‘Better not. I noticed a sign a way back forbidding it.’

She breathed in deeply, and exhaled, and then shook her head in wonder at a grove of exceptionally perfect pines, the smell of which had filled her lungs. ‘The things God makes,’ she said.

‘It’s beautiful,’ he agreed, and quickly returned his gaze to the road, smiling softly.

Looking ahead she said, ‘You sure they’ll have a room for us?’

‘Oh, sure. Especially now with gas rationing.’

‘There’s still cars on the road, though.’

‘But not enough in volume to crowd the places. Anyway they don’t cater to the usual mob in this place.’

‘I hope the lake is clean.’

‘Like silver. Of course I haven’t been there for five years, but it was clean then.’

‘And they dance?’ she asked, as though for confirmation.

He laughed, and patted her knee. ‘I’m not taking you to a fogy place. Matter of fact, I went there for kind of romantic reasons.’

‘You did!’ she scoffed, interested.

‘Really.’ He looked at her and they both laughed.

‘Did you find anything?’

‘Well,’ he blushed a little, cocking his head as though he were not telling all, ‘I had some very interesting conversations.’

‘You.’

‘You think I’m a regular fogy, don’t you!’ He burst out laughing.

‘Sure you are.’

‘Supposing I told you that half the time I’m thinking of you.’

‘I wouldn’t believe it.’

‘Well it’s so. And before you came I was thinking of women in general.’

‘You.’

‘I always had an idea of a certain kind of woman. Really. And you’re it.’ He glanced seriously at her, then back to the road. ‘I’m serious.’

‘I believe you, Lully,’ she admitted quietly.

They rode on for a while. ‘This is what I always dreamed of,’ he said. ‘I mean being married and taking a drive for a weekend. I always had to go alone.’

‘How many times did you go to this place?’

‘Only once to this place. But I went to others.’

‘And never found anybody at all?’

‘Nobody.’ A thought struck him. ‘None of them looked like you.’

She leaned over and kissed his cheek and waited for him to turn his head to her.

‘Better not while I’m driving,’ he said, for as she kissed him they had passed a man waiting to cross the road.

‘Let him see,’ she taunted.

‘I don’t care about anybody seeing, I just …’

‘You’re embarrassed for him.’

‘No,’ he laughingly complained, ‘I just drive when I drive and that’s all I can do.’ A car sped past them and then moved over into their lane and disappeared around a curve ahead.

‘Darned fool,’ he said. ‘People don’t care whether they live or die.’

All of a sudden she jumped a little, ecstatically, and gripped his arm and pressed her leg against his. He blushed and reached down and squeezed her thigh, making a mock-angry face. They rode that way for a while. Through the corners of his eyes he saw the forests and the hills and noted the hidden sensuous nooks. She did not move her thigh away. He thought, then dared say it.