mouth. And what did it matter in the scheme of things?
“Okay.”
“Be reasonable—”
“I said okay.”
He grinned sheepishly, which was an altogether attractive look on him. Of course, she had yet to see him looking unattractive. He elevated handsome to a knee-weakening, mind-numbing state in his dress uniform.
“Then...well...okay, let’s head out.” He formally offered the crook of his arm as if they were at a gala. In a moment of carefree silliness that she hadn’t known in a long time, she slipped her arm through his. “Why, thank you, sir.”
“Damn, Blondie, you’re slipping. You were just nice to me.”
“No worries. It was a momentary slip. You shouldn’t get used to it.”
And neither should she. The one thing she knew for certain about Lars Reinhardt was that he was temporary.
* * *
“THANKS, DIRK,” MERRILEE said as he put the last table back in place in the community center.
“No problem.” He’d offered to hang around and help with the cleanup after the party, well, actually the reception, was over. Once Tansy and Liam hightailed it out, the joint had cleared as quick as a honky-tonky bar fight when the cops rolled in. He’d been glad to stay behind and help Merrilee.
It wasn’t as if he had anywhere to go, anything to do or anyone to see. Liam and Tansy were honeymooning at some undisclosed destination, but he was pretty sure they were holed up at Shadow Lake, where they both stayed when they got together. Lars and that new nurse, Delphi, had been cozying up during the party and left afterward. He and Merrilee were the last two left in the building. Bull had gotten stuck taking Aunt Janie back to the new bed-and-breakfast where she was staying. His uncle had definitely got the short end of that stick. Dirk would rather mud-wrestle an alligator than hang with Aunt Janie. The gator was nicer.
On Monday, he and Lars were flying out to the camp. Lars would spend the day checking it out and then the bush pilot would swing back around and pick him up. Staying at the camp alone for the rest of the week suited Dirk well enough. He had some things to get ready for the next training session, which would start a week from Monday. And seeing as how he felt alone all the time, he figured he might as well be alone.
“I think that about does it,” Merrilee said, looking around the room to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. It looked fine to him. “It was a nice wedding, wasn’t it? Liam and Tansy are a good match.”
“Better’n him and Natalie.” Damn, that just sort of slipped out. But he wasn’t surprised—Natalie was always on his mind. Kind of like one of those brain-eating parasites he’d seen on some TV show.
Merrilee gave him what he always thought of as a “sorting out” look. After a second or so, she said, “I never met Natalie, but it’s hard to imagine anyone suiting Liam more than Tansy. What’s Natalie like?”
“She’s nice. Real pretty. Kinda bubbly. She’s a schoolteacher. We grew up next to one another.”
“I take it you two have stayed friends and keep in touch?”
“Not really, well, not that much. I hadn’t talked to her for years until Tansy and Liam got together. Since then, we’ve emailed a couple of times.”
“Oh. I see.” The heat of a dull flush climbed his neck to his face. Hopefully Merrilee wouldn’t notice. Her tone and her smile said she did. She knew he was miserably in love with Natalie.
He tucked a chair more firmly under the table and stared at it. If Merrilee looked at him as if he was a joke, he really didn’t want to see it—but he didn’t think she’d do that.
“I was thinking of inviting her out here for a visit,” he said quickly, adding, “Lars said I should. It was his idea.” He figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a woman’s opinion on the idea, but there was no way he’d bring it up to his own mother—he’d never hear the end of it. Merrilee was a good choice.
She didn’t hesitate. “Sure. Why not? It’s beautiful here and since she and Liam parted on good terms, it shouldn’t be too awkward. Invite her, if that’s what you want to do.”
“When do you think I should ask her to come?” he mumbled. Just thinking about it made him feel as if he had a cement block in his gut.
“I didn’t catch that, honey.”
He repeated his question, making sure