3. Ava

We finally arrived after driving on bumpy, dirt roads for what felt like hours. The car slows down at a large wrought-iron gate. A giant golden plaque says, "Welcome to Whispering Meadows," in a beautiful script. It looks very fancy. This might not be so bad after all!

A man in muddy work boots, a flannel shirt tucked into his jeans, and a big belt buckle steps up to open the gate and greets us. This must be Travis. He's not quite what I imagined, but he has a friendly face.

"Howdy! How can I help ya?" he asks as the driver rolls down the window.

"I've brought you a guest, Ms…." The driver doesn't know my name.

"Ava Flynn, from TravElegance Magazine," I roll my window down and confidently say, hoping to make a good impression.

"Ms. Flynn, we've been waiting for you! I'm Kenny. Welcome! I believe Mr. Travis is up at the stable. I'll call him and tell him you're here. I"m sure he'll want to meet you at the house." He tips his big-brimmed hat at me and smiles.

"Oh, please call me Ava. So nice to meet you, Kenny. I'm looking forward to my stay here."

"We're glad to have ya!" he looks back at the driver. "Follow this road up to the house. It winds around a bit, but you"ll get there as long as you stay on it."

My driver thanked him and continued down the winding drive. From the looks of it, this place seems pretty nice. It's not at all what I was expecting. There are endless fields of green in every direction, or I guess you might call them meadows. Who knows? I"m sure I'll pick up on the correct terminology during my stay here.

Things get a bit more populated as we pull up to the house. First, we pass by what I assume is a stable. Then there are a couple of tiny little house-like things. I'm not sure what they are, to be honest. The big guest house, or what I assume is the big guest house, is gorgeous. It's like an old log cabin but with a big sprawling porch. Four knotted pine rocking chairs are set to each side of the front door. It's very picturesque.

No one is here to greet me as I step out of the car. It's a little disappointing and unnerving. My driver can't wait to get out of here. He gets out of the car and practically throws my bags at me.

"Good luck. Thanks for lunch." He gets back in the car and speeds off, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

"Ms. Flynn? Is that you?" I hear a young girl's voice call out from behind me.

"Yes, it is! And who are you?" I'm surprised to see a small child appear on the porch. Ok, maybe she's not a small child. Perhaps she's a teenager. Who knows—everyone under the age of 20 looks the same to me nowadays.

"Hi. I'm Mia. I run this ranch with my dad."

"Oh, wow! Lovely to meet you, Mia."

"Nice to meet you, too. We can put your bags in the golf cart, and I'll drive you to where you'll be staying."

"I'm not staying here, in the guest house?" I asked, trying to mask the disappointment in my voice.

"Nope. We've got a whole group of rowdy ladies. They're of a certain age, Dad says. He wanted to give you some peace and quiet so you can focus on writing us a really good article."

"Ah, I see you've met my daughter, Mia." I turn around toward the deep, gruff voice. What I see can only described as a real, live cowboy—excuse me, a real, live, HOT cowboy. Ryder did not warn me that Travis might be the most attractive cowboy I've ever seen.

"Yes, uh, hi," I stutter. Get yourself together! "What a charming girl. I'm Ava. You must be Travis?"

"Yes, ma'am. Hope your trip out here wasn't too bad."

"Not bad at all." I lie.

"Great. Here, let me take that bag from you." Travis reaches over me, grabs my suitcase, and sets it into the golf cart." Mia, you ride in the back with the suitcase. Do you know where Roberta is?"

"Sure thing, Dad. She's starting dinner. She told me to show Ms. Flynn around."

"Ok then, let's go." Travis jumped in the driver's seat, along with my heart.

"I'm not staying here in the guest house?"

"Nope. We've got a rowdy crowd of older women coming in tomorrow. I thought you'd appreciate some space and some peace and quiet. If this group is anything like our last one, you'd be lucky to get one word out if you stayed in the house." He looks over at me. Is he checking me out? "We put you in our Pony Cottage. It's for our special guests."

"Oh, great!" I feel my cheeks flush. Is he flirting? Did he just call me special?

"Here we are. Not too far. You can walk over to the house in about 5 minutes. Or we can arrange for you to have a golf cart. Actually, I can leave this golf cart here for you to use."

"Oh no, it's really no problem. I don't mind walking."

"Ok, let's give her the four-dollar tour," Travis looks back to Mia.

"Come on in, Ms. Flynn!" Mia threw the front door and her arms open like she was presenting me with an award.

"Please, you can call me Ava." I step into the room. It is adorably charming. There's a queen-sized bed made from knotted pine, a desk, a little bistro set, and a coffee bar. I'm amazed they can fit all this into this tiny little cabin.

"Come in. This is where you'll sleep." Mia points to the bed. "And this is where you'll write." She points to the desk. "And this is where you'll bathe and–um…use the toilet!" She opens the door to the bathroom.

"Wow. This is perfect. I can't believe how charming it is." I look around. There is a note on the coffee bar that says:

Welcome, Ms. Flynn!

We're so happy to have you here! It is our mission to ensure each guest has a fantastic time while here at Whispering Meadows. If you want or need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. We're happy to accommodate your wishes. Please join us for dinner in the main house at 6:30 tonight.

PS. Look in the mini-fridge below to find a treat for later!

Whispering Meadows Staff

I look in the mini-fridge under the coffee bar and find a bottle of sparkling white wine and a bar of chocolate. How thoughtful!

"You can hang your clothes in here." Mia points toward a little closet I wouldn't have known was there. "And there's a bathrobe in here for you, too. Towels are in the bathroom."

"Wow, you've thought of everything! Thank you."

"Ok, Mia, let's let her get settled in. She might want to rest a bit before dinner," Travis says, ushering Mia out the door. "Oh, give me your phone. I'll put my number in for you."

I hand it over without a second thought.

"Ok, here you go. And here's a walkie-talkie, just in case for emergencies. Cell service around here can be spotty, so radio us on here if I don't answer my phone. Or just come on up to the house!"

"Ok. Great. Thank you."

"And don't forget, dinner is at 6:30. Roberta doesn't like it when people are late." Mia pokes her head in one last time.

"Sure thing. See you soon!" I close the door behind them and twirl around in my new home for the next…however long this takes. I sit down on the fluffy and oh, so comfortable bed and look around. I could definitely get used to this!

My phone buzzes. It's Ryder. I guess I had better answer and tell him I made it here; otherwise, he'll worry all night.

"Hey, Ry. I was just about to text you. I've arrived! This place is quite ni–"

"Have you heard from Chad?"

"No. Why?"

"I fired him today. Let's just say he didn't take it very well. If he tries to contact you, please don't respond. Just let me know."

"Ok…but what do you mean?"

"What do you mean ‘what do I mean'? I mean, if he tries to get in touch with you, tell me immediately. And don't respond to him. And tell Travis, too. I'll call him and let him know what's going on. I'm glad you made it there safely."

"Why don't you tell me what's going on?! What are you going to tell Travis?"

"Nothing. He'll keep an eye on you. You'll be safe there with Travis."

"Um…ok. Why are you acting so weird, and why wouldn't I be safe?"

"I'm not. Everything is normal over here. Anyway, sis, have a good time. Please send me updates on everything. On yourself and the article. Love you, bye!" He hangs up before I can get another word in.

I was excited about this opportunity, but now I have a weird, sinking feeling. I'll be safe with Travis—I can't tell if he was saying that to reassure me or himself. Safe from what?