His gaze jerked towards her. “What's that?”
“Your loyalty, your love.” She looked away. “I'm not sure I could have made
the same sacrifice for either of my parents.” It was embarrassing to say out loud, but true.
“Well, I didn't have a lot of choice. Mom needed help, and Dad was…Dad.”
“I can't imagine how tough it was for her.”
“I didn't have to. I had to watch it.” His face was stony for a moment, then
softened. “But she was a trooper.”
“I'm sorry, Peter.”
“You don't have to be.”
“No, I mean for everything.” She reached out, touched his hand. His fingers
closed around hers, and they were silent for some time.
Kate tried to find something, anything encouraging to say. “Well, you know
you're doing well here, right? With teaching? It didn't turn out all that bad.”
“I suppose not.”
“Is it lonely?”
“Sometimes.”
A slight breeze moved her hair. She could smell him on the jacket she was
wearing.
He moved a little closer. “Although you never know who might turn up,” he
added.
Her heart bumped. “True.”
“For example, say, a traveling salesman.”
“Salesgirl,” she corrected.
“Salesgirl. Or a new teacher at the school.”
She nodded. “New schoolmarm in town? That only works in Westerns.”
He nodded. “True. We're dealing with a modern chick flick here, right?”
“I'd say so, yes.”
“So it would have to be someone spunky.”
She shook her head. “I prefer the term highly motivated.”
“Okay, so someone highly motivated, and of course she'd have to be very pretty, although she doesn't think she's very pretty.”
She just nodded. Leaned closer. His arm moved around her.
“And, let's see…she'd have, what? Blue eyes?”
“Brown.”
“Right, of course. Brown eyes, and wavy hair, probably reddish blonde.
Something that glinted in the starlight like diamonds on spun gold.”
She nodded. “Wow, that's pretty colorful for a scientist.”
“Quiet, I'm on a roll. And she'd have maybe a sprinkle of freckles around her
nose like a dusting from a dandelion.” He traced the side of her nose with his finger. “You know. Kind of that girl-next-door look?”
“Mmm,” was all she could say as she nodded.
His face was inches away. “Know anyone like that?”
