Page 128 of Grown-Up Second Chance

Using the boardwalk railing as a brace, I concentrated on the raccoon. There wasn’t quite enough light where he was, so I adjusted the settings according to what I learned during my practice and prayed I remembered everything correctly.

He looked up at me, but must have decided I wasn’t a threat. The deer was more wary, keeping a close eye on my movements as she drank. I was able to get some close-ups of her head and beautiful eyelashes.

The mother sheep had done a thorough assessment when I got close, but then proceeded to ignore me and nudge her young one in the direction she wanted him to go. They soon finished up and headed out, but I was able to get a few pictures before they left.

“Amazing,” I said to Joe. “What I could see through the lens! See?” I showed him what I’d been able to get.

“Really nice. I’m so glad you got the camera. You really need a tripod.”

“One thing at a time.” I slung the camera over my shoulder.

“Do you want to go to the top?” he asked. “The views are pretty amazing. I brought some energy bars if you get hungry.”

“Let’s go. A month ago I would have said no, but I think Liz is rubbing off on me with this hiking thing.”

“It’s a kind of pleasant torture.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

Conversation lagged as we continued the assent of Badlands Wall. Instead there was a low-level buzz of tension. I wasn’t sure what Joe was thinking, but I was trying to figure out what had happened in Joe’s life to turn him off sex.

Erectile dysfunction would have been easier to deal with.

The temperature was beginning to rise when we got to the top. I was glad Joe had suggested the early morning. Gratefully, I took the energy bar he handed me and gazed out at the scenery around me. The colorful mounds and shapes of sedimentary buttes and spires led off to the depths of the Badlands on one side, while to the other lay the prairie grasses of the White River Valley, extending seemingly to the horizon.

“This country is pretty diverse,” I said after taking a deep gulp of my water.

“Yes. And you’re going to see a lot of it,” he replied.

“It’s so dry in the West, but the East is lush with green and almost too much water.”

“And it’s changing all the time.” He turned to look at me. “Just like us. I don’t know about you, but I’m not overly fond of this part of life. Just when I thought I had my act together, my body starts slipping. Not a lot. Just a few things here and there. A cracked tooth. Skin sagging where it never did before.”

“Peeing four or five times in the middle of the night.”

He laughed. “That, too.”

Some of the tension eased.

“Now, I don’t know about you,” he said. “But I could use a hearty breakfast.”

“Yes! I’m starving!”

“Good! There’s a place down the road that makes a mean biscuit. And stacks of pancakes dripping with butter and syrup.”

“Yum!” It had been so long since I’d indulged in what I called fat food.

“And no fussing about calories or anything stupid like that,” he said as we hustled back down the path. “You’re a beautiful woman just the way you are.”

My heart lifted and my feet flew over the path that had been a plod a few moments before.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Once we returned to the RV park, Joe said he needed to do some work on his book. I was ready for some time to myself and I desperately needed a shower. We agreed to meet around two and plan something for the rest of the afternoon.

Although the hike and Joe’s words had eased some of the tension I’d been feeling, there was still an edge to my sense of relaxation. I didn’t know what he was keeping to himself or when he would get around to revealing it.

Had he taken a vow of chastity for the rest of his life? Was he a secret monk?

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