The Wyoming Kid. Debbie Macomber

it’s Letty. Lonny dropped Cricket off and he’s beside himself. What happened?”

      “Your brother,” Joy answered from between gritted teeth, “is the most egotistical, unpleasant, arrogant man I’ve ever met.” Then she proceeded to describe the entire scene, which was burned in her memory.

      “You mean to say you didn’t really come after him with a pitchfork?” Letty asked.

      “Is that what he said?” Joy asked. She wouldn’t put it past Lonny to fabricate such a ridiculous story.

      “No, no, I was just teasing,” Letty assured her. “But I will say his version of events is only vaguely similar to yours.”

      “He’s exaggerating, of course.”

      “I apologize,” Letty said, sounding genuinely contrite. “I wish I knew what’s gotten into my brother. My guess is that he’s attracted to you and isn’t sure how to deal with it. What happened with you two, anyway?”

      “I don’t know, and furthermore, I don’t care.” That wasn’t completely true. She did care and, despite her annoyance with his current attitude, wished the situation between them was different.

      Letty hesitated briefly before she continued. “I have no idea how else to explain my brother’s behavior. All I can tell you is that this just isn’t like Lonny.”

      “In other words, it’s me he dislikes.” Her heart sank with this.

      “No,” Letty said. “Just the opposite. I think this is his nutty way of getting back together with you. Like I said, he’s attracted to you. There’s no question in my mind about that.”

      Her ego would like to believe it, but she’d seen the look in Lonny’s eyes and it wasn’t admiration or attraction.

      “Lonny can be a little stubborn but—”

      “A little?” Joy broke in. “A little?”

      “I apologize on his behalf,” Letty said. “I’m just hoping you’ll be able to look past his perverse behavior and recognize the reason for it. Be gentle with him, okay? I’m fairly certain my brother is smitten.”

      “He’s what?”

      “Smitten,” Letty repeated. “It’s an old-fashioned word, one my mother would’ve used. It means—well, you know what it means. The sad part is, Lonny isn’t smart enough to figure this out.”

      “Then I hope he never does, because any spark of interest I might’ve felt toward him is dead. No one’s ever made me so mad!” Joy felt her anger gain momentum and crowd out her other feelings for Lonny.

      “You’re sure you’re not interested in my brother?”

      “Positive. I don’t want to see him again as long as I live. Every time I do, my blood pressure rises until I feel like my head’s going to explode. I’ve never met a more irritating man in my life.”

      Letty’s regretful sigh drifted through the phone line. “I was afraid of that.”

      They spoke for a few more minutes and then Joy replaced the receiver. She felt better after talking to Letty—only she wasn’t sure why. Maybe venting her aggression with someone who understood both her and Lonny had helped. It would be nice, flattering really, if all this craziness was indeed related to Lonny’s overpowering attraction, as Letty seemed to think, but Joy wasn’t foolish enough to believe it.

      Joy hadn’t been on a date in so long that she was actually considering one of those on-line dating services. School would be out in a couple of weeks; this summer, when she had some free time, Joy planned to develop a social life. She didn’t have a strategy yet, beyond the vague possibilities offered by the Internet, nor did she have much romantic experience. Her only serious romance had been with Josh Howell in her last year of college. Their relationship was relegated to casual friends status after she’d accepted this teaching job in Wyoming. They kept in touch and occasionally e-mailed each other. Since she’d moved away, he’d been involved in an increasingly serious relationship. She hadn’t heard from him in more than two months, and Joy surmised that his current girlfriend was soon to become his wife.

      Josh lived in Seattle, where he worked for an investment firm. He went on—in detail—about the woman he was seeing every time he e-mailed her. Lori Something-or-Other was apparently blond, beautiful and a power to be reckoned with in the investment industry. Or maybe it was insurance…In any case, Joy sometimes wondered why he kept in touch with her at all when he was so enamored of someone else.

      Joy microwaved a frozen entrée for dinner, ate while watching the national news, corrected her spelling test papers and then logged on to the Internet. She immediately noticed Josh’s e-mail. How ironic that she’d get this message when she’d just been thinking about him.

      From: Josh Howell

       Sent: May 16 To: Joy Fuller Subject: I’m going to be in your area! Hi, Joy, We haven’t exchanged e-mails in a while, and I was wondering what you’ve been up to lately. The company’s sending me on a business trip to Salt Lake City, which I’m combining with a few vacation days. When I looked at the map, I noticed that Red Springs isn’t too far away. I’d love to stop by and catch up with you. After the conference, I’ll rent a car, and I should be in your area the first or second of June. Would that work for you?

      Looking forward to hearing from you! I’ve missed your e-mails.

       Love, Josh P.S. Did I mention that Lori and I broke up?

      With her hand pressed to her mouth to contain her surprise and happiness, Joy read the e-mail twice. Josh wasn’t seeing Lori anymore! Interesting that he’d mentioned it in a postscript, as if he’d almost forgotten the fact. This made her wonder. Had she misinterpreted the extent of his feelings for the other woman? Did he still consider Joy more than just a friend? Was he suggesting they might want to pick up the relationship where they’d left off? She was certainly open to the possibility. Josh was a man who knew how to treat a woman. He could teach Lonny Ellison a thing or two.

      Another interesting fact—Josh had said he’d be in the area, but Red Springs was a little out of his way. Like about two hundred miles…Not that she was complaining. What she suspected, what she wanted to believe, was that he’d go a lot out of his way in order to see her.

      Joy quickly e-mailed Josh back. In the space of a single evening, her emotions had veered from fury to eager anticipation. Earlier she’d had to resist the urge to burst into tears, and now she was bubbling with delight.

      Just before hitting Send, Joy paused. Maybe she should phone Josh instead. It wouldn’t hurt. Calling him meant he’d know without a doubt how pleased she was to hear from him.

      She hesitated, suddenly worried that she might seem too eager. But she was. In fact, she was thrilled….

      Her mind made up, she reached for the phone. If he didn’t answer, she could always send the e-mail she’d already composed. Receiver in hand, Joy realized she no longer remembered his number. She’d written it down, but had no idea exactly where. Still, she found it easily enough, at the very back of her personal phone directory. In pencil, which implied that she’d expected to erase it….

      Josh answered right away.

      “Josh, it’s Joy. I just opened your e-mail.”

      “Joy!” She could hear the smile in his voice.

      “I’d love it if you came to Red Springs, but I need to warn you we’re in the middle of nowhere. Well, not really…There are other towns, but they’re few and far between.” She was chattering, but it felt so good to talk to him. “One of my teaching friends said we may not be at the end of the world, but you can see it from here.”

      Josh responded with a husky laugh. “How are you?”

      “Great, just great.” Especially now that she’d heard from him.

      “Do those dates work for you?”