Page 56 of Grown-Up Second Chance

He’d also purchased shirts for the three of us. “I had to guess at sizes,” he said.

“I’m thinking of boarding some horses when we get back home. The shirt will be good for mucking out stalls,” Kathleen said. “Thanks.”

“I think we should wear them when we’re on the East Coast,” Liz said. “Great conversation starters.”

We laughed.

“Parade starts in an hour,” Kathleen said. “Better get our spots.”

The four of us folded up our chairs, stuffed them into their sleeves, and migrated to the next venue. Once there, Joe and I volunteered to round up some grub from the food trucks that lined the park.

On our way, we passed an open photography gallery and agreed to make a quick stop. The photographer had obviously spent a lot of time in the area, capturing details of animals, birds, fish, and even bugs that inhabited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. There were stunning pictures of aspens in full yellow surrounding the meandering oxbow of the Snake River.

I stood in front of a picture of a dark-colored wolf for a long time, recognizing the wildness in its eyes, so similar to the glimpse I’d had. It sent chills down my spine, but at the same time mesmerized me with its intensity.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Joe asked.

I nodded.

“You need a camera,” he said. “You don’t have to take the same kind of picture. You need to take your pictures. And that will be good enough.”

Dear sweet Joe. He was the only man I’d ever known who thought I’d ever be good enough at anything. Dad came close, but he was always more comfortable with Kathleen and even Liz than he was with me.

As we left the gallery, Joe took my hand and pulled me into the alcove of a closed shop. “We have to talk.”

“About what?” I slid my hand from his.

“This.” He cupped my face in his hands, then leaned down and kissed me.

It wasn’t a long kiss, but it was enough for my libido to inform me it wanted more.

That wasn’t going to do.

“There’s nothing to discuss,” I said.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said. “There’s a whole world of things to discuss.”

He was right, of course. There were things we had to talk about. The problem was that I didn’t want to talk about them. I didn’t want to tell him how kissing him was everything I’d ever imagined it would be. And I definitely didn’t want to risk his rejection one more time.

“I’m sorry, Joe. You’re a nice man, a good friend. Let’s just leave it that way without making it seem like anything more than it is.”

I started back to where my sisters were waiting.

Chapter Seventeen

I idly watched the house sparrows as they flitted around the campsite, searching for any possible crumb an inattentive human may have left. Their black chin spot made them easy to identify, and I’d seen them everywhere I’d ever been. They were cute until I’d realized they were an invasive species brought over from Europe in the mid-1800s. They were also lethal to native birds like purple martins or bluebirds when they wanted to take over the native birds’ nesting sites.

Things were not always as easy as they seemed.

It would be easy to drift back into some kind of relationship with Joe. The barriers I’d thrown up to Kathleen were easily knocked down. Joe had waited decades to see me again; he’d last one more year. But I’d already spent more time than I wanted with a man. I was finally free. Why take it up again?

Men were projects, and I was done with working that hard for something I was no longer sure I wanted.

Except this man was an extremely good kisser.

As for coming back to Montana, was it really going to suit me after all the time I’d spent in the milder climate of California? Or was I like the house sparrows, no longer native?

I picked up my book, then put it down. Kathleen had gone off with some people she’d met at the park, and Liz was in her rent-a-studio. My work was done for the day, and truthfully, there wasn’t much of it at the moment. I’d been deliberately cutting back as I drifted into semi-retirement.

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