sort of work do you do?"
"Well, my degrees are in marketing, but I've
been an accountant, a secretary or receptionist several times, a
file clerk, a substitute teacher, and even stuffed envelopes. The
longest I worked since I left home was four weeks for an accounting
firm in Dallas--income tax time, you know."
Will shook his head, "I guess I don't
understand. If you're working, you wouldn't be sightseeing. Why not
just stay a shorter time in a city and spend it sightseeing all
day?"
Aurora pushed a strand of hair from her
face, "I know it doesn't make sense to anyone but me. I have a
timetable worked out that allows me to travel until the end of
summer. Sometimes I extend my stay in an area to see if that's a
place I'd want to live and what sort of job opportunities there
might be in the field of marketing."
Aurora's playful smile sent Will's raging
hormones into orbit as she continued, "After all, I might not like
living in Durango, so I need a back-up location."
Incredulous, the words slipped out before he
realized it. "What on earth could your boyfriend have been thinking
to go along with this kind of scheme--letting you wander all over
the country alone?" He leaned with his elbows resting on the bar
and shook his head slowly.
She peered down at her hands to hide the
pain that question revived, then with a toss of her head she faced
Will, "Well, right now he's busy getting married to my cousin, so
he didn't seem to mind in the least the last time I saw him. That
was just before Christmas."
A surprised expression appeared on her face.
"Oh, wow. I haven't spoken of Russell to anyone in four months. I
must say I didn't intend to mention that part of my life ever
again."
Will grabbed her plate and stacked it on top
of his before he worked his way to the kitchen sink by edging along
the kitchen counter. "Your confidence is safe with me. I'm not
likely to tell anyone."
Muttering his thoughts aloud but under his
breath, Will said, "What kind of jerk is this guy? He must be deaf,
dumb, and blind, as well as just plain stupid."
Following him with her eyes, Aurora couldn't
understand the mumbling. Her eyes inventoried the things spread out
across the kitchen table. "Do you remember seeing any aspirin in
all this stuff?"
"No, but there's a bottle on the bedside
table from last night. Nick said you should spend the day in bed,
Aurora, to give your body time to recover from the traumas of last
night. That must have been quite a whack on the head you got from
the tree. If you'll get back in bed after you take the aspirin,
you'll find the phone on the table near my side of the bed."
Aurora flushed slightly at his phrasing. My
side of the bed. It sounded as if they always shared a bed. She
found it a pleasant thought, and the flush deepened. Remember your
resolve, girl, she thought as she watched Will leaning against the
kitchen counter. She had to admit he really made her pulse race
when he was near.
It's only that he's been kind, she thought.
She mustn't let her imagination get carried away. Anyway, the last
thing she needed was to complicate her life with a romance. She had
learned her lessons about men the hard way. Aloud, she said, "I
suppose we're trapped in here by the water?”
He added detergent to the water gathering in
the sink and dumped dishes into the water. "'Fraid so. According to
the radio, we had over ten inches of rain last night and will
probably get more today. It's a record amount of rain in that time
span, or so the announcer said. Can't remember the water being this
high before, so I guess he's right about this storm setting a
record."
"I can definitely believe that. I started
searching for a big ark." When he turned to wipe down the counter
and range top, Aurora saw his solemn face. "Oh, Will, I'm sorry.
Here I've been worried about my car and a few clothes and things. I
guess you must be frantic about your stock."
"Yes, and this cast doesn't help me get
around to see about them." He admitted his
Kristina Ludwig
Charlie Brooker
Alys Arden
J.C. Burke
Laura Buzo
Claude Lalumiere
Chris Bradford
A. J. Jacobs
Capri Montgomery
John Pearson