One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,41

for sissies. Every cell she had seemed to have had gone on strike. Even her eyelashes hurt. But she supposed that a little exercise and fresh air was going to do her good. She certainly couldn’t feel any worse than she did now.

Summer evenings were longer now, but remained somehow cool, though July was nearly on them. She supposed that was one of the perks of living at high elevation in the desert. Warm days and cool nights were just about perfect to her. She stretched her muscles while waiting for Taylor, but he didn’t show. So she started her first lap around the track, continuing the warm-up without him. Somewhat disappointed that he hadn’t come, deep down she’d known that he was going to revert to his normal life at some point and leave her behind. Seemed like that was the story of her life. She was just a side dish in life’s buffet, something to keep a man from starving but not enough to sustain him. Though disappointment churned in her stomach, she kept going. That’s always what she did, she just kept going forward no matter what.

The quick footsteps of a runner behind her made her move over to let the person by.

“Hi, Piper!” Alex said as he jogged in place beside her. He was red-faced and sweaty, but he looked like he was enjoying himself.

“Hey, kiddo. What are you doing here?” Where Alex was, Taylor was sure to be close by. Anticipation hummed in her belly and some of her fatigue mysteriously evaporated, as did the disappointment and her somber mood.

“Uncle T. tortured me until I came.” He grinned, jogging backward so he could see her.

“Tortured you? With what, a book?” She laughed.

“Oh, man, you guessed. It was either read or come to the park. At least this way I might see a rabid coyote.”

“Not if you’re going backward,” she pointed out with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah.” He turned around, glancing at the path ahead of them.

Piper laughed, suddenly glad that she’d pushed herself a little and come. Glad for the company of a child who didn’t expect too much from her and had a way of looking at things that was totally foreign to her. Alex was a great kid. When she had children, if she had children, she hoped they would be as nice as this one.

“So where is he?” She glanced ahead on the trail, but didn’t see the familiar form.

“Right behind you,” Taylor said.

Piper jumped. Her nerves shot to full alert, but she congratulated herself on maintaining a calm facade. “There you are. I thought I beat you here. I had decided you weren’t coming, so I started without you. Then when Alex caught up with me, I realized that you’d started without me.”

“I am a man of my word. I never break it,” Taylor said, and slowed his pace to match theirs.

Piper cast a doubtful glance his way as they rounded a sharp curve in the trail covered with river-bed rocks. “Really?”

“Really.”

“He’s right, Piper. Uncle T. never breaks his word. And sometimes that’s not good.” He gave her a serious look.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“If he says I get punished for something, he means it.” Alex’s eyes went wide. “He never forgets.”

Laughing, Piper put her pace into high gear, but the boys easily caught up with her. “That’s good to know in case I ever need punishing.”

“I hope that never happens to you, ’cause he’ll never forget. Ever.” Alex pointed off the side of the trail. “Jackrabbit. I called it.”

Piper watched as the animal skittered away from them in a crazy pattern and disappeared in the brush. “Why are you calling jackrabbits?”

“We’re playing a game. Whoever sees the most wildlife wins and the loser has to do the dishes,” Taylor said.

“Did either of you catch that raven sitting on the fencepost over there?” she asked, and pointed to the large black bird watching them with dark, dark eyes.

“It’s mine!” Alex yelled.

“Mine.”

Piper laughed at their banter and the remainder of their walk raced by until they could no longer see the trail in front of them.

The evening ended with three happily exhausted people who went to Taylor’s house and ordered pizza. The dishes were forgotten as were the stains on the couch. And the carpet. And the wall.

Taylor sat on the floor with the other two and stretched his legs out in front of him, oddly content. Relaxing at home in front of the TV was something he rarely did. Too much