Rachel was having such a good time working with Adam, she didn’t want this time to end, but it was speeding by. Adam had a dry sense of humor that she loved. In the beginning it had taken her a minute to realize he was joking, but she’d finally caught on and now he cracked her up on a regular basis. They had taken pictures of so many cows she was certain she was going to see them in her dreams for years. But she’d learned a lot about them and now could tell the difference in the breeds as well as the ages with just a glance.

They had taken three days off to go play in the vicinity. Adam had kept her to a fast schedule the first three days, telling her if they got enough done they could take Thursday off to go exploring. They’d managed it with longer days but it had been worth every second. Each day he had a different adventure planned.

Since they managed to take Thursday off, Adam suggested they go into the Rocky Mountain National Park that day because there would be less tourists and therefore less traffic. She agreed so they started the drive over Trail Ridge road this time heading toward Estes Park. He wanted to take her over the Old Fall River road which was one way and started on the Estes Park side of the park.

Adam said, “We can stop at most of the same turnouts we did the first time, since it’s later in the summer the flowers will be in full bloom.”

“Goody.” Rachel said, “This direction is a little more harrowing feeling, since we’re next to the downhill side.”

“Yes, it is, but don’t worry we’ll be fine.” Adam patted her knee.

“I’m sure we will be as long as you pay attention.”

He grinned. “Yes ma’am.”

“We’ll have to stop and see how my little bud is doing.”

“We can do that, what you did with those pictures was fascinating. I thought you’d lost your mind while you were taking them, but you really know what you’re doing.”

“Well thank you, kind sir.” He turned off the road. “That is a beautiful profusion of flowers. Thanks for stopping.”

“Of course. That is the point of this trip to let you take lots of pictures.”

She nodded. “And have some fun at the same time.”

“Fun and a picnic. There is a waterfall on the dirt road, we can have our picnic by that.”

“Great.” She got out of the car and took lots of pictures of the sturdy little flowers growing in the harsh climate. She knew this time to bring a jacket for the drive. Even though it was warmer than it had been, the wind at this elevation was still cold.

As they walked back to Adam’s truck an SUV tooted their horn and Adam waved.

Rachel watched the car drive on. “The passenger had a sweater over her head. I assume it was a her since it was a female type of sweater.”

Adam laughed. “Yes, that was Ruth Williamson, she’s terrified of Trail Ridge road. Her husband loves it. So once a year they take it into Estes Park and spend the day shopping and playing tourist and then drive back. She pretty much spends the whole drive with a sweater over her head, so she can’t see the drop-offs.”

She looked towards where the truck had disappeared from view. “And they’ve been doing this for how long?”

“They’ve probably been married going on forty years.”

“And she’s still terrified?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“People are weird.”

“Yep.”

She laughed as they got in the car to continue the drive. Rachel thought about the old couple, how the woman would sacrifice her fear of the road, so her husband could drive on the road he loved. She wondered how many times he wanted to drive it and sacrificed his joy for his wife’s fears. Love really was about give and take and those two exemplified it.

She knew Adam enjoyed driving but she wondered if he had things he would rather be doing. Not that he was doing it out of love, but still she wondered.

* * *

Adam enjoyed taking Rachel around to the different places he had lined up for her. They’d had a good day in the national park, she’d loved the Old Fall River road and they’d had a fun picnic near the falls. Fortunately, there was only one other car they saw on the road, since it was a Thursday. So, they pretty much had the road to themselves and could just stop in the middle of it whenever she wanted to take a photo or two.

They’d gone out on the lakes in his friend’s boat on Saturday and they’d had a lot of fun doing that. She took a ton of pictures and then he let her drive the boat for a while. She’d learned how to pilot a boat in her home town on Lake Chelan but hadn’t gotten to do it a lot. It had been a fun day with lots of laughs. Fortunately, they’d slathered on sunscreen so they didn’t get burnt.

Sunday, they decided was going to be a chill day. She took her camera with her, but said it was not going to be the focus of the day. They took the drive to Hot Sulphur Springs and she’d taken a lot of pictures on the drive and then some of the town, but when they were ready to go in to the actual pools she’d locked her camera up in his truck and they walked into the springs hand in hand.

She’d about given him a heart attack when she shimmied out of her jeans and had on her skimpy bathing suit. It wasn’t nearly as tiny as some he’d seen, but it fit her so well he knew he started drooling.

She smiled a naughty smile. “I’m glad I brought my suit. I almost didn’t, not knowing if it would be warm enough to warrant it. But I was planning to be here for most of the summer, so I decided to drag it along. It doesn’t take much room anyway.”

He had to swallow twice to get his throat to work. “I’m glad you brought it too. And no, it wouldn’t take much room. What it did take is so worth it. I need a picture of that if you don’t mind. I can take it on my phone.”

She posed and laughed. “If you must.”

He took several as she grinned and posed for the shots. Then it was her turn to take pictures of him with her phone, so he clowned around like she had. He didn’t know how she felt about his pictures, but he was fairly certain the shots of her were going to become a prized possession.

They’d had dinner in a quaint restaurant, she’d brought a sexy sun dress to wear after the hot springs and he’d cleaned up some also. The restaurant had a bar with a dance floor and live music, so they danced and acted like they were on a date. Rather than him being a tour guide. He’d liked it, he’d liked it a lot.

That night she’d joined him in his room and they’d made slow passionate love to one another. It was a special day and one he would remember for a very long time.