***
Gregor was sitting at the bar when Shane entered that evening. The old man didn’t frequent Last Call on a regular basis, which was surprising for a Scotsman. He looked like Shane felt on the inside. Beat up and broken. Shane started to move in the opposite direction but hesitated. Sighing, he walked toward the old man.
“Beer for me, whiskey for Gregor,” Shane shouted at Ralph as he sat down beside the old man. “Why you drinkin’ alone, old man?”
Gregor turned his head and looked at Shane then he looked down at his empty glass. “Just thinkin’.”
“That’ll get you in trouble,” Shane pointed out.
“Aye, it will.”
“Anything particular on your mind?”
Ralph laid their drinks down before Gregor could answer, so Shane raised his beer and toasted. “To a life with nothin’ to think about.”
Gregor grinned and raised his glass. “To a life where the thinkin’ is about fast women and faster rapids.”
They clinked their drinks together, both men grinning, and took a drink.
“You sure you’re thinkin’ about fast women or just one particular pain in the ass?”
“You know?”
“Not hard to miss if you got eyes that see.”
Gregor’s head dropped back on his shoulders and he sighed. After a moment, he turned and looked Shane dead in the eyes. “Spent my whole life chasing the rapids. Didn’t wanna settle down. Wanted to live life hard and fast. Now I’m at the end of it and my pecker still works, thank God.” Shane raised his beer to that and Gregor imitated. “But I got no lass waitin’ at the end of the day. I was foolish, Shane. I met her two years before Tom and did nothin’ about it.”
The sip Shane had been taking didn’t quite make it down and he choked. “Are you sayin’,” Shane coughed out, “that you and Maxine have a history?”
“Not in the sense you think. She was high-strung and glorious to watch. But I knew she was lookin’ for a man who would give her a family, so I kept her at arm’s length. I wanted her, make no mistake about that, but my need to be free, to live my life the way I always wanted, overshadowed what I felt for her.”
“So you showin’ up in Trails End wasn’t a coincidence?”
“No. I hadn’t seen Maxie since I left for the next rapid, but I never forgot her. I found my way back to Gunnison last year and inquired about her. Found out where she lived and that she was a widow.”
Shane stared at Gregor and saw the laugh lines around his eyes. He’d lived a life of adventure, doin’ what he wanted. But at the end of the day, it was about havin’ someone in your life who belonged to you, and he looked away. He saw his future if he didn’t get a handle on his past.
“I wouldn’t let Max know you’ve been carryin’ a torch for his mother all these years.”
“Aye. The Prince of Trails End loved his father very much.”
“I also wouldn’t let Max hear you call him a prince either,” Shane grinned.
“Why?”
“He prefers god of thunder.”
Gregor smiled. “Got himself tied to a high-strung and glorious woman just like his father. He saw what he wanted and grabbed hold with both hands. You and I should follow by example.”
“You grab hold of Maxine with both hands and she’s liable to crack you over the head with her ax.”
“Would be worth it to get my hands on her,” Gregor grinned.
“Hands on whom?” Max asked from behind both men.
Shane turned and looked at Max. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Fair enough. Consider the topic dead,” Max answered and then took a seat next to Shane.
Shane looked over his shoulder for Mia and didn’t find her.
“You flyin’ solo tonight?”
“Yeah. Mia’s helpin’ Maxine tonight with a party.”
“She’s havin a party tonight? Jesus. Good thing you told me, she wanted me to stop by for one of her talks. I’d have been scarred for life if I saw what you saw last year.”
“We don’t talk about that,” Max grumbled.
“Right,” Shane chuckled.
“What happened last year?” Gregor asked.
Max scowled at Shane in warning.
Shane didn’t give a shit. It was a funny story.
“Imagine Max walkin’ into his mother’s house to find her bent at the waist with Martha standin’ behind her with a strap-on dick the size of a horse’s.” Gregor’s eyes glazed over and Shane knew the man didn't imagine Martha standin’ behind Maxine.
“That’s not the party.”
“Jesus, how often do they strap that thing on?”