by Emily Mayer
"No!" I shouted. Lowering my voice back to a normal level, remembering that I was in a house full of people, I continued, "How could you say that? It's totally ridiculous."
"Umm, have you seen him? Because I could forgive a whole lot of bad behavior for someone who looked like Jack in a pair of jeans,” Elise said.
"Yes, I’m sure! He’s been nothing but rude to me. I mean I might like to look at him but that’s where it ends. Give me a little credit here. I do have some self-respect."
Elise rolled her eyes. "Maybe he realized he was being a jerk and decided to get his shit together?"
"I don't think so. It doesn't make sense. Why would he all of a sudden decide he was going to be nice? That doesn't happen. People don't just wake up and say 'Today is the day I stop being mean.' I think this might be a trap." I tapped my chin, trying to think of Jack's ultimate goal. Maybe he was going to frame me for stealing the boots and have me arrested? I also considered that I might be watching too much Dateline.
"I'm sorry, did you just say you think this is a trap?" Corinne said, disbelief lacing her voice.
"Yes," I nodded. "A trap makes the most sense."
"Yeah, because that's not crazy talk,” Elise responded.
"Evie, I know you. You do not do well with change at all. You like to put everything into these neat, tidy little boxes and then you freak out when life refuses to stay organized. That is clearly what is happening here,” Corinne said.
"What are you talking about? That makes no sense,” I fired back. I could admit that I preferred organization and plans, but my need for planning had nothing to do with the Jack situation.
"You can't fit Jack into any of your usual boxes and it’s freaking you out. He’s surly and kind of mean, but you like him. It's throwing you off your game,” Corinne said matter-of-factly.
"I absolutely do not! Stop saying that! It's annoying and not helpful."
"Let me ask you this then," Elise said. "What did you say? Did you say yes to his invitation?"
"Of course I said yes! It would have been rude to say no, and I really do need boots and…"
"And?" Corinne and Elise asked, almost in unison.
"And I don’t know. I’m an idiot. Montana is making me stupid. There's too much fresh air and I haven't had a latte in over a week. My brain is rotting. I have brain rot." I dropped my head into my hands and groaned.
"Sure, they’re always warning about the dangers of fresh air,” Elise responded. I was starting to wonder why I’d thought it would be a good idea to ask these two for advice. "Listen, Evie, I think you should go with Jack tomorrow and get a pair of boots. Try to have a good time and stop overthinking everything."
"I agree with Elise. I do not think this is a trap, and I highly doubt he is planning to dump your body on some backwoods road. Who knows why he decided to start behaving like a decent human being? Stop trying to figure it out and just enjoy the change."
"Now, more importantly, what are you going to wear? Let's move this to your closet,” Elise ordered.
After I had shown them almost everything I’d packed and they decided on an outfit, I let Hank into my room and climbed into bed. I tried to read my book, hoping it would quiet all the thoughts tumbling through my mind. But it just made me even more frustrated when I had to read and re-read the same pages over and over again. I finally gave up the book and snuggled under the covers, tucking my cold feet under Hank Williams, who gave a small grunt of protest. I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, coming up with all the possible ways tomorrow could go wrong. And it would go wrong. I was sure of it.
18.
The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, then into the shower and into the outfit my sisters had picked out. I left my thick, wavy hair down in all its untamed glory and debated putting on more than my usual bare minimum of makeup before deciding against it. I didn't want to give Jack the impression I’d put any extra effort into my appearance. Even if I technically had.
Hank Williams and I made our way downstairs and toward the kitchen, both of us dragging our feet. Mary greeted me with her usual smile and a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Evelyn, Hank Williams."
Ben sauntered into the kitchen, looking like he was not going to spend all day working.
"Hey, Evelyn. Morning, Mom. Are those omelets? I’m going to have to get a personal trainer when I get back to Chicago."
Ben pulled his mom into a side hug with one arm and patted his still very flat, toned stomach with his free hand.
"You’re going to have to add personal training sessions to my benefits package, since this is technically a work trip and it's not humanly possible to resist your mom's homecooked meals."
"You do know we have a gym in the building that’s free for all employees, right?" Ben asked, taking a large bite of hash browns right from the serving plate.
"I’ve heard rumors of such a place, yes." I nodded my head.
"Never cared to confirm those rumors, huh?"
"Nope. That's not true, actually—I did go the day they were giving out free donuts to anyone who signed up for a group class. Anyway, what's the plan for today? Did you need me for anything? I thought you might want me to look over those contracts one more time before sending them out."
I was also willing to organize his sock drawer, organize all the files on his laptop, or move rocks around the yard. Anything that meant I had a good, reasonable excuse not to go with Jack into town.
"I thought you were going to town with Jack today?" Mary asked, taking a seat at the breakfast bar next to Ben.
"Oh yeah, I was planning on it. Just wanted to make sure Ben didn't need me to get anything done before we left,” I lied, shoveling a forkful of omelet into my mouth while trying to smile convincingly at the same time.
"You're going to get a kick out of this town, Evelyn. It looks like it should be the movie set for a small-town-America movie. It's no Chicago, but it is the definition of small-town charm," Ben said.
"I'm really looking forward to it." The lies were just rolling off my tongue this morning. I briefly glanced down to confirm there was no smoke coming out of my jeans. Nope. Good to go.
"I think Jack just wanted to get a few things done around here this morning, then he’ll be ready to go. I told him to take you to Joan's for lunch and not to rush through his errands like usual. I’m sure you’ll want to look around a little. Ben's right—it's no Chicago, but there are plenty of cute little stores to explore,” Mary added, in what I was sure was an honest attempt to be helpful.
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to be any trouble. If Jack has things he needs to do back here, I don't want to slow him down too much," I stammered.
"Nonsense. He wouldn't have asked you to come along if he didn’t want you there, and you both have to eat,” Mary said with an air of finality.
We finished the rest of our breakfast largely in silence, Ben checking emails on his phone and answering the occasional question from Mary. I could barely finish the delicious hash browns, which was insane because I never let a good potato go to waste. My nerves about the trip to town were starting to make me increasingly nauseated. I just wish I knew what version of Jack would show up today. Or what to do with the friendly version of Jack. Friendly Jack actually made me more nervous than the surly version.
I helped Mary and Ben clean up after breakfast, then moved to one of the rocking chairs to finish a second cup of coffee. The surprisingly comfortable chairs overlooking the ranch and beyond had become one of my favorite places to enjoy the morning. I loved the sounds of the ranch, the animals all busy with their own morning routines, and the scenery was gorgeous. I would love to see this place in the winter. I wondered if Mary decorated the house for Christmas and how amazing it would be to sit around the large fireplace in the living room. A part of me was strangely disappointed at the thought of never seeing Christmas here, of never seeing this place again.
The sound of male voices drew my gaze to the large barn. Jack, Gabe
, and Cole exited and made their way to a truck with a large horse trailer hitched to it. Gabe and Cole got into the truck, leaving Jack to watch them pull away. I watched him as he walked toward the house, his steps relaxed and confident. The old red baseball hat covered his brown hair, leaving the ends sticking out. A dirty, long-sleeved top stretched over those broad shoulders and chest, looking like it was made especially for him. I could almost feel the minute those brown, sometimes almost gold, eyes found me on the porch. A few more steps brought him to where I sat.
"Morning," his voice still sounded rough from sleep. "You still coming with me today?"
I nodded my head, tilting it back to look up at that handsome face, and tried to order my scattered words before speaking.
"I am. If it's okay."
"It's okay." He reached up to take off his hat and run his hand through his hair, completely unaware of the effect it had on me. "Let me just get cleaned up and we can head out."
"Sure. Sounds good."
I spent the next twenty or so minutes giving myself another pep talk. I told myself to get my shit together—and I meant it this time. Being a weirdo was not going to help at all. I even managed to smile at Jack as he walked through the door, wearing a clean grey Henley and pair of jeans that made my stomach do a little dance. He returned my smile, pulling on a shearling-lined coat.
"Ready?" I noticed he hadn't bothered to shave the light stubble lining his strong jaw—and I also noticed that I liked it.
"Yep," I said, standing and reaching for my bag.
"You planning on staying the night in town?" He was looking at my bag with an eyebrow raised. I made an outraged noise, clutching my favorite Kate Spade tote to my side.
"This is a reasonable bag for a day trip!" I said, turning to follow him off the porch. "I like to be prepared for things."
He stopped at the passenger's side of the truck and opened the door for me. I mentally congratulated myself for managing to conceal my surprise. I tried to climb into the truck gracefully. Jack closed the door behind me, then moved around the truck to the driver's side.
"Trucks are not made for short people,” I said, watching him slide easily into the driver's seat. He laughed, glancing over at me.
"Letty uses a step stool. I can grab hers if—"
"Do not finish that sentence, Jack Danver,” I warned him. He laughed again. I was quickly getting addicted to that noise. God, I hoped there was a twelve-step program available for this sort of thing.
I studied his profile as the truck drove off the ranch and onto the road. He glanced over at me and gave me a quizzical look before directing his eyes back to the road.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" He brought one hand up to rub over his whiskered jaw.
Answering truthfully, that I just liked looking at him, seemed like a pretty terrible idea, so I reached up to touch my head.
"You have a different hat on."
"Is that bad? Do you not like this hat?" He adjusted the hat in question, moving the brim from side to side. "It's a good hat."
"It is a good hat. I just didn't think you owned another one."
A slow smile spread across his mouth, making me smile in return.
"I own more than one hat. The red one is for working, is all. It's good and broken in the way I like it."
An easy silence—one I could never have imagined possible just a day ago—settled over the car, and I watched the scenery roll past my window. Jack turned the radio to a station playing country music. A few songs later, he broke the silence with a question.
"So Miss Prepared, what's in the bag?"
Turning from the window, I picked my bag up off the floor of the truck and began rifling through the contents.
"Umm, let's see… I have granola bars in case I start getting hungry and we aren't close to someplace to eat." I pulled out the two bars then dropped them back into the bag. "I usually get a migraine if I skip meals, so I try to carry an emergency snack. I have mittens for if the temperature drops; September can be weird like that. My hands are always cold. I have extra socks to try boots on with… umm, my Kindle… things like that."
When I looked up from my bag, Jack was shaking his head back and forth slowly, eyes still facing the road.
"How heavy is that bag? Why do you have a Kindle in there?"
"It's not heavy!” Another lie. “I always pack my Kindle. I like to read."
"You like to read,” Jack stated. It wasn't a question, just a statement.
"Yes, a lot. I didn’t get to read a ton during law school, or after, when I worked in the legal department at Sterling. I missed it. I kept this list of books I wanted to read the whole time, and now I’m making up for lost time, I guess." My cheeks pinked at the amount of unsolicited information I had just provided. Jack just looked at me like he was taking it all in. I thought he was going to let it pass without comment when he moved his eyes back to the road.
"What do you like to read?" he asked.
"Anything. Fiction, nonfiction—but I like fiction the best for sure." I faced out the window, needing a break from his probing gaze.
"You’re full of surprises, Evelyn from Chicago."
19.
The rest of the ride was spent mostly in silence, the only noise in the cab coming from the radio. It wasn't awkward, though. Every few minutes, one of us would think of a question to ask. I would ask about something I saw out the window or something about the town; he would ask something small about my life. Nothing deep, nothing groundbreaking.
I finally saw a roof peeking up above the bend in the road just ahead and I instantly straightened in my seat, looking forward to seeing the town. I sucked in a sharp breath when we reached the top of the hill and I could see almost the entire town spread out in front of me. Pine Hollow really was as charming as Ben had said it was, like something out of a movie. The buildings were almost all brick or had siding painted a soft pastel color, or some combination of the two. Trees and potted plants decorated the sidewalks and windows, adding even more color. Benches were spread along the sidewalks, under trees and just outside store doors. The streets all seemed to lead to a large, green space that looked like it was used as a community park. A gorgeous white gazebo stood in the center.
And then I saw it.
"Is that… is that a horse tied up outside that building?" My wide eyes turned to find Jack grinning at me. I noticed that my hand had moved to grasp his forearm at some point. A little stunned, I tried to slowly move my hand back to my lap without it seeming awkward.
"Yeah, most county residents use cars but you get the occasional horse parked somewhere." Jack steered the truck confidently down the streets toward a large white-washed building.
"Is this place even real?" I shook my head, still trying to take in everything. "If you tell me there’s a little bakery that serves lattes, this might be my new favorite place."
Jack chuckled, putting the truck into park.
"Well, it's your lucky day. Pine Hollow has its very own latte-serving bakery." He opened his door and slid out of the truck easily, all his motions so confident.
I swung my door open and exited the truck much less gracefully. I scrambled into the store behind him, calling out, "Do not joke with me about lattes, Jack!"
I caught up to him, taking quick, quick strides to match his longer legs. He looked down at me and smiled.
"I've seen how you are about your morning coffee. I think I like living enough not to joke with you about caffeine."
"Good,” I said, turning away from him to look around the store. It looked like a pet store combined with maybe a hardware store. Almost nothing looked familiar. "So, what is this place?"
I felt a gentle pressure on my hip lightly steer me into a hard body. My startled gaze jerked from the hand on my hip, still gently tugging, to the man attached to it, and then to the pole directly in my path.
"There's a pole,” Jack said, dropping his hand away from my now lonely hip. "It's a supply store. I have an order
of feed I need to pick up, but you can find just about anything you'd need for the ranch here."
"Oh. So sort of like a Home Depot for ranchers? I try to avoid Home Depots."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, I’m pretty sure it's my least favorite place on earth. Well, to be fair, any home improvement store. We spent hours and hours there with my dad growing up. One time, I got… you know what, never mind."
I could feel Jack's eyes on me. Shame heated my cheeks. Why couldn’t I just stop talking?
"You got what?"
I waved my hand around in front of me. "Don't worry about it."
"You can't leave me hanging like that, Evelyn." My name on his lips was like my own personal variety of kryptonite.
I groaned. I couldn't believe I was actually going to tell him this story.
"I got one of those lugnut things stuck on my finger once. We were pretending to have a wedding." I shot Jack a sidelong glance when he snickered. "We had been there for hours!"
"Who was the groom?"
"Ugh. I was the groom. I was always the groom. It's the plight of the youngest sister."
Jack's lips were pressed together so tightly that the skin around them was lined with white. He swiped a hand across his mouth like he was trying to physically wipe the smile off his mouth.
"What happened?" he managed to squeak out.
"My dad had to find someone to cut it off my finger,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the shelves to my left.
I didn't think my face could possibly get any more red. I was so embarrassed that I was starting to sweat a little. Jack's eyes were once again squeezed shut, and his chest was visibly vibrating with suppressed laughter. Thankfully, just then we reached the counter in the very back of the store, which was apparently our destination. Jack only gave me one last look before he turned to the man standing behind it, and I could have sworn there were unshed tears in his eyes.
"Hey Jack, you here for the feed order?" the man behind the counter asked, leaning forward to shake Jack's hand.
"Yeah, I need to pick up a wire twister too." Jack returned the man's handshake.
