Epilogue

Duncan knew it was not a sign of age for a man with his long history to indulge himself in reminiscing. Still, sometimes he felt guilty to just sit and reminisce, remembering all the wonderful things he had seen and, more importantly, the people he had met. It hadn't been that many years since he made that early pit stop here in Ritzville.

Lord knew he'd spent hours enough recalling that morning. Most especially the vision of Helen; walking, swaying up the walk from where she'd parked that marvelous Beemer of hers. That memory still popped into his head at the damndest times. When it did it stayed in the back of his mind all day.

But even in those few years since that morning in May, so many changes had been made in this quiet Eastern Washington town. For one thing, the motel was now a La Quinta. As comfortable as he remembered the room he was in now was head and shoulders above the two rooms Helen and he had "shared."

The Texaco Service Station was still there but it had major competition now. Two competing oil companies had built more modern stations just off the interstate, each complete with a "convenience" store. He had driven past them in his faithful RV on the way in. He hadn't stopped of course. Duncan had no idea if the Texaco station's ownership had changed, still it made no difference. He had filled up at the Texaco station and even taken time to step into the office where Helen and he had played that nasty trick on Gerry. But what the hell, Helen had been his wife and she was as responsible for what they had done as Duncan. It wasn't as if Gerry couldn't afford the big fee for a ride to the Spokane airfield.

Damn but Gerry had been a stuffed shirt that morning. So different from the man Duncan met again later that year in Boise. The man he met in Boise he liked and admired.

Duncan still mourned his passing. He knew Helen and her kids remembered him as he was in the kid's formative years and in those few weeks before he passed away. Funny how a good man can change, but maybe it was as Helen believed, probably was that. A personality change caused by the brain tumor. The three of them, Helen and her kids, had been troopers too. He admired the way they handled their adversity.

The restaurants here in Ritzville hadn't changed and tomorrow he was planning to go into town to have breakfast in "their" diner. Duncan was looking forward to seeing Clarice again.

Which reminded him, he had to call Chester and find time to say hello while he was in town. The last Duncan heard, Chester had made sergeant along with his brother Everett. Helen had passed the word on to him after she made a phone call to Ritzville that Chester had married again, this time to a good woman. One his brother approved of. Duncan hoped to meet her too this trip.

After his walk he was going to take another look at the vintage photo's the La Quinta management was displaying in their halls. They were very effective. He had an idea to make them even more so and with the success he and his partner were enjoying with their Photography business he expected to have some "DH Photography" work sitting side by side with the old photo's, showing what Ritzville was like today. Before and after shots were really effective.

The way Ritzville was changing it wouldn't be many years before the work they were doing now would be nostalgia.

Walking to the back of the property Duncan stood looking out over the hills of wheat rolling to the horizon. Surprising how timeless and fascinating that view was.

DH Photography had been surprisingly profitable. He never expected it to pay for itself much less actually turn a profit. Even with them constantly upgrading their computers, printers and camera's the business was covering all expenses, plus covering the cost of their safari's and living expenses.

Even upkeep on the old RV was being covered. Though it was about time to retire the old rig. He'd put a lot of miles on it. He'd keep that in mind and talk it over with his business partner. His partner would insist on having final say in that.

While he was here Duncan planned on taking a drive to the little park where he had parked the RV before leading Helen up the mountain. If it didn't seem like sacrilege he'd even take some photo's from the top of "their" mountain; but maybe not.

So many things about the town were special to him now. He wasn't going to leave before walking around town, taking photos of the places Helen and he had memorialized in film. Maybe the old barn was still there where he took the shot of Helen, back lit by the rising sun. That photo still sat above his fireplace, the place of honor in his home in Seattle.

So many memories...

His partner was probably sleeping and he'd have to wake the lazy bones up, couldn't handle these "late nights" like before. He'd have to watch the hours they were keeping if he wanted to get some decent shots here.

He called the room from the lobby phone, getting the expected lazy yawn but was able to make arrangements for the evening. Duncan planned on visiting that country bar where he had come so close to disaster: if not tonight then tomorrow or the next day. Amazing how everywhere he looked reminded him of Helen and that day in May. Well, maybe not so amazing, but startling.

Duncan walked across the road to the old cemetery, taking his camera with him. He had learned the pioneer cemeteries such as this one were rich sources of meaningful photos.

Instead of walking among the monuments, he found a bench and let his mind run over the happenings since he had driven away from Boise those years ago. Watching the woman in his rear view mirror as he drove away, leaving her behind. The woman he had already decided would have been under other circumstances his second true love. It was hard courting a woman whose first love had returned, then died within weeks. The connection between Helen and her husband Gerry had been reestablished and Duncan was left feeling like the third wheel. It had been hard to drive away. Still, it was the thing to do.

Back in Seattle it had been nearly impossible to reestablish routine. He had made it a point to call Boise weekly, no more than that. It was hard not picking up the phone every night to talk but he had kept it to Sunday afternoons only.

At least half the time the phone was answered by her son Conrad or Holly, her daughter. He'd left Boise on good terms with them and they weren't uncomfortable talking to him. He knew too, they had spotted the connection between him and Helen. That had worried him for a while. Nothing was said but over time he came to believe they knew the trouble their parents marriage had been in before Duncan ever came on the scene. And since his presence in Boise had been supportive of both Gerry and Helen there didn't seem to be any bad vibes between the kids and him.

Then things changed. He let his mind drift back those short years before.

It was eight months after his return from Boise that Duncan returned from his morning stroll around Green Lake to find a message on his answering machine. Helen had called to tell him that unless he called by 10 that morning she would be leaving in her BMW, heading for Seattle. She expected to be there in two days. Helen asked if he could put her up while she was in town.

Since it was nearly 11 AM it was too late to call and stop her coming. Not that there would ever be a chance of Duncan ever doing that!

As if his calling and asking her to stay away was ever a possibility.

Her timing worried him; April was a bad month to be driving the mountains between Boise and Seattle. He was worried enough to call her to warn her about the weather problems, particularly in the mountains in Eastern Oregon. He let the phone ring a dozen times before giving up. He knew she had a cell phone but somehow she had never been given him the number. He stewed for another hour or so before laughing at himself. He would be worried if she were driving by herself in the middle of summer: Talk about over protective!

Damn! He had to get the house ready for guests! Not that it looked like a bachelor pad, but... Somehow he calmed himself down enough to make a tour of the house. Nothing really needed doing, but he did make sure one of the spare bedrooms was made up with fresh sheets and aired out. While he was thinking of it he called a local florist and ordered several floral arrangements for the house. He looked around some more but he honestly couldn't find anything to fuss over. The house was in good shape, he guessed he was more worried about her reaction to him when she got there.

Helen pulled up in front of his house right on time. Duncan met her at the curb as she pulled out a suitcase and was surprised to find Holly had ridden with her. He gave Helen and Holly both hugs before taking both their suitcases and leading the way into his house. He was half way to the house when he noticed the women weren't following him. He turned to see Holly leaning into the trunk, hauling out another suitcase and several bags she distributed between herself and Helen. They were in the house before he could get out to help them haul things inside.

Once in his house Helen stopped to look around. It was the first time she had seen Duncan's home. She caught herself thinking of the inspection as seeing the lion's own lair, seeing him in his natural environment. The first thing she spotted was the portrait of herself hanging over the fireplace, showing her silhouetted by the morning sun. As Duncan had promised it was the central focus in the room. It made her blush a little.

It was the first thing Holly spotted, too. She couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from it. At first she was stunned at how wonderfully he had caught her mother's beauty. The second thought she had was, "That's what I'm going to look like when I'm her age!" She was stunned.

The third thing crossing her mind was that the photographer had seen more in that portrait than just a beautiful woman. She hoped someday a man would see her like that.

Duncan had planned a light meal of Salmon, a Seattle delicacy. It was something that took only a few minutes to make so he hadn't put it on until his guests arrived. When he loaded it on the barbecue he had an interested audience.

After eating they sat on the front porch, which sat at the top of a short bluff across the street from Green Lake, watching the moonlight on the lake and sipping brandy. When he noticed Helen's eyes drooping shut Duncan gently pulled her up to point the two women to the guest rooms where he had placed their luggage. It had taken only a moment to get the second guest room ready for Holly.

Both women thanked him, kissing him on the cheek and promising to look forward to breakfast the next morning. He watched Helen walk up the stairs before turning back to sit on the porch. He sat there, peaceful now she was here with him. He wondered what it would take to convince her they belonged together. What would it take to keep her here?

He quickly squelched that line of thought. If they were as drawn to one another as he believed and hoped, they would be able to work something out.

After a bit he came back inside and locked up. Groaning with a pleasant weariness he climbed the stairs, barely pausing as he passed the door behind which Helen was sleeping. It was so nice to have her here, under his roof. Surely what they had was strong enough to build upon.

He pushed open the door to his bedroom, not bothering to turn on the overhead light, its bright glare too harsh this late in the evening. Heading to the bed he unbuttoned his shirt, slipping off his shoes and pushing them just underneath the bed so he would be able to find them in the dark without kicking them across the floor. Reaching for his belt the same time he bent toward the bedside lamp something startled him. Before he could react the lamp on the other side of the bed snapped on. A slim, very feminine arm was holding the covers back, inviting him into the bed. As he watched, fixed in place, the soft, naked woman's body moved over, giving him more room to snuggle in next to her.

"Duncan," came a soft, husky, purely feminine voice. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever get here. I'm only guessing, but I expect tomorrow you will better understand the sleeping arrangements around here. Do you know how lonely it is in this bed alone?"

"What... Uhh, where's Holly?" he stumbled.

"Oh, Holly took the spare room down the hall. She wanted to spend some time with her sweetheart for a few days. He's going to Seattle-Pacific University. She'll be staying nights with us, but I don't think she will be around during the day. Now come to bed."

In a moment he was lying beside her, their naked flesh sliding sensuously together. This gift was priceless and he made the most of it. Within moments the soft, willing, warmly passionate woman with him was moaning and shuddering as his fingers renewed their knowledge of her curves and sensitive places.

As he pulled her to him he opened his mouth to kiss and taste the softness of her throat under her ear. When he felt her bones turn to jelly he continued the caress until her body was throbbing. The hand cupping, squeezing and exploring her breast slipped down to trace the line of her vulva. When her hips began undulating, and he heard her gasping for breath he let a finger slip just inside those lips to explore her folds. Her honey was already flowing, so after pleasing her there his thumb slipped up to circle and press softly on the pearl of pleasure at the top of her sex.

He continued until her hips were bucking and his woman began pleading, her lips pressed against his. Then he moved atop her, his body pressing her into the mattress. Resting over her he slowly, easily slipped himself inside her wet tightness. Carefully and slowly he worked his length inside her. As her curl mixed with his Duncan heard Helen gasp as her arms crushed him to her chest.