by A. M. Wilson
Rhett rakes his gaze over my body like a physical caress while inspecting my attire. For practicality purposes or his own interest, I can’t be sure.
“Do you have a tee under your sweater? It might get hot in a few hours.”
The rumble of his deep voice sends a thrill through me that I shake off. We’re just friends. If we don’t think about that night I let him bring me to a mind-numbing orgasm, that is. But even friends cross lines at some point or another, right? We just have to walk ourselves back to our respective sides.
I look down at my brown hiking boots, stylish but comfortable for walking. Taking in my black athletic leggings on the way up, I pinch my purple and gray flannel tunic away from my body. “I have something under this.”
He nods. “Grab what you need for Ghost for the day. We’ll take my Jeep.”
I slip a silk hair tie over the top of my haphazard messy bun and do as he says, eager as ever for the day to commence.
Ghost gets to ride in the back. As I slide into the passenger seat, memories of what happened the last time I sat here pummels me. A peek from the corner of my eye reveals Rhett’s oblivious to my thoughts as he busies himself with firing up the vehicle. Hopefully, that means he doesn’t notice my tiny squirm. A move I cover by buckling my seat belt.
“Don’t think I forgot what happened the last time you were in my car.”
My skin flames red. “That’s not a way to treat a freaking lady,” I snap. Half the ire stems from the instant sexual tension his words ignite.
The admonishment barely leaves my lips before he’s crowding into my space. He catches me beneath the chin and glides his hand to rest in a ring around my throat.
“I haven’t even come close to showing you just how well I know how to treat a lady.” He punctuates the words with a squeeze that steals my breath. Before he releases me, he drops a solid, singular kiss on my lips.
As quickly as it happened, he’s returned to his seat and pulls out of the space as if he didn’t just leave me reeling.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive at a designated parking lot at the base of a trail. Three wooden markers are visible from Rhett’s Jeep. Curiosity instantly piques at the empty lot before me. We appear to have the outdoors to ourselves.
Rhett snags the bag of Ghost’s items and a backpack from the back seat before climbing out. I follow suit, stopping to retrieve my dog, and meet him at the back. He relieves me of the leash, and I let him without protest. The two seem to be forming a bond that warms my insides. With a jerk of his head, he guides us in a different direction than the marked trails.
I keep the obvious question locked tight and follow his lead.
The nearly summer sun kisses my skin as we enter an unmarked trail. Worn, brown earth indicates we aren’t the first to discover the path. Tall, green brush grows along the edges. Questions swirl as we hike, needing answers like how often does he come here and how did he discover it? They remain silenced as I don’t want to disturb the serenity.
Somewhere in the canopy of lush boughs above us, a bird tweets cheerily, serenading us with a delightful tune. Days spent cramped in an automobile have hindered my opportunities to enjoy Mother Nature fully. A brittle branch snaps beneath my boot as we hike. We’re silent except for the huffs of our breath and the scrape of our shoes.
Following Rhett’s lead provides ample opportunity to admire his well-fitted jeans. The denim clings to his glutes and wraps around powerful thighs. I don’t know if he’s an avid gym user or if the extermination business helps maintain his physical form, but it’s clear from more than just his demeanor that he’s a commanding force in all aspects of his life.
The thought reminds me of how he barreled into mine just a short week ago. Unyielding. And unavoidable. Like the evolution of a thunderstorm in my path. The cusp of friendship continues to bloom day by day, and I’m beginning to feel like I want him to stick around even when my situation sorts itself out. Friendship doesn’t usually come easy to me, but if I truly want to stay in Arrow Creek, I’ll need to build a support system for myself. Or risk Eric threatening to whisk me away again.
I nearly run into Rhett’s back as he stops abruptly in my path. The palm not clutching Ghost’s leash appears suddenly in my line of vision, and I trace the appendage up to the face of the man it belongs to. He appears to look at me from behind his shades with a hint of delight in his smile. I get the impression he knows I’m guilty of staring at his ass.
“Take my hand. It gets a bit rocky up ahead.”
The invitation to touch him sends a thrill through my belly. One I’d be smart to ignore. This time of discovery is about me, and who that person is by herself without a partner. Ahem, a man. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the company of said male species, but entertaining the idea of zings and zaps and flutters is a sure sign of derailment.
With a dry swallow, I place my hand in his. He encases my fingers in sturdy warmth and tugs me along.
The trail of dirt bleeds away to rocky ground the farther we climb. Excitement trills a different tune inside. Eager to reach our destination, I pick up the pace until I’m climbing at Rhett’s side. He grins at me and twitches his ball cap lower over his forehead. I adjust my own sunglasses out of nerves and peer at my happy dog, who has her short tail up and nose to the ground. A pang echoes in my chest when I think about the daily walks we used to take around our town, but I quickly usher it away.
“You aren’t chatty today.” Rhett finally breaks through the barrier with a question I can’t quite answer.
“Am I usually chatty?”
He playfully shakes my hand in his. “I wouldn’t say you’re the quiet type.”
“You have me there.”
“You looked to be enjoying your conversation on the phone earlier.”
I nudge him with my shoulder. “Jealous?”
Illusions dance inside my head. A twitch of his hand. A slowing gait. I brush it away as nothing as we near our destination.
“Nah. I don’t do jealousy.”
A heavy awkwardness descends that I’m eager to break. “It was my brother checking in on me. Well, I called him, so technically, he doesn’t get to hold it over my head that he had to check in.”
This time, his hand twitch is intentional. “I’m glad you’re staying in touch with your family.”
I release a noisy exhale that has nothing to do with exertion. “I would be too, except he said my ex has been asking about me. I don’t want to know that information.”
The path narrows, and the number of stones in our way increases, necessitating a single line to navigate. Rhett doesn’t let go of my hand.
“Was it a bad break?”
I think back on the remnants of my shattered heart. My time away has been good for my healing. For seeing the truth for what it really is. Reflecting where I went wrong and what I could have done differently.
I can’t villainize myself for the choices I made during a difficult time. I also can’t do the same to Tate, who only did his best to react to the crumbs I offered.
“The breakup itself wasn’t bad. The circumstances are what made it unbearable. The timing…” I trail off.
Rhett pauses and glances back at me. He’s taller than ever on the slight incline, imposing a shadow over the melancholy on my face.
“You don’t have to tell me what you don’t want to share. But I’m happy to offer an ear.”
I shake my head.
“Another time.” My smile feels forced when the reasons for my departure flood through the fences.
With a slight tug, he sets us into motion again. “Keep up. We’re nearly there.”
Eager to see the view, I increase my pace.
“You know what they say about the best way to get over someone…” His husky voice infiltrates my insides.
“Is that an offer?”
“Yes.” The statement is punctuated by a tug as we reach our destination. Though Rhett stole my ability to focus on the land around us with his no-hes
itation proposition. Not able to let it go, I step into his path. He can joke and tease all he wants to, but this might be a card I want to play someday, so I need the facts.
I lift my sunglasses to rest atop my hair. “Yes?”
One side of his sensual mouth lifts in a smirk. “What surprises you more—that I didn’t beat around the answer or that I’m happy to have you in my bed? Because I have to be honest, if you haven’t figured out I’m a no-strings kind of guy, you’ve missed something this week. And if you forgot the time I had my hand between your thighs, you definitely missed something.”
A guy who looks like Rhett and commands attention like Rhett does not have any problem finding a woman. I definitely picked up on that by the way he kisses and strummed me like a fine-tuned guitar.
I’m also not the type of woman who has a problem finding someone who wants me and makes that known. Contrary to the circumference of my thighs, men find me beautiful just as I am. Does every man find women like me attractive? No. Do I give a fuck? Also no.
“I’m not surprised by either. I’m simply seeking confirmation.”
He mirrors my action and removes his own shades to expose his eyes, promptly locking them on mine.
“Well then, consider this your confirmation. I’d like a repeat of the other day and the chance to do a hell of a lot more with you, no strings attached, whenever you need help scratching that itch. Understood?”
This must be that midday heat Rhett warned about before we left because my internal temperature has skyrocketed. Needing reprieve before I melt into a puddle, I pull my sweatshirt over my head to reveal the cropped tank top underneath. I can’t even answer his question before his gaze drops to my chest, and he groans at what he finds.
“When I asked if you had something under your sweatshirt, you could have warned me it was the size of a handkerchief.”
I wet my lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m perfectly covered.”
Rhett shakes his head. “I don’t know where you came from, but what little you leave to the imagination is a gift.”
In order to hide my grin, I give him my back and hustle to the end. As soon as the trees clear, I come to a complete stop.
9
Rhett
In the span of a few seconds, I know that sharing my personal slice of heaven with Evie was the right idea. I watch her take in the ridges and rocks, the jutting cliffs, and the rushing river below with complete stillness. I stayed a few steps behind as she dashed ahead. I’m pretty sure she thought it was so I could admire her ass, which I did, but I also wanted an uninhibited view of this.
During our shared meals this week, I noticed Evie had an appreciation for the outdoors. The way she tips her face to the last rays of the sun and how she leans back on her hands to feel the gust of a breeze. How she makes sure we don’t leave behind a single scrap of trash when we’re finished eating. I wanted to give her something more than a dusty old dirt parking lot to spend her free days.
What’s in store for either of us remains a mystery. Whether she’ll disappear as quickly as she arrived or set down roots with someone she meets in Arrow Creek. I do know that this friendship is panning out to be exactly what I need, and I hope I can give her a little of what she’s looking for too.
The gravel rolls beneath my shoes as I close the distance between us. I drag my index finger along the back of her smooth hand at her side, startling her from her admiration. She looks over at me, eyes light and free, before she continues closer to the edge. Ghost and I follow at a slower pace.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it.” The breathless quality of her voice warms the frigid organ in my chest.
“It’s peaceful, that’s for sure.” Coming here for the first time all those months ago when I found out Nora preferred adultery to our marriage, I felt what she’s feeling. Now I spend those moments when life feels too painful to breathe up here in this serenity.
“My problems feel so small, so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.”
“They aren’t insignificant—”
She whirls and cuts me off. The glistening tears caught on her lower lids are startling.
“I wanted to have a baby.” She clenches her fists and looks away. “I wanted to have a baby more than I wanted anything else. Anything,” she repeats with vehemence. “I was willing to give up everything to make it happen. I did give up everything to make it happen, and I still failed.”
Puzzle pieces rain down around me. I’m not sure which one to pick up first to help put it together, or even if I can. The pain crackles in the air around us as she fights to keep her agony leashed.
“I went to appointments. I shut down my business to make the time. I did the research, and he didn’t even notice. I sank further and further into depression, and he didn’t have a clue what I was dealing with. Not once did he ask.”
She casts a corner piece my way, and I latch onto it like a lifeline.
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Because a defect is still a defect, even if you cover it with tape and glue.”
“Rosie.”
“The harder it got, the longer it went without him asking even that first question of are you okay, the more I didn’t want him to. It led to fights, and then more fights, and by then, I didn’t know how to tell him what I’d done and the hole I’d dug myself into. I was planning to marry the man, and he didn’t even notice I was about the slip beneath the surface and drown. That I’m still drowning. I still can’t have a baby.”
I close the distance between us in two strides, stopping close enough to see firsthand the tears cascading from her olive-green eyes.
“I left him in my mind before I found the courage to leave physically. What sort of partner sees the supposed love of their life struggling and doesn’t even acknowledge it? It was like I was a burden to him, and it was easier to pretend I didn’t exist. When he announced he couldn’t go through with the wedding, all I felt was relief. I was relieved I didn’t have to find a way to end it myself.”
“That’s an understandable reaction.”
She shakes her head and drops her chin to her chest. “I wanted to have a baby so badly that I ran myself into debt. Not the nice kind of debt, like when you purchase something you really want and can enjoy it as you pay the hefty monthly bill because it’s all worth the trouble. This is the kind of debt that has me living out of my car until I can save up enough money to pay it back.”
My muscles lock so tight they cramp. I force myself to keep an even tone. “The bad kind.”
“The really bad kind. The kind where I spent a ridiculous sum of money, but there wasn’t a reward for the risk.”
“How much are we talking?” I’m already tabulating ways to get Nora to end this charade so I can help Evie as soon as possible. I have more than enough in the bank to loan her some if it means she can sleep in a warm bed rather than her driver’s seat.
“It doesn’t matter. Even when I pay it back, my credit is already ruined from the late payments. I tried getting an apartment about two hours from home, and not a single one would approve my application with my dismal credit score. I ended up wasting money at a hotel while I tried to come up with a plan. My brother ratted me out to my ex, who then came looking for me.”
“He knows you’re struggling with debt and just let you go a second time?” I want to snarl at the thought. I don’t know this guy from Adam, but he sounds like a fuckup.
She brushes her cheekbone with her thumb. “No,” she huffs. “Neither of them knows about the money. They’re best friends, my brother and Tate. They’ve both looked out for me since my parents died. He offered to let me come back and stay until I was on my feet. He thought I just couldn’t find an available apartment. But I couldn’t go back.”
“I don’t understand how he doesn’t know about the money.”
“I didn’t tell him. I used the cash we’d saved to pay for a surgery out of pocket, and I opened a credit card
under my name to charge the wedding costs. I thought he’d figure it out, but when he asked about the missing cash, and I told him I used it for wedding deposits, he never questioned it.”
Ghost nudges my pant leg. I reach down to pet her without taking my eyes off Evie. “You have to tell them. Even if you don’t want them to help you, it might make you feel better.”
She walks closer to the edge. Seeing her surrounded by the open sky and nearby cliffs is breathtaking.
“For all my life, I’ve been taken care of. My parents were incredible up until I lost them. Eric and Tate were only eighteen at the time, and neither batted an eye about driving me around town and making sure nothing could ever hurt me. I went from living with my brother to living with Tate when we started dating. I’ve never had the chance to stand on my own two feet. And maybe I’m a bit reckless and don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I need to figure it out one way or the other. This is my mess to clean up.”
I move closer to where she speaks her truth into the wide open and drop into a crouch at her side. Ghost plops to my left. I sit on the sun-warmed rocks, mulling over a response. While I understand her desire for independence, I can’t relate. I’ve been financially independent since I turned twenty-one and received my inheritance from my grandfather. I learned to invest and grow that lump sum into a number over a million. That is, until Nora stepped in with her greedy hands.
“That may be true, but you can let someone care for you in the emotional sense. Your brother would want to know, even if you don’t want to tell your ex.”
“Who made you the emotional guru anyway?” She looks at her shoes and shakes her head. As the silence stretches, I sense she’s embarrassed.
“How about this. When I first found out my ex-wife cheated on me, I needed to get away from her for a while. I spent about two hours driving around the perimeter of the town before I realized I wasn’t actually getting anywhere besides pissed. I decided to find a place where I could shout or throw something without someone calling the cops. This area is a well-known hiking spot, and the parking lot was so busy I had to park near the back of the lot. That’s when I spotted this trail.” I lower my chin to my chest and hang my head as the memories of when I realized the dream was over rush in. “I’ve come back at least once a week since, even in the winter.”
