Rose’s eyes were closed, and Kyle felt her warm breath on his neck. “Don’t worry about repaying me,” she replied in a contented whisper. “I’m glad I was able to help.”
Kyle released his hold on Rose. “I’d better get to bed. It’s late.” Rose nodded and begrudgingly dropped her arms from around him. He wished her a goodnight, turned and walked down the hall, retiring to Anthony’s room for a second night.
Monday, October 24th
Kyle woke up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The room was filled with the fresh, clean light of morning, and Kyle felt rested after another good night. He had slept well, even despite waking up in the middle of the night after dreaming about a woman other than Jennifer for the first time on his journey.
The sliver of sky he could see through the blinds was clear and blue, indicating another day of warm temperatures and good snowmelt. His spirits high in anticipation of another warm day, Kyle got out of bed and headed to the living room. Rose wasn’t around, but the bathroom door was closed, and he could hear water splashing in the tub. Kyle tapped on the door. “Is there another bathroom I could use?” he called. “Too much water last night.”
“Use the one in my room,” Rose answered back, “but excuse the mess.”
Her room was attractive and decorated with horses and western art like the rest of the house. The “mess” consisted of one side of her large bed being unmade and yesterday’s clothes on the floor beside it. When he finished, Kyle headed back out to the living room, shouting “Thank you!” through the bathroom door as he passed by.
Rose’s voice called back to him. “Kyle, could you bring me the pot of water on the stove? My water’s beginning to cool off. There’s a towel on the chair closest to the stove that you can use to grab it.”
Kyle stopped by the door, not sure how to respond.
She continued. “I’d get it, but you’re up, and I don’t want to get my towel wet if I don’t need to.”
“Yeah, no problem,” he answered hesitantly.
He found the towel, grabbed the large pan, and brought it back down the hall. He tapped on the door. “I’ve got it. Should I just slide it in?”
“Just bring it in if you would. It’s alright, I’m decent.”
Kyle set the pot down, opened the door, then carried the water into the bathroom. Rose was in the bathtub, and he turned towards her while averting his eyes. “What should I do with it?” he asked, struggling not to look directly at her.
“Just pour it in behind me.”
Kyle could see Rose out of the corner of his eye, sitting towards the front of the tub with her knees pulled up and her body leaning forward against them, her head resting on her arms, which were folded across her knees. Rose’s head was turned towards Kyle, her eyes closed and her face relaxed.
“Pour it in slowly, would you?” she murmured, her lips barely moving. “I’m not sure how hot it will be.” Her skin glistened with droplets of water, and her shoulders lifted with each long, deep breath, giving her the appearance of being asleep.
“Okay,” Kyle mumbled hoarsely. He lifted the pot up and tipped it forward slowly, but the pan slipped and a large wave sloshed forward, splashing into the tub. Rose jerked up and let out a slight gasp.
“Sorry! You alright?” Kyle asked. “The pan shifted more than I expected.”
“I’m fine. It just startled me.” She gave him a reassuring smile, then laid her head back down on her arms as it was before.
Kyle braced the pan and slowly started to pour the water in again. As he poured, his eyes drifted from the pan in his hands to a tattoo of a dainty, little butterfly on Rose’s back, just below the water line. He watched as droplets of water rolled down her back, noticing that her body was slender and toned, more so than he had previously realized. His eyes wandered to her side, where her right breast was pressed against her thigh and seemed to be slowly slipping out. Captivated by the voyeuristic circumstance in which he found himself, Kyle’s breathing grew shallow, and his heart thumped heavily as he watched, his eyes glued to her body, unable to tear them away.
“See anything you like?”
Rose’s voice startled him, and he quickly turned his attention to her face. Her eyes were open a crack, and she was watching him with a look of amusement. Kyle quickly averted his eyes from her to the pan in his hands. “No, I mean… I just…” he stammered as he tried to find something to say that wouldn’t make the situation any worse for him.
She giggled as he tripped over his words.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess the answer is yes, but I should go.” He tipped the pan up, pouring in the last of the water, then turned to the door.
“You don’t need to apologize,” Rose said. “I’m flattered. It’s been awhile since anyone has looked at me that way.”
Kyle said nothing as he hurried out of the bathroom and almost ran down the hall, images of Rose, attractive and naked, playing over in his mind. He dropped onto the couch, his hands and legs trembling. She scared him, not because of any physical threat, but because she was attractive, and because he liked her, and because she liked him. He knew he loved Jennifer, but he was clearly in unfamiliar territory. When his legs stopped shaking, Kyle got up and walked back to the bathroom, swallowed hard, and tapped on the door.
“Come in,” Rose beckoned.
CHAPTER 28
North Central Wyoming
Sunday, October 23rd
As if to physically hold himself back, Kyle placed his hands on the doorframe. He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. “No, that’s okay Rose,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “I just wanted to let you know I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back in awhile.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just figured I’d better go get my cart before something happens to it. It’s been sitting there for days.”
Kyle put on a coat, left the house, and retraced his steps from the day before back to the freeway. The snow was wet and heavy, the air brisk and fresh, and the temperature was rising quickly. Kyle guessed it was already in the mid-forties and thought it might hit sixty if the previous day’s temperature was any indication. On the freeway, the water ran off the road in small streamlets through the slushy snow. Walking in it was messy and quickly soaked Kyle’s shoes.
As he walked south towards his cart, Kyle thought about Rose. It was obvious that she liked him, and he certainly found her attractive and enjoyable to be with. Kyle was certain that if he were to pursue it, the relationship could easily become sexual. He thought about the last two months and realized it had been a long time since he had been intimate. Surely it would be forgivable if something were to happen. Of course, he wouldn’t have to explain himself to anyone, because no one else would know. Ever. Just him and Rose.
He could really use some physical contact, a little bit of attention, he thought to himself, especially after everything he’d been through recently. In difficult circumstances like these, a person could certainly justify a little indulgence here and there. Didn’t most people mess around? And they did it in situations that were far less trying than what he was in. Hell, that’s what conventions in Vegas were all about. He knew plenty of guys at work who fooled around, and life still went on for them with no real consequences, and no one seemed any the worse off. Plus, he was in an ideal situation — no witnesses, and no way for anyone to know. Except for him.
Kyle’s thoughts turned to Jennifer. He knew it would devastate her if she were to ever learn that he’d been unfaithful. Ever since they’d met, he’d wondered if maybe she was too pure, too perfect for him — that maybe he wasn’t deserving of her. They’d been in a freshman English class together during winter semester, and her vibrant smile and energetic personality had intrigued him the first time he saw her. She was sweet and innocent, full of life and vigor, and stood out from the rest of the girls he knew on campus. Kyle had asked her out the second week of class, and with a flash of her bright smile, she had turned him down cold. He thought that maybe she’d had a boyfriend, but when he’d inquired, her friends had said she didn’t.