by Kinney Scott
Wade pulled in a wide arch angling behind her rental car. His truck sheltered her vehicle from traffic speeding by on the two-lane highway. He jumped out of his truck and jogged to her driver’s side door.
Glancing in her rear view mirror, the reflection filled with faded jeans stretched across trim hips. When her eyes strayed lower, she turned her head forward to fight the heat spreading over her blushing face.
He tapped the glass then grasped the handle waiting for her to unlock the car. It took her a few seconds to locate the button in the rental. She fumbled to get the door open as quickly as she could.
He bent his tall body to meet her gaze, “pop the trunk and I’ll get your luggage. Make sure you get everything out of the car.”
Her voice stuck in her throat and she just nodded and pushed the release on the trunk. Wade’s butt appeared in her driver’s side mirror, such a nice view. Ravenna grabbed her purse, tucked in her car charger, and grabbed her sunglasses case and small leather tote from the passenger seat.
Wade moved her luggage to the bed of his truck, and turned in time to see her slide from her car. She would need help climbing into the high cab. He flexed his hands at the thought of touching her slim waist.
“Are we leaving the car here?” She asked staring up at him.
“Does it run?”
She winced, “Yes, but it sounds bad.”
“I talked to a friend of mine. He lives about a half mile up the road. Can you follow me in my truck? I’ll park the car at his place until we can arrange to have it towed.”
“Sure no problem,” she handed him the keys, and circled to the driver’s side. He opened the door, guiding her with his firm touch into the cab. Ravenna felt the heat from his hands at her waist. She inhaled sharply, holding her breath until his hands released.
His burst of laughter broke the tension. “We need to adjust the seat. I hope you can reach the gas and brake.”
“I’m not that short!” she grimaced, joining his contagious laugh. Using the mechanism on the side of the seat, he began to ease her forward. Her fingers tangled with his as she reached down to fine tune the adjustment.
A sizzle of awareness passed between them, but neither pulled away. He placed his hand over hers, to guide her fingers. Her whiskey colored eyes locked on his.
Ravenna’s words barely escaped, “That’s good Wade, right there. I can reach now.” Her teeth bit her lower lip as he encased her fingers in his, lifting her small hand to the steering wheel.
“Follow me. It’s not too far,” he instructed. She nodded as he closed the door. Wade jogged, with discomfort in his now snug jeans, to the disabled vehicle.
He turned the key. It didn’t sound too bad until he pulled forward and the metal on metal scrape shrieked. He hoped the sedan would make it a few hundred feet to his friends’ place.
The powerful growl of the engine felt familiar. Her dad had taught her to drive in an old pickup. She missed this commanding perspective, sitting high above the road.
Wade had not gone far before he eased the car into a nearby driveway. She flicked the signal and followed close behind. Parked, she waited while Wade talked to the owner. The elderly man gave her a friendly nod, and she returned his kindness with a wave and a smile.
Ravenna started to get out of his truck when Wade shook hands with the man and hustled back to his truck. She slid across the bench to the passenger side. He adjusted the seat to accommodate his much larger size and climbed in. Trapped together in the cab, keen awareness sparked between them.
Attempting to ignore the connection, he spoke about the task before them. “All taken care of. Frank will give me a call when the tow truck shows up. You were right - whatever debris you hit did a number on that car.”
“Wade, thank you. This isn’t how I hoped our day would go. I looked forward to seeing all your progress at Mosquito Creek Brewing.”
There it was again, the real purpose of her visit slung instant tension between them. He barely heard her as she finished. “I’m sorry you’ve had to waste your time picking me up.”
“It’s never a waste of time to help.” He growled. Regretting the remark, she shrank in the seat and looked out her window. He refused to see her as anything but an adversary.
The wall of defense against Coalition swiftly moved back in place. “What would you like to see first, my brewery, or the place you’ve rented?”
She glanced across the cab at his tightened jaw, and steeled herself for the conflict she had hoped to avoid. “Well, why don’t we drop off my luggage first? Unfortunately, without a car, I will need a ride over to the brewery. I have a replacement lined up for tomorrow, but I need to drive into Hood River and pick it up.”
“You can use one of Mosquito’s vehicles if you like,” he offered. “But you won’t have any trouble getting to the brewery. Natalie parked your home on the same property.
Her eyes widened as she discovered the depth of his information. So much for the element of surprise, he already knew the details of her living arrangements. She chuckled, in a small town, stealth was impossible. “A woman named Natalie told me she parked the tiny house at Whitewater Homes.”
“Whitewater belongs to my cousin Seth, Natalie is his fiancée. His business sits next door to Mosquito.”
“Great,” she added with a roll of her eyes, attempting to hide her nerves. Surrounded by the solidarity of his family, Ravenna felt the odds stacking against her.
He shouldn’t have enjoyed her rattled nerves, but didn’t mind if she caught the smug smile spreading across his face. Pulling onto the south end of the property, a rusty beehive burner towered high above. Ravenna leaned forward in her seat to get a better view. “I haven’t seen one of those in years…you are making my job so easy. That structure is a perfect architectural feature. It’s such an icon of northwest logging.”
While the towering metal burner distracted, he studied her enthused expression. With an interest that sincere, he wondered if he could trust her. “I looked into repurposing it for the brewery, but it’s too expensive. It would be cheaper to build a replica, but that’s…”
“Imitation,” she finished his thought. And, he was relieved that the genuine article meant something to her.
“These buildings at the south end of the property house the mill. It now produces lumber primarily for specialty markets. We are using as much reclaimed lumber as possible from here, on site.” Wade eased past the building. “Mosquito’s here in the center, we can take a look after you are settled.”
“Great, I look forward to it.” She said, failing to sound at ease. Now trapped in Wade’s domain, she felt lost in his world. As he pulled around the shop marked with a sign for Whitewater Homes, she saw two beautifully crafted tiny houses sitting reasonably close together.
“The larger home on the right is yours. Natalie had Seth build it for a coffee business and home. The kitchen is deluxe.”
“And the other, with the wide porch?”
“That’s my temporary home.” He watched her reaction, and smirked a little as her mouth dropped open. Good, she is just as disturbed as I am by these close quarters.
“But, I thought you lived out of town,” she stammered in a weak voice.
“My home is over an hour north of town. With the focus shifting to Ashwood, this just made more sense. I still go home when I can, but more often than not, I’m here.”
Wade’s mind drifted to Iris. Crashing at her place to avoid Ravenna felt wrong, even if she could provide an easy escape from his new tempting neighbor. He had to figure out a way to make this work.
Swallowing back her reaction, Ravenna hurried to escape the cab of his truck. The space seemed to shrink around her, trapping her in a pull she was determined to resist. Spotting a couple coming out of Whitewater Homes, she thanked God for the distraction.
Wade circled the truck and pulled a suitcase from the back. Natalie and Seth stood confused. “We wondered where you disappeared to Wade,” Seth said glancing b
etween them.
Natalie smiled, and turned to the petite woman with raven dark hair. I’m guessing you are Ravenna Silvestre.” When her guest nodded, she continued. “Hello, I’m Natalie, so nice to finally meet you. I hope you enjoy staying here as much as I did last fall. It was a lovely temporary home.”
“Thank you so much. It’s wonderful.” Ravenna glanced at the man standing close to Natalie, and could spot a family resemblance between him and Wade. Both were tall, imposing and had similar chiseled features. The contrast only emphasized her draw to Wade’s steel grey eyes and long sun-streaked hair.
“I’m Seth Michaels, nice to meet you. Please, let us know if you need anything at all during your stay.” Seth smiled, as he watched his cousin struggle with the line between possession and professionalism with this beautiful woman.
Natalie stepped forward. “Wade could you bring her suitcases inside before you and Seth head over to the shop. I’ll stay with Ravenna and see if she has any questions. We have sandwiches, soup and salad in the office if you would like a bite to eat. The crew already grabbed lunch and are back at work.”
“Thank you. That would be fantastic.” Ravenna wanted to hug Natalie for welcoming her with such genuine warmth.
Wade carried her large suitcases inside the home. Would you like these in the bedroom? The stairs to the loft are a little steep.” He asked, as she took in her surroundings in the small efficient space.
“Not yet. Just leave them here. I will find a place for my things later.” She tilted her face up at him and smiled. Wade rushed to escape the snug quarters and the electricity between them. He nearly ran into Seth waiting just outside.
Moving swiftly away, he fought the temptation to look back. Seth laughed aloud at his cousin’s pained expression. Once they had moved a few feet away Seth added with a smirk. “Wade, you are in way over your head with this girl.”
“I’m not with her. Not going to be. Iris and I have started something worth exploring.” He grumbled
“Good luck, Wade. You can’t hide that connection running between the two of you.”
“Then I have to figure out a way to ignore it.” Wade could feel the lie sticking in his throat, even as he said the words. He ran with determined strides away from the inevitable.
Natalie showed Ravenna the hidden spaces where she could stow her belongings. “I’ve stocked the refrigerator and cupboards with the basics and a couple bottles of wine.” Ravenna thanked Natalie for her hospitality, marveling at the beauty and clever use of space.
“Did you meet Seth when he built this home? Because, it looks custom made just for you.”
“Yes, I found his business on the internet. My plan at the time was to travel, work, and live in my home. It didn’t take long for my plans to change. I never expected to fall in love. When the house was complete, I left Ashwood for a time. I was too afraid to tell Seth how I felt, and he let me leave to pursue my dreams.”
“You came back to Ashwood?”
“Yes, and I love the town almost as much as I love Seth. Until I moved here I never really felt settled.”
“Natalie, I hope you won’t think I’m strange, but I believe we are going to be great friends. I look forward to having a glass of wine with you and hearing all the details of how Seth won your heart.”
Natalie smiled and gave Ravenna a hug, “I had a feeling we would understand each other from the moment I read your e-mail. I admire the risk you took. It can’t be easy, with Wade resisting your help. I want the best for both of you.”
Ravenna nodded, and tried to smile past her apprehension, “I want the best for Wade. I get the feeling he may be a difficult man to convince.”
***
Linnea tried her best to dislike Ravenna Silvestre, but it was impossible. If Ravenna had an opportunity to correct or criticize, she never took it. She listened with interest as Wade and Linnea gave her a tour of the brewery and taproom. Instead of telling them how to run the business, she genuinely wanted to understand how they planned to make it a success.
“Linnea, clearly you and Wade work well together. I’m impressed by your progress on the expansion and the taproom. You’ve made my job easy - Possibly irrelevant.”
Wade looked puzzled and waited, there had to be a “but” on the way that would set him on edge. He waited, and it didn’t come.
Ravenna felt his guarded eyes, as Linnea took the lead on the tour of the partially completed taproom. Wade had reluctantly escorted her around the brewery, answered her questions with clipped efficiency, but provided little extra information.
Linnea seemed to have an open mind, and asked as many questions as she answered. The grim presence of the imposing man trailing her around the taproom put Ravenna on edge. Attempting to focus on the friendly half of the pair she asked, “Linnea, your instincts are great. How many taprooms have you visited?”
“Just three, but one was focused on food, a grill with beer as an afterthought.”
She nodded. “I think the best place to start is a visit to Portland. How would you feel about touring taprooms with me for a day or two?”
Linnea couldn’t stop the smile that crept across her face. “Actually that sounds fantastic. I’ve been so buried in emails that I’ve lost sight of the fact that this should be fun.”
Wade rolled his eyes behind the girls. Fun my ass. This is torture.
“Great!” Ravenna turned to the scowling man behind her, “Wade you can join us if you like, but you’ve probably visited more taprooms than I have, over the years.”
His voice came out in an almost pained growl, “I trust Linnea’s judgement.”
“Wonderful,” Ravenna practically lit up with excitement. “Linnea, when would you like to go? I think an overnight trip would be best, a mini-vacation on Coalition’s dime.”
“Wade and I leave for Yakima in a few days. How about after our trip home?”
“Perfect…I think I’m going to call it a day.” Ravenna yawned. “Sorry, I’m still on Chicago time.”
Wade dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “There’s a Mosquito Brewing pickup parked just outside. Use it as long as you need to. Linnea will help if you have any questions.” He held up the keys after delivering the cold efficient information.
She looked up at him. He hated himself for the hurt he saw reflected in her eyes. His icy treatment caused her pain.
“Wade,” her voice was low, and he had to step a little closer to hear her, “I appreciate the rescue today, and the truck.” She took hold of the keys. As their eyes locked, he could not let go.
He released the keys with a nod, turned, and walked out of the taproom. His long strides echoed as he fled. Linnea had never seen her brother so rattled by a woman. As far as she could tell, it appeared he had the same impact on Ravenna.
Ravenna stood there for a moment, watching the door. Shocked that this man somehow possessed a power over her emotions that she could not comprehend. Linnea broke the spell, “Do you need anything?”
“No, thank you. What time do you arrive at work in the morning?”
“Around eight. Sometimes earlier when we are expecting deliveries.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
***
After inspecting the kitchen, she found it stocked with so many delicious options, Ravenna felt no reason to visit the grocery store right away. Thank you Natalie. Her new friend had also assembled a helpful list - a Wi-Fi password, instructions for the sound system, and the number for a local pizza place that delivered. At the bottom, she included her own cell, as well as Seth’s, and asked Ravenna to leave time in her schedule for coffee. Ravenna couldn’t wait.
Unpacked and settled in, hunger took over as Ravenna put together a fresh pasta dish with vegetables and chicken. Her own home did not have a kitchen as well equipped. The process of cooking while listening to music settled her mind. For the first time she looked optimistically toward her months ahead in Ashwood.
Thoughts of Wade still
invaded, but she squashed them with plans to call Steven directly after dinner. Having put the kitchen back in a tidy state, she opened a bottle of wine, poured herself a glass and sent Steven a text, letting him know she would like to talk when he had a moment.
Steven preferred not to be called if she just wanted to chat. He asked that she send a quick message and he would call as soon as he could. If he found himself too busy, he always sent an efficient message to let her know. This way she would not wait around for his return call.
At first this quirk bothered Ravenna. His need for control pushed against her desire for spontaneity. When she brought it up, Steven assured her that his method allowed him to give her his undivided attention.
After hitting send, she waited, and poured a bit more wine. Taking another swallow of the warm earthy flavor, she decided to climb up and stretch out in her loft. After finding a new book to pass the time on her tablet, Steven’s call came through. Instantly, the languid feeling the wine had produced disappeared.
“Hello, Steven.”
“How was your flight yesterday? Have you settled in?”
“My flight was good. I had a problem with my rental. I hit some road debris, and damaged the car.”
“How did you handle that? Aren’t you in some puny hole of a town?”
“Oh no. Ashwood is small and friendly. I think it’s beginning to grow into a tourist location.”
“So the company sent another car?”
“Not yet. I’m driving a small pick-up. Wade Michaels lent it to me from the Mosquito fleet.”
“Are you sure that puts you in the best position, Ravenna? You don’t want yourself beholden to this man. He works for us, remember.”
“I guess that is one way to look at it. I want him to view me as a supporter of his success.”
“Okay, fine, build trust. That’s your approach, and works well for you.” She cringed at his need to manipulate, perceiving a business relationship as a power play.