All of a sudden, my car started sputtering & steaming. I pulled off the road & stopped. Groaning, I popped the hood & steam came boiling out. I knew what the trouble probably was but I couldn't do anything to fix it. Getting out, I opened the hood further & found that I had been right; one of the hoses to the radiator had a huge tear in it. Luckily, I really wasn't out in the middle of nowhere so I grabbed my pack, locked the car & started walking to the store a few miles away.
It was a little 'Mom & Pop' type store by the name of 'The Stop & Go Mart' with a little bit of everything & gas pumps. The day was hot & by the time I got there, I was sweat soaked in spite of wearing loose shorts & a T shirt with running shoes. The owner was sitting at the register, reading the paper as there were no customers to keep an eye on. I went directly to him & asked if there was a tow truck operator nearby. He eyed me curiously & asked me what the trouble was. I told him my sad little story about my radiator hose busting & he offered me a cold drink. I thanked him, offering money but he pushed it back to me.
He told me that there was only one tow truck in the area & he was away on vacation. If I waited for the one in the next town, it would take the better part of the day. He asked just how big the tear in the hose was & I described it the best I could. He said that if he had his son drive me out to my car with water & duct tape, that would be enough to get me back here so that the 'car guy' could replace the hose for me & I could be on my way in a few hours at the least. All the while he was telling me this; he was eyeing me appreciatively, noting my full breasts & well muscled legs. I didn't really mind as lots of guys did this, so I was more or less used to it.
He introduced himself as Walter & made a quick call. He told me that he was calling his son to come help. While we waited for him to come over, Walter asked me the usual questions, where I was from, what I did for a living, things like that. I was happy to answer, just to pass the time. He told me about his store, how it had been in his family for 60 years. I was very impressed. Just then, his son came in from the back room. I was surprised that he had come so fast but then figured that he lived close by to help with the store sometimes.
As soon as he saw me, he paused for a moment before joining his father & me by the register. The expression on his face was one of shock & awe, for some reason. I smiled at him as he approached, taking in his dark hair, dark, expressive eyes & pleasant bearded face. He was a lot taller than me with a slightly wary expression on his face. Walter explained what my problem was & told him that he was to drive me back to my car, help me get the hose patched well enough to get it back here. Walter sputtered, saying that he was forgetting his manners & introduced his son to me, calling him Will.
Will smiled weakly at me as I introduced myself to him, thanking him for going out of his way to help me. He blushed slightly, saying that it was no problem. He managed to look me up & down a couple of times while we were talking. I just took it in stride as I thanked Walter also for going out of his way to help me. He grinned & told me not to worry about it.
As Will escorted me out the door to his truck, I barely caught a shared wink between them. I really didn't think about it much as we left out. Will asked where my car broke down. I told him that it was a few miles down the road, near the alfalfa field with the blue sign. He smiled at my accuracy of instructions & thanked me. A few minutes later, we were at my poor car & Will had the hood up. He added the water, now that the car had cooled. He looked at the hose & told me that he could probably get it started & back to the house but that the tear was pretty big. He taped it as best he could, added the water & had me start it up. It leaked a little but not so badly that it wouldn't run for a few miles.
He followed me the whole way back. The car did well with his impromptu repairs. He directed me to pull in back of the store so that the limited parking wouldn't be taken up. Walter greeted us as we walked in & offered us beers to drink. I took it gratefully & drank deeply. Will did likewise, drinking the bottle of beer in a few long swallows. Walter told me that the repair guy wouldn't be back in town until the next day. I sat down on the stool that was nearby, sighing. I scratched my head, wondering what I was going to do. There was no motel within walking distance. Before I thought too much about that, I saw Walter & Will exchange glances again. Walter came over & put a comforting hand on my shoulder. He said that if I didn't mind, they had a sort of guest house behind their house behind the store. He said that they never really used it but that I was more than welcome to stay the night there.
My eyes filled with tired tears of gratitude. Will stepped up & added that the house was a little musty from not being used but it had running water & electric if I wanted to take a bath or read. I thanked them both for their generosity. Getting up, I gave Walter a hug. He squeezed me back, goosing me a little. I giggled & squirmed a little. Walter commented mildly that I was a ticklish one. I just grinned, happy to have a roof over my head. Will, either loosened up by the beer or just gaining trust in me, offered without urgings from his father, to show me the guest house & to help me carry my bags inside. I thanked him & we went out to my poor car.
I opened the trunk & got my suitcase out, along with my toiletry bag. Will carried the suitcase, even though it wasn't very heavy. We walked past the large farm-type house that he & his father & mother (I was assuming...) lived in, to the smaller house in back of it. It was no more than a cottage with a small porch. During the walk, Will actually started kidding around with me, making silly jokes, trying to make me laugh. He managed to get a few giggles out of me & he seemed pleased with that. When we reached the front door, he produced the key & unlocked the door for me. It was a little dusty in there but nothing like I had imagined it would be. Will showed me around, helping me 'get the feel' for the place.