Unexpected
Epilogue
to Working Girls
October 7,
2011
JD tossed
another stone into the pond as he considered the past few days. Vin had invited him to go fishing with him, though the older
man seemed content to lay back on the bank and sunbathe and hadn’t complained
about JD scarin’ the fish with the rock throwing.
Over all, it
had been a strange couple of days. The trip to Wickes Town had started out
exciting and a bit scary, but JD hadn’t wanted Buck to know just how
inexperienced he was with women. He did have his pride after all.
He’d never
expected to be unable to… well, to… with Emily. He’d never heard anyone say
anything about not being able to… Just the usual bragging.
And JD’d certainly been eager to be with her. Emily
had smiled so sweetly at him as she led him to her tent. And she’d been very
understanding when he couldn’t…
JD huffed
and threw another rock, a bit harder this time, earning a concerned glance from
the tracker. He ignored Vin and watched the ripples in
the water.
Emily had
been nice, and the kissing had been good. He realized now that her offer to not
charge him had been her way of trying to help him relax and if that whole thing
with Buck and Wickes hadn’t happened at that moment, he might have been able
to…
He sat down,
resting his elbows on his knees. He never expected Buck to tell him his ma had
been a wh… working girl.
That had been a big surprise. At first he’d been shocked, but still in control
enough of his tongue not to say something that would hurt Buck.
The big lug
really was just a softie. Still, once he’d had a chance to think about it, what
did it matter what Buck’s ma did to support them? JD’s mother had been lucky to
have a job as a chamber maid. He frowned. Would his mother have done that? His
frown deepened and he nodded to himself. If it was the only way to put food on
their table… he sighed, pretty sure she would have done whatever it took to take
care of him.
Vin sat up,
plucked a long blade of grass and tore it down the vein. “Those ladies were somethin’ else, huh?” he asked casually.
“Yeah,” JD
said with a nod. He looked over at Vin. “You ever been
with one of them before?” he asked, thinking Vin
wasn’t all that much older than he was.
“A few,” Vin admitted. “Not often though, never really felt all that
comfortable bein’ with someone I didn’t know,” he
said softly.
JD nodded.
He could understand that. It seemed to him that he really would have been able
to be with Emily up in the hayloft, after he’d gotten to know her a bit better.
“Been with a
few other ladies,” Vin continued, “ones I was on friendly terms with, but none
of those time were serious, just a release for both of us. I envy Chris’s marriage.
Figured it would always be better with a woman I loved.”
JD’s
eyebrows rose at this unexpected revelation. That Vin
would envy Chris’s relationship even though he’d lost Sarah really made him
stop and think. “Better to have loved and lost, than not to love at all?” he
quoted.
“Somethin’ like that,” Vin said. He
studied JD for a long moment. “You get things worked out?” he asked.
JD paused
then shrugged. “Enough for now, I guess,” he replied with a sudden grin.
Vin stood
and stretched, dusting the seat of his pants with both hands before offering
one hand to JD. “Well, come on then, we’d best head back ‘fore Buck sends out a
search party for ya,” he finished with a grin.
JD took the
offered hand and pulled himself up. He smiled at Vin.
“Buck’s a worry wart. Gonna go gray before his time if he keeps thinkin’ of me as a kid.”
Vin
grinned. “Probably be seein’ gray any day now then,”
he teased.
JD laughed
and fell into step beside Vin. It was funny. He hadn’t
really thought Vin liked him all that much. It was a
nice surprise to realize Vin considered him friend
enough to be worried about his frame of mind. Unexpected, but
not unwelcome.
JD glanced
at Vin. The tracker had a pretty good sense of humor. Wonder if he’d be interested in pullin’ something on Buck with me? JD grinned. “Hey, Vin…”
The end
Feedback is
greatly appreciated. JudyL