“I do want to meet her,” Stella had said, but her face had been a mix of guilty and relieved.
“I know.”
Even though I knew Mom would respect our arrangement, I was still relieved to see her car gone as we pulled into her place. I’d half expected her to be standing on the porch, waving gleefully as we passed. If I had to take a wild guess as to where she was, I’d lay money on her being down at the grocery store, overdoing it with provisions for breakfast.
The drive to the trailer forked off the main driveway, winding around Mom’s yard and cutting down a short but steep slope through a copse of trees. Long grass tinkled against the floor of my truck as we ambled down the rutted path. At the bottom we emerged in a field of golden grass, an ancient wooden fence next to us separating us from the neighboring property. Hills rolled out in the distance on all sides.
“Mom’s place used to be a farmhouse, before we lived here,” I said. There are still lots of farms all around. I pointed to a picturesque barn to the right, perched on a hill in the distance.
Stella sighed contentedly.
The creek was demarcated by more trees, and as we pulled up next to the trailer, it sparkled in the golden light of sunset.
“Oh my God, Dean, it’s like something out of a magazine!”
I had to admit, it was looking amazing. The trailer was set next to a wide patch of grass, and Mom and I had set out two Muskoka chairs that looked out over the water. A willow stood behind the silver bullet, its longest branches trailing in the water. As we got out of the truck, Stella breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. The air was fresh and warm, scented with the wildflowers lining the other side of the creek. The creek itself gurgled softly next to us, and as Stella took in the air, I took in Stella.
Her clothes were streaked with dirt, her cheeks dusted with it too. Her hair was mussed, her ponytail loose and messy, with strands hanging around her face.
She’d never looked more beautiful.
She glanced over at me, catching me staring. “I look like shit, I know.”
I shook my head, not trusting myself to open my mouth until I remembered the shower.
“I just finished installing a shower, if you want one.”
Stella groaned. “More than anything.”
“It’s an outdoor shower.”
She flushed. It was unbearably adorable. “An outdoor shower? Like for all the world to see?”
I forced a serious look on my face. “There aren’t too many people around here. You might give Farmer Bob over at the dairy a bit of a show, but he’ll have to get used to it.”
She gawped for a minute, then when I couldn’t suppress my laugh, she shoved me on the shoulder.
“Jerk!”
Even though the touch was playful, my skin burned under my shirt where she’d made contact.
“It’s private,” I promised, shifting away from her. The last thing she needed was to see any of… that on my face. “Let me show you around, then I can…” I wasn’t sure what to offer. The last thing I wanted to do was leave her alone. But I didn’t want to get in the way either. “I could stay up at my mom’s tonight or pitch a tent out here in the grass. Whatever you need.”
She looked hesitant. “You need to get to work in the morning.”
“That’s the morning. Plus, I run the place. I can show up a few hours late.”
I led her into the trailer. Inside, it looked amazing. At the far end, the bed had been pulled out and made up. There were cushions on the couch and curtains over the windows. I showed her where everything was in the kitchen and handed her a towel from the little cupboard by the tiny restroom. Then we stepped back outside, and I took her around back to the outdoor shower.
I’d built a frame of slatted boards that made up a box five feet high. The base was made up of epoxied pebbles, and a rain shower head extended from the pole running from the ground. I checked to make sure there were toiletries, then handed her the towel.
She took it from me, holding it against her chest.
She looked out over the water. “I know I’ll be fine. But…” she hesitated again. “Do you think you could stay here? With me?”
My stomach jolted. But I didn’t hesitate. “I’ll stay wherever you need me to tonight, Stella.”
Chapter 10