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Soon enough, her hold loosened as she became more relaxed on the ride. Her hands were now resting on his hips, but her body was still pressed to his. The landscape was hillier than he had expected, and in some low spots, there was water. The longer the ride the more low spots, more water.
Turning his head, he said to her above the sound of the machine, “Do you want to get dirty or stay clean?”
Her laughter rang in his ears as she admitted, “Dirty, of course.”
Her arms tightened around him as he sped up and went through the next puddle at a higher speed, and the splashing water almost got them. The next was the same, so he held back a little so the other two couples could get farther in front of them he could get their speed up some. At the third puddle, he accelerated and hit the puddle enough to send muddy water high into the air and right on top of them.
He was worried she was going to be mad since her body had tensed when the mud had fallen onto them, but to his surprise, she just laughed. So he did it again, and by the time they caught up with the group, both were soaking wet and muddy. The other two couples didn’t have a speck of mud on them.
As the ride continued, Mia encouraged him from behind to hit every puddle. By the time the three couples stopped for a rest by the river, Rafferty needed to wipe the mud from his face. But it was worth it to see Mia smiling and happy.
“How did nobody else get dirty out there?” Rafferty asked the group after the machines were shut off, and they could have a conversation without yelling.
Mia grabbed him around the waist and swung off the machine as she answered him. “Because their girlfriends would kill them if they got dirty.”
“You got that right,” Ruth said as Anderson helped her off their machine. Before he set her on the ground, he kissed her.
Mia ignored the couple and said, “You know, when you asked me to come on this trail ride, I expected mud to fly.”
“I didn’t know that,” Tess said. “I just thought it would be fun to get away for a day. With friends.”
“It will be fun. Except for the whole Rafferty thing.” She waved her hand in his direction. It seemed her anger hadn’t completely diminished.
“You mean the guy who took you mud-running? When no one else would have?” Ruth asked Mia.
“That might be him,” Mia murmured behind him.
He was looking at the river they were parked by. It was almost not a river, since if he took a running leap, he could get over it, but it was still a river. It was a beautiful spot, and Rafferty was glad Math had picked it. Though he didn’t know Math Nordskov very well, Anderson did. And the girls were all part of their book club, so they got along. His sole purpose of being here was to be with Mia. It had been a while since he got any alone time with her.
Turning, he saw Mia and the other women were sitting on a fallen log, probably left there for that purpose. They were chatting about something, and Math and Anderson were off looking at something in the woods. With no interest in the fauna, he wandered over to the women.
“So, Mia, what’s happening in town?” he asked. She was the town gossip. Except he noticed when it came to the book club, she didn’t talk about them at all to others. He liked that she was loyal to her friends.
“Let’s see.” She leaned back and looked up at him. “There’s this jerk of an insurance guy who keeps showing up at places I am.”
“Mia!” Ruth yelled at her.
“Okay, I’m sorry, Rafferty.” Blushing, she looked away. “We were talking about the Baker house. It’s for sale. I was just asking Ruth if she was going to buy it.”
“Are you going to?” Rafferty asked her. After all, Ruth was loaded and liked to buy property in Landstad.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Ruth said, then she looked over at Anderson. “I mean, we haven’t decided yet. It needs a lot of work. I don’t know if we want to take on a project. And I like living downtown.”
“If it were me, I would buy it in a heartbeat!” Mia exclaimed, wiping mud from her neck. “I have always wanted a house on The Hill.”
Rafferty looked at her. Her excitement was showing, and it was charming. Almost as charming as calling the street just one block off Main Street “The Hill.” There was no hill, and there had never been one. In fact, it was a lower street than Main Street was. When he biked it as a kid, he realized that. But what it did have was six large old houses, most in need of repair. Well, there were five now since one had been torn down a few years before.
“Really? There’s a hill? In Landstad?” Tess asked in confusion.
“No, not an actual hill, maybe a rise. But anyway, I have always loved those houses. The Baker one was my favorite. It was painted all kinds of colors before they repainted it white the last time. It always looked amazing from the outside. You should buy it, Ruth. It would be perfect for all your little Andersons.” Mia turned to her friend in excitement.
“I don’t know if we are having any little Andersons, and I love it downtown. You should get it,” Ruth told Mia, even if downtown and work would only be a block away.
“I can’t afford it. I’m only a waitress!” Mia exclaimed.
“You have owned that café for years,” Rafferty reminded her. She always downplayed her owning the café. She had owned it for years and wasn’t even thirty yet. She should be proud of what she had accomplished so far in her life. Instead, she always just told people she was a waitress.
“Doesn’t mean I make much money. Definitely not enough for a house on The Hill,” she told him, making the area of town sound far more important than it was.
