About a mile before the Absaroka County limits sign, I pull over to the side of the road in a designated turn-out and the slowness of the truck wakes Vic from her comfortable slumber against my shoulder.
"Are we home?"
"Not yet"
"Where are we?"
"About a mile from the county line"
"Can't make it to the rest stop?"
"No, it's not that. I have some things I wanna say before we get home."
Vic looks up at me, her eyes seriously studying mine. "I'm listening."
"I know you're worried about the town folk and all the chatter but you know Vic people will gossip or have opinions about stuff no matter what we do. I can't worry about them. We shouldn't worry about them."
"That sounds rather optimistic coming from an elected official"
"Yeah, but I'm not worried about that either because I am confident that the good people, voting people, of the county would support me and that's if I even decide to run for Sheriff again."
"So what concerns you then and don't tell me nothing"
"No, no you're right. I do worry about what those I love have to say or rather what they want to say and haven't."
"Henry and Cady"
"I had a long talk…relatively speaking…with Henry before we left," I looked down and we both smiled because she knows it was a short conversation. "He gets it and well he understands my concerns"
"Which are?"
"I'm not worried about right now, Vic, but I worry about twenty years from now when I will definitely be an old man and you will be saddled with me like baggage in the basement. I don't want you to live that sort of life. I don't want to suck the life out of you because we are together."
"I would have a choice in that wouldn't I?"
"You would choose to stay but at what cost? The sacrifice of your youth? I couldn't steal that from you. I shouldn't steal that from you."
"You are making a lot of presumptions"
"Maybe. Maybe not but it's what worries me about us. Not the here and now."
"Walt, we just made it through a weekend, I think you are putting the cart before the horse here don't you thinking about 20 years from now?"
I look over at her not saying a word.
"What else worries you?"
"The complications of aging."
"Walt, we all have those fears"
"After the past few days in Dallas, which have been wonderful by the way and beyond my wildest imagination," I kiss her gently on the lips, "I worry that I won't be able to satisfy you when I get older, babe."
Vic stops me by putting her hand to my mouth.
"Listen, I hear what you are saying, I really do but you are being presumptuous about a lot of things. I would like a little more credit because while I love making love with you I'm not so shallow to think that's all that I'm about because if it was everything about us would be different."
I guess she put me in my place but it doesn't mean I'm not worried about it.
"And Cady."
"She worries"
"About"
"Us"
"Why"
"Work"
"And"
"Nothing"
"just work"
"yup"
"and you?"
"Me, too"
"Well"
"Well, it's work"
"And"
"You have to let me do my job."
"I do"
"Like having me hold up in your office while you rush alone to a fight to the death with Ridges or having Ferg return Branches property or not letting Branch in the station because I'm there and playing down how hurt you are because I'm there. You mean like that"
"I guess my protective gene has been in overdrive lately."
"You think?"
"It's hard watching you, caring for you and not being able to say anything, Vic. The hardest part was not kissing you when you were cleaning the blood from my face. I really wanted to, you know."
I lean over and she caresses my face with her finger tips where the cut has healed near my ear and what starts as a gentle loving kiss turns into a deep passionate heated devouring exchange with her hands wrapped around my head pulling my hair, my hands unbuttoning her blouse and my lips finding their way to her neck. Vic moves over and straddles my lap.
I lean back and look into her eyes, "This is the part that worries me about work. How am I going to keep my hands off of you?"
She smiles as if she just sunk the winning shot. "This won't happen at work, Walt. We both respect our work too much for that to happen"
"I guess but you drive me crazy and my hands are on you and my lips are on you before I know it and it's foolish and wild and intoxicating and I could go on." I smile at her because I know I am head over heels in love with her.
"I guess we can make some rules"
"Like what?"
"Like, we work different shifts or maybe we have sex before work at home or other select locations so we won't think about it at work." She laughs at me because she can sense my embarrassment not to mention the demands she will take on me.
Vic reaches down between my legs, "Don't worry, I will take care of what's mine." She kisses my lips. "Come on lets go home".
"I hope I can see the road after that."
Vic tugs at my ear and whispers, "I will help you steer"
I almost lose consciousness, this girl, gets right where I want her and bam. When I regain my thoughts I tell her, "Just so you know I told Henry and Cady that we went to the game. That's about it. I didn't go into details and I don't think they will ask too many questions but if they do I'm going to let them know that…ah…well…I guess ..that we are dating?"
"Yeah, we are dating"
"It seems more serious than that though. There has to be another way to describe it."
"Seeing each other."
"Well we certainly did that." Referring to our bedroom antics.
Vic smiles at me and kisses the side of my neck.
"Vic, I'm not ashamed of us, you know."
"Me, neither."
"So, I would like to ask you out….ah…on a proper date…if you will…I know it's late notice for a weekend but if you don't have anything planned would you have dinner with me tomorrow night and ah maybe a movie over in Sheridan?"
Vic looks at me almost like I flew in from Area 51.
"Yes, Walt. I would love to go out with you tomorrow."
I smile because I'm happy. I'm scared but I'm happy. I also think I want to be in Sheridan because I know there are going to be problems but I just don't know yet what form they will take and I would like a little more time for us before those problems land on my doorstop.
Vic takes my hand in hers as I turn the truck back onto the highway and head for the Absaroka County sign.
She leans back on my shoulder, "Walt, stay with me tonight. "
I scratch my chin, my beard growing thick after my morning shave, thinking of how I never took the easy way out of anything in my life and I'm not about to start now, "I would love to wake up with you in the morning."
A few have requested Walt and Vic as married with babies. Check out my Walt and Vic - Moment In Time Chapters 5-17. This story will continue now that they are back home.
