She laughs. “No. Have you?”
“Not yet. Never had the urge either, so that’s good.”
“What about cheating?”
“Sixth grade Spanish. I’d spent my grade school years coasting by on general knowledge. Apparently, I didn’t learn any Spanish living in the mountains of Colorado only surrounded by the Baxter clan. So, when it came time for the first test, I realized I should have been listening to Ms. Rodriguez, at least once that semester. I panicked and was looking for any paper that was within peeking distance. I got caught, and never did that again. Apparently, there are some things in life you actually have to put effort into if you want to be good at.”
She chuckles. “As long as you learned your lesson, I think I’ll forgive you for that.” She smiles again. “What about kids? Do you want any?”
“Lots of them. I want a huge family with big holidays and so much noise we have to hide away and question our life choices.”
She laughs. “I want that too. Plus, maybe a dog or two so we really go crazy.”
I close my eyes and squeeze her tight. “And a horse. If we don’t have a horse, what will the kids ride to town?”
“I guess you’d want to live in Rugged Mountain then?” she says, leaning back. “We don’t have many horses in Dairy.”
“I don’t know. I guess I never thought of leaving Rugged Mountain before. It’s my home. My whole family is there.”
“And my Susan is in Massachusetts.”
I swallow hard, hoping that this isn’t the impasse that stops this from growing. I’ve never felt this much attraction to another person before. I’m not ready for it to end. Maybe I can imagine a life outside of Rugged Mountain.
“Let’s sleep on it,” I say. “We’ve got all summer to figure this out.”
She hums into my chest and her body relaxes against me without another word and I pray that she isn’t changing her mind about me.
____________________________________________________
I don’t well remember when my eyes closed for the night, but when I wake, my arms are empty, and the sun is shining into the side window of the cabin with fierce light.
“Beth?” I call her name as I reach toward my phone, checking the time. It’s eight-thirty. How the hell did I sleep until eight-thirty? Of course she’s not here. Her day started at eight. Mine starts in thirty minutes. I really should get my ass up and moving, but the scent of the sweet woman that I held last night is still on my beard and it’s driving me crazy. I need her again, and again. Even then, I’m not sure I could quench this thirst I have for her.
My phone rings and I glance down at it quickly, hoping it’s Beth, but it’s Henry.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” His voice is sharp this morning like something’s wrong.
“Are you okay?”
He sighs. “No, I just made this appointment to head into the springs to negotiate this real estate deal for Rugged Mountain, but the developer is a piece of shit. He’s driving me crazy.”
“Why are you going then?”
“Maddox is insisting on the meeting and he owns the land too. We have to work together. I need to hear this guy out.” He sighs. “Anyway,” he grumbles, “I was up all-night thinking about that shit and I got wondering about you and your summer gig. How are things going?”
“Things are going… great!” I say, holding back the largest grin of my life.
“Whoa, sounds like you’ve found a woman! That’s great! Shit, you’re going to be hitched before the rest of us are. How the hell does that happen?”
“Is it weird that I hope you’re right? This girl is perfect. She’s smart, and sweet, and adventurous, and fuck… I don’t want her out of my mind.”
Henry laughs. “You sound like a teenage girl. You realize that, right?”
“If this is what teenagers feel all the time, no wonder they’re all crazy.”
“I’m happy for you, man. I never thought I’d have to tell you to take it slow, but don’t forget… take it slow.” He laughs again, harder this time. “Love always feels right at the beginning. It’s that middle part that gets you.”
He’s barely finished with his sentence when I see a whirl of blonde hair shining through the side window of the cabin. At first, my heart explodes with excitement. I wanted to wake up to Beth’s face, but as she gets closer, I realize she’s crying.