Time Thief: A Time Thief Novel by MacAlister Katie Page B

least running, although your engine dies if I try to go over thirty, or you have to idle for more than forty-five seconds, or you make two left turns in a row, and I’m earning money to get you fixed up right, and Mrs. Faa told the nasty William to get cracking on setting up my little home away from home, so really, all things considered, I’m a pretty lucky girl.”
    Eloise wheezed and backfired a few times as I rolled her to a stop across from the crescent of RVs. I added getting new brakes to my list of things that needed to be done to restore my beloved car to her former glory, then refused to think about how much more that would add to my bill. “Focus, Kiya. You have a job, albeit a temporary one, with a bunch of adorable little puggies. Who cares if the rest of the family think you’re some sort of lesser species of leper? You’re not working for them.”
    “I can assure you that not
all
of the family views you as a leper, lesser or greater,” a warm, masculine voice spoke behind me as I crawled out of the window. Ijumped, cracked my head on the edge of Eloise’s roof, and swore profanely for a few minutes.
    “Sorry,” Gregory said, wincing in sympathy when I rubbed the back of my head. “I didn’t intend to startle you. Are you bleeding? My grandmother has a first aid kit in her caravan, if so.”
    “No, just bruised.” Gingerly, I felt the sore area on my head, quickly dropping my hand when the bruised area protested such a gesture. “What are you doing here?”
    He looked slightly taken aback at my brusque question.
    “That sounded far more rude than I intended it to be,” I said quickly, not wanting to offend him. “You have to forgive me. I just whacked the bejeepers out of my head while a man stared at my ass as I got out of my car, so I’m bound to sound a bit cranky.”
    He grinned. “How do you know I stared at your ass?”
    “I may crawl out of the car butt first so that I can keep the movement from dislodging Eloise’s parking brick, but that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. Besides, I felt you looking at it.” I pursed my lips and considered the handsome man before me, suddenly beset with the horrible thought that perhaps my butt wasn’t watch-worthy. “Oh my god, you didn’t, did you? It’s because it’s so big, isn’t it? That’s it, I’m getting one of those ‘fabulous buns in ten days’ DVDs the second I get home.”
    He laughed and took me by the arm. “As a matter of fact, I did look, although I averted my eyes as soon as you hit your head. I didn’t think it right to continue to ogle you while you were writhing in pain.”
    “Gentlemanly,” I agreed, but dug in my heels to stop him from walking me away from the car. “You didn’tdeny that my butt’s too big, though. But we’ll let that go. Here, make yourself useful and take this.”
    I reached through the window into the backseat where the things I’d purchased (after some successful haggling) sat in all their glory.
    Gregory looked from me to the car. “My grandmother told me that we were loaning you the extra camping things. Did you purchase more?”
    “Just things like food and necessities of life like chocolate and Doritos. Oooh, is that my tent? It looks…uh…” Lifting out the large, empty plastic paint bucket filled with as many assorted camping items as my advance would purchase, I stopped in front of the rusty green tent that was now erected at the opposite side of the clearing from the RVs.
    Gregory’s nose wrinkled. He set down the box of canned goods that I had shoved into his arms. “Yes, that’s it. You have my profound apologies about it, too. I gather it hasn’t been used in some time.”
    I set down my paint bucket and flinched. “It smells like the tent ran over a skunk.”
    “My grandmother asked me to give this to you.” He held out a bottle of room spray that claimed it could neutralize any odor.
    “Thanks. I suppose that once the air roams around and through it, it’ll smell