Free Finding Mr. Right Now by Meg Benjamin

thing pulled out of the ditch before I can take it into town.” Monteith headed back for his truck.
    “What’s up?” Paul stepped beside her, elevating a dark eyebrow.
    “We’re being picked up by somebody named Clark who will take us somewhere called the Praeger House that may or may not have enough rooms to hold us.” She grimaced. “How much do you know about the town of Salt Box?”
    He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s the town below the ski resort. They’ve got hotels and restaurants that handle the resort overflow. Plus, like I said, it’s also a normal town.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Resorts cater to visitors. Normal towns cater to the people who live in the area, just like any other town. Towns like Salt Box make a lot of money off the resort, but when push comes to shove, they’ve got other things going on.”
    “Such as?”
    Paul narrowed his eyes. “Whatever usually goes on in a town. Around here, there’s a lot of cattle ranching, some sheep and goats. Hay fields. Some mining and oil, although we’re a little far north for that. Salt Box has grocery stores, feed stores, tack stores, and insurance agencies. They should be able to accommodate six people with credit cards.”
    “Knock on wood.” Monica glanced around the road, but there was no wood within knocking distance unless you counted the sprawling pine forest on the mountainside.
    “He’s not going to take our suitcases, is he? I need my suitcase. It’s got all my stuff.” Ronnie stood at Monica’s elbow, her eyes wide with distress as she watched Monteith maneuver his tow truck.
    Once again, Monica gritted her teeth. She’d been off Ronnie duty for all of ten minutes. It had been like a two-week vacation. “We’re all going to the same place, Ronnie. We can get our suitcases from the garage when we get to Salt Box.”
    “But where will we stay? I don’t want to sleep on a couch. I hate sleeping on couches. They hurt my back.” Ronnie’s lower lip trembled again, while her eyes went baby seal.
    “We won’t sleep on a couch,” Monica soothed, trying not to cross her fingers behind her back as she did. “We’re going to a hotel in Salt Box. They have a couple of rooms, and Mr. Monteith said they’d help us get more.”
    “But what if there’s not enough?”
    Monica closed her eyes for a moment. “There will be. One way or another, you will sleep in a bed tonight, Ronnie, I promise.” Just please don’t let it be with me.
    Ronnie looked unconvinced, but at least her lip wasn’t trembling anymore.
    Beside her, Billy Joe folded his arms across his chest, his lips sliding into an automatic sneer. “So what about us? You giving us any guarantees?”
    “I will do my best to get rooms for everyone,” Monica ground out. “I don’t know what’s available in Salt Box. I don’t know how big the town is. We’ll have to wait until we get there to find out.”
    Al Monteith made one last maneuver with his truck. Slowly the SUV emerged from the culvert, partially suspended from the tow truck’s cable. He leaned out his open window. “Okay. I’m gonna take this back into town. Clark should be here in a couple more minutes.”
    “What about our luggage?” Monica called.
    “You can get it from the garage. Or Praeger House can send somebody to pick it up. They’ll know where it is.” He gunned the motor and took off back down the highway.
    She watched him disappear around a bend in the road.
    “What if he’s not really a mechanic,” Ronnie whispered. “What if he stole the car? It’s got all my stuff in it.”
    Monica counted to ten, slowly. “He had a tow truck,” she said in a level voice. “It had the name of the garage on the side. The automobile club called him to come and get us.”
    “But what if he lied?” Ronnie asked plaintively.
    Monica felt as if something snapped in her chest, probably her patience, given the hot jolt of irritation that washed over her. “He didn’t lie. Why would he? The