Catch of a Lifetime

"Hey, sweetheart," I greeted her. I handed her a coffee mug and sat down by her. "You hungry?" I offered her one of the chunks. She smiled up at me and took it, looking like a little lost girl.

"Kinda hungry," she said. "I'm sorry, Canyon. I'm trespassing but I needed to see you. I'm sorry I just barged in here like this."

"Dara, you can come here any time you like," I said. "You can come every day if you want to."

She smiled up at me again gratefully. "Thanks, Canyon," she said. "I may do that."

We ate our bread in companionable silence. I set the plate on the deck when I was finished, and used my free hand to pull her over against me. She folded her legs up and snuggled in.

"You feeling any better?" I asked her.

"Sometimes," she said. "God, I miss her, Canyon. People that aren't twins don't know what it's like. We had this connection. It's like part of me is missing, like someone took away a piece of my soul."

"I can only imagine," I said. "I will tell you that it gets better. You never stop missing them. I miss Cybill every day. I was a mess for a while. I couldn't get my head around it. She was so full of the joy of life. She had all this energy and love and then it was gone. I finally figured it out. The sharp pain went away. I remember the good things now. I remember all the times we laughed or cried, all the adventures we had together, all the experiences we shared and they're happy memories. When you lose someone like that, it's easy to be angry. I was angry at life, angry with God, but I figured out that just hurt me. You'll get better."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she wasn't sobbing. We finished our coffee and I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. She stood up and held out her hand to me. I sat there for a minute and just enjoyed looking at her. She really was tiny. She couldn't have been much over five feet and I knew she didn't weigh much over a hundred pounds. She had a little pointed chin, beautiful lips, the cutest little nose imaginable and her eyes were huge. Her hair was blonde on the outside and very dark brown underneath. I wondered which her natural color was. It was the blonde, as it turned out. She added the brown. It was very long, fine and silky. She was slender, but curvy. There was no doubt she was all girl. She had tiny little breasts but they fit her perfectly. Her butt was just fantastic. She looked a question at me. "What?" she said.

"Damn, you're cute, Dara!" I said. I took her hand and let her pull me up.

"Thanks," she said, blushing adorably. "You're quite a hunk yourself, Canyon. Do you have a girlfriend?"

I laughed. "Well, no. I date some, but nothing serious. Are you applying for the position?"

She laughed. "I might. Maybe after I... I... "

I hugged her. "It's okay, kitten. I was just teasing you."

She took my hand and we walked down the trail through the trees. "I know. Thank you for being my friend, Canyon. I don't know what Mom and I would have done without you this last week. You've just been a rock. You didn't even know us and now it's like you're my best friend."

"It's an honor to be your friend," I told her. "You're the sweetest girl I know."

She stayed all day and we ate a late lunch. She left just before sundown and I was sorry to see her go. Julia called me Sunday afternoon and asked me if I would meet her for a cup of coffee. We met at the diner on Fourth Street. She came in and gave me a big hug. We sat and talked for about two hours. We had a piece of pie and drank gallons of coffee.

She told me about her life. She had the girls when she was twenty-three. She divorced her husband when they were four. She caught him in bed with the baby sitter and that was it. She sold insurance and had her own business. Three other agents worked for her and she was doing well. I told her I'd give her my business if I could get competitive rates and she promised to give me quotes. I could tell she wanted to ask me something, but she seemed to be reluctant. Finally, she got around to it.

"You've made quite an impression on my daughter," she said.

"Well, the way we met was pretty unusual," I said.

"I know, that's what I'm worried about," she hesitated a moment. "She's very vulnerable right now, Canyon. I know you're not trying to take advantage of her or anything, but just remember that, okay?"

"I will," I said. "I promise that I won't hurt her in any way. I was thinking about taking advantage of you, though."

She laughed. "Well, God knows I would let you, but thank you. You're her hero, Canyon. I'm so grateful to you and she needs you right now."

"Do you think I should kind of keep my distance, just put a little space between us?" I asked her.

"God, no," she said. "I didn't mean that at all. Please don't do that. I was just meaning... if you don't... hell, I don't know what I mean. I just don't want her to fall in love with you because you saved her life and then you not have any feelings for her like that. Do you think you could have feelings for her?"

"I like her a lot," I said. "She's very young, Jules. She's just a baby. I love everything I know about her but I hardly know either of you. Things like that take time for me."

"You're wrong," she said. "She's a woman. I understand what you're saying, but for some people, it doesn't take a long time. She has a bond with you. You were there for her when she desperately needed someone. That kind of thing doesn't happen often, and I don't think either of us knows how strong that bond is. Will you just go slow and see what happens?"

"I think I have some idea," I said. "I feel it, too. We've shared something deep and emotional and I feel like I've known her for a long time. You don't have to worry, Jules. I'm not a monster. I'd rather cut off my arm than hurt that girl. Do you trust me?"

Her soft brown eyes bored into my soul. "I think I already have," she said. "I didn't have a choice about that and you didn't let me down. Yes, Canyon, you've already shown me that I can trust you. Please don't be upset with me."

I took her hands in mine. "How could I be upset with you? You're a mom, looking out for your baby. I understand completely."

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you," she said. "Will you have dinner with us Wednesday evening?"

"Yes, I'd love that, but only if you come to my place," I said. "I'm not going to load you up with work making dinner for me. Let me do that for you."

I paid the check and walked her to her SUV. We hugged and she drove away. She was quite a lady, I thought. That husband of hers must have been nuts. The days flew by and I took Wednesday afternoon off. I had fired up the smoker that morning and we were having ribs, outside on the back deck. I made potato salad and coleslaw and put baked beans in the smoker too. Dara came over about three and we hung out, drinking beer and lounging around in the back yard. I have a nice hammock hung between two trees and we cuddled in there for most of the afternoon. I got up, tended the fire now and again and got more beer, but mostly, we talked.

She was in her final year of undergraduate school. She was majoring in biochemistry and she wanted to do medical research. Medical schools were hard to get in, but she had already been accepted. She told me stories about her and Kara, what she had been like, things they had done together. They were happy stories but I could tell they made her a little sad. She was still grieving. Julia got there about six and she came around and smiled when she saw us snuggled up in the hammock.

"Hey, kids," she called. "Sorry I'm late. I made a pie."

She wasn't late and the pie turned out to be delicious. It was apple, and we ate it with vanilla ice cream. After dinner, we took the truck and drove down to the river. They wanted to go, but I was more than a little apprehensive. I had gone down and rescued the kayaks the first time I came home and they were pulled up on the bank.

I helped them out of the truck and we walked down to the edge of the water with my arms around their shoulders, just squeezing them a little. They both cried some but there wasn't the meltdown I had feared. We talked about the kayaks and Dara didn't want anything to do with them. We talked about that for a while and I think she realized that the accident had nothing to do with the kayaks. I saw something shiny about ten yards out in the stream, caught between two rocks. We walked over to get a better look.

"My rod!" I exclaimed. I had to explain to them what had been going on. It had a bad effect on Dara. She started crying again and talking about how she had made me lose that big fish.

I hugged her tighter and made her look at me. "Dara, I'd throw away every bit of tackle I have and everything in my house for the chance to meet you, much less save your life," I told her. "I'm sorry about the circumstances, but I'll never be sorry I helped you or sorry I met you."

She stared at me for a minute. Her hands reached out and locked behind my head as she pulled me down. The softest, fullest lips I'd ever imagined crushed mine and I could feel the smoke rising off my head. She broke the kiss and molded herself to me, nuzzling her face into my chest. I looked over at Julia and she mouthed "slow" to me. I nodded and just held that tiny little thing in my arms, never wanting to let her go.

I waded out and got the rod and we loaded the kayaks up in the back of my truck. We went back to the house and they left. They both hugged me and Dara gave me another one of those kisses. I promised to bring the kayaks by, and when Dara was getting in her car, I called out for her to wait.

"Would you like to go to a concert with me Saturday?" I asked.

"I'd love to." She smiled up at me.

"Okay, we'll be gone pretty much all day and get back pretty late," I told her.

"Perfect," she said. "What time will you pick me up and what should I wear?"

"I'll pick you up at ten in the morning," I told her. "I'll bring you something to wear. What size are you, if that isn't rude?"

She laughed. "If I was a big gal it would be. I'm a two."

She drove away and I felt lonely for the first time in years. That little girl was getting to places that hadn't been touched in a while.

Friday rolled around, and I took the day off. The EPA was satisfied and I had found a water treatment guy with whom I was very happy. It was time to get rolling on my date. I got the bike out of the garage. The 2002 Harley-Davidson VRSCA hadn't been ridden for a while. Some of the Harley purists hate it because it's water-cooled, but no one ever tried to kick my ass over it. I was in love with it. A dirt dauber had built a nest on one of the pegs and I cleaned it up, put fuel in it and fired it up. It throbbed under me as I pulled on my helmet. It was off to go shopping, now. I knew the perfect place. I have a friend that rides and his wife runs a shop that caters to women riders.

She helped me out. I wanted black or red to set off that beautiful blonde hair and she found me the whole outfit in red. She even had it in a two. "Are you sure, Darlin'?" she asked me. "This is mostly for young girls."

I held up my hand at about five feet and drew an imaginary figure in the air for her. She agreed that was probably what I needed and I bought it. Leather is expensive and I just dreamed about how she was going to look in it when I paid.

I had it wrapped and went to bed early that night. It was a beautiful morning when I got up and I saw the curtain pull back when I pulled up at their house. Dara met me at the door with a hug and I handed her the package. "Is Jules home?" I asked.

"No, she's doing a claim," she said. "There's coffee on. Is this what you want me to wear?"

"It's a fashion show and then a bike ride," I told her.

She giggled and went upstairs to change. She was gone about twenty minutes and when she came back down, I was just stunned. Those red leathers fit her like a glove. She laughed at the look on my face and came to stand in front of me. She turned, giving me the full treatment and she looked spectacular. She was tiny, but shaped like something out of a fantasy artwork.

Her ass was the roundest, tightest thing I'd ever seen. She had small breasts, but she was a small girl and they looked just perfect on her, high, perky, pointed and making noticeable bulges in the leather. Her waist looked like I could circle it with my hands and she swelled out from there, every line saying "sexy," in nineteen languages. She was just a living doll. She even had on over the calf black leather boots with three-inch heels that showed off her incredible legs. She was little, but perfectly proportioned. Topping it off was that angel face and those huge brown eyes, her amazing hair floating around her and down her back below her butt.

No one had tried to kick my ass over the bike, but someone might to take her away from me. I prepared to do battle. This one was mine! I knew right then that I was prepared to do nearly anything to be with Dara. I felt like I was under some spell and I liked it.

We went out to the bike and I gave her her new helmet. She tucked her hair up inside and she looked like a badass biker chick, or at least a smoking hot one.

It was "Blues, Bikes and Barbecue" weekend in Northwest Arkansas, and we had a two-hour ride ahead of us. She wrapped her arms around me and I could feel all that smoldering heat against my back, hard little breast mounds pushing against me. I could have ridden for days.

We spent the afternoon, ate good food and listened to good music. We even danced a little. She was a ton of fun. We rode from place to place and we'd pull up beside some guy on his bike. Dara had her hair down, a blonde flag streaming in the wind, and they'd do a double take and give me the thumbs up. I knew it wasn't the bike from most of them, so it had to be that angel sitting behind me.

I should make it clear that I'm not into the whole "outlaw biker" thing. I'm not into drugs, crime, skanky women or guns. The whole "brotherhood of the road" thing is without appeal to me. I like motorcycles and that's the sum total of my attraction. For other people, riding is a way of life. I'm happy for them. For some reason, the "way of life" crowd seems to like to refer to women as "old ladies" and think they should be available to share.

I've never liked sharing that much. One of our stops got a little dicey when a couple of tattooed fat guys in vests and no shirts decided they'd get friendly with Dara while I was getting food. She was leaning up against a tree waiting for an open spot to sit while I got our barbecue. I heard a slap like a pistol shot. I turned around and Dara was facing those two morons.

"Keep your hands to yourself, asshole," she hissed.

I left my place in line. "Everything okay, baby?" I asked when I reached them.

"Yeah, this douche bag just grabbed my ass," she said.

"Your old lady got an attitude," one of them said. "Bitch needs to learn her place."

She stepped back behind me. The two guys looked me up and down. I'm a big guy. I'm six three in my socks and I played inside linebacker on a NAIA team that played for the national championship. I had D I size, but not speed. It paid for my education. I stay in shape. I lift weights with the steroid crowd at the YMCA and I hold my own without the steroids. I'm about 240 now and I'm not Mr. Universe built but I have very big arms and pecs. Evidently, they decided that two against one evened the odds. The alcohol they had consumed didn't help their decision-making ability.

"Your bitch ain't very friendly," moron number one said.

"She is to me," I said. "It's the other bitches she doesn't care for much."

It took a minute for that to sink in. "Did you just call me a bitch?" he asked.

"That wouldn't be friendly," I said. "How long you two been married?"

Moron number two got it and decided to open the festivities. He thought he'd end it in one punch. He was slow. I leaned back and his big fist sailed two inches in front of my face. I had him by the wrist and he was off balance with the force of missing. I locked his arm under my armpit and broke it.

He screamed and fell, clutching his elbow and I kicked number one in the thigh with the heel of my boot. I felt something give in there and he was down too. I took Dara by the hand and we got out of there. She was looking up at me with those wide brown eyes as big as saucers.

"You destroyed those guys and didn't even try," she said.

"Yeah, well they were assholes," I said. "I want a pork shoulder sandwich, but I don't like the company here."

We rode down the street and found a little vendor that had some of the best pork shoulder I'd ever tasted. It had just the right amount of crunch to it and Dara loved it. I didn't like his sauce, but the pork was top notch. I'm not a big Memphis style sauce fan. Kansas City is more my thing. She hung on my arm the rest of the day and I was the luckiest guy there.

We left for home after nine, and it was nearly midnight when we pulled up at her house. I killed the bike and she got off, pulled her helmet off and shook her hair down. She came and leaned up against me while I held her.

"I had the time of my life today, Canyon," she said.

"Me too," I said. "If I take half a day off Wednesday, will you come and hang out with me?"

"I'd love to," she said. "You know, Canyon, I didn't like that guy grabbing my ass, but you can if you want to." Her eyes were down and I could see her blush in the security lights. I pulled her up against me and slid my hands down that leather, feeling the swell of her hips and I cupped her ass, pulling her up against my leg between hers. I squeezed that round, gorgeous ass and it felt sensational: tight, hard and resilient. She flexed it, giggling, and I could feel steel in there. Her lips against mine were alive, promising Eden in a tiny package.

She pulled back, burning me with the heat of her eyes. I reached my hand to her face, cupping her cheek and she nuzzled it into my palm. Then she was gone, the door swinging shut and leaving me restless and hungry.

The days dragged. She called me every evening at eight and I found myself watching the clock, waiting for eight to roll around. We talked for a long time, just nothing and everything. I discovered that I loved the sound of that little voice, the inflection of her words, the lilt she gave even the most inane conversation. She teased me, flirting outrageously and, laughingly, telling Julie to mind her own business a couple of times.

I was very eager to get my work out of the way Wednesday morning and I was gone by 11 AM. There was an art show down at the museum and when she got to my house, I made us a quick lunch and we went. I don't think she was six inches away from me all afternoon. I kept an arm around her shoulders and hers was around my waist. I'm not much of an art critic. I like it, but pretty much only the stuff that actually looks like something. I've always felt like any chimp with a brush can paint formless blobs. This was the stuff that I could tell what it was. We went downtown and window-shopped for a while, just holding hands and having a good time.

I had tickets to a dinner theatre and it was a good one. The play was a farce and the food was excellent. Dara was alive and vibrant, just sparkling when she looked up at me laughing. They had an intermission and a band played. We danced three times, two fast numbers and one slow one to finish. I pulled her up against me and she pushed her cheek into my chest as we swayed. When the play was over, we walked slowly to the car. I had my arm around her shoulder and she had hers around my waist. We were pressed closely together and when I opened her door, she turned in my arms and kissed me. She had to stand on tiptoes and pull my head down to reach me. It went on for a very long time, her little pointed tongue poking inside my lips and wrestling with mine. I crushed her up against me and her hot little body felt so good against mine that I never wanted to let her go. She broke the kiss with a sigh and looked up at me. Her eyes were half closed and she had a dreamy look in her eyes.