Page 67 of Johnathan

“Perfect.” She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

“Let me give you the official tour, and then we can settle in.”

“It’s going to storm overnight. I know it’s dark out, but do you want to see a bit of the property before it starts coming down? I’ve got a big flashlight we can use.”

“Is that what men are calling it these days?” She laughed. “I’d love to explore the wilderness with yourbig flashlight.”

John walked her through the cabin, and it hadn’t taken her long to fall in love with the space. She could see why he found refuge there. It was so quiet. There wasn’t any noise from traffic. It almost reminded her of the ranch, the way it stood in reflective solitude.

The cabin was rustic but beautiful. Scuffed and well-worn wooden floors throughout, a giant stone fireplace in the living room, and an updated kitchen were just a few of the highlights. But John wasn’t lying about the bathroom. The tub in thererivaled the one in Abby’s apartment, and she never thought she’d say that.

She didn’t want to be pushy, but that tub was calling her name. And the only thing she wanted to do was soak in hot water while exploring John’s body.

Her hand found his as they walked to the back porch. “How much land do you have here?”

“About forty acres.”

“Wow. And you only come up here once a year?”

“By myself, yeah. I bring Katy up a few times during the summer and over winter break too.”

The air was so fresh. Crisp. Although it wasn’t necessarily cold, it felt more like fall than it had in Bell Ridge. Granted, they were a few hours north of there and while the trees back home were still green, the ones surrounding John’s cabin had already changed into the most beautiful rainbow of bright reds and yellows.

“Do you know how to fish?” John asked, his voice startling her. When he furrowed his brows at her reaction, she settled into his side after giving a reassuring smile.

“I could hold my own if I absolutely had to. My dad used to take me and Sam down to the lake every couple of weeks. It was something special for him to do with us that got us all off the ranch. I always went, but I didn’t always participate.”

“Why not?”

“I have that whole fear-of-drowning thing, remember? Bodies of water make me nervous.”

“I really want to take you down to see the creek. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Okay. Just maybe hold on to my hand when we’re there. And don’t try to push me in.”

He wrapped his fingers through hers. “Never.”

They walked through the woods, the only sounds shared between them was the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath their feet. She quickly picked up on the sound of moving water, but nothing could have prepared her for how inaccurate John’s description could have been.

“This isn’t a creek! It’s a whole ass river.” Her feet dug into the ground around her and her breath hitched. “I can’t go any closer.”

“Okay. That’s okay. Do you want to head back to the cabin?”

She forced a deep breath into her lungs. John wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“No. We aren’t that close. How much of this is on your property?”

“It runs the entire width of the property. I have about ten acres on the house side and then the rest of it is all on the far side of the creek.”

“River.”

John chuckled. “Right. Theriver.”

“How do you get across?”

“We usually walk it. I’ve never seen it this full though. It’s been rainier here than usual for the season, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“And more rain is coming tonight. I can’t even imagine what it will look like tomorrow.”

---