My Wild Lover

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“It’ll be easy. Drive out to Washington. Ask him if he’s coming. He’ll just say no, and then you head back.”

Tierra's description of the job made me wonder why they bothered to send me out in the first place.

"Just get some audiobooks," she had said. "Enjoy the scenery. Trust me, you'll have much more fun driving out than doing paperwork here."

I wasn't so sure about that. Driving from the Dakotas to Washington was a lot of driving, and Idaho and Montana didn't possess the most vibrant countryside. But then, I wasn't in the best mindset to truly appreciate what they offered. I had put on some fast-paced hard rock and downed energy drinks to stay awake for the drive. I was focused more on eating up the miles than soaking up the scenery.

I hadn’t signed up for a multi-state adventure at all. I had signed up for a quiet, reliable office job, one I was so damn thankful to land. I ended up in South Dakota after pursuing a potential internet relationship. Frankly, I was just desperate to get the fuck out of the city and away from my overbearing father. As it turned out, a relationship built on fleeing from your Dad wasn't built to last. Big surprise.

I found myself nearly homeless and unemployed in the middle of nowhere. By some miracle, I scored a job at the Evans Ranch. They needed an assistant for an assistant who had recently gotten pregnant, and I got the job. Being a Black girl was actually won me the job. That surprised me from a ranch in South Dakota.

As it turned out, my boss was a Black woman, too. Her name was Tierra Walker, and she was married to one of the Evans boys. One of the other Evans boys was getting married to a Black woman as well, a lawyer named Kayla. All of that was quite a surprise to me. It was almost as big of a surprise as getting the assignment to track down the third Evans brother on my second day of work.

His name was Shepherd Evans. He didn't reply to calls, emails, or any other modern messaging system. So they sent me with the wedding invitation. They should have tried sending a carrier pigeon first.

According to my GPS, I was almost there. Just a little further, and I'd be done with the first half of my eternal drive. Then it would be all return trip, and home free.

I couldn't complain too much, honestly. The ranch paid me a few thousand dollars for my travel expenses and told me to pocket the rest. My ancient Honda Civic didn't take much to keep it going, and I was okay with cheap hotel rooms and gas station snacks. So once I finally got back, I'd be in good shape, for once. I just needed to find this guy, and I'd be set.

And then I found it, a literal cabin in the woods. I hadn't seen another vehicle or human being in what felt like hours, and it seemed I would run into Bigfoot before any mark of civilization. There was an SUV parked in front. It was an older model, but, aside from being filthy, it was in good shape. It looked like the occasional rain shower was the only washing it ever had.

Speaking of rain, the sky's darkness told me more was coming, and my phone advised me it wouldn't be just a drizzle. It was a full-on thunderstorm. I wanted to meet with Shep, get his answer, and get back to a hotel before the rain really started coming down.

"He'll just say he doesn't want to come back," Tierra had said. I was basically being sent to collect an honest rejection. I felt like the most inefficient messenger on the planet. Whatever; it was their money. If disappointment was worth a few thousand to them, I wouldn't argue.

I stepped out of the car, taking in the fresh air. I stretched and approached the front door, wondering what this guy would be like. Quint and Reggie, his two brothers, were pretty handsome guys. He was younger than both, so I doubted he would be repulsive. Though hermits were rarely attractive, so it could go either way.

I knocked. I rang the bell. Nothing happened. I repeated the process, but the result was the same.

It never occurred to me that he might not be home. I didn't know what to do in that instance. I thought about calling Tierra, but I resisted the impulse and instead started to wander.

The house had a log cabin aesthetic and overlooked a lake. I wondered if Shep was a paranoid nutjob, and that's why he was so estranged from his family. I didn't see any telltale signs, however. There weren't any cameras, weird sculptures, or satellite dishes listening for secret government broadcasts. There was just a vehicle that hadn't been moved in a while and no answer to knocks in the middle of the afternoon.

I began to worry the trip had been a complete waste of time. My first big assignment and I failed spectacularly. The ranch would take the money back, fire me, and I'd be out on my ass again. But then I caught sight of the pier in the back end of the property.

It was short, not meant to be very functional, more cosmetic than anything else. There wasn’t anything unusual except a folded towel and a pair of sandals on the end of it. Curious, I approached. That was the first sign of life I'd seen, and I needed to investigate.

I approached timidly, and then, rising from the water...it was him. I saw all of him as he stood and whipped the water out of his hair. And I do mean all of him...