heard about him, it was interesting to meet him at last. Watching the two of them and listening to the way they talked, she could understand why Ed considered Connor his best friend. There was a stillness to him, a reserve that complemented Ed’s exuberance. Once while he was talking, Connor caught her staring at him and he simply smiled and she smiled back.
Their bags arrived and Ed took a quick look inside his guitar case to make sure there was no damage and then they wheeled everything on a cart out to the parking lot. Connor’s truck was an old pale blue Chevy pickup which Julia declared a perfect match for his battered, sweat-stained hat. He told her the hat was entirely for Ed’s benefit and that normally, like all smoke jumpers, he dressed a lot more formally in a business suit and necktie.
‘And, of course, you wear that when you’re parachuting in,’ she said.
‘No, that’s when we wear the fireproof tuxedo. You never know who you might meet.’
They dumped the bags in the back of the truck and climbed into the cab, where they sat three abreast with Julia in the middle. On the way into town Connor asked about her job with WAY and she told him what she knew about it from her time in Colorado. He asked her when she was due to start and she said they were expecting her in Helena first thing Monday morning. Connor thought for a while then said that if they had no other plans, they could maybe all drive over to the ranch Sunday afternoon and visit with his mother.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t tell you, Julia, but my ma’s always had a thing going for Ed here.’
‘It’s entirely mutual,’ Ed said. ‘I admit it. How could I not be in love with a woman who knows by heart every song in Oklahoma! ?’
‘Pretty darned easily, I’d have thought,’ Connor said. ‘So, Julia, I guess that means you must know ’em all?’
‘What’s Oklahoma?’
Ed groaned and put his head in his hands and Connor and Julia laughed.
They ate that night at a little upstairs diner just across the river and afterward strolled back over the bridge. It was getting dark and the giant white letter M on the hillside above the town glowed as if tethered afloat in the ink of the sky. There was a small park below the bridge where some sort of informal concert was going on. There were lanterns down there and a small crowd of people sitting on the grass and the wafting sound of guitars made Julia feel warm and dreamy and she slipped her arm inside Ed’s and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked.
When they got back to the apartment, Connor made some coffee and they sat around the kitchen table talking for a while. Ed asked how the photography was going and Connor said he’d had a couple of commissions lately but on the whole things were quiet. He went across the room and came back with a large brown envelope, pulling a picture from it which he said he’d printed only that afternoon. He handed it first to Ed who was sitting across the table from Julia, so only he could see it. His eyes widened.
‘Wow. What on earth is that? Is it an elk?’
‘Yeah. He just stepped out of the fire.’
‘What happened next?’
‘I don’t know. One moment he was there and the next he was gone.’
‘Connor, man, that’s one hell of a picture.’
Ed handed it to Julia. It took her a moment to focus and when she saw what it was she took a sudden sharp breath.
‘It’s terrible.’
Ed laughed. ‘So much for compliments.’
But Connor wasn’t laughing. He was staring hard at her as if he knew exactly what she meant. She shook her head and handed him the picture.
‘I’m sorry, but I can’t look at that.’
Connor took it from her without a word. He slid it into its envelope and took it back where he’d found it. Ed made a joke about Julia being a tough critic of his music too but she was too shocked by what she’d seen to catch it. She stood up. Ed looked suddenly worried.
‘Julia? Are you okay?’
‘I’m sorry, I’m just
Their bags arrived and Ed took a quick look inside his guitar case to make sure there was no damage and then they wheeled everything on a cart out to the parking lot. Connor’s truck was an old pale blue Chevy pickup which Julia declared a perfect match for his battered, sweat-stained hat. He told her the hat was entirely for Ed’s benefit and that normally, like all smoke jumpers, he dressed a lot more formally in a business suit and necktie.
‘And, of course, you wear that when you’re parachuting in,’ she said.
‘No, that’s when we wear the fireproof tuxedo. You never know who you might meet.’
They dumped the bags in the back of the truck and climbed into the cab, where they sat three abreast with Julia in the middle. On the way into town Connor asked about her job with WAY and she told him what she knew about it from her time in Colorado. He asked her when she was due to start and she said they were expecting her in Helena first thing Monday morning. Connor thought for a while then said that if they had no other plans, they could maybe all drive over to the ranch Sunday afternoon and visit with his mother.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t tell you, Julia, but my ma’s always had a thing going for Ed here.’
‘It’s entirely mutual,’ Ed said. ‘I admit it. How could I not be in love with a woman who knows by heart every song in Oklahoma! ?’
‘Pretty darned easily, I’d have thought,’ Connor said. ‘So, Julia, I guess that means you must know ’em all?’
‘What’s Oklahoma?’
Ed groaned and put his head in his hands and Connor and Julia laughed.
They ate that night at a little upstairs diner just across the river and afterward strolled back over the bridge. It was getting dark and the giant white letter M on the hillside above the town glowed as if tethered afloat in the ink of the sky. There was a small park below the bridge where some sort of informal concert was going on. There were lanterns down there and a small crowd of people sitting on the grass and the wafting sound of guitars made Julia feel warm and dreamy and she slipped her arm inside Ed’s and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked.
When they got back to the apartment, Connor made some coffee and they sat around the kitchen table talking for a while. Ed asked how the photography was going and Connor said he’d had a couple of commissions lately but on the whole things were quiet. He went across the room and came back with a large brown envelope, pulling a picture from it which he said he’d printed only that afternoon. He handed it first to Ed who was sitting across the table from Julia, so only he could see it. His eyes widened.
‘Wow. What on earth is that? Is it an elk?’
‘Yeah. He just stepped out of the fire.’
‘What happened next?’
‘I don’t know. One moment he was there and the next he was gone.’
‘Connor, man, that’s one hell of a picture.’
Ed handed it to Julia. It took her a moment to focus and when she saw what it was she took a sudden sharp breath.
‘It’s terrible.’
Ed laughed. ‘So much for compliments.’
But Connor wasn’t laughing. He was staring hard at her as if he knew exactly what she meant. She shook her head and handed him the picture.
‘I’m sorry, but I can’t look at that.’
Connor took it from her without a word. He slid it into its envelope and took it back where he’d found it. Ed made a joke about Julia being a tough critic of his music too but she was too shocked by what she’d seen to catch it. She stood up. Ed looked suddenly worried.
‘Julia? Are you okay?’
‘I’m sorry, I’m just
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