile of wrenches. Jace cringed, hoping her mother wouldn’t kill him for the state of her pink jeans. Maybe he’d better not ask her to get anything else.
He took the wrench and wedged it into the narrow space.
“You like riding a motorcycle?”
“Yeah. It’s fun.”
“I don’t think Mama would let me ride it.”
Jace grinned at the engine. “My mom didn’t like me riding them, either.”
“Really? How come she lets you now?”
Jace sucked in a breath. What was that saying about “out of the mouths of babes”? “I’m grown-up now. I don’t have to do what my mom says.” That sounded rather defiant, he realized. Probably not the best influence.
“I’ll be glad when I’m grown-up.” There was a glum note to Katie’s voice and Jace finally looked away from the engine. She sat only a few feet from him, her legs crossed and her elbows on her knees. She rested her chin in her palms, letting her golden curls dangle forward along her face.
Not good. Not good at all. He was not getting involved in this. But after a while, he realized she wasn’t leaving.
Setting aside the wrench, he grabbed the rag on the floor by the front wheel and started wiping the grease off his hands. “Something on your mind, kiddo?”
He saw her glance up without lifting her head. “Nope.”
“Okay.” He looked at her for a long time before pushing himself to his feet, then went over to the tool chest and rummaged through it. Rick was a pretty neat mechanic, so finding things wasn’t hard. Jace would make sure to put them back the best he could.
“Does your dad like you riding a motorcycle?”
He hadn’t heard her move, but there she stood, right beside him. Startled again, he slammed his thumb in the drawer. “You’re hazardous, kid. What?”
“Does your daddy like your motorcycle?” Katie looked up at him, at once expectant and exasperated that he hadn’t heard her.
“My dad died a long time ago.” His father had been gone so long the answer was practically rote. He wondered why he hadn’t told her that his mother was gone, too.
“Oh, no.” Katie looked sad and stepped closer to him. “I guess that makes you like me.”
“How so?”
“You don’t have a daddy, either.”
Jace wasn’t sure where this conversation was leading, and he really wasn’t sure he should be following it. He hunkered down beside the little girl, meeting her eye to eye. “Look, kiddo. Your mom really cares about you.” He wondered where the next land mine was.
“I know that.” Katie frowned at him.
“So, I think maybe having a dad isn’t as important as having a great mom.” He swallowed hard. He wished someone had told him that once upon a time.
Katie gazed at him, tilting her head just a little to the side. “How do you know?”
“Well, because I wasn’t so smart when I was a kid. I ran away from home thinking I’d be better off on my own. I was wrong.”
Katie seemed to think about what he said. “But how will I know, if I don’t have a daddy to compare with?”
Jace sighed. This was getting him nowhere. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to talk to her about. He’d never been around many kids and he certainly wasn’t good with them. Maybe if he distracted her...
“Okay, how about you help me fix my bike and we’ll discuss this later.”
Katie frowned at him, then spun away. “You sound just like Mom.”
“Really? I didn’t know my voice was that high.”
Katie giggled, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he wasn’t going to be around when she got older. Amy was definitely going to have her hands full.
* * *
AMY FROZE. IN the far bay of Rick’s garage, Jace knelt beside his broken monster motorcycle. He leaned down, making his shoulders look impossibly broad. The muscles in his back bunched as he struggled with some part or bolt, trying to get it loose. His torso narrowed to where his jeans stretched taut—
A flash of pink broke the spell and Amy’s stomach dropped. Katie was there with him, a broad smile on her face as she jabbered a mile a minute, as usual.
Amy’s anger flared. Not only had Katie not come directly home from the bus, as she’d been repeatedly told to do, but Amy wanted to kick herself for noticing the man before she’d noticed her daughter.
Her step quickened and she reached them just as Katie was handing Jace a wrench. “Mama! Jace is letting me help.”
Her excitement was too sweet to banish, but Amy needed to be the good mom now and take control. “That’s nice, sweetie, but you know you’re supposed to come straight home from the bus.”
“But I always stop and see Rick on the way home.”
It was on the way, Amy had to admit, though she didn’t say it out loud.
Slowly, Jace rose to his feet, and Amy’s heart quickened. He was so tall she had to tip her head back to look at him. The shoulders she’d been admiring earlier blocked the entire world from her view.
She moved closer to Katie. “Let’s head home.” She tried to guide her by the shoulders.
“But, Mama, can’t I stay? You can take my backpack home. You know where I am.”
“You need to change into your play clothes.”
“Can I come back?”
“I don’t think—”
“You go on with your mom. I’ve got to go get some, uh, more stuff,” Jace interrupted, blatantly lying to Katie.
What was he trying to do? Amy was doing just fine taking care of her daughter. She didn’t need his help.
“Okay.” Katie’s voice dipped with disappointment and she seemed to wilt. Amy could swear she actually saw the gears work in her daughter’s head. She watched Katie’s head snap up and her smile return. “Will you be here tomorrow?”
“Katie.”
“Sure.”
Amy and Jace both spoke at once. Katie looked back and forth between the two of them expectantly.
Amy scrambled for any reason to give her daughter that made sense. All she got was a whole lot of blank. Only the fact that he was a stranger. A very disturbing stranger. A stranger she had questions for.
“Please, Mama? I really like the motorcycle.”
Oh, Katie was in high gear today. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” Amy said before thinking.