“Yes,” he said, trying to look serious. “I studied literature. I’m a romantic.”

“And then went on to get a counseling degree...” she offered.

“I’m afraid not. You shouldn’t ever take my advice or tell me your dreams unless they’re harmless.”

“Did you want to teach?” she asked.

“I did teach for a while. A short, memorable time—six months in what was called a men’s academy, the oldest ‘man’ being seventeen. I think I’m probably better with girls. I really liked that HR job...” He put his hands on her hips and leaned toward her.

“Because it got you laid.”

“I saw that as a perk, not part of the job.”

“I’d really love to see that princess someday...”

He decided it was time to talk less and kiss more. She was every bit as excellent as he was. She was getting closer and closer, her hands caressing his shoulders, neck and head. He loved female fingers in his hair. She was breathing hard and so was he.

“I have a roomy tent,” he said against her lips.

“That probably wouldn’t be smart of me,” she said.

“You worried about Sully?”

“I’m worried about me,” she said emphatically. “You’re probably riddled with theme-park diseases.”

He laughed. “Making serious love to you will be hard if you keep making jokes. I’m not riddled with anything. Except, you know, things like lust.”

“How long has this been on your mind?” she asked.

“Specifically?” he asked.

“Just when did it first come to you?”

“I think it was...when you asked me if I was homeless,” he said. “There was a dominatrix quality about it.” Then he smiled against her lips.

“I’m not spanking you, no matter how you beg.”

“Awww...”

“Why do you want to? Besides the fact that you’re a man?”

“You’re so pretty, Maggie,” he said tenderly. He tucked her hair behind her ear. “You have such a hot body, too. And you take such good care of your dad. Okay, that last has nothing to do with sex, it just makes you so much more desirable, that you’re a caring person. Mostly? You’re pretty and clever. I’m such a sucker for looks and brains. Gives me such a hard-on.”

She sighed. “All right, Calypso. But if you leave me in the morning, I might hunt you down. And punish you.”

He put his hands on either side of her face, on her cheeks. “Listen to me, Maggie. I’m going to explore this summer. But I won’t leave you without saying goodbye. Because that would be awful and if you did that to me I would be disappointed. We’ll make love, we’ll laugh, we’ll play and when the weather is warm enough so I’m not caught in some damn avalanche, I’m going up the trail to the divide. I’ve been dying for two things. You and that trail. You most.”

“You promise?”

“Yes. Even though I have a bad track record with promises.”

“You break them?” she asked.

“They usually break me,” he said. “Let’s sneak out the back door.”

* * *

Maggie held his hand and they walked to his little pop-up trailer. It was a tent, really, but it opened up out of a small, flat trailer that he pulled behind his truck. The base was metal, the top was canvas. It was spacious for a tent; she could almost stand up inside. It was not furnished with a king-size bed, however. There were two single but large cots, one on each side with space in the center. “Hopefully we won’t take up too much room,” she said.