“Let’s try this again. Hi, I’m Riley.” I extend my hand, which he eyes suspiciously, but he takes it, nonetheless.
“Dom,” he replies after considering it.
“What is it short of?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Just Dom.”
“Not even your mama would believe that, but okay. Last name?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Why do you need to know my last name?”
I shrug. “For next time I run into you. Then, I can call you by your full name, since you won’t tell me what Dom stands for.”
I keep my chin up as his eyes darken. “Diaz. Dom Diaz.”
Everything works my way, I silently say in my brain, working on my daily mantra and manifestations. “So you work here, Dom Diaz?”
“I do. What about you? What are you doing here?”
“What do you do here?” I ask, looking around, maybe looking for hidden cameras.
“I could ask you the same.”
Oh my heavens. Okay. I’ll be the bigger person. “Okay, Dom.” I twirl, opening my eyes to the sky. “I happen to live here, but I was away for a while. My family owns the ranch.”
His eyes open as wide as the open range, recognition hitting him right away. My sisters might be older than me, but we all look alike. My cheeks are fuller, and I somehow have a bigger ass, but other than that, we’re very similar. “Are you the middle or the little Banks?”
I giggle. “The youngest. Nothing little about me.” I cross my arms over my chest, because that was a lie. These are definitely small. “Now it’s your turn. What do you do here? Since when? And if you do work here, why are you on this side of the ranch?”
He nods. “I’m a ranch hand over with Mr. Arnold, but I live,” he points to the cabin next to mine, “right over there.”
A laugh escapes me, because what else could make this whole thing more comical than him being my, what? Neighbor?
“Really? Well, that one next to it is mine. Looks like we’re neighbors, huh?” I smile, and he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He’s so weird.
Hot but weird.
“So now that you know, can I have my tote back?”
“I can just take it. I was going that way.”
I shrug. I’m not going to refuse help. A lot of girls would in the name of independence, but not me. Nope, he can carry it.
We head over to my cabin in silence.
So quiet.
It’s unnerving.
“So, what brought you here?” I ask, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
“A job.”
“I mean, clearly. But like why this? Why here?”
“It was available,” is all he says.
