Their Rustic Retreat (The Men of Evergreen Mountain #5)

2. Tristian

TWO

tristian

Glad to be done with all that. I’ve never been a big fan of long drives, and the delivery of this cow with Mr. Bell is one of the longer drives I’ve had to make for him.

It surprised me how many deals he had with various folks in this town. I knew small towns were different, but as a city boy like myself, it’s all new to me.

“All right, that’s in the freezer for Dad to deal with later,” the guy, who I assume asked Mr. Bell to come out here, says. “Thanks as always for the personal delivery.”

“Anytime, Hawk,” Mr. Bell replies. “Your father always treats me well so it's only right I do the same.”

This Hawk guy looks me up and down. “Got you what Dad would call a hoss, I see.”

Mr. Bell slaps me on the shoulder. “What, Tristian here? Yeah, he’s one hell of a hard worker, and strong as an ox.”

I smirk. Nice to know I don’t have to worry about being so far from a gym, working this job.

“Well, hopefully he’s taking the more rural life well,” Hawk says. “I’m going to go let my father know what is waiting for him. Take care of yourself, Mr. Bell. And your hoss too.”

Hawk heads inside the house as Mr. Bell and I leave the garage.

“You’re done for the day, Tristian. Don’t need to ride back with me unless you really want to,” the old man says. “And I don’t think you do. You moved into Evergreen Valley proper, didn’t you?”

I nod. I’d been here a few months, but I haven’t made it much around the town. Mostly laying low when I’m not working. I’m in no rush to build up a big profile again, especially not with how I left the city in the first place. “All right, see you on Monday, then, boss.”

“Take care of yourself,” Mr. Bell says, giving me a firm paternalistic pat on the back as he passes.

I head out of the garage and stretch, wondering what to do with the freedom for the rest of the day. It’s a hard decision, really.

It’s not too long after that pondering flexing that I spot her.

She’s over there. Watching me, her hand resting on a dog’s head, petting him passively.

Goddamn, she’s gorgeous. Long brown hair curled at the ends, wearing a flannel shirt with enough buttons undone that I can see her bra straps. Denim short shorts, leading to her long, luscious legs that I could run my hands up and down, for days. They curve up to the rest of her body so enticingly, leading me back to her cute freckled face, and how she’s staring at me with wonder, those big brown eyes drinking me in as much as I am with her.

She suddenly breaks eye contact. There’s a tinge of anxiety about her, but I can tell when a woman is staring longingly at me. We all get a little nervous around people we find attractive.

It’s no reason to ignore what’s obviously there.

So that’s why I head right over to her. Break the ice. Confirm that the vibes that I’m feeling aren’t just me reading cues that aren’t present.

I expect the dog to intercept me, but instead it cocks its head in curiosity. Guess I don't have to worry about it being overly defensive like I’ve seen with some dogs.

“Hello, there,” I say, approaching her. I take a look around the Moore homestead. “Nice place you got here.”

“Hi,” she says, her voice meek.

“Saw you from over there and thought I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I left without learning your name.” Overly dramatic of me, but hey, everyone loves a little drama, especially chicks.

“Uh-huh,” she says, her eyes shifting. “Is that line how you learn the name of every girl you’re interested in?”

“Nah, I don’t think I’ve used it before. You’re the first. You’re special.”

She shakes her head with a smile, her ice quickly thawing. “I’m Serena. And you? Are you going to let me live on without learning your name?”

“Tristian,” I say. “Serena is very pretty.”

“My mother certainly thought so. Kinda glad she won that one. My dad wanted to name all his kids after birds.”

I cock an eyebrow, gears in my brain moving. “Like Hawk?”

“Yeah. Like Hawk, my brother. I was almost named Robin. Which is a boy’s name.”

“Robin is a girl’s name too.”

“No, it isn’t.” She crosses her arms.

“It’s gender neutral.”

“But Batman’s sidekick is a boy.”

“That’s because it’s his superhero name. Batman’s legal name isn’t Batman. And he’s had girl Robins, too, for that matter.”

She rolls her eyes. “Robin Williams is a guy.”

“I assure you I had a few girl classmates named Robin, growing up. It’s very much a girl’s name too.”

We stare at one another, the absurdity of the moment catching up with us. We didn’t even know one another five minutes ago, and now we're deep in an inane conversation about names, like we’ve been close friends for years.

It’s a vibe I love to have with a girl. It lets you know that you’re in tune with them and that you’re going to go far.

“I’ll believe you. For now,” she says, giving me a playful stink eye. “You and your supposed female Robins.”

“Why would I lie about such things? And lie to someone so gorgeous too?”

She turns a beautiful shade of red. “Oh, yes, no one ever lies to the pretty girls. People are always completely honest with me and never make things up.”

“I mean, yeah, sure. But that’s usually by claiming I’m a billionaire. Or an astronaut. Or a billionaire astronaut. Not that I think a particular name you almost had is gender neutral.”

The dog walks up and looks up at me earnestly, its tail wagging joyfully.

“Can I pet him?” I ask, looking down at the friendly canine.

“Hmm? Yes, sure,” she affirms. “Although, I’m surprised he’s so friendly with you. He’s usually ruthlessly defensive of me and growls until he’s sure they won’t hurt me.”

I kneel down to the dog, who comes up and licks my face as I give him a few strokes on his back. “What’s his name? So we can steer our conversation to dog names instead?”

“Reuben.”

“Like the sandwich?”

She nods. “My nine-year-old self found it pretty, despite thinking the actual sandwich was disgusting.”

I laugh as the dog cuddles up to me. “It is an actual name, too, if that helps.”

“What are you, some sort of nameologist or something?”

“Not really. It’s just how our wonderful relationship has started.”

She giggles. God, I love the sound of it. “Guess it’s not that weird. My parents met in a butcher shop and had a long conversation about what quality beef makes the best hamburgers.”

“And a loving relationship was formed. Isn’t life beautiful?”

She smirks and kneels down next to me. “He’s really taken a liking to you. Do you have dogs of your own?”

“Nah. I wish. I grew up in a small apartment in the city. Always wanted one, but I kinda agreed with my parents that having one in such a small environment would be cruel, no matter how many walks I took them on every day.”

“That’s weird. Usually dogs only open up so quickly to other dog owners. Probably something to do with the smell.”

“Guess he just thinks I’m cool, then.” He is a cute guy, and very loving. That he’s so happy makes me think Serena is all the sweeter.

“City boy, huh? What brings you out here to the middle of nowhere?”

I go silent, not wanting to give a hasty answer. I don’t want to lie to her either. “I just wanted to get away from it all, really. The hustle and bustle. And I thought a more serene place like Evergreen Valley would fit perfectly.”

“And you’re working for Mr. Bell too. He mostly employs people just passing through. Not usually people who put down roots.”

“You know him well, I guess?”

She shrugs. “I wouldn’t say I know him super well, but I’ve been by his ranch enough times with my dad to know how it works. Evergreen Valley’s a small town. You get to know everyone eventually, and you learn that most secrets aren’t secret for long.”

Her words make me pet Reuben a little harder, for my own comfort. I got secrets, yes. I thought everyone did. And I didn’t want mine coming out just yet.

“So, uh,” she says, clicking her tongue and getting her dog’s attention, “what’re you doing, right now?”

“Absolutely nothing. How about you?”

“Want to come and take Reuben for a walk with me? A little stroll through the forest?”

“Going into the woods with a guy you just met? Aren’t you a bit trusting? Shouldn’t you get to know me over dinner first?”

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “There isn’t any better judge of character to me than Reuben. That he likes you is more than enough for me to go for a stroll with you.”

Reuben lets out a joyful bark as he turns to me, panting.

“Well, if he wants me to come, I guess I’ll come. Can’t disappoint Reuben, can we?”

“Of course not,” she says as she stands up properly. “Can’t let you disappoint me, either, big boy.”

That makes three of us.

I didn't expect to go on what’s almost basically a date, so fast, but I could tell Serena isn’t like any girl I’ve fawned over before.

She’s so much more.