Page 5 of Their Rustic Retreat

“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.

THREE

serena

For all of my disagreements with them, I had to say that my parents chose quite the beautiful place to build their home. The forest is beautiful, and there’s many well-trodden paths surrounding the house, their roads formed long before my parents first traveled them all those years ago.

It’s simple and serene. Beautiful. I take Reuben through it almost every day and I never tire of it.

Neither does Reuben. I smell enough nature here that I realize it must be an absolute smorgasbord for a dog.

Tristian takes in the sights around him. Having outed himself as a city boy, this is his first time through these woods.

I can’t believe I was so afraid of him. I figure I’d be afraid of anyone in that sense. He’s hot as hell, and I guess I’m just in disbelief he’d want a simple country girl like me.

“You’re walking around here like a hiking veteran,” he observes as we continue our stroll. “Are all the girls as natural as you are, strolling through the woods?”

“If you don’t learn how to travel the woods around here, Tristian, you’re going to have a very small space to move around in.”

“Hey, I’m from the city. I spent most of my youth in the range of, like, nine square blocks downtown.”

“And I suppose those blocks were dense and full of people.”

“Yeah. Kinda cramped versus out here. I guess if you run into another human, it’s a surprise.”

“You do run into other people sometimes. As big as it seems, the world ultimately is still pretty small.”

He strokes his chin in thought. “I guess so. City boy like me running into a country girl like you despite us being seemingly worlds apart.”

“Destiny makes things happen.”

He laughs. “Destiny seems like a strong word to call our meeting. At least not yet.”

---