Drew completely ignored Billy Lee when they passed on the steps. "You've got until tomorrow morning. Think it over," Drew threw over his shoulder when he reached the truck.

"I've thought about it. The answer is no. Forever." Strangely, I wasn't even angry.

"Got any sweet tea made up?" Billy Lee sat on the porch, bracing his back up against the house and stretching his legs out in front of him. Sawdust clung to his hair and clothing, and he smelled like wood shavings. He needed a shave, and the way his shoulders sloped, I could tell he was tired. But he was handsome beyond words and smelled like heaven to me.

"Yes, I do. I'll get us a couple of glasses. I could use one too"

He followed me into the house. "The floor man called me a while ago. Said he had a cancellation and can get to the office and guest room tomorrow if we want"

"Guess I'd better reserve a room out at the Western Inn?" I thought aloud.

"Well, if you want to catch up on some rest, that would be fine. But I was thinking maybe a little two-night jaunt somewhere would be nice for some of that rest and recuperation stuff. You up for another trip?"

Billy Lee hadn't even mentioned Drew. Plain old curiosity would have prompted a couple of questions about why he'd been there.

"Sure. Where are we going, and what kind of clothes do I need to pack?"

He drank deeply of the tea I set in front of him. "Well, just how tightly can you pack a small bag?"

"How little of a bag are we talking about?"

"If we leave tomorrow morning, and you wear jeans and a T-shirt and maybe wrap an overshirt around your waist and tie the arms in front, could you make it with just the bare necessities?"

"But why would I need to take so little?"

"Thought we might go on the motorcycle."

My heart skipped a beat. "Then I can pack in a grocery sack"

"Duffel bag will be fine. I've got an extra one if you need it. We'll take the back roads down to Nocona, Texas, and prowl around in that area for a couple of days."

"That sounds wonderful. Billy Lee, I've got a decision to make, and I need the help of a good friend, if you don't mind listening."

A smile twitched the corners of his mouth. "You callin' me a friend?"

"Guess I am. You got a problem with bein' my friend? I wouldn't blame you if you did. It comes with a lot of baggage"

"I'll take the baggage. I've got baggage too, you know."

My heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. "Oh, yeah, what's your baggage? I'll bet mine is heavier."

"This is beginning to sound like a television commercial. `My dog's bigger than your dog,'" he said.

"So what is your baggage? You don't have an ex-husband who's a horse's butt or an obstinate grown child."

"I don't want to discuss it tonight. What's the decision your friend can help you with?"

"Actually, I've already made it, but I guess I just want you to be in agreement with me," I said.

He looked away from me. "What is it?"

"I'm not going back to school this fall. We're not nearly through in the house, and I really like the remodeling business. It's like resuscitating an old lady who's almost dead and finding she's got a lot of years left in her. Hey, did I tell you I found an old lamp up in the attic that I plan to use in my bedroom? It's got this strange shade. Maple leaves around the edge, and it's kind of like a leaded Tiffany lamp, but it's not."

He turned back to me with a big smile on his face. "I remember that lamp. It used to sit on a table in the living room when I was a little boy, back before Gert married Lonnie. I was afraid you were going to say that you'd decided to give Drew another chance after all."

"Drew has had all the chances he's getting. He can fix his own problems from now on," I said.

"I'm glad, Trudy. I didn't want you to go back to him. I like us."

"Us?"

"Yes, I like us right where we are in this moment in time. I hope if it has to change, it goes forward, not backward," he said. "Now, about that lamp?"

"You changed the subject, Billy Lee. Why?"

"Because I'm not sure I want to hear what you've got to say about our going forward"

"I think I'd like that"

"Good. Now let's talk about the lamp."

I smiled. That was enough for tonight for both of us. "I'd love to have another one just like it, but there was only one in the attic. When I buy a computer, I'll do some research and see if I can find another, but I bet it's the lone survivor of an era."

He rolled his neck to get the kinks out. "Can you be ready by seven thirty in the morning?"

"I can be ready in ten minutes if you want to go tonight."

I got one of his crooked grins and thought again of Harrison Ford. "Seven thirty in the morning is early enough. And I think you made the right decisions about work and Drew."

The next morning Billy Lee brought over a duffel bag, and I filled it very carefully, carrying only the barest of necessities to get me through the next two days. I carried it to the kitchen and handed it to Billy Lee. The Harley was parked in the backyard, so we went out the kitchen door. The floor man arrived as we were leaving, and Billy Lee told him to lock up when he left. Billy Lee shoved my duffel into one of the empty saddlebags on the cycle and helped me settle a brandnew helmet on my head. He brought out a tube of sunscreen from his pocket and said, "The wind and sun will blister your fair skin. Put on your overshirt. It will protect your arms from the heat as well as bugs. I'll put this on your face and neck, and you can use it like hand lotion to protect your hands."

His touch was as light as butterfly wings. I didn't know which I'd rather do-ride with the wind or just stand there in the yard and let him cover my neck and face with sunblock all day. He finished and climbed onto the cycle, then patted the backseat, and I carefully hopped up behind him. Suddenly I was embarrassed. What did I do with my hands?

Billy Lee solved that crisis when he reached around behind him and grabbed both my arms, wrapped them firmly around his midsection, and revved up the engine. By the time he got to Main Street and turned right, I was in love with the cycle. Too bad Drew hadn't offered me a Harley. I might be moving my clothes back into my old bedroom.

Yeah, right, I thought.

Not even a Harley was that good.

Ravia, what was left of Russet, Mannsville, and Dickson blew past at seventy miles an hour. I was definitely resigning when we got back to Tishomingo. There was no way I was ever going to be stuck in a classroom if Billy Lee wanted to take a two-day jaunt on a motorcycle and I had the opportunity to go with him.

Billy Lee took us out Twelfth Street in Ardmore, past the shops that held absolutely no appeal to me that day. I was a motorcycle momma. I had all I needed in the duffel bag, and the world was mine. I didn't need to shop for a single thing that day.

I glanced at the Santa Fe steakhouse while we were stopped at the red light, but once the light turned green, even food took second place to the wind in my face and the freedom. He stopped at McDonald's on the far side of the 1-35 overpass, removed his helmet, and helped me do the same.