Page 6 of Pistol Perfect

Maybe that’s just the kind of man he thought she deserved. Someone who was perfect. Someone who was not him. Probably the reason he felt tongue-tied around her was because he didn’t feel like he was good enough.

“Think about what I said. Silas probably knows her better than anyone, and he might be able to give you a few tips.”

“I wouldn’t want to go there and have him tell the whole town how I feel. I’m pretty sure that would not help my case.”

“I know Silas, and he’s not that kind of man. He’s the kind of man who can keep his mouth shut.”

“I’m sure he can. I’m just not sure he will.” He didn’t know Silas very well. The last time he talked to him had been when Mabel’s parents died, which was six years ago.

“I think you can trust him. But if you’re not sure, go there with something else to talk about, and then you don’t have to bring Mabel up if you don’t feel comfortable.”

That seemed like a crazy idea, and he had zero desire to go.

But Mabel was worth exploring—and doing—some crazy ideas.

“What am I going to go talk to him about? He’s a mechanic. And while I appreciate what he does, I’m not in need of a mechanic.”

“Aren’t you?” Aunt Carol raised her brows.

He stared at her. What in the world was she trying to insinuate?

“That farm truck hasn’t worked for a while now, and I’d really love to get it going again.”

He opened his mouth to tell her she had just moved in less than a year ago, but he closed it.

Looking around, he saw an old clunker parked beside the barn. He snorted. “If anyone can get that thing going, it would be a miracle.”

“Maybe Silas needs to tell you that. After all, you’re not a mechanic.”

James shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was even considering doing this. He had plenty of money, and if they needed a farm truck, he could buy six of them. He didn’t need Silas to come fix the dinosaur beside the barn.

But for Mabel...

“I don’t suppose you have his number?” James asked, half thinking that Aunt Carol was going to whip her phone out and grab Silas’s contact info off the top of her list.

He was only a little surprised when she did exactly that.

“I thought you might be asking about it, so last time I was in town, I made sure I got it.”

He outright laughed at that. “You do have his number. I guess I’m not surprised for some reason.”

“I figured out from the way you talk to me on the phone about her, that there might be something going on between the two of you. After all, I do believe it was your suggestion that I ask someone, and then you might have mentioned a veterinarian who lived in the area, who didn’t have a house of her own and who might be looking for a place. I found that suspicious enough that it put my antenna up, and I paid attention when you talked about her. After that, it wasn’t hard to figure out.”

He supposed he wasn’t as subtle as he thought he was being. It made him want to go regroup and figure out how he could do better.

Except, Aunt Carol had helped him; she’d given him the idea of Silas, which he had to admit was a good one.

But he still wasn’t sure what to say to Silas. It wasn’t a normal conversation to have with someone you’d barely ever spoken with.

“If you don’t mind, I think I might stand out here and make the call.”

“Of course not,” Aunt Carol said, smiling at him, before she put a hand on the banister and carefully clutched the box to her chest as she walked the rest of the way up the porch steps.

He watched until she disappeared inside the house. She’d been good to him, and she was probably the one person in the world that he knew for sure loved him not because of his money.

To his surprise, Silas answered the phone on the second ring. He wasn’t sure why he was expecting to leave a message, but hearing the deep voice on the other end of the line made him realize that he had no idea what he was going to say.

“Hello?”