Page 14 of High Density

I veer left and pull up in front of the house, putting the truck in park as I try to find the right way to share what’s on my mind. I’m just going to lay it out there. That seemed to work the first time.

“For the record; I like the hair and the dress, you look very pretty like this, but you’re no less beautiful in jeans and braids. I’m saying this because I like spending time with you, and I’ll take any time you’ve got available, even if it’s a few minutes for a quick coffee when you’re running from one place to the next.”

The soft smile on her face when she turns to me conveys direct honesty works for her.

“Thank you, and I’d like that.” She hesitates briefly before adding, “Goodnight,” and slipping out of the vehicle.

She’s already halfway to the front door when I catch up with her to walk her the rest of the way.

“Night, Janey.”

She glances at me over her shoulder as she opens her door, and sends another smile.

“Night,” she echoes, before disappearing inside.

As I drive away from the house, I wonder if I missed an opportunity to kiss her. I’ve been thinking of little else tonight, and for a moment there it seemed like she might be open to theidea, but I don’t want her to think I’m only after one thing. So, I’m going to take things slow.

I’ll kiss her next time.

Chapter Five

JD

“You were seventeen at the time.”

I shrug at my father’s comment.

“So? I remember being pretty good at it.”

“You gave your ma sleepless nights, and she made sure I wasn’t getting rest either because I’d encouraged you. That’s all I remember,” he grumbles, shaking his head.

I bite off a grin. I recall that too. She’d been pissed when she found out a few of my buddies and I had signed up for the Indian horse relay at a rodeo outside of Kalispell. Because I was underage, I needed a parent’s signature and had talked Pa into signing off.

But I learned my lesson at seventeen, after ending up with three cracked ribs when I got trampled in the horse exchange, and have no intention of signing up for the relay again, but it’s fun to jerk Pa around a bit. He overheard me asking Jonas for a couple of days off during the rodeo and he poked his nose in.

We’re up near the Swede Mountain Lookout, looking for a young woman who—according to friends—had planned to come up here for a hike yesterday morning and hasn’t been heard of since. The game warden found her vehicle was still parked by the tower, so we were called out for a search.

The tower is pretty rough to get to. The six miles of dirt road zigzagging up the mountain was a bit much for our trucks to haul the horse trailers all the way up. So we set up a staging area in a clearing a couple of miles down and are doing the rest on horseback.

My father is riding beside me and every so often I can feel his eyes on me, until I finally put him out of his misery.

“Relax, Pa. I have no intention of entering any relay or rodeo.”

“Asshole,” he mumbles, but I can see the relief on his face. “I swear, with your sister coming this weekend, your ma is already strung out enough. This might’a sent her over the edge.”

Right. Una’s visit.

“When is she getting in?” I ask.

“Sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

Well, I hope like hell we’ve found this woman by then, because Ma and Una alone for any length of time could be explosive.

I love my sister, and I wish I’d see her more, but I’m always walking on eggshells on those rare occasions she does visit. She, in turn, doesn’t understand how I could’ve moved back to Libby, but I don’t have the same relationship with our parents she does.

Una was always outspoken and rebellious, while I tended to be quieter and more reserved. I was no angel by any stretch of the imagination, but most of the time I’d fly under the radar, while my sister was like a lightning rod, drawing all the attention her way. I guess I take after my father, but Una is the spitting image of Ma, who is also fiery and feisty, and they clash.

We were raised to respect our elders and honor traditional values, but I guess that created different expectations for Una than it did for me. I’m a man, and although Ma would love to see me with a family—something she reminds me of from time to time—it’s quite acceptable for me to be single and independent. I’m still the proverbial hunter and gatherer, so it doesn’t take away from my worth as a man.

---