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“Fuck its hot,” Harry mutters out loud to Lucy. The border collie looks up at him from where she is lying out of the sun, her little tongue hanging from her mouth and he can read in her eyes that she agrees.
“At least you’ve got the shade,” he points out, glancing up at the sun that's only being kept off his face from the brim of his hat. The temperature is nothing new; after all, it is the middle of July in Montana and they’re in the middle of a brutal heatwave. Sweltering heat does mean that there's less traffic through town than usual and business has been a bit slow, but it’s just past noon and he thinks there's a good chance that he’ll sell more when the heat starts to die down a bit later in the day.
Looking over the contents of the back of his pickup, Harry hums proudly to himself. He’s got it beautifully organized, apples on display in a perfect arrangement, watermelons in the back so they don't block the view, asparagus in pretty little bundles, and his other crops nestled in where they look best.
He knows it's not the most conventional way to sell his crops, but he enjoys meeting the people who are just passing through, so he sets up his spot on the highway just outside of town every Thursday. He’s always pleasantly surprised at the number of families and truck drivers that stop and pick up a quick healthy snack for the ride into town.
He spends a few minutes checking the fruits and making sure the little tent over the top of the pickup truck shields them from the relentless sun before he fills up Lucy’s water with a fresh bottle from the cooler inside the cab.
The dog thanks him with a wag of her tail as she drinks from the bowl and then brings him her tennis ball. “Oh you’re ready to play again?” he asks the energetic dog. He knows her well enough to know the heat isn't bothering her too badly, growing up on the farm and helping with the cows and sheep year-round has made them both a bit resistant to Montana’s brutal seasons.
They’re in the middle of a game of fetch, Harry sitting in his fold-up outdoor chair and tossing the yellow ball as he snacks on some pork rinds as the dog runs off as fast as she can to retrieve it, when he hears the sound of an approaching car.
“Lucy, lay down babe,” he instructs and pats the dog on the head when she does as she was told.
Turning his attention to the west, he sees a sleek white car coming his way and he immediately knows that this person is a traveler. The car itself is a dead give away, standing out from the beat-up pickup trucks and sedans that belong to the population of any town near them.
Harry has learned through the past few seasons of selling here that cars that look like that, tend to have drivers that don’t plan to stop at a truck with a handmade sign that reads fruit for kale! No one can beet my prices.
But to his surprise the car begins to slow down as it approaches, so Harry sets his bag of pork rinds where Lucy won’t get into them- he’s learned from past mistakes- and gets up from his seat.
When the car pulls up beside him, the first thing he sees as the man gets out of the car is that he looks tired, his hair is windswept and loose across his forehead and it's clear that he’s been traveling for a while.
It’s been a moment since Harry’s seen someone quite as beautiful as this stranger, so like the gentleman he is he removes his hat and greets the other man with a polite, “Hello. Are you looking to buy some fruit?”
Not his best line, but there’s no use kicking himself about it.
The man steps out of the car and flicks the messy fringe away from his eyes as he gives Harry and his truck a once over. "Hey," he responds a moment later. "You don’t happen to sell water do you?"
Harry takes a step toward his car and reaches for the cooler. Usually, he keeps them for himself, but he lifts the lid and grabs one of the chilled bottles. "On the house," he says with a smile as he passes it over.
The other man accepts the water and twists the cap off, and Harry finds himself mesmerized as he watches him tilt his head back and swallow the cool liquid. Then he remembers that it’s impolite to stare so he turns his attention to the car, curiously examining the 'be proud' license plate cover sitting at the front.
The stranger lets out a satisfied sigh a moment later and Harry looks back to him. "Looks like you've been on the road for a while?"
"Yeah, I came from San Francisco. Not sure where I am to be honest, and I could use some directions back to the interstate if you don't mind?"
Harry feels his eyebrows raise a bit at the knowledge that this beautiful stranger has come from so far away and somehow is right in front of him. "That's definitely a bit of a drive," Harry notes as he moves to slide his hat back on his head. "I can give you directions, sure. On one condition."
He watches as the man's face fills with relief and also slight suspicion as he eyes Harry back. "What's your condition?" he asks skeptically.
Harry grins, hoping his dimple pops out just the right amount and wondering if he can charm this stranger. "Buy some fruit from me. My sales have been awful today, and Lucy says she'll fire me if I don't sell something soon," he says with mock sincerity as he gestures toward the dog who sits beside the truck watching them curiously.
Blue eyes blink back at Harry and then land on the dog before he nods his head solemnly. "She looks like a merciless supervisor. I'd hate for you to see her wrath, show me what you've got.”
Letting out a laugh, Harry steps back toward his truck and gestures to the array of fruits and vegetables, each labeled with their own little handmade sign. "I personally recommend the cherries. Some of the finest in the area, mama won the pie bake-off last month with them," he says with pride.
"Mmm they do look tasty."
"You can try one if you want, satisfaction guaranteed," Harry tells with a wink as he plucks two of the little red fruits from the basket, offering one to the other man and taking one for himself, which he pulls off the stem with his teeth.
He can feel the other man watching him as he steps around the back of the truck and spits the seed out into the little trash can he keeps there and he tries not to let it go to his head.
Stepping out of the way so the other man can follow suit, Harry reaches down to pat at Lucy's head as she wanders over toward them curious to sniff around the new man. Harry watches as the man squats down, his thighs stretching against the denim of his jeans, and pats at Lucy's head when she comes over to sniff at his shoes and he turns his head up to grin at Harry.
"I think she likes me," he announces.
Harry doesn't have the heart to break the news that Lucy loves anyone who gives her the time of day so he nods in agreement. "Honestly, I think she's glad to see someone besides me," he muses as he watches the dog roll over onto her back asking for a belly rub.
"Lucy, that's not very ladylike," he scolds gently, his voice fond as it always tends to be toward the dog.
Laughter falls from his lips as he scratches at the dog's belly and Harry briefly thinks he would like to hear that sound on repeat for the rest of his life. "I don't mind. She's cute and I appreciate the enthusiasm. Been a lonely drive, I have to admit."
"Why are you all the way out here?" The words leave Harry's lips before he can think twice and his eyes widen a bit as he rushes out a quick, "I'm sorry that was rude of me. You don't have to answer."
The man shakes his head and smiles up toward Harry, squinting a bit due to the sun even behind his sunglasses. "It's not rude. I needed some space, felt a bit trapped where I was at. It was like I was working my life away," he admits, attention falling back toward the dog who's head he's now scratching. "Felt like I needed a change of pace. I heard Montana is pretty so I headed north."
Nodding his head in understanding, Harry takes a look around at the mountains he's fallen in love all over again with every day for the past twenty-five years. "I could never find it in me to work an office job. I enjoy my farm and my cows a bit too much. My pride and joy," Harry tells him, patting the tailgate of his truck and looking back over his fruits.
Standing up, the man peers over the array of produce curiously, fiddling his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger as he contemplates his options. Harry tries not to stare, but he can't help but wish he could taste those lips. Maybe he needs to try dating again soon.
"I think I'd like some cherries," he finally decides.
"Easy to snack on while you drive. Good choice," Harry notes in approval as he grabs for the little scoop he uses and he pours them into one of the bags.
He bundles the top of the bag up and passes it over. "No need," Harry says quickly as the other man reaches for his wallet. "On the house this time. You could stop by on your way through when you head back if you like those ones."
There's a brief pause and Harry thinks he's about to argue, but instead the city boy smiles and nods his head. "I'll definitely stop by on my way back through. Thank you, these should hold me over until dinner time."
Harry's not sure what to say but he knows that the pretty stranger is going to leave in a matter of moments and somehow, even though he knows it's absurd, that knowledge is already making his heart ache just a bit. "Better thank Lucy, she's the one who authorized the discount," he teases lightly, glancing at the dog whose ears immediately perk up at the sound of her name.
"Thank you, Lucy," he calls out sweetly, laughing at the small bark the dog gives him in response before he takes a step toward his car. "Can I get those directions back to the interstate by chance?"
"Oh! Right!" Harry agrees, suddenly remembering the reason the man had stopped his drive in the first place. "You'll go way up yonder, there's a caution light. Just past that there's a little diner with a coke sign in the window on the right. I strongly recommend stopping and getting a bit of sweet tea from Miss Anne."
"I'll consider it," the other man tells him with a bit of a smile tugging at his lips, and Harry briefly wonders if he should shoot his shot or keep his mouth shut as the man opens his car door.
"And then, a left will take you back to the interstate and on your way," Harry continues in the same breath, "but a right will bring you right back here to me."
The man's laugh fills Harry's ears again, and the sound is bright and happy and he thinks briefly that at least he made this angel laugh. The car starts up and the passenger window rolls down. "I'll give that sweet tea a try," he promises with a wink. “Thanks again!”
Watching the car take off, Harry takes a moment to recover from the rejection. He wasn't expecting much else to happen from their short encounter. But as he stands there and watches the white car drive off into the distance, he realizes he never got the city boy's name and he can't help the disappointment he feels at that realization.
Briefly, he thinks about taking off after the stranger, but he's certain that by the time the truck was packed up he'd be too far gone.
He spends the next few minutes tidying up the truck; the clock on his phone says it's one now and he thinks he'll spend another hour out here before he heads home to tend to the farm a bit.
An elderly couple stops by ten or so minutes later and they buy a watermelon and some cucumber before they head off and after that Harry lets himself settle into his chair for a bit. He tries to keep his mind from daydreaming about the boy from the city but he can't help but think that maybe they could have had a chance in different circumstances.
When he checks his phone and it finally says its two, Harry starts packing up. He starts by putting the lids on the crates so his produce doesn't fly around and then he organizes the back of the truck so it's easy to empty out when he gets home.
As he's putting his chair away, the distinct sound of a car in the distance catches his attention and he turns toward the east. It takes him a moment to make out the car on its way down the road, and when he sees the familiar shiny white color he pinches himself to make sure he didn't fall asleep in his chair and is dreaming.
Sure enough, the car rolls to a stop for the second time in just a few hours right in front of his truck, and then the blue-eyed man of his dreams exits his vehicle.
Harry's lost for words for a moment, but thankfully, the man saves him from proposing or saying something else equally as embarrassing by speaking first. "I stopped into the diner. The sweet tea was amazing," he starts as he leans back against the car, his arms folded across his chest casually and he's fighting against a smile as he speaks.
"Got to talking with Miss Anne. She told me that she thought right here might be the change of scenery I've been looking for and she mentioned her son might have a spare room I could stay in on his farm."
Harry bites back a grin, though he's certain it doesn't do much good. "Did she? I'll have to tell her to stop spreading my business around," he replies coyly. "You took a right then,” he observes.
Nodding his head, city boy slowly takes a couple of steps toward Harry until he's nearly in his space. "Something just felt right,” he admits, his eyes finding Harry’s.
"'m Harry," Harry tells him, feeling like he's just won the lottery because by some twist of fate he's here, and the most beautiful man he's ever seen is within kissing distance of him.
"Louis," comes the reply just before he closes the gap between them and they meet in the middle. Their lips connect and Harry thinks he might have died from the heat and gone to heaven as he holds the side of the man's- Louis'- face and kisses him like he's got everything to lose.
They break away when they’re both a bit breathless and Harry clears his throat as he tries to fight off the grin that wants to split his face in half. He doesn't want to seem too eager and scare Louis away.
“Take me to the farm then,” Louis instructs lightly and Harry thinks he’d do anything he told him to already.
With a nod, Harry regretfully steps away as he heads toward his truck to lead the way to the farm. "Home is just a mile or so down the road.”