Page 8 of Making a Mountain Man

“Can’t I just be happy to see such a lovely lady?”

Agnes stopped fighting with Henry and turned back to me. “I’d have expected your pants to catch right on fire with a whopper of a lie like that.”

“Unless your eyesight is as bad as hers,” Henry said, pointing towards Agnes with his chin.

“How dare you–” Agnes started.

“I had a date.”

Four sets of eyes pivoted to me, and I sensed my mistake.

Agnes rubbed her hands together and sat at the table, her fight with Henry forgotten for now. “Sit, sit, sit. Tell us everything.”

Town gossip was like a soap opera to this group.

I rubbed at the space between my eyebrows but dropped into a chair as I was told. Sometimes my friendship with these four felt more like a hostage situation. “Don’t get too excited. I was just catching up with an old friend.”

Agnes and Franny exchanged a look. “A lady friend? How exciting!” Franny clasped her hands in front of her chest. A large emerald ring I knew her late husband had given her sparkled on her hand. As much as all the people at the seniors center, but especially these four, drove me crazy, I could appreciate that they had life experiences that I didn’t have.

“Yes, a lady friend. I made her dinner. Right now, there is nothing else to tell. But I will be sure to let you know when there is.”

“Dinner? That’s it. What about flowers, chocolates, a trip to the movies? A lady expects to be wined and dined son.” Bill had been married to the same woman his entire life until she’d passed a few years ago. He was a true romantic, even now.

“Pfft,” Henry said dismissively. “Wesley and I are lifelong bachelors. We love ‘em and we leave ‘em. You can’t tie men like us down.” He put an arm around my shoulders and met Agnes’s glare.

“I’m not talking about tying down. I’m talking about reining in. You, Henry, need supervision. Our Wesley needs love. He isn’t cranky like you, so there’s still time.” Agnes smiled at me fondly.

My heart warmed a little at her words. I liked the idea that forty-two wasn’t too late for love.

“But don’t scare this one away either. The days are long, butthe years are short, and this town is woefully lacking in single women.”

“Gee thanks Agnes.”

Her face softened. “You know we just want to see you happy. Many people are happy alone but I don’t think you are.”

Her words hit home and my chest tightened. I didn’t want to get into a heart to heart right now. I was lonely. I did want someone in my life. What I didn’t want was to put pressure on my relationship with Jill when it was only twenty-four hours old after a twenty-five year hiatus. I was also once bitten, twice shy about putting myself out there. “On that note, I am going to go mouse hunting.”

Chapter 7

Jill

“Careful. If you keep showing up here, I’m going to think you like me,” Wesley said as I stepped out of my car into his dusty driveway. The sun was powerful even at nine in the morning. It was going to be another scorcher.

I rolled my eyes. “Well, we wouldn’t want that.” I let my eyes scan over him. He was in blue jeans so faded on the thigh that they were practically white, with a black t-shirt and ball cap. He had paint speckled work boots on his feet and tools spread out on the ground around him.

“What are you up to?”

“Replacing the boards on my front steps. I don’t get many visitors, but after you stopped by the other day I realized I should get them fixed ASAP. They are rotten as hell.”

“Oh.” I should have called before I showed up, but I hadn’t thought to ask him for his number. I’d been busy over the week researching and writing about an unsolved crime thathad happened a decade ago. It wasn’t as hard hitting or ground breaking as I had hoped for for my first article, but Heather was happy and Wesley was safe. “Well I should leave you to it,” I turned to leave but he caught my wrist.

“No, no, no! You’re here now, you can help. Hand me that big hammer over there.”

I glanced around, finding the tool in the dust, and picked it up. It was heavy in my hand and the metal of the handle was hot from the sun. “Pfft. you call this big?”

He grinned, taking it from my hand. “It’s all about how you swing it.” He knelt down, the muscles in his back rippling as he pounded the nail through the board in one swing.

Fuck that was hot.

---