Chapter 5

5

PRESLEY

T race had disappeared on me. I'd been in Rosewood Ridge three full days, and he was oddly missing.

By the start of the fourth day, I'd all but given up on seeing him again. Maybe our dinner at the retreat center hadn't meant as much to him as it had to me. Hell, he could take women to dinner all the time for all I knew.

Today, I'd thrown myself into working with a woman named Maya who was fairly new to town too. She'd moved here after falling in love with a guy who lived up in the mountains. I enjoyed every second of her story. I didn't want to admit that it gave me hope for my own happy ending.

Maya invited me to dinner with her and a few other women who'd moved here to be with local guys. I was excited—and not just because it meant more inspiring stories about mountain men falling for newcomers, but also because making friends in town sounded awesome. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to the retreat center and order room service like I had the past two nights.

"Presley?"

The male voice came from behind me as I neared my car in the parking area on the Christmas tree farm. They'd been generous enough to let everyone take over their front yard.

"Over here!" Maya called out. "We'll be there at seven if you want to meet us, but if you find something better to do, go for it."

She had a big smile on her face as she continued walking toward her car. I wondered if she suspected that I might end up dating one of the mountain men in this town like she and her friends had.

I turned in the direction of the male voice and spotted the guy I'd met that first day—the one who'd introduced himself as Rob. He was walking toward me with a phone in his left hand, screen pointed upward as though he'd just been looking at it.

"Trace wants you to meet him at the courthouse," Rob said. "He's waiting there for you now."

My heart was racing as I took in his words. That was the best news I'd had all week. All month. Maybe even in my entire life.

Okay, so that might be a bit dramatic.

But then, a thought hit me. The last thing I wanted was for Trace to see me covered in dust and sweat—and probably stinky.

"Can I run to the retreat center and clean up first?" I asked.

Rob shrugged. "I'm sure that's fine. I'll text him and tell him you might be a half hour or so. Is that enough time?"

I nodded, already backing toward my car. "More than enough," I said.

I no longer bothered to hide the silly grin that had threatened to break out the second I heard Trace wanted to see me. The four days without seeing him had made me realize something. What I felt when I looked at him that first day wasn't like anything I'd felt before. This was something bigger. And I had to figure out what that meant for my future.