“Oh, yea. We ran into one another in Austin some years later. I’d come to town to interview with Scott and he was here meeting with his brothers, something about his mother finding out the identity of her birth parents.”
Libby slapped the dashboard with the flat of her palm. “Get outta town!”
“Well, I did. After an amazing night, I left him a note and walked out of his life for the second time.”
“Why? Didn’t you like him? Wasn’t he a good guy?”
Jensen sighed. “He was the best. So sweet. God, he was glad to see me. He said the most romantic things – and he wanted to continue seeing me.”
“Well, why didn’t you?”
Giving Libby a sad look, Jensen put on her blinker to turn off I-35 onto Highway 29. “The next day I was scheduled to have a mastectomy at M. D. Anderson. Running into him was a fluke and I used him for a last hurrah.” She threw one hand in the air. “My final chance to have sex as a whole woman with two breasts.”
“Oh, my lands, Jensen. What happened then?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. After sleeping in his arms all night, I snuck out like a scarlet woman and left him a note that said – Sorry. Don’t try to find me. As far as I know, he didn’t.”
Libby sat there with her mouth open. “But you liked him, right?”
“Very much. Of course, there were obstacles. I was older. He played football. I was moving away. But those things were small potatoes compared to cancer. No matter how I felt about it, waking up the next morning and saying… Oh, by the way, I have cancer and I’m having a breast removed today – I couldn’t do that.”
“Oh, honey. I can relate.” Libby touched Jensen’s arm with sympathy. “Have you ever considered you might have underestimated him?”
“Maybe. Clint is an exceptional man.” Considering Libby’s position, she couldn’t say what was on her mind. Her friend’s choices were her own. People were different. Diseases reacted differently. The role of genetics was a hard puzzle to decipher. For Jensen, having a family would be like having hostages to fortune. Her future was far too uncertain to involve anyone else. Not a husband and certainly not children.
“What is his name?”
“Clint. Clint Wilder.” At Libby’s shocked face, Jensen laughed sadly. “Yea, that Clint Wilder. Football god. Handsome as sin. Heart of gold.”
“If everything were okay. If things were normal. Would you want to be with him?”
Jensen scoffed. “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to forget about him. I think about him all the time.”
“Hmmm.”
“Oh, well. No use worrying about things I can’t change.” She gestured toward her chest. “Even if things were different, he’d never want to see me again.”
“Well, you never know.”
“It doesn’t matter now – water under the bridge.” Jensen slowed down as she went through the town of Burnet. “Don’t let me miss the turn.” As she checked her mirrors, she noticed the sky behind them. “Dang, that weather is looking rough.”
“This time of year is full of storms,” Libby muttered as she dug in her purse. “Can you ride a horse, Jensen?”
Jensen laughed out loud. “What a question. Yes. I’ve finally become a horsewoman. I had a bit of a rocky start, but I persisted and prevailed. I don’t own my own horse, but I visit a riding stable regularly.”
“Excellent.” She held up a brochure so Jensen could see. “This might be something you’d be interested in.”
Glancing at the large print, she read, “Hill Country Search and Rescue. Joseph and Tennessee McCoy. Part of your family, I presume.”
“Yes, Joseph is Aron’s brother and Tennessee is Jaxson’s brother. The other three founding partners are family friends. These guys perform a very necessary and difficult function. They’re called upon to help find missing people all over the country – everywhere from National Parks to the Atchafalaya Swamp. I don’t know how many lives they’ve saved, but it’s a substantial number. If you’re interested, they’re looking for new members. You with your medical background would fill a vital need. I know you’re specialized, but I suspect emergency medicine is well within your training.”
“True. I might have to brush up on some procedures, but that’s doable. What does this entail?” She kept glancing at the pretty photos on the brochure.
“Well, it doesn’t pay anything. In fact, it can be expensive. The ones who volunteer their time don’t charge the