In The Mountains

Chapter 6: A mountain view.

Chapter 6: A mountain view.

Once Tennessee left, Paxton hunted through the box of old clothes and found the boots Tennessee mentioned. All the time he sorted and tried on shirts and old jeans, the dogs interrupted him for pets and belly scratches. After an hour, Paxton started to get fond of Smith, who seemed enamored with him.

The clothes were musty and smelled like they had been in storage for a long time. As Paxton tossed them in the washing machine that he found in the room next to the bathroom, he wondered what happened to Cletus's son. He assumed he wouldn't be living here long enough to ever find out about those specifics.

After hunting for the washer and dryer, Paxton refrained from snooping around Tennessee's place. He didn't even open the door at the very end of the short hallway. He was curious about what was in that room, but he stopped himself from looking. So far, Paxton liked Tennessee, really liked him actually, and if the man had a dungeon or a room full of his collection of dead snakes, Paxton wasn't willing to learn about it. He liked thinking about Tennessee just how he was…a sweet, kind mountain man with a sexy southern drawl.

Since he was waiting for his clothes to finish in the tumble cycle, Paxton decided to look around the cabin for his key charm bracelet. He recalled taking the gold band off his wrist before his bath, but that was the last that Paxton saw of the jewelry. Paxton looked high and low in the bathroom and through his bloody coat and pants. Finally, he gave up on the damn thing. Honestly, he didn't want the expensive shackle anyway. Paxton's only thought was that he could maybe pawn the gold for money when he left here. Selling that stupid piece of jewelry seemed like a better idea than having s*x for cash.

Since Paxton didn't have anything else to do, he began cleaning up the kitchen's cooking pans. They had a house cleaner, a cook, and a driver at Keyon's mansion, so Paxton had never done simple things like washing the dishes. In retrospect, he never really did anything other than meet old dudes for the night. That often bothered him because Paxton knew that he would fail if he ever lived alone. Maybe that's what Keyon wanted. He wanted the prostitutes not to know how to do anything for themselves. Paxton couldn't even cook something as simple as pancakes.

While cleaning, he discovered that the chore was easier than he thought. He also found out that the activity gave him an explainable reason to open all of Tennessee's cabinets and look around the cabin a little bit. Tennessee's home was clean and efficient. His plates were all white, and the man didn't seem to decorate unless the adornment he chose was of a picture of a pine tree or an eagle. As Paxton swept and tidied, he also noted that Tennessee didn't have any liquor in the house. For some reason, Paxton assumed a hard-core mountain man would have whisky stashed somewhere… that or moonshine.

After the house looked clean and put together, Paxton showered and then wrapped himself in a towel. He put all the clothes he had washed in the loft before he sat on the bed.

He'd just finished that project when the dogs started whimpering by the exit. Still dressed in a towel, Paxton came down the ladder to find the dogs crying and pawing at the door.

“You want to go outside?" Paxton opened the front door and stepped out onto a large square porch with a wide swing to his right and two rocking chairs on the left. The dogs galloped past him.

Gasping at the beautiful sight before him, Paxton couldn't believe his eyes. With wonder, he stared. Tennessee's home was spectacular.

Once when he was young, Paxton had seen a motivational poster about reaching new heights. The picture was of a mountain. That paltry scene didn't do a mountain justice.

Taking a step past the giant swing with cushions covering the back, Paxton stepped down the two stairs to the gravel driveway. He lifted his eyes and then spun in a slow circle. The mountains were on all three sides of him. In the distance, they were blue and purple. Up close, they seemed to loom over him. Mist kissed the tops in some areas, and a thick, lush forest was all around him.

Now Paxton understood a few things.

First off, Tennessee was right. He was deep in the woods, surrounded by mountains. He had a hard time picturing Keyon finding him here. In fact, Paxton was having a hard time picturing himself here. He'd always lived in the city and never imagined he would be staring at grandeur like this.

Second, he now understood Uncle Cletus's comment. Did Tennessee really look at Paxton like he looked at these mountains? A smile spread across his face thinking about Tennessee staring at him with the same sense of love as he did for this view.

No. Paxton had to stop thinking about things like that.

The dogs tore past him and ran up the stairs to the porch. They barked and jumped, and Paxton was amazed that he was used to Smith and Weston in such a short time. When he first got here, that barking and running would've scared Paxton. Now he only laughed and came to their aid. They panted with their tongues hanging out and toward the floor. He guessed they wanted something to drink.

“I bet you want some water." Paxton climbed back onto the pouch, but now he had a lighter step. He couldn't stop thinking about Tennessee and these mountains. When they first drove here, Tennessee called this his slice of heaven. Now he could see how true that statement was. Paxton didn't believe in God, but if God did exist? Well, he figured that only God would be the one to create something so majestic.

After Paxton got back inside, he filled the dog's water dish, and then he climbed the ladder back up to the loft. He didn't own underwear since the only ones he had were ripped from his body. Since Paxton lacked shorts of any kind, he rummaged through his newly washed pile of clothes until he found a pair of thin, light-weight pajama pants. After pulling them up and tying the drawstrings, he relaxed on the bed. This must be where Tennessee slept, and now Paxton pondered if the man was sleeping on the couch while Paxton was here. The first thing he would do when Tennessee got home, Paxton would tell him he would give up the bed and sleep on the sofa. Paxton refused to be a hindrance to Tennessee's life in any way.

Noticing the window for the first time, Paxton got up and opened the thick forest-green curtains to stare out at another of the most jaw-dropping views he'd ever seen in his life. Paxton had been at the top of hotel bars and glamorous hotels, but none of the bright cityscapes he'd ever seen compared to the view he had from this loft in Tennessee's log cabin.

Going back to the bed, Paxton relaxed on the cool quilt and just enjoyed the landscape. A breeze ruffled the curtains, and he closed his eyes. This really was a superb place to hide. Keyon would never randomly look for Paxton concealed in the mountains.