She picked up the moccasins, taking her heavy duty outdoor shoes off, and slipping them on. They fit beautifully.
“Let me guess, you measured my shoes.”
“It’s possible. How’s the fit?”
“Perfect. How’d you get the cushioned sole?”
“It’s double layered thick leather with fur between. It may feel hard now, but it will form to your foot and protect from rocks and hard objects. It may take a few weeks for the fit to set, but once it does, they’ll feel like an extension of your feet.”
Molly put both on and walked around. They were so comfortable, and she loved the look. They wrapped around her ankle, were tied with fine leather straps, and had two silver pieces like buttons.
“So can we take a photo in the gear?”
“And the dogs.”
Molly was tipsy from the Scotch but pleased. He wanted a posed photo of the two of them with Bear and Shadow to send to his family. She felt better. He wasn’t hiding her from his family. He might not be reaching out to his family, but he was okay with honest communication. Maybe like lovemaking—he didn’t talk, but he did communicate.
They both adjourned to the bedroom to put on their matching hats, vests, and moccasins. Molly put a light highlighter on her eyes and played with how her hair tumbled out of the cowgirl hat. She modeled the vest in the mirror and decided to wear a different blouse, a more western one, to fit the look, and added a bolo tie. She kept the same jeans on but changed to a rodeo silver buckle belt. Finally, she put on dangling western silver earrings that matched the silver on her hat, vest, and moccasins. When they were dressed, they looked at the other and laughed as they returned to the chairs.
“You’re in charge of the camera. I have no idea how to take a selfie.”
“I’m on it. I have a tiny tripod that sits on a stool. I’ll put my cell phone in that and set the timer. Are you thinking two chairs or one?”
“Maybe one chair, you sit in my lap, a dog on each side, a toast of Scotch.”
Molly chuckled. He wasn’t afraid to signal to his family the nature of the relationship.
They summoned the dogs, positioning one on each side. Bart sat in the chair. Molly adjusted the camera a dozen times until she got it just right, then set the timer for ten seconds. She stood and surveyed the scene. Perfect. She started the ten seconds and moved quickly to Bart’s lap. She wrapped her arm around his neck, gave her sexiest sitting-in-the-cowboy’s-lap-pose, and they clinked glasses with big grins just as the camera clicked.
They repeated the process a half dozen times until they got the perfect shot: both dogs sitting straight and looking at the camera; Molly and Bart with giant laughing grins, faces glowing from the Scotch, sex, and fun; and hats, vests, and moccasins in view. Molly couldn’t take her eyes off the perfect shot. If that didn’t make his family feel better, she didn’t know what would.
It sure made her feel better.
When the baked potatoes were almost done, Bart opened a bottle of Walla Walla cabernet and prepared the steaks for the barbeque, lightly rubbing olive oil over the surface and adding salt and pepper. Molly made a green salad, and gathered chives, butter, sour cream, and bacon bits for the potato. Bart was working the barbeque when Molly came out with potatoes, salad and potato fixings. She finished the table set, poured two glasses of wine, and sat down, awaiting delivery of the rare rib-eyes.
They were both wearing their leather outfits, happy from three glasses of Scotch, vigorous afternoon sex, and the prospect of a steak dinner. Bart set a steak on each plate. Molly added salad and a potato.
He sat down and lifted his glass. “Thank you for a lovely day.”
Molly was emotional. The day had been so perfect, and she’d been so nervous. She was so relieved when he wanted to stay at the cabin. Then a fun shower and sensational sex, followed by happy hour, the posed selfie, and dinner. She was happy. Not surface happy. Deep down happy. If asked if she could be doing anything in the world right at that moment, she would have answered exactly this. He was getting in her head.
“So can I send the photo to Kitty?”
“Of course.”
“It’s going to make your family happy to see you like that.”
“Whatever.”
Well, he wasn’t going to talk about that, but he’d not only agreed to the photo, he’d enhanced it with the leather gifts and the recommended pose with a dog on each side.
“So what happens tomorrow?”
“Business day.”
“And what does that mean?”
“A video conference in the morning with my VA therapist. Then, in the afternoon, provisioning and some internet business.”
