"Howdy Cowboy." I joke as I try to wipe some of the mud off my face.
"More like Knight In Shining Denim." Del mutters as Mom joins us at the back of the car. She’s not wrong. Rhys is in another pair of dark denim washed jeans, the same brown boots as last night, a collared shirt layered under a white cowl neck sweater.
Highland Country Boy.
It works for him.
"Well, be a good lad and help them already." Granny says as she pulls the reins into her hand.
Rhys smiles and dismounts easily. His boots land on the soft earth with a squelch and he makes his way over.
"Help Duncan lift that side." My dad instructs.
"Will do, sir." He says and he steps up next to me. His shoulder brushes mine and the woodsmoke scent of him I dreamt of last night washes over me. It mixes with my sweat, the fresh carbon from the earth, and I feel woozy like I stood up too fast.
I shake off the cobwebs and squat down on the side of the car and Rhys squats at the back corner. His thigh slides behind mine, locking into place like a puzzle piece.
He's not a wiry type that's for sure.
"Okay Lads," Granny starts but Delilah clears her throat. "And Lass. On the count of three."
Granny counts us down and on three we all grunt with our effort.
Del and Dad are pushing forward, their feet sliding out behind them.
Rhys and I are lifting while also angling our bodies forward and each half inch my thigh moves is followed by his, like they're one in the same.
The car moves forward, slowly, but it's moving.
"Yes! Aye!" Granny cheers and Rhys's horse whinnies their agreement too.
Inch by inch we push the car back onto the road. The tire on Delilah's side is almost on the pavement so I give it everything I have left.
But as my hips thrust forward, my foot slides out from under me. My foot knocks Rhys's and he loses his balance and trips backwards onto his ass. I try to regain my footing but the ground isn’t where I expect it to be. My arms windmill around to prevent me from falling back but I’ve overcorrected on the sloped, slid earth and in a matter of seconds I've slid down the embankment on my belly.
"Oh my god, Duncan!" Granny yells out.
"I'm alright," I assure her as I lift a hand to wave off her concern. My palms press into the sfot damp earth. It takes more effort than I want to describe to stand since my clothes are essentially suctioned to the mud.
Above me, Rhys is able to get to his feet and he extends a hand to pull me out.
Once I’m standing, I grab his wrist and he closes his ink covered fingers around mine.
He leans back to get leverage and I prepare to launch. But his heel betrays us and he slides down the embankment on his ass.
Taking me out at the knees.
But this time, instead of pancaking myself to the earth, I end up on top of him.
"We can't keep meeting like this." I say as I look into his green eyes, wide with surprise.
A few specks of mud have hit his face and they're charming little blemishes on this man who seems to be so put together.
His eyes flick down to my lips and that's when I feel the rush of lust.
Or maybe it’s a release of adrenaline from spending the last thirty minutes essentially lifting a car.
"Alright boys, if you want to mud wrestle just say so but the car is still stuck." My dad calls down from the road. I look up at him and while his hands are on his hips and he sounds like every dad scolding a child, a smile is barely contained under his bushy mustache.
