Back In The Saddle: Bachelor Auction - Book 2

whether on an accident like this or in one of the three repair bays in the shop. At least, not if he was around. I did, on occasion, without him knowing, when one of the guys who worked for him wasn’t available. These days it was only Dad and Roy, the other mechanic.
I’d graduated with my business degree but had stayed in Bozeman for my accountant certification, finally returning to The Bend at twenty-three. Now I ran my own bookkeeping business, handling the paperwork for a number of companies in town. This included tackling the billing, accounts, and all things behind-the-scenes for my father. I used modern software and a computer, although Dad gave me his paperwork usually in a shoebox or a stack of bills and invoices on his desk. He didn’t care about the business aspect and it showed. He relied on me for it. Always had since I was in middle school.
Even though I was a number cruncher, I knew my way around an engine. And a tow truck. I’d been able to fix a carburetor when I was eleven. My friends had compared me to Mona Lisa Vito, the wife from the film My Cousin Vinny, who knew everything about cars. I’d always wanted to be like my dad and be a mechanic and run a shop. Since winters were long in Montana, I’d spent a lot of free time reading, learning, and puttering. Even now I had my own tools in the one-car garage connected to my house to work on things, like my vintage Jeep and my neighbor’s lawn mower.
I wanted to run the shop with my dad. Take it over when he retired. He’d always been resistant to the idea, which annoyed me. He’d been pushing me off, again and again. Fortunately my accounting business was busy and my bank account filled, which kept me from grumbling too much. He was stringing me along, and up until now I’d been okay with it. Lately I’d been unsettled, ready to hash it out one way or the other. Especially since Roy was a no-show. Again.
But even if I wanted to strike out on my own, I couldn’t open a repair shop in such a small town, especially if my father was the competition. He needed me. He just didn’t want to admit it. Doing so would mean I’d been right… that while I’d always wanted to go to college, I also wanted to fix cars.
I tipped my sunglasses up onto the top of my head. “My dad’s at Sturgis. Gets back later today or tomorrow, I think.”
Graham nodded in understanding. The huge motorcycle rally in South Dakota was a motorcyclist’s annual mecca and one my dad never missed. He’d been gone all week. “Where’s Roy?”
I tried not to frown. “No idea. I’m guessing still in bed.”
I filled in for him often enough. Knew he was a hard partier and a hard drinker. I’d have fired him a while ago, but my father didn’t see an issue. Except he didn’t know I covered. It was the only way to get my hands beneath a hood at the shop and the only way the place was going to stay in business.
“You told your pop that?” The question indicated that Graham knew my dad and his personality. Gruff and old-fashioned. Stuck in his ways. Stuck in his ways about me.
I laughed, tugged my second glove on. “Hell, no.”
When I argued that was what I wanted to do with my life, he’d tossed up his hands and pointed out that my sister, Lynn, had listened to him. Found a better life than a blue-collar mechanic’s daughter.
Lynn was married to Tom Bunker, known around town as Bunky, and had two kids. She was miserably unhappy, but she was also shallow. She stuck it out because her husband was rich and she liked expensive things more than a loving spouse.
Turning, I set my hands on my hips and checked out the wreck. I was done talking about my screwed-up family dynamics. “What happened here?” I asked, although it was pretty obvious.
Graham pointed and I turned to look in that direction.
“The cow?” One dark cow stood eating grass on the side of the road. Only prairie and big sky was behind her.
“It was Kale Bradford versus the Hereford.”
I glanced back at the truck. “Looks like the Hereford won. Is Kale okay?” I hadn’t seen the guy in a long time. Not since Huck and I had dated, as they were best friends.
“He’s fine. A little beat-up.”
“The truck’s not,” I said. “That axle damage is enough for any insurance company to total it.”
Graham scratched the back of his neck. The sun was warm, and it felt good to be away from my desk and balancing a spreadsheet. “That’s my thinking.”
“I’m on it. I’ll get it loaded up so you can do something besides stand on the side of the road.”
He gave a shrug, then checked his watch. “The bachelor auction’s tonight. Gotta go spiff up.”
I spun on my booted heel and eyed the guy up and down. “Some woman’s going to empty her bank account for you.”
He blushed as red as his hair, then swiped his fingernails over his uniform shirt as if buffing them. Graham was a nice guy. Sweet. Caring. He’d make a fine husband, but not mine. I’d been off men for a long time. Too long. My friends said I had cobwebs on my vagina. Sadly it had been a while.
“Maybe I should buy myself a guy,” I said to him, joking. Although if I was going to get back in the dating game, this was one way to do it.
“The Mannings are up for sale.” His chin was tipped down, and he gave me a cautious look. Butterflies danced around in my stomach at the mention of the Manning boys. My mind went to one in particular.
Tall, blond, gorgeous. He had a quick smile that could make any woman hand him her panties. I knew that for