Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Dylan stood in front of the newly renovated farmhouse, surrounded by a half dozen residents of Fisher Falls. They were talking excitedly about what the resort would bring to the town and surrounding areas.
He only hoped they continued to hold that same excitement when the resort officially opened next weekend, and their first guests arrived. And once they found out that the resort was open to a special type of clientele. Of course, Double D Ranch wouldn’t discriminate, and guests didn’t have to participate in any activities. They could simply use the ranch as an escape from their stressful lives. The only requirements were to be accepting of everyone else, have an open mind and not be prudes.
If they couldn’t handle nudity or sexuality—or anything that went along with that—this would not be the vacation spot for them.
The PR company his brother hired had done a great job of spreading the word to the right audience. He was relieved that every room and cabin was now booked for the grand opening week. The money that would bring in was sorely needed.
Just like today, he and his siblings needed to make sure everything went smoothly all next week. The first week could possibly make or break the resort. They needed to start out strong and remain flexible enough to make changes, if necessary, even if on the fly.
One day he hoped to be busy enough they wouldn’t have to pay a PR company at all and could rely on only word of mouth advertising. Realistically though, he knew that might take a while. A year or maybe even two.
The PR company also found a few social media influencers to bring in for the opening week and recommended to comp their stay. He agreed with the hope it would pay off.
A movement out of the corner of his eye had him glancing toward the spa building located behind the event hall.
He narrowed his eyes on the tall, dark and very handsome man with an arm thrown over the shoulders of the woman in a bright yellow sundress, walking hip to hip with him.
Ford Harris and Erin Hart.
His chest tightened. He did not expect to see her here today. But here she was, wearing a sexy sundress, her signature cowboy boots and a blinding smile as she stared up at Ford.
For fuck’s sake.
He’d appear like a deer caught in headlights if anyone asked him a question right now. He’d lost track of what the group was discussing because Ford and Erin were now heading their way. They probably didn’t realize he was in the group. Or maybe they did and simply didn’t care.
But to his eyes, as he watched the exchange between his ex-girlfriend and his general contractor, they looked like a couple.
“Excuse me,” he muttered, leaving the group.
“It’s crazy. I don’t even recognize this farm anymore,” he heard her say as he got closer.
He stepped into their path, blocking it. “That was the point.”
They both stopped abruptly. Ford dropped his arm from around her shoulders and his expression closed up while hers became guarded.
That couldn’t be a sign of guilt, could it? Had they been hiding their relationship from him?
He waved a finger between the two. “I didn’t realize you two knew each other.” Or were close enough friends to be touching like they had been.
Ford wasn’t born in Fisher Falls like Erin and Dylan. From what he knew, the contractor moved to the area about fifteen years ago to start his business.
Why in Fisher Falls, Dylan had no idea, but he’d been grateful to find someone local to pull off what Ford did in a short amount of time.
Erin’s cheeks became flushed. “We… uh…”
“Dated,” Ford volunteered.
Dylan’s eyes narrowed on his contractor. “Before, during or after her marriage to Hart?”
Erin sucked in a breath.
Ford’s tense jaw shifted. “Unnecessary.”
It was, and Dylan’s unfiltered question made him sound like a jealous asshole. Since it was too late to take it back, he moved on. “Dated. As in past tense?”
“We enjoy each other’s company,” Ford answered between clenched teeth. He turned to Erin. “Sorry, darlin’, I’m tired. I’m going to head out. Do you want me to walk you to your car?”
Her face dropped. “I thought you were going to finish showing me around?”
Ford’s gaze sliced from her to Dylan and back in an unspoken message.
Before he could answer, Dylan offered, “I can finish giving her the tour if you need to leave.”
After a slight hesitation, Ford asked Erin, “Are you okay with that?”
Her mouth gaped open for a second before she answered, “Sure.”
To Dylan’s ears, she didn’t sound so sure.
For a moment, the two again seemed to communicate silently—proof they were more than only friends—before Ford gave her a single nod. “I’ll catch up with you later. Hopefully, the gift I gave you will last a while.”
When her head snapped toward Dylan, her cheeks appeared a bit darker. She said nothing as Ford shot him a sloppy two finger salute and took long, stiff strides in the direction of his truck.
Dylan turned his attention back to Erin and cocked an eyebrow. “Gift?”
“Ford is always generous.”
Great. “Not enough to share that you dated,” Dylan murmured. Or were still dating. He wasn’t quite clear on it.
“I asked him not to.”
Dylan frowned. “Why?”
“Because, like he said, we enjoy each other’s company on occasion, and I didn’t want you to punish him because of me.”
“How and why would I do that?”
“You could’ve pulled him off the job. And the why…”
“He didn’t steal you from under my nose, Erin.”
“Kyle didn’t, either.”
Dylan tipped his head to the side. “Debatable.”
“I’m not in the mood to debate, Dylan. It’s a beautiful day and you should be celebrating the success of your open house.”
She was right. He was being an ass for no reason other than unreasonable jealousy.
If Dylan had wanted to keep Erin, all he had to do was stay in Fisher Falls. At least until she graduated. Then maybe he could’ve convinced her to leave with him. But no, he left the area like his ass was on fire. He’d been more than ready to see the world. Or at least the world outside of a small town in very rural central Pennsylvania.
“It has been a very successful day.” He needed to stop being miserable and petty when it came to the unforgettable woman before him. He was better than that. “How much of the property have you seen so far?”
“Only the spa, some of the lodge and the event hall.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. I would love to see the rest. Especially the updates to the farmhouse. But you don’t have to be my guide, Dylan. I can check it out on my own.”
That would not be happening on his watch. Especially now that he knew she was a widow and apparently, not in any kind of “committed” relationship. That was how he took Ford and Erin seeing each other “occasionally.”
What surprised him was that he found himself still attracted to her the same as he’d been when they first started dating way back when. But then, he shouldn’t be surprised. She had left a mark on him despite them being both so young at the time.
Since leaving Fisher Falls, his tastes in women might not have changed, but they did expand. He left as an eighteen-year-old virgin and returned as a sexually well-rounded thirty-five–year old.
His eyes and mind might not be as open as they were now if he hadn’t left. Throughout the years, he tried things he never wanted to do again but also discovered what he wanted and needed in his life.
The truth was, if they had stayed together or even if he stayed in Fisher Falls, his life would be totally different.
The only regret he had when it came to leaving was… her.
Also, not being around when his father died since he would’ve liked the chance to tell his father goodbye and that he loved him one last time.
Loss was difficult and he needed to get it through his thick head that Erin suffered a big one, too. It cost nothing to be a kind or decent human being. He needed to be the example and not the exception. “I’m sorry about your loss, Erin.”
Her brown eyes widened. “Are you?”
He shouldn’t be surprised by her reaction after he’d been a dick. “I’m sure it was devastating.”
Her tension seemed to dissipate a little. “It was. I’m sure the same as your father’s loss was to you.”
“We expect to outlive our parents, but not our spouses. Or our children.” He scraped a hand through his hair. “Erin, can we start over?”
Her head twitched. “What do you mean ‘start over?’”
“Can we forget the past and move forward from here? Like two adults?”
“I already did, Dylan. I moved on not long after you left Fisher Falls. You just didn’t like that fact. And despite what you might think, I was not seeing Kyle while we were together. I was in love with you. If you had stayed, I would’ve married you, if you had asked.”
Despite already knowing that, hearing her say it stabbed him in the heart. “We were only kids.”
“We also turned into the adults we are now.”
“We are the adults we are now because of the paths we took,” he explained.
“You’re saying you’d be different if you hadn’t left?”
“Absolutely,” he answered. “And you’d be different if you had.”
She chewed on her bottom lip while she considered that. “That may be true. But at the time, we were young, and I was also in no position to leave with you. I was only sixteen and still in high school. You know that.”
“You also insisted you’d never leave Fisher Falls.” He raised his eyebrows. “That turned out to be true, didn’t it?”
“Absolutely,” she echoed.
“Do you have any regrets?”
She tipped her head to the side and countered, “Do you?”
Only of leaving you behind. “No.”
“I don’t, either.”
Were they both lying to each other? “Well, there you go. We both lived the lives we were meant to live.” It might have crossed his lips, but he didn’t fully believe that.
“We’re only in our thirties, Dylan. We still have a lot of living to do.”
He jerked his head toward the farmhouse. “Then, come on, we should go do that. I’ll finish showing you around.”
“Before we do, I’ll answer your question… Yes, I would love to start over. I’ve only ever wished you success and happiness, Dylan.”
“I’m working on it.” He waved his arm toward the farmhouse, and they began walking that way.
“You never got married or had children?” she asked as they approached the door to the main portion of the farmhouse.
He unlocked and opened it, then waited for her to cross the threshold before him. “I figured you’d already know that.”
“I never asked.”
Since gossip was considered an Olympic sport in Fisher Falls, she wouldn’t have to ask. Maybe she just didn’t care enough to listen.
He followed her inside and locked the door behind them. Being their private residence, the farmhouse wasn’t open for tours or to the public. “You didn’t care enough to know?”
“I figured it wasn’t my business.”
He watched her carefully as she glanced around and took in the changes.
“It’s so different than what I remembered. It was a gorgeous house before but now, it seems more updated.”
“It is. New floors, paint, wiring, new appliances. Dayne and I will share the kitchen with Dani but we each have our own wing, so we all have privacy. Her rooms are upstairs.”
“I remember your room,” she said with a soft smile. “The posters, the baseball and football trophies, your drawings… They were so detailed. It’s no surprise that you became an architect.”
He remembered her being in his room. Of course, his parents insisted they keep the door open while they were up there. However, that didn’t stop them from fooling around. They just didn’t do it in his room. A three-hundred-acre farm had plenty of hiding spots.
They never went as far as intercourse, though, since he wanted to wait until she was eighteen. Unfortunately, he had left town before then.
No doubt Kyle Hart was the one who finally took her virginity. Something that should have belonged to him.
Maybe it was for the best since his first time was a complete disaster. His second time, too. It took hooking up with more experienced partners before he had a good handle on how to please them. Or to know what he needed from them.
“Do you want to go upstairs and see the changes?”
She shook her head. “If that’s Dani’s space, I don’t want to intrude.”
“I doubt she’d mind.”
She walked through the dining area, the living area and circled back to the kitchen. “I’d rather hear that from her.”
The original farmhouse had been a four bedroom with only one full bathroom on the second floor and a half bath on the first. Ford had his crew turn two bedrooms into one large primary suite with its own full bathroom.
Dani loved it. She also loved that she wouldn’t have to share her space with her twin brothers.
Dylan pointed toward the living room. “Over there is Dayne’s wing. It mirrors mine, so there’s no point in showing you both.”
“Again, I wouldn’t want to intrude in his personal space without his permission anyway.” She met his eyes. “And unlike Dani, Dayne might mind.”
“But I don’t,” he murmured.
She tipped her head to the side. “Then, I’d love to see it.”