Page 13 of Infatuated
I turn to face Holden, who’s watching me from a distance. He takes his hat off and wipes some sweat from his forehead. “How long can we stay out here?”
“I promised Molly I’d take her out on a boat in an hour, but we can come back tomorrow.”
My face falls. “Oh. Okay.”
“Tristan can bring you back later today if you want. We have a fire pit over there.” He points to a small pile of stones to the right of me in the distance. “Maybe if you ask him real nice, he’ll bring you out here at night to see the stars.” He smiles and wiggles his eyebrows.
I walk around for a few more minutes, taking in the views and breathing the fresh air. I pick a dandelion and tuck it behind my ear, wishing I had a few more minutes to stay out here. It’s so peaceful. Holden helps me back on Clementine, and we begin our slow trot back to the ranch.
“Just so you know, he doesn’t half-ass anything. He’s extremely loyal.”
I always keep my promises.His words from earlier replay in my head. I glance over at him as I sway in the saddle. “Can I get your honest opinion?”
He shrugs. “Sure. Why not?”
“Was he flirting with me? Tossing me in the pond and all that.” I look down at the ground in front of me, waiting for his answer.
“Considering he told me not to hit on you, I’d say yes.” He smiles at me as my face turns bright red.
* * *
I’ve been trying to read another book as I wait on the front porch for Tristan to come back from his hike. I read the same paragraph about eight times before I shove the book marker in place and close the book in a huff.
“Dinner will be in another hour or so. Great job, guys,” Tristan’s voice carries through the trees. I perk up, hearing his deep rumble. When he sees me, he slows his pace and stops at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hi,” I say, offering him a small wave of my fingers.
“How was the ride? Everything you expected?” His tone borders on sarcastic, and he keeps his muscles tensed.
I stand and take a few steps down to meet him on the ground. “Can we start over? I’m sorry for earlier today. It wasn’t right of me to toss your clothes into the pond. I know you were only trying to make me feel better.” I stick my hand out and watch as his body relaxes. “Hi, I’m Lana Robinson. I’m seventeen, and I’m from Connecticut. I’ll be eighteen on Wednesday.”
He lifts one side of his mouth in a smirk, then wraps his hand around mine and shakes it. “Hi, Lana. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Tristan Ellis, and my family ownsThe Black Stallion Ranch. I’m eighteen, turn nineteen in the fall, and I’ll be attending the University of Wyoming in the fall on a football scholarship.”
He walks me back to my cabin, and we talk the entire way. He’s easy to get along with.He’s easy on the eyes, too.Maybe this vacation wasn’t such a horrible idea after all.
We stop in front of the cabin, and I turn to look at him. “Holden took me to a clearing, and he said there’s a firepit there and we can see lots of stars. Would you take me out one night to see them? I don’t get to see a lot of them back home; the city lights block most of them out.”
“How’s tomorrow night? Tonight, we have a backyard bar-b-que, and Bill has been cooking up a storm all day.” He pats his flat stomach and grins at me. “It’s my favorite night of the week,” he whisper-yells.
I lift my eyebrows and nod. “Sure, save me a seat then.”
“Right next to me. Promise.”I always keep my promises.“See you in a bit.” He walks off, leaving me a light shade of red and unable to find the words to speak.
Tristan Ellis, I really want to kiss you.
Chapter 8
Tristan
I’ve never felt an instant connection with someone like I do with Lana. The guy she’s hung up on is an idiot for forgetting about her the second she left town. I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s so different than the girls in my circle of friends. She dresses with a lot of style but doesn’t need to be the center of attention. She’s just as happy being left alone to read. Fuck, if I didn’t think she would have pushed me away, I would have kissed her and taken what I so desperately need.
“How’d I do?” Holden asks, walking up to me. He rubs his damp hair with a towel.
“Amazing. Thank you. Whatever you said to her helped.” I motion to his head. “Thought you were just going to the pond with Molly. Didn’t realize you were going in, too.”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but Molly is very persuasive. That is, until her parents and little brother showed up.” He shakes his head and chuckles. “Figured it would be best to get out of there before dear old dad figured out what was going on.”
“You didn’t…”