The Rhythm of My Heart Read Free Page B

and said my name as I was leaving was like a caress; it tightened my stomach muscles and sent a tingling sensation down between my thighs. He asked me to call him Cole. God, even his name was sexy as hell! Everything about this man called to me on so many levels… and this is exactly how the last three days have been for me, constant interruptions with thoughts of Dr. Cole Tierney. Ahh...
    The garage was extremely busy when I returned for my usual days there. Mondays and Tuesdays were the days I looked after Ruby at Dad and Charlie’s house. Then I worked as the office manager at the garage Wednesday through Friday. Our two mechanics, Brad and Troy, plus Dad and Charlie were booked solid; this meant that the mountain of paperwork sitting on my desk was endless, but at least it ensured that the week would pass quickly.
    On Thursday morning I hear the phone ring while I’m in the back office (my office as I’m constantly telling Dad and Charlie), buried in invoices, so I let the guys get it out front. A few minutes later, Charlie comes strutting in with a sly grin on his face. “What’s up with you?” I ask.
    His grin widens. “There’s a guy on the phone wanting to book his car in and I thought you could take the booking.” I stare at him dumbfounded.
    “Seriously, Charlie can’t you see how busy I am here? It would take you all of two minutes to take the booking instead of bringing it to me!”
    Charlie smiles and holds the portable out to me his hand covering the mouthpiece. “I really think you might want to take this, Gracie.”
    I snatch the phone out of his hand with a huff. “Fine.” Charlie laughs and walks back out the front.
    “Hi, this is Grace, how can I help you?” I snap unprofessionally. Great, it’s not the customer’s fault that Charlie can be a moron.
    “Grace, hi, it’s Cole Tierney.” That rich, deep incredible voice penetrates the line; it sends a chill down my spine and makes my irritation instantly dissipate.
    “Hi, Cole, it’s nice to hear from you.” It really was and I notice his voice quickly calms me down again. “Charlie said you wanted to book your car in.” I’m really trying to keep my cool here but thousands of butterflies are fluttering crazily in my stomach.
    “It’s nice to hear your voice too, Grace.” I feel my lips curve into a satisfied smile. “And yeah, I wanted to book a service, but I was wondering if you could fit it in tomorrow? I know its short notice; so it’s fine if you can’t.”
    I quickly look at tomorrow’s bookings. I’ll squeeze him in somehow. Thank God, I am working tomorrow. I’ll get another look at this fine specimen of a man. “Look, we’re pretty busy but I think we can manage it. After all, we owe you for taking care of Ruby’s arm.” I giggle. Giggling? Really? Jesus, Gracie, you have never giggled at a guy in your life.
    “That’s great, Grace, but you don’t owe me anything. I was just doing my job. How is she doing with the cast by the way? Is she coping at preschool?” Cole replies. See, he’s so caring; he wants to know about Ruby, that’s so incredibly sweet.
    “Rubes is doing fine; her preschool teachers are amazing, so it’s not a problem. Of course, it does make her signing harder but we’ll manage. She’s really only beginning to learn to sign anyway, but she can do the basics. Six weeks in a cast shouldn’t set her back too much; it will absolutely make her more frustrated and impatient though, but we’ll deal with it.” It’s so easy to talk to him, so comfortable.
    “Well, that’s good, I guess. Can I ask how long you have known about her hearing impairment and how severe it is; or is that too personal a question?” He asks with a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
    “No, it’s not too personal; you were her doctor after all.” I giggle again. Get a grip, Gracie. “We started noticing little things quite early; she didn’t react to noises, even really loud ones and she wasn’t making the