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“Have a seat, you two. Get comfortable.”
An hour into their campfire and several rounds of s’mores later, Bill asked Ben to help him with the horses. “They?
??re better off staying in our barn tonight, Livvie.”
She smiled and nodded in response.
Ben put his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her again. “Be right back, Livvie.”
“Dottie and Bill are the only people who call me Livvie. And Billy, their son.”
“I like it.”
“I’d be lost without them,” she sighed.
Ben nodded. “They’re good people.”
“The best,” Liv murmured, sounding as though she was talking to herself more than him.
“How’d you and Livvie meet?” Bill asked Ben while they settled the horses.
“Fate kept throwing us together, and we started paying attention.” Ben told Bill about meeting her at Red Rocks, and again at his family’s bar in Crested Butte. He told him about bumping into her at the pool in Las Vegas, but that’s as far as he took the story.
“You come back with her from Las Vegas, then?”
“Nope. I went home first, and spent a couple days with my boys, then drove over this afternoon. I surprised her.”
“Boys?”
“I have two. Jake is twelve and Luke is nine. Their mom and I have been divorced for a few years.”
“I guess I’m transparent when it comes to my kids, and I consider Livvie one of ’em. She’s not an easy one to get a fix on. Plenty boys ’round here would tell you that. My own son had a mad crush on her for years. He gave up, not for lack of trying.” Bill chuckled. “Either she’s real good at playing like she doesn’t notice somethin’, or she was clueless all them years.”
He thought for a minute before he continued. “But don’t go thinkin’ she’s not smart as a whip. She’s one of the brightest women I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. Sad that she lost her husband so young. Renie wasn’t even born yet.”
Ben wanted to ask more, but how did he tell Bill that he was staying at Liv’s house, but didn’t know about her husband, her parents, or even where she grew up?
“Did Livvie tell you Scott was shot down in the war? They’d only been married a few months. Tragic. I gotta tell you, for a long while I thought that man held her heart for good. We figured that was why she didn’t pay any attention to men trying to catch her eye. Guess we were wrong.”
Ben shook his head. Tonight, tomorrow, and every day after that, Ben planned to get to know her. As much as she would let him.
“You’re awful quiet.”
“She’s a remarkable woman. One I want to spend as much time with as I can. I appreciate all you’ve told me, Bill.”
“You care about her?”
“I do.”
“Then you’ll be all right with Dottie and me.”
They walked back to the campfire, where Dottie and Liv were snuggled up under a blanket. Liv’s head rested on Dottie’s shoulder.
Ben stroked her cheek with his finger. “Tired?”
“Content.” Liv stood and put her arms around his waist. “Ready go back to the house?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
