Dandelions on the Road (8 page)

“Here you go.” He placed it in her hand.

Eva stepped forward. “I know this date isn’t over yet and I still want to talk to the rest of you, but Harris, I don’t think you’re going to last out here much longer and I want to know if you’ll accept this dandelion.”

Harris scratched the back of his neck. “Will I ever.”

Eva smiled. “I enjoyed our conversation and I appreciate your attempt at saving me from that giant snake.” She laughed again as she envisioned the terror on the squirrel’s face as it skittered up the tree. It was probably on a limb, planning its revenge with a pile of nuts.

Harris gingerly took the dandelion, careful not to touch Eva’s skin with his own.

“I think you better head back to the van,” she said. “But I’ll see you later at the elimination ceremony. And if you can’t make it, you’ll know you’re safe for the next round.”

“Thank you so much.” Harris turned to the rest of the men. “The poison ivy pile is right over there. Who else wants a dandelion?”

Adam shifted nervously from foot to foot, but the rest of the men laughed. Harris winked at Eva and slogged through the leaves without stepping back onto the trail, scratching as he picked his way through the brush.

Eva turned when Brian placed his hand on her shoulder. “Now they’re all going to pull stunts.”

“At least we’ll be well entertained.” Eva shrugged.

“Onward?” Brian asked.

“May the dandelions last.”

CHAPTER TEN

BRIAN PULLED ADAM from the back of the pack to do an interview with the trees behind him. He bobbed his head back and forth, trying to get a bead on Eva to make sure she wasn’t flashing the signal. Her bright smile beamed in Carlos’ direction. He could be wrong, but he thought their hands might be intertwined.

Brian shook his head when a jealous flair shot through his body. He turned his attention to Adam, who ran a finger over each eyebrow to smooth them. Brian didn’t think a single hair, even in the eyebrow area, was ever out of place on this man. He probably fixed himself up under the covers in the morning before getting out of bed.

“Have you enjoyed the hiking date?” Brian had to hold laughter back. Adam looked like he was sitting in a dentist’s chair.

“It’s not really my thing,” he admitted.

“No?”

“Nature is just so unpredictable. I guess I’m more comfortable inside.”

Brian appreciated his honesty. At least he was allowing his true colors to shine instead of pretending to be someone he wasn’t. “And how do you feel about Eva at this point?”

Adam waved a hand by his ear. “Well…” he waved it again. “Is there like a giant bug by my head?” He clapped his hands over each ear and whipped around, looking for a bug invasion.

“I don’t see anything.” Brian couldn’t resist the laughter any longer. They were in a forest, of course there were bugs. But Adam’s reaction to them was like a schoolgirl and it was downright hilarious.

Adam continued to wave his hand in front of his face and next to his ears as he completed his interview. Maybe the tiny insects were attracted to hair gel. Brian never saw anything, but he knew the result on camera would be as good as any of the antics Renee pulled last season. Hopefully, Eva would keep Adam around for a while. There was no way the two were compatible, but he might be good for comic relief, even if he was completely serious.

Brian fell back in with the rest of the group. It wasn’t hard to catch them at this slow pace. Eva still had Carlos by her side and Brian frowned. Wasn’t it someone else’s turn?

After a slight descent down a small hill, the hikers came out at a clearing that featured an observation tower.

“Anyone want to climb that with me and get a better view of the park?” Eva asked.

Brian observed the easy grin on Carlos’ face. He was in. Adam looked nervous and Mitch appeared ready for a race.

The group stalled at the base of the tower for a few moments so the camera crew could get a head start and beat them to the top. Brian waited with Eva and the men to watch as they climbed.

“Everyone ready?” Eva shouted. “First one to the top gets a walk with me alone…no cameras.”

Brian wasn’t sure she should make such a promise, but she had. His leg twitched beneath him.

“On your mark, get set…go!”

All of the men but Adam scrambled up the stairs. “Afraid of heights,” Adam called after them.

Brian shook his head as his feet pounded on the stairs beneath him. Why was he racing the bachelors? He wasn’t in the competition, but his legs propelled him forward anyway. On the fourth platform, they lost Owen who bent over gasping for air. His long legs should have been an advantage, but apparently they weren’t used to stairs.

Two flights later, Mitch tripped over his boots and gave Carlos and Brian a half-flight advantage. Brian glanced to his left. Carlos was concentrating and didn’t look winded. Brian picked up the pace. Left. Right. Left. Right. He swung his arms in rhythm.

Brian edged ahead. The top was in sight, just one more flight. He was almost there. He had to admit, Carlos was in fine shape, but Brian was faster. Brian’s foot landed on the top platform seconds before Carlos. He turned to the other man and wanted to shout, “Ha!” right in his face.

“Wow, man.” Carlos clapped a hand on his shoulder. He still wasn’t out of breath. “That was some serious speed.”

Brian brushed the beads of sweat from his brow. “You almost had me.” He looked back down the stairs as Mitch took the last few steps and Owen slowly made his way up the final few flights. Adam was at the base and Eva was on her way up.

Once everyone arrived, Eva smiled. “What a view. I should have thought this whole thing through a bit more. It would have been fun to be up here to greet the winner. Who arrived first?” She looked from Carlos to Mitch and then over to Owen.

“I did.” Carlos had a sheepish grin on his face.

Brian narrowed his eyes.
What?
That wasn’t true. Brian beat him and he knew it. Brian opened his mouth to protest.

“Let’s take a look at the view and when we get back down, you and I will go for a walk, okay Carlos?”

Brian closed his mouth and swallowed his protest. Of course, it didn’t matter if he was first or last. He wasn’t on the show, at least not in the dating capacity. Eva was here to date the ten contestants, not him. It would have been awkward for him to take off on a walk with her while the men in the contest stood around wasting time. But in the back of his mind, it’s exactly what he hoped for as he raced up the stairs at lightning speed.

“This here’s God’s country.” Mitch extended his arms as wide as they would go and took in the river view below.

Brian sat on the wooden bench in the middle of the platform and watched Eva chat and smile at her suitors. She didn’t spend much time with Carlos, but his chance was coming. She was a natural people person. Brian could tell each man on the platform was attracted to her. And why wouldn’t they be? She was gorgeous inside and out.

He wasn’t doing his job and he knew it. Brian waited for a break in the conversations and edged in next to Eva. “Have time for a brief interview?” he asked. Getting some shots of her at the top of the lookout would be nice. The wind was sharp and the sound might not be great, but they would keep it short.

“Sure.” She followed Brian to the corner of the platform where the river would show behind her.

Brian motioned for a cameraman to approach and then started. “How did the hike go?”

“It was a lot of fun. I got a chance to talk to the guys on a more natural level. Some of their personalities really shined.”

Brian wondered if she meant Harris. He had been missing from the date since his encounter with the poison ivy. He was probably at the lodge receiving medical care.

“And are you glad Carlos won the race to the top of the tower?” Brian worked to keep from grinding his teeth.

“I want to get to know all of the men on this date. But, I can already tell I have a connection with Carlos and I’m anxious to see where it goes.”

“Thanks, that’s good for now.” Brian waved the camera away. He wanted to tell Eva he actually reached the top of the tower before Carlos, but he knew it would sound petty and childish. And where would it get him?

Brian motioned toward the men, allowing her to slide past him and return to her date. His arm brushed the side of her hand as she went and he tingled where their skin touched.

The show allowed him to travel a bit and get extra sleep. The different hours were heaven, but overall, the role was a lot harder than he anticipated.

EVA’S WALK WITH Carlos went better than she expected. The man was her type to a T. He had a Latin background and a muscular build. His eyes had depth to them and she liked his short, spiky hair. She learned that he worked long hours as an architect…and that she liked the feel of his rough hand wrapped around hers.

By the time she arrived back to the group, she was giddy with excitement. This process was going to lead somewhere, she knew it. Whether it was to Carlos or one of the other men, the possibilities were intriguing.

Eva said goodbye to the four remaining guys on the date. Mike informed her the group would pick Harris up at the lodge first aid clinic on their way out. He was okay, but would itch for a while. Those men would head back to town and have the afternoon free before the elimination ceremony that night.

But Eva’s day was just beginning. The other men arrived just in time for their picnic lunch. She looked forward to seeing Cane, Pete, Steve, Trent and Kurt on the second leg of the date. She felt like she had the start of a friendship or maybe something more with several of the men on the morning date. She wondered what the afternoon would bring.

One thing was for sure, Eva was glad she took the risk to appear on
Accept this Dandelion
. What girl got the opportunity to meet so many great guys at once? When she had time to decompress, it would be fun to envision her life with each of them. But now, the second set of men arrived in their van.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EVA STOOD ON the edge of a large grassy area filled with picnic tables and a few shelters. The crew placed tablecloths on tables under one shelter and laid a small blanket in an open area nearby for private conversations. The food arrived in a grocery store catering vehicle and everything looked delicious.

The men jumped out of the van in the parking lot and approached Eva, who felt like the smile on her face was so big she might crack wide open.

Cane got to her first. “Hey, sweetheart, how are you doing?” He gave her a firm hug and looked deeply into her eyes.

Eva melted. This man was dangerously charming in all the right ways. “I’m good. I’m so glad you’re here.” Eva went on to greet the rest of the group. Trent didn’t say much, but Steve was overly excited about the blue sky, the sunshine, and everything around them.

“Thanks for coming,” Eva said as the men gathered around her. “The station set up quite a feast for us. Let’s take some time to enjoy the food and chat. There’s a blanket over there and I’d like to have a little time with each of you alone at some point as well.”

Eva led the men to the shelter and grabbed a plate. She would have preferred to let them go first, but she knew no man on a date would allow that, so she went through the food line and took a seat at the center of the picnic table.

Kurt joined her on one side and Steve sat on the other. Pete grabbed space directly across from her and Cane and Trent surrounded him. Eva surveyed the table. Pete’s plate was overflowing on both sides. He dug into his sandwich with gusto.

Eva picked up her sandwich and took a small bite. It was good. “How have the people in your lives reacted to the news that you were coming on the show?” she asked. It was hard to make conversation with five men at once. General questions were best. She would dig into deeper things with them on an individual level.

“My family wasn’t surprised,” Steve spoke first. “They want me to find someone to complete my life and they’ve always thought I would be good on TV. If nothing else, they knew I’d have a good time.”

A few of the men laughed with Eva. Steve struck her as an out-going, up-for-anything sort of guy. She was certain hanging out with him would be fun no matter what they did.

“What about you, Trent?” she asked. He was the polar opposite of Steve, much more shy and reserved.

“My friends were shocked,” he answered. “They thought it was a joke or something when I told them, but then they remembered that I don’t tell jokes.”

Eva chuckled. He was humorous even if it wasn’t his intention.

Trent had the floor and could have elaborated and kept the attention on himself, but instead he went back to eating.

“Pete?” Eva inquired.

Pete covered his mouth with his hand and stifled a burp. “Excuse me. Yeah, my buddies were kind of surprised, I think because I go on plenty of dates. They were like, why the show, man?”

Eva detected a hint of arrogance, but she was willing to overlook that for the time being. It was early in all of their relationships. Pete’s true colors were bound to hide for a while.

“Everyone I knew was absolutely floored.” Kurt cut in once Pete finished his sentence.

“Why’s that?” Eva was curious about Kurt. He talked about life’s higher purpose a lot and she wanted to dive deeper into his background.

“I’ll tell you the whole long story another time,” he said. “Suffice it to say, I left a lot behind to be here.”

Eva tilted her head in wonder. She made a mental note to ask him about that when they were alone. She definitely wanted to figure out what made him tick, but for now, she would let him get away with the answer he gave.

“Cane?” Eva turned her attention down the table.

“I think everyone who’s important in my life understands that I don’t do a big thing like this without a reason. And when they found out you were the bachelorette in charge…well, they knew what the reason was.”

Eva threw her hand up to her chest. She was touched and unsure how to react in front of four other men.