Page 40 of The Lost Book of First Loves

Ali opened her mouth as if to disagree, but seemed to change her mind.

“Do you have the key?” she asked Beck instead.

“I have the code.”

“Oh, good.” Ali looked relieved. “I know I wrote it down somewhere but I can’t remember where. I was suddenly having nightmares about having to call in a safe cracker to break into it.”

“We shouldn’t have to resort to that. I can open the safe.”

“Tonight?” June asked. “After we’re done here?”

He smiled again at her eagerness. “Sure. If you want me to.”

“I do. Thank you so much.”

They talked about inconsequential things until after Loretta brought out dessert, separate bowls of poached fruit with a delicious chocolate sauce.

June, he saw, ate only a few bites of the fruit before pushing the bowl away.

“Thank you for inviting me for dinner. I had a lovely time,” she said after they had all worked together to clear the dishes and load them into the dishwasher.

Here in the brighter light of The Painted Sky kitchen, she looked tired, with lines of exhaustion bracketing her mouth.

He again had that sudden wild urge to protect her somehow, to keep her safe and warm and comfortable.

What a ludicrous thought, when he had certainly demonstrated with abundant clarity that he couldn’t protect anyone.

“Let me grab a flashlight and I’ll walk you home,” Ali said, setting down the dishcloth she was using to wipe dishes.

“That’s really not necessary,” June said.

“It’s not,” Beck agreed. “I’ll walk her home. It’s basically on my way.”

“You walked all the way here?” Ali asked.

“It’s ten minutes through the trees,” he pointed out. “I was glad for the exercise. I’ve been hunched over a project all day and I needed to move. So did Hank.”

“Hank’s here?” June asked. “I didn’t see him when we came over.”

“Last I saw, he was hanging out by the barn with the ranch dogs. He’s not a big fan of the cats who rule the house here. I think he’s scared of them.”

Loretta and Alison both walked them to the door, where one of the Siberian cats sidled up to Ali until she picked him up.

“Good thing you have a sweater,” Loretta said to June. “It gets cold up here at night.”

Hedidn’t have a sweater, but she apparently wasn’t as worried about him. Just as well. He tended to run hot, anyway.

As if to contradict his words, Hank was waiting for them on the porch and June greeted the dog with a warm enthusiasm that took him by surprise. She crouched down to the dog’s level and scratched behind his ears.

“What have you been up to, Hank? Have you been chasing any squirrels lately?”

The dog angled his head and gave that funny look of delight he sometimes wore around people he truly loved.

The three of them took off through evening. It wasn’t full dark yet, though the sun had set and everything was the amber and blue of dusk.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” she said, lifting her face to the mountains, where the moon was showing as only a rim above the highest peaks.

“It really is. These summer evenings are precious and rare.”

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