owl broke from the trees, Molly galloped into the darkness and vanished. Savannah pulled on her boots again.
We walked toward the barn. I thought about everything she’d told me and wondered again why I’d come. I wasn’t sure if I was happy that she’d married Tim—since they’d seemed so perfect for each other—or upset for exactly the same reason. Nor was I glad that I finally knew the truth; somehow, I realized, it was easier not to know. All at once, I simply felt tired.
And yet . . . there was something I knew she wasn’t telling me. I heard it in her voice, in the hint of sadness that wouldn’t go away. As the darkness surrounded us, I was acutely aware of how close we were walking together, and I wondered whether she felt the same. If she did, she gave no sign.
The horses were mere shadows in the distance, shapes without recognizable form. Savannah retrieved a couple of bridles and brought them to the barn, hanging them on a couple of pegs. While she did, I collected the shovels we’d been using and set them with the rest of the tools. On our way out, she made sure to shut the gate.
Glancing at my watch, I saw it was nearly ten o’clock. It was late, and we were both conscious of the hour.
“I guess I should probably get going,” I said. “It’s a small town. I don’t want to start any rumors.”
“You’re probably right.” Molly wandered up, appearing from nowhere, and sat between us. When she lapped at Savannah’s leg, she stepped to the side. “Where are you staying?” she asked.
“Something or other motor court. Just off the highway.”
Her nose crinkled, if only for an instant. “I know the place.”
“It is kind of a dive,” I admitted.
She smiled. “I can’t say I’m surprised. You always did have a way of finding the most unique places.”
“Like the Shrimp Shack?”
“Exactly.”
I pushed my hands into my pockets, wondering whether this was the last time I’d ever see her. If so, it struck me as absurdly anticlimactic; I didn’t want it to end in small talk, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
On the road out front, the headlights of an approaching car flashed over the property as it sped past the house.
“I guess that’s it, then,” I said, at a loss. “It was good seeing you again.”
“You, too, John. I’m glad you came by.”
I nodded again. When she looked away, I took it as my cue to leave.
“Good-bye,” I said.
“Bye.”
I turned from the porch and started toward my car, dazed at the thought it was really and truly over. I wasn’t sure I’d expected anything different, but the finality brought to the surface all those feelings I’d been repressing since I’d read her last letter.
I was opening the door when I heard her call out.
“Hey, John?”
“Yeah?”
She stepped off the porch and started toward me. “Are you going to be around tomorrow?”
As she drew near, her face half in shadow, I knew with certainty that I was still in love with her. Despite the letter, despite her husband. Despite the fact that we could never be together now.
“Why?” I asked.
“I was wondering if you’d like to drop by. Around ten. I’m sure Tim would like to see you. . . .”
I was shaking my head even before she finished. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea—”
“Could you do it for me?”
I knew she wanted me to see that Tim was still the same man I remembered, and in a sense, I knew she was asking because she wanted forgiveness. Still . . .
She reached out to take my hand. “Please. It would mean a lot to me.”
Despite the warmth of her hand, I didn’t want to come back. I didn’t want to see Tim, I didn’t want to see the two of them together or sit around the table pretending that all seemed right in the world. But there was something plaintive about her request that made it impossible to turn her down.
“Okay,” I said. “Ten o’clock.”
“Thank you.”
A moment later, she turned. I stayed in place, watching her climb onto the porch before I got in the car. I turned the key and backed out. Savannah turned on the porch, waving one last time. I waved, then headed out to the road, her image growing smaller in the rearview mirror. Watching her, I felt a sudden dryness in my throat. Not because she was married to Tim, and not