Leopard Moon

Chapter Eight

Kess grabbed her bag from behind the bar and clocked out at the computer. She waved goodbye to the bartender and stepped out into the biting mountain air. It was beginning to lightly drizzle and the rain made halos around the lightposts in the parking lot. She trudged up the hill to the back lot, tugging her jacket more tightly around her. She was looking forward to a hot meal with Anita and Bran and a long soak in the tub.

She threw her bag into her car and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened except a couple of clicks.

Kess tried again, muttering under her breath. Again nothing happened. She checked to see if she had left her lights on or the door ajar or anything else that might have drained the battery, but found nothing. Third time's a charm, she thought, turning the key once more. Except in this case.

She got out, hitting the hood release as she went. The rain was coming down harder now, no longer a drizzle. Her slim fingers found the catch and she raised the hood of her car, and stared down at the metal stuff that was supposed to make the car go. She felt like an oracle trying to read the future in some chicken entrails. She had no idea what she was looking at. She could fix a flat and check the oil, but that was the extent of her automotive knowledge.

Kess knew she shouldn’t be mad at the car. It was a good car—it had gotten her all the way from New Mexico to California and then here without much trouble. But she still had to resist the urge to kick it. She knew it was childish, but it was raining for God’s sake. And it was cold. She was going to have call a tow truck and get the car somewhere that could fix it and then find a way to her boarding house. There went her tips.

"Stupid car. You had to pick now, didn’t you?" Although now was probably better than when she was back on the road, fleeing from her family.

The sound of tires on gravel made her poke her head out from behind the raised hood. A Jeep was pulling in the lot, stopping right behind her dead car. The driver’s window rolled down and a male voice said, "Everything okay?"

"It’s fine."

But the guy was getting out of his car and coming over to where she stood looking down at her engine. Kess recognized him as the guy she’d caught staring at her on her first day. Terrific.

"Try and start it up," he said, leaning over her car to get a better look in the dim light.

"Look, I was just going to go inside and call a tow. You don’t have to worry about it." She really didn’t want to owe this guy anything.

"Just let me listen. If it’s something small, we may be able to fix it. Save you some cash."

Kess saw the logic in that and went back the driver’s side and turned the key in the ignition. Click, click, click. She stepped back out and shivered. The steady rain was soaking into her jacket, making her feel clammy.

"It’s your battery." He stuck his head out from behind the hood. "I’ll give you a jump and you can get somewhere to get a new one." He went over to his Jeep.

Kess opened up the trunk, getting her emergency kit, keeping an eye on him. He was being perfectly nice, keeping his eyes and hands to himself, focused only on the task at hand. He was also getting drenched, just like she was. His hair was plastered around his face and his overshirt was stuck to him. But he didn’t seem to mind it was much as she did.

He was looking for something in the back of his Jeep when she came up behind him. He held a flashlight and was muttering, "Jumper cables, jumper cables…"

"I’ve got some." She smiled when he jerked around, startled. She could move quietly when she wanted to.

"That’s good because I don’t know what happened to mine." He looked at her. "Kess, right? I’m Cormac."