Free Our Now and Forever (Ardent Springs #2) by Terri Osburn

amiable mechanic didn’t seem fazed. “You look like a guy wanting work, and construction is about all you’ll find around here. Unless you want to drive a county or two over and apply at a factory.”
    There were limits to what Caleb would do to impress his wife. Factory work, which he knew to be hard, long, and underpaid, went beyond that limit.
    “I’ll keep both in mind.” He gave the truck one last shot. “You sure you won’t part with this heap?”
    “If you wanted it this bad, you should have outbid me, bud,” Ridgeway said as they walked down the driveway.
    “The wife didn’t want me bidding on anything that wasn’t for the store,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.
    Cooper glanced over. “You call her ‘the wife’ already?”
    Maintaining this story was going to be tougher than he realized. “It’s all a matter of paperwork, right? Once she says yes, you’re as good as hitched.”
    “Not me, bro,” Cooper said, shaking his head. “I’ve got an out until the preacher says, ‘I now declare. ’ ”
    “You walking down the aisle anytime soon?” Caleb asked, assuming the mechanic’s intended would frown on his attitude.
    “Heck no. I haven’t won the right girl yet.”
    With a pat on his new friend’s back, Caleb said, “I suggest when you find her, you keep the ‘out’ thing to yourself.”
    The pair stopped near the Jeep. “Sound advice, I’m sure.” Then Cooper spotted something over Caleb’s shoulder. “Here comes your girl, and she looks like an angry hornet hunting for a butt to sting.” As he backed away, he added, “You might want to think about an out yourself.”
    Snow did look mad about something. She also looked hot as hell with the color high in her cheeks and her eyes snapping. Nope, Caleb didn’t need or want an out. But he did need to figure out how to get this woman back in his bed.

    Snow was still fuming over Spencer’s comments when she met Caleb at the Jeep. He’d been talking to Cooper, who’d walked away before she was close enough to hear the conversation.
    “What were you talking to Cooper about?” she asked, allowing him to take the painting and slide it into the backseat.
    With a noncommittal tone, her husband said, “Nothing important. He invited me to check out his garage.”
    Another invitation. What was wrong with these people? They’d made her fight for every inch of acceptance, but Caleb waltzed into town and out came the red carpet. “Why would you visit his garage if you don’t need anything fixed?”
    Caleb sighed as he held the door for her. “We’re boys,” he said. “We bonded over old cars. It’s like finding the guy on the playground who has the same ball glove you do.”
    This entire conversation was proof that boys never grew up. She waited for Caleb to climb into the driver’s seat before asking, “So you made a playdate?”
    “We didn’t get that specific, but I’ll make sure you don’t need me before I head over.” He started the engine. “Cooper said if I’m looking for a job, I should try Lowry Construction. You heard of them?”
    There was no way she’d heard him right. “Why would you be looking for a job?”
    “You keep saying I don’t do anything. If you want a working husband, I’ll be a working husband.”
    “But you aren’t even going to be here long enough to need a job.” What was she saying? The man had enough money to buy half the town. He didn’t need a job regardless of how long he was staying. “You’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours and you’re acting as if this is your new home.”
    “My home is in Baton Rouge, but you’re here. So for now, home is here.”
    The girlie part of her turned mushy upon hearing that absurd statement. Caleb was trying to charm her into lowering her guard. Con her into believing that this reunion was romantic and noble and not about filling in the hole she’d poked in his ego by daring to leave him. She wouldn’t be surprised if