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that.
                  Jared had kept the name of the old auto shop—Black Horse Auto & Body—because he had admired the name. They had joked over enough empty beer cans how the name Black Horse was either strong or stupid. Now it seemed appropriate. His brother had ridden his own horse out into the black of war.
                  “Excuse me?” A woman’s soft voice came from behind him.
                  “Be with you in a minute.”
                  Erika strolled back into the open air outside the bay doors. The sun was brilliant and with the fresh rain from the day before, it made the grass glisten. She smiled and took in a deep breath of scents—fresh morning dew, sweet, crisp, and clean. Flowers burst in color across the street adding a light touch of jasmine to the air. Birds sang in the trees overhead. She remembered days like this all too well. Turning, she saw Blake approach and her smile faded.
                  He wore an old t-shirt stained with grease from the cars and trucks he worked on. His jeans, she noted, were the same as the day before. Did he not believe in washing his clothes? He rubbed his hands on an old red rag and seemed to be making no progress in removing the stains. He still hadn’t shaved, which didn't annoy her, but the fact that she found it attractive did.
                  “You’re Jeep having problems again?” He glanced over her head briefly, looking for the black Jeep but didn’t see it, before returning his gaze to hers. It was the same woman who had broken down in front of the cemetery and who he ran into—literally—at the little general store in town. The same woman he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about.
                  She still had that cool air about her and, in the heat of the early morning, Blake welcomed it. She wore slim jeans that had little zippers at her thin ankles. The soft color of ice in her silk blouse matched the cool blue of her eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a braid that fell just below her shoulders. He wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through it and let it fall around her shoulders. Though her hair was dark, there were glints of burgundy highlighted by the sun. Why he found that attractive, he didn’t know. Nor did he want to find out. Just like he didn’t want to see those ice blue eyes of hers when he closed his own at night.
                  “No,” she said flatly at his lingering stare. “I came to pick up my mom’s car.”
                  “What’s the name?” He turned back to the garage and picked up the clipboard.
                  “Gibbons. Brianne Gibbons.”
                  Gibbons, he thought again with a frown. That was the name he couldn’t place earlier. He glanced up at her again before returning his eyes to the invoices. He pulled her invoice free after searching through the pile. “Gonna to be ready tomorrow. You’re a day early.”
                  “Ben said it would be ready today.”
                  “I’m sure he did. That was probably before his daughter came down with some bug. I’m working on the belts now.” He gestured to the car in question to his left, hood open, wiry rubber belts lying on the engine.
                  “Great,” Erika muttered. At least it was a nice enough day that she could walk back to the house.
                  “I’ll drive you back.” It wasn’t a question. He had said it so casually. Almost reading her thoughts. Erika had to blink twice to register the statement.
                  “No. I can walk. Thanks anyway.” Erika turned to leave but found her wrist caught in his hand. Her pulse skipped at the touch though she tried to ignore it.
                  Blake felt the skip and couldn’t stop his own pulse from increasing. He didn’t know why he reached out,