“Very efficient.” Still wandering around, Trav absently rubbed his cheek, the noise of his hand against the stubble loud in the quiet. “What were you saying when I came in? About not lasting a week?” Trav came to a halt a few yards away, a question in his dark eyes. “Didn’t have anything to do with Ella Dove, did it?”
Gray narrowed his gaze. “Who sent you? Sarah or Grace?” Ella’s sister Sarah was close to both Trav and his wife Grace.
“Neither. Which is good, because if they had, I’d be sunk. What one thinks, the other says. It’s annoying as all get-out.”
It was weird that Sarah and Grace were even friends, as they were complete opposites. Of course, the same could be said of Trav and Grace. Trav was a quiet, muscled, tattooed, and scarred biker comfortable only in jeans and a T-shirt. Meanwhile, Grace was a perfectly put-together businesswoman who rarely wore anything other than designer suits and pumps. As mayor, she ran Dove Pond with the precision of a general. Which is probably why Trav gets along with her so well. He was in the military for years. “I hope neither Sarah nor Grace are asking about me and Ella, as it’s not their business.”
“Give them time.” Trav sat down on a bale of hay. “If you don’t want to explain what you were saying when I came in, then don’t. I only asked because you sounded upset.”
That was fair. Trav was always fair. Trav was the only person Gray ever talked to about his anxiety issues. That was because Trav had experienced his own, heavier version, as he’d suffered from PTSD after getting wounded in Afghanistan. Even now, when the sunlight from the open barn door slanted across Trav’s face, Gray could see an angry red scar that ran up his neck and then disappeared under his beard stubble. “I was talking to myself. But yes, it was about Ella. We used to have a thing.”
“And now?”
“I think…” Hoo boy, he hated saying it out loud. “I think I still like her.” Who wouldn’t? She was fascinating, funny, and endearing. He realized Trav was watching him and managed a shrug.
“That bad, hm?”
“Yes. No. To be honest, I don’t know exactly what I’m doing. I mean, I do know. To a point.” He blew out his breath in frustration. “We ran into each other last week. I knew not to act too interested, which is a death knell where Ella is concerned, so I played it cool.”
“She plays hard to get?”
“She doesn’t play. She is hard to get. She’s as allergic to commitment as my cousin Steve is allergic to peanuts. If he gets even a whiff of one, even from a distance, he swells like a balloon.”
“So you were playing it safe by not overreacting.”
“It worked, too. She wanted to go for coffee, but I didn’t take the bait.”
“And?”
“I’m trying not to call her. But it’s hard. She…” Gray shook his head. “I’ve got to keep my head on straight. To be honest, it was rough when she left last time.”
Trav’s eyebrows rose.
Gray picked up the line of tubing he’d been trying to untangle earlier. “I knew she’d leave, and I stupidly thought that knowing that in advance would make it easier.” He found the end of the line and pulled it through the tangled loop. “I guess I had too much hope.”
“Playing with fire, aren’t you?”
“More like dynamite.” He gave the knotted line a tug and it came undone. “But don’t worry; I plan on keeping my feet on the ground this time.”
Trav nodded. “I’m sure you will. I have to wonder, though. What do you want to happen here? What’s your goal?”
Those were good questions. “Ella avoids long-term relationships. She’d prefer to stay at the too-hot-to-handle stage and then zip right past emotional involvement to the goodbye. This time, I’d like to keep things at a slow burn so that we don’t rip through the important stages.”
“You want to slow things down so the relationship has time to develop.”
Gray nodded. “It’s tough, though. She’s— Whew. I’m going to have to fight my natural inclinations, and hers too. But I really want this to work.”
“You’ll do it. I can tell you’re motivated.”
Gray wished he could be even half as sure as Trav seemed to be. I hope he’s right. He managed a smile. “Are you up for a run tomorrow morning?”
“You know it. Five a.m.?”
“Make it six. I’m not as young as you. I need time to wake up and stuff like that.”
“Codger.”
“Wasted youth.”
“See you in the morning, old man.” Chuckling, Trav picked up his helmet, his calm gaze meeting Gray’s. “About Ella—I’m proud of you for giving it your best shot, despite your history with her. If this woman is worth the effort, then…” He shrugged. “You can handle whatever happens.”
Gray knew that, but it still felt good to hear it. “I’ve got my head on straight.” So far.
“We’ll see how you do after our run tomorrow. I plan on leaving you in the dirt.”
“Ha! We’ll see about that. Watch yourself on the way out. If Pickles get motivated, he just might jump the fence.”
“That I’d like to see.” Trav chuckled, pulled on his helmet, and, with a final wave, left.
Gray neatly coiled the line of tubing and placed it on a hook before he left the barn. Outside, the morning sun slanted across the green field, casting long, early-morning shadows. He allowed his gaze to move from the fields to the oak trees along the drive to the faded blue farmhouse that sat across from the barn. The two-story house had been built in the early 1900s and had a large wraparound porch perfect for rocking chairs and perhaps even a swing. Across the yard, mingling with the moos from his cows, was the sound of hammering, and an occasional bit of conversation as workers swarmed in and out of the building.
Everything was coming together. When the renovation was completed, he’d have a home he’d be proud of, something warm and welcoming and far more his style than the soulless chrome-and-marble high-rise apartment he’d had in Atlanta. He wondered what Ella would think of the house and then cursed under his breath. I have to stop thinking about her. Darn, it was easy to say what needed to be done, but impossibly hard to do it.
Too restless to stay where he was, he headed for his truck. He’d fetch some more line from the hardware store in Swannanoa and finish the system later today. He’d already bought out the supply at the Ace in Dove Pond, or he’d have gone there. Oh well, it’s just an extra half an hour.
He pulled out of the driveway and headed for the store. For weeks now, everyone in town had been talking about Ella. That wasn’t surprising, as she was something of a celebrity—plus, if there was one thing people in Dove Pond knew how to do, it was talk. Gray had known it was only a matter of time before they ran into each other. Of course, that hadn’t mitigated the shock he’d felt on seeing her. Just that one brief conversation had left him reeling, almost drunk with… darn, he didn’t know what it was, but it had knocked him down.
She’d looked good. Her hair was longer and she was a bit curvier, which he liked. But as cute as Ella was, it was her personality that bowled a guy over. She was fun, playful, and naturally sexy.