Distance

Chapter 1

Avery's POV

I'm exhausted as I pull into the dimly lit gravel driveway. I had packed my whole life into my little SUV and hauled everything to the middle of nowhere Montana. The drive had started out exciting but by hour six I was beginning to regret all my decisions that had led to me making the 20 hour journey.

I had called my boss, Mr. James, at my halfway mark yesterday afternoon to inform him I would be arriving a little later than anticipated. Of course I hadn't thought that would mean 2 a.m. however he was very accommodating. Apparently his son would be waiting to help me with my things, but at this point I just wanted to be let into the house and we could worry about my stuff in the morning.

My friends had called me crazy for even applying for jobs in the country. While most of them were accepting full-time salary positions with the businesses we had interned with, I was moving onto a ranch. No one could understand my thought process, but the truth was I hated living in the city and I knew I didn't want to go home. So I figured I might as well explore my options. If it didn't work out, I could always try elsewhere, and if small town life wasn't what I remembered it to be, I could always go back to Chicago and work with my friends.

So far the James' had been very accommodating. The position would be a simple one, keeping track of all their finances and working on payroll, but they had offered me 4 weeks paid time off, holidays, and the salary was surprisingly competitive.

I finally pull up to the gorgeous two-story white house I would be calling home now. I hadn't really been too privy on all the functions of a ranch but apparently most workers lived on parts of the property since it was so out of the way. Most of these workers were laborers and their families, but, since it was just me, Mr. James had offered to let me stay in the main house. I was hesitant to accept but I figured I could get a feel for the area before deciding on my housing situation.

I look around warily at the darkened house. I was really hoping the younger Mr. James would have waited on me but I can't really blame him given the time.

Holden's POV

I hear the distinct sound of a car shutting off as I shift in bed.

Holy shit! The new guy!

I bolt up having forgotten my dad had asked me to help the new accountant with his stuff. Now I don't really care if this city slicker likes me but I know my pa will be mad if he hears I forgot. He already thinks I'm irresponsible, I don't need to drive his point home.

I jump out of bed, not bothering to change out of my sweatpants. I doubt he'll care if I'm shirtless so long as someone's helping him. I'm already imagining a meek man in a sweater vest and glasses. Ma had already informed me I would be taking Avery around in the morning to see the town and the property. I'm not very excited about playing babysitter but he could be a cool guy and it's not his fault that my parents are pushing us together. Hopefully there aren't that many boxes so we can both get to bed quickly. I throw open the front door to see an unfamiliar SUV in the driveway but I can't quite make out the figure standing behind it. I switch on the porch lights, before bounding down the steps toward the vehicle.

A small woman in an over-sized pull over comes into view and I stop cold in my tracks.

She looks up at me surprised but quickly smiles, still clutching her phone to her chest. I'm still deeply confused.

"Hi! You must be Holden?" She sticks her hand out toward me.  "I'm Avery. Avery George."

I hesitate for another moment before I shake her hand. This whole time my dad had failed to mention Avery was a woman, let alone that she was a gorgeous woman.

"I know it's late," she looks at me apologetically, "I didn't expect to be so delayed."

I smile down at her, "Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help."

She lets out a nervous laugh, "I'm honestly surprised you stayed up so late waiting for me. I was beginning to worry when I saw all the lights were off."

"It's not that late," I say coolly.

"2 a.m. is a little late." She insists.

Damn, I hadn't even noticed the time. I'm glad I got up otherwise she would have been stuck out here. I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I had been the reason this little lady spent her first night in Montana sleeping in her car.

"How many boxes do you have?" I ask, changing the subject to hide the fact I had actually forgotten about her. Realistically it was my pa's fault for not mentioning her gender. I would have been more diligent of a host had he. Definitely more concerned about making sure she made it here safely.

"Oh I was just going to bring in my suitcase for now, since it's so late." She turns back toward her car and my eyes immediately wander down to her backside. Damn.

"Would you be able to help me with everything else in the morning?" She asks, looking back at me as she begins to pull out her suitcase.

"Of course, sweet pea." I grin as I lean in close, taking her luggage away from her.

Her big brown eyes sparkle in the night as she stares back at me. I linger a few seconds longer before taking a step back and waving her ahead of me.

She clears her throat as she walks past me toward the house. I try not to enjoy the view too much but am pulled from my thoughts when she stops just inside the house.

"Where will I be staying?" She asks narrowing her eyes slightly.

She definitely caught me looking at her ass.

"Just up the stairs, on the right," I walk past her but stop at the base of the stairs.

She's hesitant to go up first so I walk up beside her.

"We have some fresh sheets for you," I flip the lights on before setting the suitcase down in the plainly colored room.

I watch her looking around the medium size room. There's a queen size bed, a desk, a shelf, and a lamp. The room itself has a walk in closet and large windows facing the East and South side of the property, so it should get plenty of sunlight. It's not our best guest bedroom but I think my parents wanted to make sure I was nearby if she needed anything.

"The bathroom is down the hall on the right," I add, " And my room is just across from yours."

She turns to look at me, clearly surprised she'll be staying so close to me. Frankly I am too given how old fashioned my parents can be sometimes.

"Feel free to visit whenever you'd like." I wink at her.

I can see a hint of a blush spread across her face. My smile broadens but I decide to ease up on the teasing and leave her to rest.

I definitely need to talk to pa about his little omission and ma about the room placement. I learned a long time ago that they're both very deliberate people. There's always a reason to whatever they do and I'm curious to find out what the reason behind this is.