Chapter 3
Just as he stated, Ty showed up a few days later to fix the gate out back. Kristin was on the porch swing as he pulled into her driveway. Molly was by her side, still stumbling, but the medication helped steady her.
“How’s Molly doing?” He asked, getting out of his truck.
“She’s hanging in there.” It was hard to see her tipping over, not having control of her body the way she usually did, but she was growing used to seeing it, so each day it got a little easier.
“In about two or three weeks, she’ll start to feel more like herself, getting stronger, having her balance back again.” He stooped down to pat Molly’s head. Molly’s tail wagged in greeting.
“I brought the stuff to repair the fence and gate. I noticed a few spots that could use some help, so I’ll patch those as well. We don’t want her wandering off.”
“I wish I could tell you she wouldn’t take off, but given the right squirrel taunting her, she’d go after him in a heartbeat. Thank you again.”
“Sure thing, do you want to help me bring some of this stuff around back?”
“Sounds good,” she stood, stretching.
Working side by side with him, Ty showed her what he was doing and how. He was patient, and instead of just doing it himself, he helped Kristin learn how to do some of the repairs, so she’d know how in the future.
The talk between them was comfortable, and as they worked, a mutual attraction grew.
“This place has been empty for a while,” he said. “It gets rented out time to time, but it’s nice to see someone will be here for an entire year. It will give us some time to get to know you.”
“I’d love to invite you and your wife over for dinner one night. I’m not a great cook, but it’s the least I can do for all your help.”
“I’m not married,” he said. The words hung in the air between them.
She didn’t mention her very brief marriage – it felt too personal at the moment.
Standing beside him at the fence, she took notice of his size and strength. His shoulders were broad, and his arms pushed out of his sleeves, with biceps that spoke of hard work. They weren’t cut like a bodybuilder’s physique, but from a man that worked outside, a natural shape and bulge that had her wishing she hadn’t noticed. She kept stealing small peeks, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Was this the same man she met just a few days before? How was it even possible?
His smile was genuine and warm, and for a minute, she forgot about their first encounter.
“How did you decide to become a vet?”
“I grew up on a farm, so I’ve always been around animals. Though I work with larger animals as well, being a country vet you have to be adaptable, I’m partial to domestic breeds like cats and dogs. What do you do?”
“I used to work at a large telecommunications company, but I needed to take a break from life. I’d like to write, and thought I could use this year to work on some creative things.”
“So you just up and quit a secure job?”
“Sort of,” she felt young and foolish on hearing his tone.
He shook his head. “I guess that’s great if you can take that chance in life.”
“I had some money put aside, life made a dramatic turn on me, so I needed some time off.”
“I guess everybody has their own path to travel. How did you decide on our area?”
She flushed, embarrassed by her impulsiveness. “I threw a dart at a map, and went from there.”
“A dart chose your destination?”
“Well, general area. I looked it up, and it seemed like the kind of place that might offer me some solitude.”
“I see.”
She felt judged. Kristin was embarrassed to have answered. She should have said something different.
“Anyway,” she changed the topic, “I think this should be the last one,” she said, weaving in the last piece of fencing to patch a small hole. A section of the back yard offered a split rail fence, with a wired mesh to fill in the gaps. “Can I offer you a sandwich? I don’t have a lot of stuff, I need to get back into town for more supplies, but I make a fabulous peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she smiled.
“Sure, that sounds nice, thank you. This will be the second time you’ve fed me; maybe I could return the favor and make you dinner some time.”
Kristin looked down, was he asking her on a date, or was it a friendly gesture? She couldn’t tell, and wasn’t sure how to respond. She certainly wasn’t ready to date already, but if she turned down a friendly gesture, she might insult him.
“That would be nice,” she finally said.
His smile lit up. “Would I be able to trouble you for a glass of ice water with that sandwich?” He wiped sweat off his brow, and then followed her inside. “So a pretty girl like yourself, no husband, and you end up wanting solitude in Wyoming. What’s that about? Or is that too personal to ask?”
Kristin wasn’t sure how to answer. “Life threw me a curve ball,” she simply stated, washing up at the kitchen sink.
Pulling out the bread and fixings, she plated up a couple of sandwiches. “Do you want something besides water to drink?”
The conversation circled away from her choice to come to Wyoming thankfully, and Ty spoke of the weather and wildlife.
Her mind was still circling the dinner invitation. Was it a friendly thing, or was he asking her on a date. It felt weird not knowing, and he didn’t make it obvious. She hoped it was a friendly gesture, and would feel rude canceling, but what if it was more. What if in his mind, he thought it would be a date – then what?
She asked him about growing up on the farm, and shared stories of her home in New Jersey.
“You’re a long way from home, pretty lady,” he smiled.
“This is home for now,” was her only reply.
“I should be going, I’ve overstayed my welcome,” he stood to leave.
“Thank you for your time. Truly, I appreciate your help. I should be heading into town soon anyway to stock up on more supplies. I don’t think I truly understood how far I’d be from town when I made my plans.”
“You’ll grow used to it, once you get into a pattern. So dinner, how about Friday night? I’ll come and pick you up, so you don’t get lost on the back roads.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, still wondering if he saw it as a date. It’s not that it would be horrible; she just had no intentions of dating, not now, and not for a long time. She was pretty sure he was just being friendly – though sometimes when he looked at her, he looked a little longer than she’d been expecting.
Kristin walked him to his truck. She almost didn’t want him to leave. She wasn’t sure why, she just felt better when he was here. He’d come to her rescue with Molly, he helped her outside, and in some weird twist she felt warm and safe around him. It was a far cry from their first meeting.
As he pulled his truck out of her driveway, she turned to see Molly sitting on the porch waiting for her. “What? It’s not like that,” she cheeks flushed a crimson red, but both she and Molly were aware that something was going on.