Page 18 of Trick or Treat with the Mountain Man
Trust me, I’d tried to stay away.
My friend Abby said I sounded like I was obsessed with the man. Or the ghost. Or maybe both.
She’d said it in a joking way, but I knew she meant I was getting lusty over a man I hardly knew. I’d had to remind her that she’d done the same thing when she first met Silas.
As I cleared the final turn of his meandering driveway, my heart sank.
His truck was gone.
Again.
Should I leave the cake? Or should I not leave the cake?
I was going to start running out of excuses to come over soon. If I drove away right now, he’d never know I’d stopped by, and then I could try again later.
But the cake wouldn’t be warm if I did that.
It won’t be warm anyway. Not unless he comes back in the next twenty minutes.
I got out of my car and balanced the cake in my hands. It was in one of my cake-shaped Tupperware containers.
When I got up to the front porch, I noticed a book propped up against his doorjamb, with an envelope leaned up against it.
After putting down the cake, I sat down next to it and looked at the envelope. It had my name on it.
Then I noticed the cover on the book and my mouth dropped.
“How did he…?” I muttered quietly, not even realizing I’d spoken out loud.
The cover had a little girl dragging a mannequin up a stairwell.
Irma’s Big Lie.
I never would have remembered the name. Somehow I’d remembered the character’s name being Alethea, not Irma. But this wasdefinitelythe book. I clutched the book to my chest as I tore open the letter.
He wouldn’t be leaving me notes and books if I hadn’t made an impression on him. Right?
Tyler felt it too.
There’d been an undercurrent between us. A magnetic force.
Ava,
The cookies were perfection, as was the evening we spent together. I’ve been kicking myself for not getting your phone number. Here’s mine. Will you leave yours? I’d like to see you again. If that sounds like something you want, let me know.
Anyway, I found your book. It’s from the Deer Springs library, so it’s only a loaner. I checked it out with all the renewals possible, which means you can keep it for six weeks. I wish it were a copy you could keep forever. I’ve looked in all thesecond-hand shops in the area, just in case, but haven’t found a copy yet.
Look forward to seeing you soon,
Tyler
I clutched the letter to my chest as a happy sigh of contentment drifted past my lips.
For a man like Tyler, this was practically a declaration of love. In fact, I was keeping this as a memento… his first love letter to me.
If I had my way, there would be many more to come.
I’d met a lot of people in my life, and I’d dated a few of them, too. But no one I’d ever met had drawn me in as fast as this man had.
