Cowboy Ever After

Chapter 9

Gretchen waved at Benny, the park ranger, as she drove past the welcome station at the state park a few miles outside of town. As far as Benny knew, she was there again to hike or sketch some of the local flora and fauna.

She parked at the far end of an empty parking lot, the one that was separated from the campground by a small forest of red oak trees. After making sure no one was in view, she filled her backpack with everything she needed, including her sketchbook in case she encountered Benny. She made another scan of the area then headed for the trail that wound through the forest to the campground.

Luck was on her side when she emerged from the trail ten minutes later—no park officials or campers visible in either direction. She hurried to the bathhouse. When she was safely inside, she took a moment to catch her breath. She leaned her head back against the cement block wall and closed her eyes.

One day, hopefully soon, she would have enough saved up to get a place of her own. She could probably find a small place to rent now, but she wanted to make sure she had a financial cushion before she committed to a lease and all the bills that came with a permanent residence. She exhaled slowly and told herself that there was time enough to focus on the future tomorrow. Right now, she needed to get ready for her date. Though she knew better than to get her hopes up, she couldn't help the flutter in her middle when she thought about Matt and how he'd made her feel more alive in the past few hours than she had in a long time. Considering what she'd been through in her twenty-seven years, she'd learned to grab on to happy moments when she could.

Because they never lasted.