Page 74 of The Wilder Widows

“And? Did you love it?” Alice’s eyes lit with excitement. “You did, didn’t you?”

Doris giggled again, then nodded and gave us a sheepish grin. “It was incredible! I can see now why you all were so set on making sure I didn’t die without experiencing that.”

“Ahh.” I smiled. “Now she gets it.”

Marge bumped her on the shoulder with a fist. “Good for you, Doris. You got laid.”

“What?” she gasped, looking over both shoulders again. “We didn’t... you know. We’re not married, so we can’t. But he did... other things. Good things. Down there.” She cupped a hand over her mouth while she said it and pointed to her crotch.

Alice gave her an appreciative nod. “Proud of you, Doris.”

“I think I love him,” Doris whispered. “Like, really love him.”

“You just met him, Doris.” Alice shook her head. “That’s the hootie talking.”

Doris’s face slid down into a frown.

“Hey now,” Marge defended. “I knew I loved Roxy the minute I saw her.”

“And I knew I loved Tom the second I saw him,” I added, knowing the power of love and that it didn’t always take days, weeks, or years to grow. Sometimes it slammed into you like a Mack truck. And from the way Doris lit up around Axel, it was clear to see she felt it too.

“Well, I do think I love him. And he seems to really care about me.” Doris stood her ground. “In fact, he’s asked if I’ll come back soon.”

“Oh, you’ll come back again.” Marge snorted, eliciting a glare from Doris.

“Don’t tease me! It was special. We walked along the river, and then he laid out a blanket so we could lay back and watch the stars. So romantic.” Another sigh hummed through her.

“I’m sure it was, Doris. I’m happy for you.” I tried to put a stop to the teasing, and I gave her a quick wink.

“Now plate up some food. Coffee is over there. We’ve got a long ride back today, and you ladies will need your strength.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Marge said, falling into line and grabbing a plate, and we all followed suit.

After enjoying our breakfast, we tacked up the horses and mounted back up for the long ride home. Doris rode alongside Axel the whole way; their stolen glances and subtle touches caused my heart to swell. She looked happy. Radiant. In love. And from the starry-eyed gaze her silver fox continued giving her, it was clear the feeling was mutual. A new love resembling the one I’d experienced only once in my life.

I was quieter than usual on the ride home. Without cattle to herd since we’d left them on the prairie to graze, the ride back went at a much quicker pace. Despite the beautiful scenery, my mind continued leaving and traveling to an apartment I hadn’t seen in over thirty-five years. It kept returning to the arms of the man who still held my heart, and it continued reliving the happiest days of my life. It kept returning to Tom Connolly. The love of my life.

****

After we returned to the dude ranch, we limped back to our cabin. Two days of hard riding had taken the wind out of our Wilder Widows sails.

“Hot tub. Now.” Alice sat back, kicking off her dirty red boots.

“Count me in.” I groaned, rubbing my aching lower back.

“I’ll meet you ladies there in a minute. There’s something I need to do,” Marge said, disappearing into the bathroom.

We pulled on our swimsuits and scurried across the lawn in our bare feet to where the hot tub on the deck of the main hall sat. One by one, we slid inside, each oohing and aahing as the hot water enveloped us. Alice pushed the button on the wooden post beside her, and it sent bubbles tumbling through the steaming water.

“Now, this is my kind of getaway.” Alice closed her eyes and pressed her head back into the headrest. “Next time we do this, you ladies can do the whole cowgirl thing. I’ll just be here in the hot tub.”

“I loved it out there,” Doris said. “I never knew how much I would enjoy being out in the wilderness and with the animals. And getting to cook for you girls this morning was wonderful.”

“Maybe you should stay on as the cook.” Alice snorted. But I looked over to see Doris chewing on her bottom lip.

“What? Why are you making that face, Doris?” I asked, scooting closer to her.

“Because Axel asked me to do just that.”