Chapter 5
5
ASHLYNN
“ T his is where you live?” I asked as I stepped out of my vehicle onto his driveway.
I’d hopped in my car at City Hall and followed him up the mountain to the house at the entrance to my grandparents’ property. Technically, his cabin was on their land, which was now mine.
“Now you see why I’m not happy with what you’re planning,” he said. He kicked the door of his truck closed and held the bags out to me. “Your guests will be passing my house on the way in and out.”
He grabbed the cupholder with our four drinks—soda and sweet tea plus two churro milkshakes we’d ordered from their dessert menu. Then, together, we started toward the cabin.
“Maybe we could create a separate entrance for guests,” I said, thinking out loud. “A driveway that dumps them into the retreat center before they even get this far on the main road.”
“Or I could put in a fence,” he said. “Toby needs one of those.”
“Toby?” I asked.
As if on cue, a bark cut through the silence surrounding us. It was coming from inside the cabin.
Zack took off up the steps to the porch. He was in a rush to get to his dog. Why? Was his pet dangerous?
I found out seconds later, as I hesitantly entered the cabin to see a golden retriever circling Zack. The dog’s tail was wagging. I stood just inside the door and watched as Zack set the drinks on the table and knelt to greet his furry friend.
My heart swelled at the sight. The love between man and dog was clear. It showed what a good dad this guy would be.
No. I couldn’t think that way. Yes, we’d messed around, but that didn’t mean forever. The last thing a guy like Zack would want was a woman planning love, marriage, and family after a little oral sex.
“This is Toby,” Zack said, looking at me. “Toby, this is Ashlynn. You’ll be seeing a lot of her.”
Was he saying the dog would be seeing a lot of me because we were neighbors now? Or did he mean he wanted to have me around a lot more?
Yeah, I was definitely overthinking things.
“Hi, Toby,” I said, my voice automatically rising a couple of octaves as the dog came toward me. “I’d pet you, but my hands are full.”
Zack was already getting things ready for our lunch. He grabbed paper plates and forks from the kitchen while I set the bags on the table and gave Toby the attention he wanted.
“I’ve forgotten how nice it was having a dog around,” I said. “Our dog died a few years ago, and my mom got sick before we could get another one.”
He paused in the process of sitting down and stared at me. “Your mom died?”
Oh yeah. I’d never mentioned that.
“I was away at college when she got the diagnosis,” I said. “Cancer. I was so caught up in my own life, I didn’t even notice something was up with her when I came home for holidays and summers. By the time I found out?—”
I shook my head and sat, reaching for the takeout. This was a downer. I should change the subject to something more cheerful.
“When the opportunity came to move here and start a business, I jumped on it,” I said. “It’s a chance to build a new life.”
Zack had taken his seat midway through my speech and now he was pulling the cardboard cover off the top of his aluminum food tray. He said nothing as he dug into his burrito, beans, and rice.
“What’s your story?” I asked.
That made him pause. I took the opportunity to bite into my taco as I waited for him to speak. Just as I was starting to worry the question had been too blunt—or vague—he spoke.
“Born and raised here,” he said. “My parents moved to one of those active adult communities in Knoxville a few years ago, but I like the mountain life. Toby and I can’t imagine anything else.”
“You like the peace and quiet,” I said.
“And the privacy. It’s a small town, but no one’s in your business. Well, not in my business, anyway.”
Yeah, Rosewood Ridge had its fair share of gossip. Guys like Zack didn’t give them much to talk about, though.
“You just have to avoid hooking up with women in the middle of City Hall,” I said.
He choked a little on the bite of burrito he’d just taken. One sip of his soda took care of that.
Once he recovered, he spoke again. “I’ve never done anything like that. I guess you just bring it out in me.”
His fiery stare stayed on me as he spoke. That made it sound even more flirtatious than it normally would. I swallowed the bite of taco, forcing it past the lump in my throat, and took a sip of my soda.
“We’ll work together,” I said. “You can be my consultant.”
He scooped up the remaining bite of rice and refried beans, shoved it in his mouth, then set his fork down. Still not responding, he reached for his shake and slid his straw into it.
Throughout all that, I sat silently, waiting for his response. It was more than an olive branch. I wanted a reason to spend more time around this guy. But more importantly, I didn’t want to upset his quiet life here with Toby…unless it was to be part of it.
“So, you want me to help you with your project,” he said.
I saw it again—that upset side of him coming to the surface. I didn’t want to go down that road where we ended up battling and not being productive at all. Although, if earlier today was an indication, it might lead to some great sex.
“Just where keeping peace among your neighbors is concerned,” I rushed to say. “You can help me do this so both of us get what we want.”
Something flashed in his eyes then, and I knew his mind had gone there. Yes, I wanted us to both get what we wanted in the bedroom too, and we’d made it clear that wouldn’t be a problem. It was coming to a business agreement that was the bigger issue.
And this was all about business.
“Deal,” he said. “On one condition.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We finish up here and get to the bedroom.”
He had a deal.