Page 12
Chapter 12 of "Dominant Mountain Man" introduces: "Color," she mumbles, teasing, eyes shut."Green," I tell her. "All the way green."There's a thing... Read on to discover!
"Color," she mumbles, teasing, eyes shut.
"Green," I tell her. "All the way green."
There's a thing I've been working on up at the shop, late, after she's asleep. A small box. Burl walnut, dovetailed, no nails, smooth enough to read in the dark with your fingers. Inside it, when it's done, there'll be a ring I had a buddy in Denver set, because the one thing I can't carve is a diamond.
I'm not ready to give it to her tonight. The restaurant gets to be hers alone for a while first. But I know how I'll do it. Quiet. Up the mountain, just the two of us and the dog, no festival crowd this time, because she already taught me how to do the brave thing in front of a whole town and now I get to do the soft one where only she can see.
For tonight, I carry her out to the truck through the snow, settle her in, and drive us home down the mountain road we've worn smooth between us.
A summer girl who was supposed to leave at the end of a month.
She never did get on that plane.
Best thing I never let happen.