turnabout is fair play. Tell me something about yourself.”
“Oh, okay. Now, let me see…”
While they finished their food, he regaled her with stories about his sisters and brothers. Everything from helping Kyd build his first house, “We had the finest treehouse in the neighborhood.”, to the time Bethany tried to make corn-nuts in a deep fryer, “We picked greasy hominy kernels off the ceiling for weeks.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a great relationship with your brothers and sisters.”
“I do. When we go on our walk, I’ll introduce you to the horses I bought from Rowan. They’re rehomed, they’ve had a rough life.”
“Oh, how terrible. Yes, I’d love to see them.”
“Someday soon, I’ll have to take you to see his ranch.”
To this, Jensen made no reply. Making future plans was not part of the equation.
Seeing she was finished with her meal; Clint rose to clear the plates. “I’m ready for dessert. How about you?”
“Sure. I’m anxious to see how that pie turned out. It’s a tried and true recipe, but I finagled with it a bit and used a different brand of chocolate and added some hazelnuts.” She clasped her hands in her lap to still their faint shaking. “Let me cut it for us.”
“Okay. I’ll get plates and forks.” He gave her a warm glance. “This is nice. Doing things together.”
“Yes.” A wave of regret swept over Jensen. Don’t buy into this. It isn’t real. With sheer force of will, she put a smile on her face. Taking the pie cutter he placed on the counter near her, she cut two slices, one bigger than the other. After sliding them onto the proffered dessert plates, she returned to the table to sit one at his spot and the other at hers. “This doesn’t look too bad, if I say so myself.”
“I’m sure it’s wonderful.” Clint took his seat, then dug into the pie. “Dang, I was right. This is amazing.”
Jensen wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. He was just being so damn cheerful about everything. But after taking a taste herself, she had to agree. “I think the Ghirardelli chocolate worked out well. Very rich.”
“I could eat this for every meal,” Clint told her as he ate with gusto.
Seeing him consume the dessert with such relish made Jensen wiggle in her chair. She knew for a fact he could display this same degree of enthusiasm for things other than food. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
While they ate their pie, they discussed their recent trip and the prospect of being called out on other missions. Truthfully, Jensen hadn’t considered this. If today ended the way she expected it to, seeing him again would be awkward.
“After reading your blog, I can understand why you were so good on the trail. You’ve had some experience rock climbing,” he told her.
“Some. I’ve been trying to work my way through my bucket list.”
Clint frowned. “Don’t call it that. You’re too young to have a bucket list.”
“Age doesn’t really have anything to do with it.”
“You’re right. Look at Bethany, she nearly died. Look at my father. Look at yours. Life’s a gamble. We’re all on borrowed time.”
Jensen was somewhat taken aback. She laid down her fork and picked up a napkin to crush it between her fingers. “I suppose you’re right. Although, some might have less time than others.”
When they’d consumed every crumb of their piece of pie, Clint stood to clear the table.
“Let me help you.” Jensen jumped up to take dishes to the sink. In short order, they’d filled the dishwasher and put leftovers in the fridge. “That was wonderful. Thank you for having me, Clint.”
“The evening’s not over by any means.” He went to find her jacket. “Ready for a moonlight walk?”
“Yea, I can walk off these calories.”
He helped her to slip on her jacket. “Exercise is always good, but that’s not something you need to worry about.”
Because her body was perfect. Right? “Thank you. Compliments make me nervous.”
“You’ll have to get over that because you deserve all the compliments you can get.”
“Clint…please don’t.”
He pretended to not know what she meant. “Let’s go out the front, there’s something I want to show you.”
“Okay. I need some fresh air.” As they moved to the outside, Clint again touched her back to guide her, but Jensen sidestepped away.
“The horses are this way.”
He led her to a pasture fence where she could see two horses were feeding nearby. “What are their names?”
“Sun is the golden palomino and the silver grulla is called Moon.”