A Seal's Desire

Then, out of the blue, she remembered.

Laramie was in town.

* * *

“YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?”

“Yep.” The bridle in one hand, Laramie gave the horse’s neck a fond pat with the other before leading Storm out of the stable. Small dust clouds followed their steps through the scrubby grass toward the paddock where the sun beat down like hot spikes. Having served months in the Middle East, the heat barely registered on Laramie’s radar, other than to make sure he had a decent supply of water for the ride.

“You could stay here. Just a day or two.”

Checking his packs, Laramie slid a sideways glance at his uncle. The resemblance was there, but only if you knew to look for it. The shape of their eyes, although Laramie’s were hazel instead of brown. The arch of their brow and the full lips. Art and his younger sister had shared those features. Features she’d passed on to her only son. Otherwise, Laramie was the spitting image of his father.

“What’s wrong, Art?”

“Nothin’s wrong. Just think maybe you shouldn’t go up now. Go up next month instead.”

Laramie frowned at the intensity in older man’s voice. It wasn’t as if this trip was out of the ordinary. He came back once a year to make this sort of pilgrimage from his uncle’s spread outside of El Paso up to the family cabin in the mountains. But it was rare that he made it back the first week of June. It was just as rare that his uncle said anything about it, though.