Queen’s Knight (Invitation to Eden) Read Online Free Page A

backwards...
    ...right into the container of oil she’d drained only moments before.
    Rose stuck her head in through the door right then before Dani could even get a curse out. “Hey, looks like we’ve got company.”
    Kicking and screaming were out then, but she was so not in the mood to entertain guests. She hadn’t even realized Rose was in the other room. The other woman sometimes liked to come down here to do her work, said it gave her a change of pace.
    “Give me a minute,” Dani called, pushing back the errant strands of hair with the back of her hand and hopping on one foot, trying to keep her now-oily boot over the container.
    Conceding defeat for the moment, she grabbed a nearby shop towel and wiped off her boot, then quickly began putting tools in their rightful places. She’d learned the hard way years ago that tools had a way of disappearing if they weren’t put away immediately.
    Oil and grime coated her fingers, and she didn’t think customers would appreciate her getting their hands dirty. Usually Eugene, the concierge, sent word ahead of time if anyone wanted to take a ride or hike, so they didn’t have many unexpected visitors to the garage.
    “Need a hand with anything?”
    Dani’s head shot up at the familiar voice. Evan stood at the entranced, watched her in bemusement. “Oh, hey,” she said, fighting to keep the silly grin that threatened to burst forth off her face. “Well, unless you can magically remove a sheered bolt from this cylinder head, I think we’re both SOL.”
    “If you have a decent power tool with the right sized bits, maybe I can drill and tap you a new threaded hole.”
    Dani blinked at him. “Whoa.” Talk about underestimating someone. “Where’d you learn how to do that?”
    “My grandfather used to be a mechanic, did most of the work on his old cars and motorcycles.” He walked into the garage and looked around the garage, his face tinged with almost nostalgia. “He taught me a few things the summers I spent down there with him.”
    “Huh. You may come in handy after all.” She continued wiping her hands, studying him as he looked around the small shop. “Decided to take one of the island tours?”
    “What can I say?” He grinned, flashing perfect teeth, and Dani’s heart skipped a beat. “You made a compelling case at the pool. Although, I’m not quite dressed for the occasion.”
    God, he’s handsome when he smiles. Even in the low light of the garage, his blue eyes sparkled, and she could tell he was excited.
    She blew out a breath, trying to keep her response to him hidden. Business, Dani, this is all business. “We have gear you can rent, ranging from gloves to full-body armor.” She looked him over, liking what she saw. He was over six feet tall, which, as a tall girl herself, suited her just fine.
    Stop it. He’s a customer, not a date. Get your head on straight.
    “What were you thinking about then? The hike is gorgeous, and I know a few ATV trails that are pretty easy.”
    “What about dirt bikes?”
    She tried and failed to keep the answering grin off her face. “Ah, a man after my own heart. You’re going to need full body armor then, mainly for safety reasons.”
    “Whatever the lady decides.”
    The way he said that made her belly clench, and she turned quickly to hide her reaction. “We have a full assortment of gear,” she said, suddenly breathless, “I know something will fit.”
    Geez Dani, get a grip. Apparently, it’d been too long since she’d had any interest in the opposite sex. Dani couldn’t tell if he was being polite or was similarly interested, and she didn’t want to know. The nature of the resort was that customers came, enjoyed themselves, and left.
    That was her plan too. She didn’t intend on staying here much longer, and any romance certainly wasn’t in the books for her.
    The equipment room was small and cluttered. Evan toed a large container of kitty litter. “Do you have a cat?”
    “No, we have a