Page 73 of Cowboy's Last Stand
Things were progressing with Jason at a rapid rate.Every moment they spent together felt fraught with emotion and desire.He’d trusted her enough to tell her about his traumatic accident.How could she hold him at a distance after he’d bared his soul like that?She wasn’t sure if she should relax her rules or continue to pump the brakes on the relationship.No matter what she did, they seemed fated for romance.
Natalie took Marcus to visit her grandmother at Brookside Assisted Living Center.Molly Evans had been in a wheelchair since her stroke.Although she had trouble communicating, her mind was still sharp, and her eyes brightened with warmth every time Natalie entered the room.She delighted in seeing Marcus most of all.Natalie let him talk and wasn’t surprised when he mentioned Jason.Her grandmother’s curious gaze met Natalie’s.
“I hired someone to help me fix up the empty apartment,” she explained.
“He took me to breakfast and bought me a slingshot,” Marcus added, “but Mom said I can’t use it in the house.”
Grandma Molly didn’t seem fooled by her attempt to cast Jason as a handyman rather than a potential boyfriend.She nodded her approval and patted Natalie’s arm.She’d been encouraging Natalie to date for months.
“We do tai chi together,” Marcus said, showing her the moves.
Natalie gave her grandmother an update on Marcus’s school activities and their daily life.She said that Jason wanted to restore her grandfather’s truck.Grandma Molly appeared pleased with the information.She showed them an orchid she’d been caring for, and they took her for a stroll around the garden.All of her friends loved to say hello to Marcus.
When it was time to leave, she hugged her grandma tight and promised to come back next week.Then she drove to the park down the street and let Marcus play.It was his weekly reward for letting old people pinch his cheek.
She reclined on a bench and took her phone out of her purse.Catching Jason on the phone with his father had reminded her to call hers.
He answered on the second ring.They always used the video call feature, because he liked to see her face.She liked to see his too.Shawn Davis was a handsome man in his late forties.He had the brawny physique of a weight-lifter, and his hair was just beginning to gray at the temples.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey, Dad.”She could see greenery in the background and children in sports uniforms.“What are you doing?”
“I’m at Jeremy’s soccer game.”
“Do you want me to call back?”
He rose from a seated position and started walking.“Nah, they’re just warming up.How are you?”
She took a deep breath.“I’m OK.”
“Is something wrong with Marcus?”
“No, he’s fine.He’s playing.”She turned the phone around to show her son on the swing.“I just don’t know where to start.”
“Start with why you didn’t call last weekend.”
She chuckled at her dad’s forthright manner.“I was busy.My car broke down, and… I met someone.”
“You met someone.”
“He fixed my car.”
“He’s a mechanic?”
“Yes…”
“And you’re seeing each other now?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about him.”
“He’s in the military.”
“What division?”
“Marines.”
