Love Among the Llamas Page 2

  Oddly enough, I did. In fact, the more I thought about it, I decided that was another reason I'd pointed my car east and just drove. I was tired of living in a place where I waited by the phone for my first dates to call back for a second, or where I ate take-out by myself, or watched television alone.

  "You know," I said, walking over to the sink. "We both like Dexter. We both turned our backs on a life that wasn't working. And your llamas didn't spit at me. That's gotta mean something, right?"

  He grinned and shook his head. "You're something else, you know?" He let the soapy water swirl down the drain and turned to face me. "You trying to tell me something?"

  I grinned back. "I didn't have my heart set on Vegas. All I told myself was that I'd drive until I found something interesting or I had to pee." I didn't think I should tell him about the tired part. "I thought the llamas were the interesting thing, then I met you." I touched his shoulder. "Good romances have started with less."

  "Merely good?"

  This time I was the one who chuckled. "Okay, great. Great romances."

  He leaned forward, and this time he kissed me like he meant it.

  * * *

  We went to bed after that, of course, where we did a great many things like we meant it. Chet didn't ask me to stay. He didn't have to. We'd already settled that issue in the kitchen, and besides, his bed was about the most comfortable thing I'd ever slept in. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was in it.

  The next morning I didn't have a Starbuck's decaf grande latte. I'm pretty sure there's not a Starbucks within thirty miles of Chet's ranch, and besides, Chet makes pretty good decaf himself. I didn't listen to the Doobie Brothers in my car. I did call my boss – my former boss – on Chet's cell phone to let the man know I wasn't dead, I just wasn't coming back ever again. He told me not to bother, I was fired. I think we both hung up on each other. It seemed a fitting way to leave that job behind.

  Chet did tell me I should go back and get my things, and that he'd be happy to do that with me. We're going to make the drive to Reno tomorrow. Today I'm going with him while he finishes checking his fence line, then the rest of the day we're spending in bed. Chet says he's old and can't spend the entire day in bed with me because I'd probably kill him. I think he's being melodramatic. He's no slouch in the bedroom department, gray or no gray in his hair.

  I never thought, in all my wildest dreams, that I'd end up on a llama ranch outside of Hazen, but it's a future I can see for myself now. Most people would tell me to take it slow, but I've been taking it slow all my life. Doing the things everyone expected me to do for so long that I'd begun to expect that's all my life would ever be. Why take it slow when you know what you're doing is right? And why keeping doing stuff that you know is wrong just because that's what you've always done?

  Yeah, I don't have any good answers to those questions either, and the beauty of it is I don't need any. I found my happily ever after where I least expected it.

  I do have one question, though.

  What are we going to name the baby llamas?

  About the Author:

  Annie Reed describes herself as a desert rat who longs to live by the ocean. Born and raised in Northern Nevada, Annie started her writing career in science fiction. She soon branched out to fantasy, mystery, and crime fiction, but all her writing has one thing in common – strong women characters.

  One such strong woman is featured in Annie's series of light contemporary fantasy detective stories. Dee is a human precog whose magical abilities aren't exactly under her control, but that doesn't stop her from plunging in to help her clients find loved ones gone missing. Her partner, Diz, is a sexy but grumpy elf. Stories in the series include The Case of the Missing Elf, Just My Luck, and My Cousin, the Rabbit, and the forthcoming Secret Witness Seagull.

  Annie still lives in Northern Nevada with her husband and daughter, who share their house with a number of high-maintenance cats. A friend to backyard bunnies and kamikaze quail, Annie would probably befriend dogs, too, except they'd chase the rabbits.

  To find out more about Annie, visit www.annie-reed.com, where Annie posts a free short story every Thursday.

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