“Okay, you lost me. What’s up?” Callie asked.
Over the next few minutes, Erica recounted the night’s events. She talked about getting stranded in the lake, the storm, hurting her leg and all the rest of it, right down to what she’d just learned from Gracie.
“Wow, that’s some story!” Callie said.
“I know. I never imagined…”
“Imagined what? That you might meet someone amazing in Mill Creek Crossing?” There was a hint of sarcasm in Callie’s tone that seemed misplaced. Erica wondered about it, but she moved on.
“Now I have to figure out what to do. I mean I don’t want to become attracted to this man. He’s got big problems with committing after losing his wife. I can’t compete with a ghost.”
“Erica, settle down. You’re only just getting to know Dylan. It’s not like you’re getting married…” Callie stopped herself short. “Oh, girl, I’m sorry. Bad choice of words.”
“It’s okay,” Erica said as she leaned her head back and sighed into the spring sky.
“Erica?” Dylan said from behind her. She worried about how long he’d been standing there.
“Dylan… Where’d you come from?” she said smiling nervously.
“I just walked up. Ready to go?” he said with a smile as he extended his hand.
“Sure. Callie, I’ll call you later, okay?” she said into the phone.
“Okay. And Erica, be open. Please. Just be open to him,” Callie said, almost begging. What was up with her?
Erica stood up as Dylan took her hand. Without thinking, she instinctively slid her hand through his arm as they walked down the sidewalk. She was limping a bit, but nothing that concerned her too much. But, the last thing she wanted to do was let the cut on her leg get infected and ruin her trip.
“My truck is down here,” he said pointing around the corner.
“Okay,” she said softly.
“Everything alright, Erica?” Dylan asked looking at her.
“Of course. Why do you ask?”
“You seemed startled when I walked up. Were you talking about me?” he asked grinning.
“Conceited much?” she said sarcastically.
“I’ve been accused of that a time or two.”
“I’ll bet,” she said giggling.
His big, black pickup truck was parked on the street just off an alleyway. He opened the door for her and helped her climb up into the tall vehicle. In order to do so, he had to put his hand on her butt, which shocked her and almost caused her to lose her footing yet again. Why was she suddenly the biggest klutz?
“Careful little lady,” he said with a chuckle as he closed the door. Dylan walked around the other side and climbed into the driver’s seat. “Sorry.”
“About what?” Erica asked in confusion.
“I should have warned you I was going to touch your butt.”
“No big deal,” she said turning beet red. She was a grown woman, but hearing the words “your butt” come out of his mouth reduced her to a thirteen year old girl.
“Then why are you turning red?” he asked as he put the key in the ignition.
“Can we just go, please?” she asked trying not to look at him. He sat back and crossed his arms.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
“Why do you think something’s going on?” she asked still trying to keep her eyes straight ahead.
“I might just be a stupid guy, but I can tell when something is wrong with a woman. Especially you.”
“What do you mean especially me? We just met, Dylan. It’s not like we really know each other.” For some reason, saying that to him caused her pain. She felt sorry for herself, for him and for her attitude … about all of it.
“True, but I can tell something is wrong Erica. And I’ll bet it has to do with something Gracie said at the diner.” His words blew through her, and she turned red again. Why did her blushing always have to give her away?
“Like what?”
“Like about my late wife?” he said softly as he leaned his head back and sighed. “Am I right?”
Erica sat quietly looking out the window feeling like the biggest ass of the century for making him relive it.
“Can we please go? I’d like the doctor to see my leg…”
“Erica,” he said reaching over and turning her face to look at him. The gesture sent electricity through her body. How did this man have that affect on her?
“Okay, yes. Gracie said some things. But please don’t be mad at her.”
“I’m not mad. I can understand how this must look to outsiders,” he said quietly.
“What do you mean?” she asked turning to him.
“Look, Erica, I’ve had a rough time getting over losing my wife. We had been together since we were kids, and losing her and the baby I never knew about, was devastating. There were many days I didn’t want to wake up the next morning. There were times I wanted to give up. I tried dating, but no one could compare to what we had.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Dylan,” she said instinctively reaching across the seat and putting her hand on top of his. He looked down at her hand and then up into her eyes. His piercing eyes went through her like a dagger.
“Thank you. I was doing just fine until I saw you out in the middle of that lake.”
“What?”
“The moment I met you, I knew something was different. I wanted to save you, take care of you. I haven’t felt anything like that… in a long time…”
“You were just being helpful, Dylan. No need to feel guilty…”
“No, it’s not that. I don’t feel guilty. Amelia would have wanted me to move on and love again. But I had decided no one could ever make me feel the way she made me feel. I’d decided love just wasn’t for me. I was planning a life living alone in my cabin by the lake. And then you floated right into my world…”
“Dylan, I…”
“Please. Let me finish. I’m sure Gracie told you I date and never have a committed relationship. Right?”
“Yes…” She was hesitant to say too much for fear of Gracie getting the brunt of it.
“That’s true.”
“Okay.” She didn’t know where he was going with this.
“Until now.”
“Huh?”
“Are you usually this dense, Erica?” he asked laughing as he threw his head back.
“Thanks! I’m not dense!” she said slapping his arm.
“I’m saying I have feelings for you that I haven’t felt in years. I would like to know if you might be interested in pursuing them?”
“Dylan, I just got out of…”
“Stop right there. I know what you just got out of, Erica. Don’t compare me to him. Not all guys are jackasses.”
“I know that Dylan, but I can’t just move on so quickly.”
“Why?”
She sat there wondering to herself why she couldn’t move on either. It wasn’t like she needed a grieving period for her cheating ex-fiance. What was she waiting on exactly?
“I don’t know why,” she said pursing her lips.
“Listen, this is scary for me too. I haven’t felt any feelings for any woman since Amelia. And you were with Max for years and thought you knew him. For both of us, there are obviously trust issues. But you have almost two weeks here and I think it would be kind of interesting to see if there’s anything to ‘this’,” he said pointing at the air between them. “I mean, what if this is the best thing that’s happened to either of us in years, and we just ignore it because we’re scared?”
“And what if we both get hurt?” she asked.
“Then lesson learned. But what if we don’t?” he asked softly as he took both of her hands in his waiting for an answer.
“Dylan, I gave you a simple, friendly hug last night and you froze.”
“I know. I’m sorry. You took me by surprise. I had been feeling some things all night, and your hug just sealed the deal. Either I walked away or I kissed you, and I
thought that might be inappropriate,” he said with a nervous laugh. She smiled at his sudden nervousness as she realized how much courage it took for him to tell her all of this.
“So what’s your plan?” she asked willing to hear him out.
“A first date.”
“That’s all you’ve got?” she asked laughing.
“One step at a time, Miss Erica,” he said. “Come on, let’s get you to the doctor before your leg falls off and you try to get out of going on a date with me,” he said as he started the truck.
Chapter 7
“Okay, tell me everything!” Callie gushed into the phone when Erica called her that evening.
“Well, he took me to the doctor who said my leg was healing nicely, but he gave me some antibiotics anyway just to be on the safe side.”
“Yes, that’s thrilling. But get to the good stuff!”
“Patience! Anyway, he took me back to my car and I drove back to the cabin.”
“What? How is this exciting news? You said you had exciting news!”
“Before all of that, we talked. He told me he has some feelings for me that he wants to pursue while I’m here. He wants to take me on a date and see where it goes. He said this is the first time he’s had feelings for a woman since his wife died, and it scared me to death.”
“Why?” Callie asked smacking on her gum.
“I don’t want to be someone’s test case. I’ve had enough drama recently, Cal.”
“Then when is a good time to open up to another man? Seriously? You can’t stop living and loving, Erica. Life goes on.”
“I know. And he basically said the same thing to me. So… I said yes to a date!”
“Yay!” Callie screeched into the phone just about blowing Erica’s eardrums out. “When?”
“Tonight, actually. He told me to be ready at five. We’re going someplace unusual.”
“I cannot wait to hear all of the details tomorrow!”
“Well, it’s after three now, so I’d better start getting ready.”
Erica hung up with Callie and started rummaging through her luggage. Thankfully, she’d brought some of her nicer casual clothing on the trip, so she began the process of finding just the right thing to wear. This night was going to be interesting.
***
As Erica sat on her sofa staring at the clock ticking on the mantle, she felt like a big loser. Was this how most women waited for a man to pick them up on a date? As she began to tear herself apart inside, she heard a knock at the door.
Walking to the big wooden door with the bear carved on it, she wondered if she’d chosen the right outfit. She was wearing a pair of boot cut jeans, black half boots and a flowing red shirt that had a plunging neckline.
“Wow,” Dylan said as she answered the door. He was holding a bouquet of flowers in beautiful pinks and reds. Wearing a gray t-shirt and jeans, she’d never seen a finer looking male specimen. “You look stunning.”
Erica had curled her long brown hair that flowed just past her shoulders and put on more makeup than she had in years. “Thank you,” she said trying to stifle the world’s biggest grin.
“These are for you,” he said handing her the bouquet. She couldn’t remember Max ever having brought her flowers. How had she missed that?
“They’re beautiful,” she said taking them and walking back into the kitchen to put them in water. Dylan followed her and sat on a bar stool watching as she filled a glass with water since she didn’t have a vase on hand.
“Nervous?” he asked her as he tapped his fingers on the countertop.
“A little. And you?” she asked laughing as she pointed at his furiously tapping fingers.
“A lot,” he admitted.
“Why?”
“I’m not sure really. It’s not like I haven’t dated before. But this time it seems so much more important,” he said staring into her eyes from across the room.
“Well, I’ll be gentle with you then,” she said softly as she walked behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but it just felt natural to touch him that way.
He stood and turned to her, which surprised her. “Erica, I am so looking forward to getting to know you better tonight.” His honestly caught her off guard. She wasn’t used to a man being so open with what he was thinking or feeling, but she could certainly get used to it.
“Me too,” she said pressing her hands across his shoulders to flatten a wrinkle or two. She caught a whiff of his masculine cologne, and it made her toes curl.
“Ready?” he asked as if he needed to get away from her quickly.
“Absolutely,” she said as they walked toward the door. Grabbing her purse, they walked outside and locked up.
“Erica?”
“Yes?” she asked turning around. She really thought he might kiss her right there and then.
“I’ll have to touch your butt again.”
“Excuse me?” she asked with a shocked look on her face.
“To get in the truck. I just wanted to warn you,” he said smiling.
“Oh. Well, thanks for the warning,” she said giggling as she stepped up and felt his ever-present hand on her rear end. She could definitely get used to that.
As they drove, they chatted about all kinds of things, from their families to where they went to college to pet peeves. Erica was amazed at how easily they talked and connected. She realized she wanted to know everything about this man, and he seemed to want the same. None of their conversation was forced; it felt like they’d known each other forever.
After about thirty minutes in the car, Erica realized they were going pretty far from Mill Creek Crossing.
“Mind if I ask where we’re headed?” she finally asked.
“Well, it’s hard to explain. It’s better if I show you,” he said with a smile as he turned down a gravel road leading up a steep incline. “Don’t be nervous. I’ve driven this a few times…” he said reaching across and patting her leg. She was terrified of the incline and slid closer to him for protection. It seemed like hours to get up the sharp hill, but it was only a couple of minutes. “Here we are,” he said as they pulled into a small, flat clearing.
“We’re here?” she asked confused as she started to slide back to her seat.
“Yep. Come on!” His excitement was palpable, so she couldn’t help but be intrigued by what he had planned. Dylan reached into the bed of the truck and grabbed a big picnic basket before coming around to help her out of the truck. With one hand on the basket, he reached up and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her down onto her feet. She was amazed at his strength even though she had a petite stature.
They walked down a small path until she saw the opening to a huge cave built into the side of the rocks overlooking the north Georgia mountains.
“Wow…” she said in complete awe of the beauty around her. The sun was starting to make its descent in the sky, and the flowers were all in bloom around them. She could hardly take it all in. For a city girl, this was a sight that was unusual and rare, and she planned to savor it.
“Beautiful, huh?” he asked smiling as he watched her reaction.
“Stunning. How did you find this place?”
“When my wife died, I did a lot of hiking to clear my head. Eventually, I stumbled upon this oddity out in the woods. You haven’t seen anything yet. Come on…” he said taking her hand and pulling her toward the cave. It occurred to her she was going into a remote cave with a man she’d only known a couple of days, but her gut told her it was okay and she decided to go with it.
They walked into the darkened cave, and Erica kept a tight hold on Dylan’s hand. “It’s okay…” he said soothingly. She believed him.
A few moments later, they were standing in the middle of one of the most beautiful places she’d ever seen. Light was coming through the top of the cave along with a small waterfall that ran from the rocks above into a pool of light blue water in the middle. Around the lake of water were huge ro
cks where they settled with the picnic basket.
“Lay down,” he said after laying out a blanket for her on one of the large rocks.
“Excuse me?” she said smiling with her hand on her hip.
“I want to show you something,” he said. She wondered what that meant, but she was willing to find out. They laid down side by side on the rock and he pointed up at the ceiling of the cave. There were all kinds of Indian markings lining the top of the cave.
Lakeside Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance) Page 5
