Page 19 of Trick or Treat with the Mountain Man
What I felt for him was confusing. It wasn’t reasonable to feel so smitten over a man after just one night, especially when it wasn’t even a date. But I was completely and hopelessly crushing on the man.
I looked at the letter.
There was no way I was leaving his front porch without seeing him. Nope.
Instead, I programmed him into my phone immediately, then dialed his number.
“Who’s this?” his rough voice picked up after the fourth ring, right before I was certain I’d be going to voicemail.
“Hey, Tyler. It’s Ava!”
“Ava. Well, hot damn! I’m glad you called. Guys, I’ve got to take a break. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I could hear a loud beeping sound over the phone, but couldn’t tell what it was.
The background noise got quieter, and he came back on the line. “How are you? Should I presume you got my letter?”
“Yeah. I got your letter. Are you coming home soon? I brought you a cake.”
He let out a loud breath. “I’m in Tahlequah at the junkyard. I came to get a spare part for the old truck I’m restoring.”
“Oh, too bad. No, what I mean is that’s great! I was just hoping to see you. That’s the part that’s bad, not about finding a truck part.”
Tahlequah was over the border in Oklahoma, in Cherokee country. If that’s where he was, he wouldn’t be back for hours.
His voice went low, sounding husky for a second. “Ava, I’m going to be awhile, but are you free tonight? Maybe we could… have a date? If that’s something you might be interested in.”
Butterflies skittered inside me. They weren’t even dancing. They were running up and down inside me like mad.
He saiddate.
A giddy laugh burst out of me. “Tonight sucks for me. I work in the evenings. I’m an emergency dispatcher, and I work mostly night shifts. I’m off tomorrow, though. What about then?”
“Tomorrow sounds perfect,” he growled out, sending a shiver of excitement through me. “I’m free anytime. What works for you?”
“Six p.m.? We can make it a cake date.”
“What’s a cake date, Ava?” he asked in a throaty groan, as though we were having phone sex.
“It’s where I teach you how to make a cake.”
He laughed, “We’re going to make a cake together?”
“Yes, we are. It’ll be piping hot right out of the oven. And then you’re going to tell me what was in that letter. I’ve beendyingto know.”
“Oh. Is that why you’ve been stopping by?”
“No. Only partially. The other reason—the main reason—is to see you again. I had… fun.”
I could hear a sharp intake of breath. He rumbled, “I had fun, too.”
Then we were quiet for a moment, just listening to each other breathe on the other end of the line.
“You want the motor or not?” someone growled out.
That wasn’t Tyler. That was someone else talking to Tyler.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” he said.
