I didn’t, darn it.
I met Burt years ago, at a celebration of the classic Western TV series, Gunsmoke. My dad, Skip Lael, was the town marshal in Northport, Washington, where I was raised, and I remember how he’d pull up just in time to watch the next episode, looking sharp in his uniform.
Much later, I realized that he was learning about being a marshal—from Matt Dillon.
Dad passed away in 2007, so he never knew that his eldest daughter somehow ended up in Dodge City, Kansas, consorting with Burt Reynolds and many members of the Gunsmoke cast, but half the fun was knowing how happy it would have made my father.
When I was introduced to Mr. Reynolds, by my good friend Buck Taylor (who played Newly on the show), Buck announced that I’m a romance writer.
Burt grinned at that and said, with that famous twinkle in his eyes, “I can still kiss.”
It went right over my head.
This man had kissed Sally Field and Lonnie Anderson and many other beautiful women.
As we were walking away, Buck laughed and said, “Sounded like a come-on to me.”
Well, darn it.
