Ella quickly straightens her spine as hues of pink drift across her cheeks. She ducks her gaze, dropping it to the floor as she shifts away from me. “Good point,” she chuckles, shaking her head dismissively. “If you give me two minutes, I'll be ready to go.” She lifts her gaze back to mine as she takes a step back through the threshold. “You can come in if you'd like.”
I don't miss the nervousness in her tone and the way her body language significantly changes. I'm not sure that I make her uncomfortable, but it's evident that this situation does. “I appreciate that,” I assure her with a warm smile, nodding my head over toward my truck. “I need to make a quick call to the farrier, so I can wait in the truck.”
She rolls her lips between her teeth, clamping them together for a fraction of a second as she nods. “I'll be right out.”
“Take your time.”
Ella disappears back into the house and I let the door fall shut behind her. I don't move for a moment. Instead, I standthere staring at the front of her house, resisting the urge to follow after her.
I have every intention of learning everything I can about this version of Ella, even if it means I have to do it on her time.
Spinning on my heel, I walk down the four steps that lead to the paver walkway. I head over to the small driveway and slip back into the driver's side of my truck. I don’t have a phone call to make, but I don’t want her to feel any pressure.
Ella finally comes out a few minutes later. I lift my gaze from my phone and lock the screen. She pulls the front door shut behind her, turning around to make sure that it's locked before she begins to walk toward my car. I use the opportunity to drink her in without her seeing me.
She pulls her black sunglasses over her eyes, shielding them from the sun that's beginning its descent towards the horizon. Her hair dances in the breeze behind her, the bottom hem of her dress swishing around her legs. She's wearing a pair of black cowboy boots with a jean jacket draped over her arm and a small black purse hanging over her shoulder.
Before she reaches me, I climb out of the vehicle and walk over to the passenger's side to open the door. Ella lifts her gaze to mine as she meets me along the side of the truck.
“You didn't have to do that,” she says softly, with a warmth lingering in her tone.
I smile at her, shaking my head. “Like I told you before, I don't do things I don't wanna do, Ella.”
She studies me for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip before she nods. “Thank you,” she finally says as she brushes past me. The scent of vanilla and honey invades my senses and I savor the scent as she climbs into the truck.
“My pleasure,” I respond, waiting until she's situated in her seat before closing the door. I make my way around the back of the truck until I reach my side. Pausing for a breath, I try tocollect myself before getting behind the wheel with her next to me.
She drives me wild and has absolutely no clue.
Ella's quiet as she straps her seatbelt and I begin to pull out of her driveway. I let her sit in her thoughts for a few minutes as we ease into the drive. The restaurant I picked isn't that far away. It's situated on the outskirts of town, on the side opposite of the lake. It’s still considered part of the hollow, but there’s a restaurant called Harvest at the base of Silverspur Mountain.
“I should have asked before makin’ the reservation, but you’re okay with Harvest right?”
Ella glances at me, a soft smile touching her lips as she shakes her head. “I am. I’ve actually never been there before.”
“Thank god,” I let out a nervous breath that I didn't realize I was holding. “I was hopin’ to be able to take you somewhere different.”
A soft laugh escapes her. “Well, you’re in luck today.” She pauses for a moment as she looks out the window and then looks back at me. It's like she's contemplating whether or not to say something and the fact that she holds back kills me inside.
“What is it?” I ask, glancing over at her before looking back at the road. “I would give anything to hear your thoughts right now.”
She chews on the inside of her lip as she turns her head to me. “I've been trying to figure you out. Trying to find something bad, something that looks like a red flag.”
Her words are so brutally honest and so unexpected, I'm completely caught off guard. “And what have you found out?”
“Nothing,” she says with a frustrated sigh. “I can't find a single thing and I feel like that should be a red flag.”
My eyebrows pull together, flipping on my turn signal and pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. It's relatively busyand takes a moment to find a spot. I don't turn to look at her until I kill the engine and undo my seatbelt.
“Why do you say that like it's a problem?”
She undoes her seatbelt and pushes open her door, immediately taking away the opportunity for me to do it for her. I've never seen Ella with her guard down, but this feels like she's building another wall to her fortress.
“Because it is,” she says quietly as she turns away from me and glances out at the meadow. “No one is perfect, Wild. You have to have some kind of a flaw.”
“I promise you I'm not perfect,” I admit with a soft chuckle. I push open my own door and lower myself out of the truck. Ella doesn't make a move to get out, so I walk around to her side and hold my hand out to her. “Come have dinner with me and I'll tell you all about my flaws.”
Her gaze drops down to my hand and she stares at it before placing her own in mine. Her palm is warm against my skin and I revel in the feeling of her as I wrap my fingers around the back of her hand. Ella steps onto the running board before lowering her boots onto the hardtop.
