Love on the spot

When her lawn mower quits, Christy Mills needs help...but when Robert shows up to fix it, could he fix her broken heart too?

- Vicki Cox

Christy Mills circled the stalled lawn mower in her backyard. On one side, the grass was short and neatly manicured. On the other, it spiked ankle high in all directions, disturbed by clumps of wild onions. She'd often watched her ex-husband squat beside the mower, tinkering it back to life...but now, it was her problem alone.

Except she didn't tinker. Not with motors, anyway. She could tinker with recipes. More brown sugar here, an extra egg there.

She pulled the phone from her jeans and searched repair shops, dialing the one that caught her eye.

"On the spot small engine repair," a rich, baritone voice said. "You won't miss it while we fix it. Robert, here." That voice, she thought as a shiver ran down her spine.

Aloud, she replied, "Lawn mowers?" "Absolutely," he said.

"I was mowing my backyard this morning, but halfway through, it just quit." "I'd be happy to take a look at it." "On the spot?" she teased, with a smile in her voice that surprised even her.

"You bet. Customers don't want their mowers in the shop while their grass grows, so I go to the mower instead of the mower coming to me. I can fix most on the spot." "Great idea," she said. "With this rain, I'll need a machete to get through my jungle of grass if it's not mowed soon." Robert laughed. "We don't want that.

First comes grass, then banana trees, chimpanzees, complaints from the neighbors.