Chapter Twenty Six

"Now, what you got going on here?" He began to slowly examine the car, walking around the front to the side then continuing to the rear.

Kelleigh regained her speech. She could talk about the car in her sleep and began to tell him. "It's nearly done. I just need some advice on what to do next and who to trust to do the work."

"What are you wanting finished?"

"Well, Steve wanted it tubbed but I'm not sure. I'd rather have it more road-worthy. He wanted to get fiberglass bumpers for it and he wanted a pretty wild paintjob. I think that is all that's left of he wanted done. It was supposed to go to the chassis shop soon."

Eddie frowned for a moment before replying. "Now, whose car is this? Who is Steve? Is it not yours?"

Kelleigh inwardly groaned. She had assumed that the people at the track had filled him in but of course, they hadn't. They might have not even known, it had only been a few days since Steve's death. It felt like weeks to her, especially since today's revelation.
"Well, it's mine now. Steve was my husband and he was killed."

The mixture of emotions that played over Eddie's face was a confusing one. Surprise, pity, confusion and again - or was it always? - kindness. Pity was the least emotion that Kelleigh wanted to see.
"It's okay, Eddie. I thought they told you. I'm sorry that there was any confusion." She took a breath. Eddie continued to stand at the rear of the car, waiting for her to continue to explain. He leaned against the quarter panel and tried unsuccessfully to look casual.

"We weren't on good terms when he was killed. We're on even lesser terms now that he's dead." Without realizing it, tears welled in her eyes. It had been a long day and she found herself exhausted. "Now I'm finishing the car, not at all for him but for me. I want it done."

Eddie had somehow materialized before her during the last sentence. He made a gesture as if to comfort her then thought better of it and slid a hand into his jeans pocket. Quietly he asked, "Then what do you want? Not what he wanted. What do you want?"

Kelleigh sighed. It had been a while since someone had asked her that question. What did she want? She looked at the car and took a moment to think about it.
"I want it painted black, I don't care that it's high maintenance. I don't want it tubbed, and I don't want fiberglass bumpers. I want it to be quick but I want to drive it. I want a good stereo and seats that fit me." Her words trailed off.

Eddie grinned. "Okay then. Now we have a start. Let me make some calls tomorrow. Talk to some of my friends and I'll call you tomorrow with what I find out. Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded at him "Oh, wait. I'll be gone for most of the day. I have…well, I have the memorial for Steve and I have a test to take."

Eddie's eyebrows raised in surprise. "So, it hasn't been long then? Since he's died?"

Kelleigh sighed. She was tired, she was upset, and she was frustrated. "He was killed in a car accident on Thursday night. We'd had a fight. I was leaving him that night but he left me first, in a way." She thought she had caught a glimpse of a smile from Eddie but he continued to regard her with compassionate eyes.

"And this test? Is everything okay?"

Kelleigh laughed for what felt like the first time all day. "Oh, yes. Everything is fine. It's not that kind of test. Steve was supposed to take a test for his mechanic's certification. I asked if I could take it after he died."

Again, Eddie's brows raised in surprise. "You did? For him? Or for yourself?"

"I'm doing it for myself. I think I can pass it." She straightened her shoulders in defiance.

"I'm sure that you can. Well, I'll give you a call during the evening if you'd like then. Or would you like me to wait until the next day?"

Without thought, she replied, "Tomorrow will be fine. I should be home in the evening, all going well." She grimaced at her last statement. Apparently, it was her job to be a complete idiot in front of this man.

But Eddie only smiled. "Indeed, if all goes well, I'll phone you tomorrow evening. Good luck with, well, everything." He somewhat awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, turned, and left.

Chapter Twenty Five

She didn't get very deep into her pity pool when the door opened and Eddie reappeared with the first aid kit in hand. "All right then, here we go." He set the kit on the workbench then gently took her hand again.

His hands were rough, scarred, cut, and callused. The hands of a man who worked and used his hands as tools. These were hands of her childhood and she found comfort in their touch. He unwrapped the wet towel from her hand, taking another towel and made sure the cut had stopped bleeding. The cut oozed a little and Kelleigh again felt like she was going to swoon. Instead, she held her breath in defense and began to what she thought was silently, count.

"Is this to be a race then?" Eddie smiled at her through the curls that had fallen over his forehead as he continued to bandage her hand.
"What? What's a race?" She was confused; did he mean the car?
"You're counting out loud. Do I have a time limit?"

Feeling like she wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it for about the fifth time since his arrival, she straightened her spine in attempt to bolster her own confidence. "No, it's not a race. I was just concentrating on getting through this."

Concern flooded Eddie's face in a flash. "Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to hospital instead?" His free hand slipped behind her head, kneading her neck in a reassuring fashion. "I can take you, if you'd like."

Trying to concentrate on something other than the glorious feel of his hand on her neck, she looked up at him, catching his eyes again. No, that's not going to work either, she thought to herself. She focused her eyes instead on the nearly bandaged hand that lay on the table. "No, I'm fine. I just meant I wanted to get this done so I can show you the car and you can be on your way." Shit, shit, shit.
Kelleigh sighed. "I meant: I appreciate what you've done. Let's just finish up so I can stop talking and embarrassing myself."

"Ah, well then. 'Tis no need to be embarrassed. Let's get this done so you can be rid of me." He grinned at her, taking his hand away from her neck. She felt an immediate loss and a tug of regret. He absent-mindedly brushed the curls that fell over his forehead back across his head. Grimacing, he took his hand away and looked at it. "Damn hydraulic fluid. Can't wait to go take a hot shower."
Without thinking, which seemed to be happening a lot recently, Kelleigh raised her eyebrows and grinned. For once, it seemed that Eddie was the one that was flustered.

His attention fell back onto finishing the bandage on her hand. Kelleigh concentrated on nothing but recovering from the feelings his touch had brought on. She was sure it was some form of shock. Shock brought on by the injury to her hand, the recent changes in her life, anything. It had to be shock. Surely, she couldn't feel such attraction for this stranger this quickly.

Before she could dwell too deeply on her thoughts, Eddie straightened and pronounced his work done. Smiling, he turned toward the racecar. Kelleigh had completely forgotten the purpose of his visit and was relieved for the reminder. In her discomfort, she didn't see Eddie sigh and roll his shoulders in an attempt resist touching her again.

Chapter Twenty Four

Pulling the door open, she tried to smile in greeting as she wrapped the rag tighter around her hand and resisted the urge to rub her shin. In front of her stood a man covered in what seemed to be oil. "Eddie? Were you on an oil rig?"

"No, I was helping a friend and a damn hydraulic hose broke. I got the most of it, saved the floor though." He smiled and Kelleigh forgot her hand, her shin, and his messy appearance. Underneath the mess, he had the kindest brown eyes and a gentle smile that immediately warmed her heart.

She stepped back to let him in, stumbling of course, over something in the process. Eddie immediately shot out a hand to steady her then noticed the rag around her hand. "Now, what have you done to yourself here?" He took her hand, saw the blood seeping through the cloth then unwrapped the rag. Kelleigh was momentarily struck speechless at his immediate concern and gentle touch. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she began to explain, "I was trying to turn on the light and slid my hand against a piece of sheet metal. Then you knocked so I just wrapped a rag around it."

"Well, let's see what we've got here." He led her over to the utility sink by her injured hand. Dumbstruck, she followed him without protest. Turning on the water, he released her hand. "I've got to wash my hands again. If I get hydraulic fluid in that cut, it will hurt like a buggar." Kelleigh smiled in response. She hadn't realized that he was Canadian. The colloquialisms were something that was going to provide entertainment for her, she was sure.

"Now then, let's see." He pulled her closer and put her hand into the stream of water. It stung and she instinctively pulled her hand away. "I'm sorry. 'Tis a bad cut. We've got to rinse it out, see if you need stitches." Even more gentle than before he took her hand and brought it back under the water. Kelleigh sucked in her breath and closed her eyes in response to the sting of the water. It wasn't as bad this time. "Aye, you'll be alright. It's done bleeding now. Seems like a clean cut. We'll just wrap it, shall we?"

Kelleigh opened her eyes to find Eddie looking at her. He had deep brown eyes, shining nothing but kindness back at her. She hadn't felt that kind of feeling from a man in so long that it became mesmerizing. She found herself simply gazing back at him, wordless.

Seeming to catch himself, Eddie blinked then turned toward the workbench. Grabbing the stool, he slid it over to her and guided her onto it. "Where do you keep your first aid kit?"

"First aid kit?" she dumbly repeated. It was as if his eyes had stolen all intelligence from her.
He smiled in response "Did you hit your head too? First aid kit. We need to bandage your hand."

"Oh, um. Yeah. I don't have one out here, it's, there's one upstairs under the sink." Realizing that he'd never been to her house before, she rose to go get it. "I'll go get it." As she rose, she used her injured hand for leverage, winced, and then wavered just a bit. She didn't think that he even noticed but he did. With a hand on her shoulder, he pressed her back onto the stool. "Just stay where you are. I'm sure I can figure it out."

Feeling like a foolish and weak woman, she could only gesture toward the door into the house. "Through that door, turn right, up the stairs, turn left. Door at the end of the hall. Under the sink." She hadn't gotten all of the words out and he was already through the door.

Giving into her feeling foolish, she rested her head on her good hand and closed her eyes. Here I sit, she silently grumbled, trying to sound competent and knowledgeable and I cut myself then get lightheaded like a swooning debutante.

Chapter Twenty Three

In response to the soft spoken voice, Kelleigh laughed a short laugh. "I'm sorry, it's been a bad day or couple of days, rather."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. How can I help you?"

A litany of items scrolled through her head: resurrect Steve and kill him again being the first item. She actually smiled at her own sarcasm then quickly focused on the caller.

"I have a racecar that's unfinished and I need recommendations as to what to do next and references for who should do the work. I was given your name as a starting point."

"Right on. Well, first I'd need to see the car eh?"

Kelleigh stifled the urge to laugh again. She hadn't realized that Eddie was Canadian. "When can you come by?"

"Well, I'm in town today. I could come by later this afternoon if that's okay with you."

"That would be great. I promise that I won't verbally abuse you when you come."

Eddie laughed with a deep rumble. "Aye, that would be good. How do I find you?"

Kelleigh gave him directions to the house and they hung up. She was intrigued at the prospect of meeting Eddie. There was something about the sound of his voice, as if there were constantly laughter underneath his words that caught her attention.

Having been cajoled out of her violent mood, Kelleigh ignored the garage and went into the house. Seeing the textbooks on the table, she took the workbook then sat on the couch to study. Her test was first thing tomorrow morning and she wanted to study some more, even though she felt pretty confident. However, she certainly didn't want to be cocky. Being a woman, she knew to expect difficulties when she took the test. She was daring to enter a man's world. As much as feminism declared their movement a success, there were still areas were women dared not tread. However, Kelleigh wasn't taking this test to prove anything other than she could do it. She was taking this test to improve her life. This was something she had always wanted; Steve's death had shown her that.

She found herself stretched out on the couch hours later as she closed the workbook. She'd reread the entire book and felt confident that she could and would indeed pass tomorrow. Feeling satisfied, she looked up at the clock. "Oh no!" It was nearly time for Eddie to arrive.

Hurrying out to the garage, she flipped the light on. It blinked once then went out. Cursing under her breath, she tried to make her way to the workbench to flip on another overhead light. She had been after Steve for months to fix the lighting in here and he never got around to it. Now she would have to add it to the list of things she would need to figure out.

Reaching the worktable, she leaned against it and reached out to the switch. As she did so, she grazed her hand against a piece of sheet metal that Steve had left there. "Son of a …" Kelleigh let out with a few curses as she felt her hand warm with blood. Turning on the light, she saw a large gash across the side of her hand. At the same time, a knock on the garage door let her know that Eddie had arrived. "Great timing,” she muttered as she grabbed a rag and wrapped it around her hand. Making her way around the racecar, she called out "Just a minute, I'm trying to get to the door."

She no sooner got the words out when her shin caught the jack handle that was sticking out from underneath the car. "Oh for the love of God." She was a wreck, bleeding and bruised as she finally reached the door.

Chapter Twenty Two

The blonde walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. Inside was a car seat that she began to unbuckle. Kelleigh could see a little sneaker kicking in excitement. In a flash, a little red-haired boy was out of the car seat and running across the yard. The sight of the red hair made Kelleigh suck in her breath. She expelled it in one quick rush when she heard the woman turn and call "STEVIE! Come back here!"



Kelleigh was struck dumb. The familiar car, the red hair like Steve's, the little boy's name. She waited while the woman scooped up her rambunctious toddler and went into the house. She sat, still and mute for a few more minutes trying to comprehend what she just witnessed.



Finally, she shook her head as if to clear it, put the truck into gear and pulled back onto the street. As she pulled slowly past the house, she noticed the numbers above the door. Indeed, this was Becky's house. For the first time since hearing of Steve's death, a sob escaped from Kelleigh.



Kelleigh had one of those out-of-body experiences. She didn't know how she got home but she did. She found herself sitting in her driveway, tears finished but still on her cheeks. The initial shock had subsided and now she was experiencing a collision of feelings: anger, hurt, frustration, and betrayal. She felt the pressing need to do something, she just didn't know what, something to help her cull through her feelings.



She jumped down from the truck and headed toward the garage. She had the need to hit something and visualized taking a hammer to the damn racecar. As she unlocked the door, her cell phone rang. Hoping it was Delly, she answered it on the first ring. "Hi. Where the hell have you been?"



There was a moment of silence on the other end before she heard a small cough and then
"Is Kelleigh available? This is Eddie, calling in response to a message left at the racetrack."



At least three bad words rang through her head and nearly out of her mouth while she tried to gain composure. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were someone else."



"I should hope so."

Chapter Twenty One

Frustrated with herself, she looked at the numbers and address she had written.

With a most unladylike oath, she picked up the telephone and dialed the number that Steve had written in the address book. After one ring, the familiar tone of a disconnected number sounded through the earpiece. Kelleigh pushed down the disconnect button then dialed the next number.

She held her breath as the telephone rang. It was an odd and intuitive habit that she did when she was feeling defensive. Catching herself, she blew it out in a long, slow breath. The telephone clicked and she heard an answering machine begin to speak. Unfortunately, it was an automated voicemail system with no identifying voices or names. With another oath, she put the receiver down again.

This only left the address. Kelleigh drummed her fingers on the table again. This was a habit that her father hated and often yelled at her about. As an adult, she found that she did it almost out of spite, not necessarily out of habit.

"Oh, what the hell." Kelleigh rose, grabbed her keys and cell phone then went out to the truck. Delly hadn't called and she didn't feel like waiting for her anymore. She laughed as she glanced the time on the clock in her truck. It had been a whole twenty minutes that she had been waiting. Patience was usually not a strong suit for Kelleigh. Sometimes it boded well. Sometimes it created problems. She hoped, as she slipped the truck into reverse that this time it would help her.

The town listed was about fifteen minutes away. She had to take the highway to get there and was well on her way before she fully realized that this was the highway that Steve had his accident.

No sooner did she realize it than she saw the skid marks and the paint markings from the State Patrol, marking the accident. The ditch was roughed up and the telephone pulled scarred from the impact. Kelleigh felt a chill slide down her spine as she passed the site. Self-consciously, she pulled her seatbelt tight as she drove by. The shudder she felt was more out of the fear of stepping on a grave than one of grief.

It still concerned her that she hadn't grieved "properly." It seemed as if she were stuck in the anger portion of grieving and unable to pull herself out. She knew it would hit her some day and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Before she knew it, she pulled into town. She was familiar with this town nearly as much as her own. Looking at the address, she knew that she was close to the house. How convenient, right inside city limits, she grumbled to herself.

She turned right, then left then right again, watching the street signs as she drove. She slowed at the next intersection, trying to remember if she should turn right or left. An oncoming car pulled up to the stop sign with its right turn signal blinking. Kelleigh let the car turn and watched it as it went. It was an older Camaro and looked slightly familiar.

She stayed put, measuring her thoughts. The car looked familiar and she was sitting near the address. What were the odds that this was the mysterious Becky?

Why was her car, if it is indeed her, familiar? Had Steve been audacious enough to actually bring it to the house?

A car approached her from behind, breaking her from her musings and forcing her to make a choice. She flipped on the turn signal and followed the Camaro. It was about a block away and Kelleigh sped up a little to try to shorten the distance separating them. Suddenly hot, she rolled down the window to let in some fresh air. She was sure that her face had reddened in frustration, anger, and hurt.

Her Irish coloring was betraying her feelings.

The car slowed and turned into a driveway. Kelleigh slowed and managed to park the truck without being noticed just one house down from where the Camaro stopped. She watched as a bleach blonde-haired woman stepped from the car. Trashy immediately came to mind but Kelleigh tried to push it away as judgmental. She knew nothing about this girl. She didn’t know if this was Becky or not. She was too far away to see for sure. The hair color was different but that can be easily changed. She couldn't quite see the address on the house but it seemed close enough to be the one she found.

Psst...

I'm still here. Left y'all hanging in the middle, my apologies.

I mangled the Auto Post feature, totally my bad. Must. Figure. This. Out.

Here's a whole whack of chapters: