“I’ll give you a lift up. Don’t look like that. This isn’t touching for the sake of touching. This is just help.”
Studying him for a moment, she finally suppressed a sigh and gave him a tiny nod. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of this and turn this into something it wasn’t. Besides, it truly wasn’t anything. Surely, a quick touch to help her in the truck wouldn’t affect her much, if at all.
When she was standing in the open doorway, Ian moved behind her and gripped her waist to lift her up. His hands were so big, they nearly spanned her waist, and she wasn’t a dainty woman by any means. His fingers tightened momentarily, and she couldn’t prevent a small gasp from escaping. He didn’t linger, quickly lifting her onto the seat and stepping back. Once she was settled in, he gently shut the truck door.
Watching as he rounded the truck to get in on the driver’s side, she tried to calm her racing heart and convince herself that she wasn’t disappointed the touch hadn’t lasted longer. She didn’t need touches at all from this man, let alone lingering ones.
Big. Fat. Lie. She already needed to feel his touch again. The part of her that wanted him was definitely winning over the part of her that was still terrified.
Clearing her throat and needing a distraction from her thoughts, she asked, “So do you own gyms elsewhere? Is that what you do for a living, or are you exclusively a fighter?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “No, I’ve never owned a business. Fighting brings in a pretty steady income, especially when I win. And Seth owns a business, building homes and businesses, doing repairs. I work with him on those projects. I don’t actually need to work, but I hate being idle. I like keeping busy, and I’ve been wanting something of my own. A gym would give me that. I’m not too sure about how to handle the business end of things, but I’m willing to learn. And the other end of the business, the training and stuff, that I know I can do.”
“I guess that makes sense. And I’m sure you can learn anything you need to about the business aspects. You don’t need to work, though?”
Glancing over at her with a quick shake of his head, he said, “No. I’m by no means rich, but I have enough to live comfortably, with some put back for harder times. My uncle, for all intents and purposes, left me a good bit of money about a year or so ago.”
“For all intents and purposes?” she asked, watching as he made a right turn, his thickly muscled forearms flexing with the movement.
“I was adopted, so he wasn’t my blood uncle. From the time I was about two, until I was seven, I was in foster care. The Gallagher’s started out as foster parents, but they adopted me about six months after I moved in with them. I was in Cheyenne before they took me in.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I bet they love having you back home, and having Shelby close, now.”
“I’m sure they would have,” he replied with a soft smile. “They died in a car accident my senior year in high school, and I lived with my uncle the last couple months of the school year. Then I left town, and stayed gone until about three years ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Ian. That’s rough.”
“It definitely wasn’t easy, but I got through it. And while they passed away too young, they lived full and rich lives. There’s comfort in that.”
Holly nodded, understanding the sentiment all too well. But hearing a small slice of his background gave her pause. He’d lost everything to him, all of his family except Shelby. His birth parents, then his adopted parents and uncle. All those loved ones, and yet here he was, willing and wanting to take a chance with her. If he could move on and take the risk—why couldn’t she? Something she definitely needed to think about.
Ian pulled to a stop in a parking lot, and she looked around, stopping him before he got out of the truck. “No.”
“What?” he asked, looking at her in surprise. “We haven’t even gone in yet. I know the outside looks rundown, but it wouldn’t take long to renovate it.”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t, but Ian, look around. You want this to be a place women come to as well, right? You have to think about what they need, and safety is a big part of that. Eagle Creek doesn’t really have any bad parts of town, but this is one of the old, rundown sections. Look around. There aren’t any street lights here, and the closest business is a block and a half down the road. Safe town or not, some women wouldn’t feel comfortable coming and going here, especially after dark.”
Brow furrowed, he looked around and nodded. “I guess I can see that. That’s something I never would have thought of. See, it’s a good thing you came along,” he said as he glanced at her with a grin.
Heart fluttering, she made a noise of agreement and looked around as he pulled out and drove to the next destination. They stopped three more places, going inside two of them, but Holly wasn’t all that impressed with them, and she could tell Ian wasn’t, either.
“This is starting to look pretty pointless,” he muttered as they sat in the truck after touring the last building. “None of those were right for a gym, even with renovations. If I do this, I want it to be perfect.”
“Don’t go giving up on it now. Aren’t you the one who said once you set your sights on something, you don’t give up? You mentioned a plot of land. Let’s go check that out.”
Exhaling, he nodded as he drove them back through town. He pulled to a stop at the spot, and they both sat in silence as they looked around. Holly could feel herself getting excited as she did, and she could easily envision a gym here.
“Ian, I’m no expert, but this is looking pretty perfect to me. It’s in the newer part of town, and surrounded by other businesses and plenty of streetlights. The plot is big enough to do anything you wanted on it. And you could make this whatever you wanted. You obviously know exactly what you’re looking for in a building, and you’d have the freedom to make it a reality. It would be a lot of work, and a lot of money, but so would renovating an existing building to fit a gym. I really do think this is perfect.”
A grin slowly lighting up his face, he nodded as he looked around. “You’re right. I can see it perfectly in my mind. This can work, really well actually. And cost isn’t that big of an issue. The rewards balance out the risk.”
Flushing, she glanced out the window as she remembered him saying something along those lines Sunday. But it was in a totally different context. She wanted to ignore it, but she found herself thinking about it more and more, wondering if he made a valid point. And she had to admit—maybe he did.
He drove them back to the school, parking next to her car. When he opened her door, she turned sideways so he could help her out. He placed his hands on her waist, but then paused, not lifting her out yet.
“Thank you for coming with me, Holly. It meant a lot. And not just because you had valuable insight,” he said, his thumbs rubbing lightly against her sides, making her breath catch. “I wasn’t sure you’d
agree to go, but I’m really glad you did.”