Chapter One As Sarah walked from the barn she looked down at the letter in her hand. Mark had often bragged of his drunken adventures in town with Jimmy. Jimmy had lived just down the road from them in Lansing, Kansas. He had left when his mother died. Just the year before that, Mark and Sarah’s parents died in a fire. Mark was seventeen at the time and took over running the ranch. She mounted her horse and started for town, as the cold March wind stung her face. As she rode toward town, she passed the old farm where Jimmy grew up. It had sat empty for many years, crumbling away with time. As she looked at the home memories flooded back. Jimmy and Mark had been inseparable, if someone that did not know them had seem them together, he or she would have sworn they were brothers. They looked a lot alike and had the same quick temper. As they grew older, though, it was obvious that Jimmy had a better handle on his temper than Mark. Sarah did not know how Jimmy would react to getting a letter from her. Not now, not after all these years and after everything Mark had told him. She shut her eyes for a moment and could still hear Mark’s words echoing in her ears. “Do you want to know what he did when I told him?” he slurred in his drunken rage. “He laughed. He laughed his ass off.” Mark chortled, satisfied with the broken look he had managed to bring to Sarah’s face. She had always been fond of Jimmy, but, to him, she was just Mark’s kid sister, not even really female, just more like one of the guys. That was, she had guessed, until Mark had told him that his kid sister had feelings for him. She looked down at the letter again. “Maybe I shouldn’t send this,” she thought. “No. He has a right to know.” She took one last look at the letter and gave it to the Express office. As she turned to walk away, she had a feeling like she was standing on the edge of that old familiar cliff, the one she seemed to always be running toward. She sighed and turned her horse homeward. When Sarah arrived back at the farm, she straightened the house and lit a fire. As she sat looking into the hearth, she dozed off. “Well, what made you think I would allow you to send a letter to Jimmy?” Mark screamed, his face only inches from her. “You don’t talk to anyone unless I tell you that you can. He doesn't want to hear from you, you stupid little bitch. Don’t you get that?” Mark yelled and raised his hand. As his hand came down to strike her, she bolted up. “No,” she thought to herself. “He’s gone. He can’t hurt me anymore.” Chapter Two “Rider coming!” Teaspoon hollered as Kid mounted his horse. Cody jumped off his horse and strutted into the bunkhouse. The look on his face was unmistakable. He was grinning from ear to ear and was waving an envelope around. “Well, lookie what I have here,” he smirked. “It’s a be-utiful envelope. Why, it even smells nice,” he said as he strutted about the bunkhouse. “What are you talking about, Cody?” Lou asked, curious as to what could be making Cody act like such a fool. “Shut up!” Jimmy barked. He was painfully tired and was in no mood to deal with Cody’s shenanigans. “Oh, I think this will interest you, ‘Mr. James Butler Hickok,’” Cody read off the envelope. “That’s for me?” Jimmy asked. “It would appear from the salutations that would be correct.” Jimmy jumped up from his bunk, grabbed the letter from Cody, and headed for the door. "Aw, come on, Jimmy. Who’s it from?” Cody pleaded. Jimmy looked at the letter. There was no return address so he did not rightly know. Jimmy did not stop to hear the rest of Cody’s case. The bunkhouse door shut behind him as he headed over to the barn. He lit the lantern and sat down on a pile of hay to read the letter. His name was scrolled on the front in very fancy writing. He opened the envelope. The letter read: Dear Jimmy, I don't know quite how to tell you this. Marcus is gone. I thought that you should know. All my love, Sarah “What?” he thought to himself. “That's not possible. Mark-gone?” He looked at the letter again and headed toward the house. “Teaspoon! Teaspoon! Where is he?” Jimmy demanded. “He’s on the porch,” Emma answered. Jimmy headed straight for him. “Teaspoon, I need to take a couple of days off,” Jimmy pleaded. “What on earth for?” Teaspoon asked. Jimmy handed him the letter. After he read it, he turned to Jimmy. “I’m real sorry, son. You take all the time you need. When do you figure you’ll leave?” Jimmy had told Teaspoon about his friend Mark and how close they had been. “Tonight,” Jimmy said. “Best wait til morning. Give yourself a little time.” Teaspoon added. Jimmy knew he was right. He was tired and would not get far tonight. “Ok,” he agreed. “I’ll leave in the morning.” When he walked into the bunkhouse Cody was on him again. “So, who’s the mystery letter from?” Cody chirped. “See for yourself,” Jimmy said throwing the letter and envelope down on the table. Cody looked at it, then looked at Jimmy. Cody picked up the letter and unfolded it. Lou abruptly snatched it out of his hands. “I’m thinking that’s really none of your business who’s writing to Jimmy,” Lou scolded. “Come on, Lou,” Cody argued. “He said I could.” “Jimmy? You sure?” Lou questioned. “Read it, don’t read it. Don’t care,” Jimmy said as he packed his bag. Lou tossed the letter back to Cody, who immediately began reading it before he changed his mind. “You headed somewhere?” Lou asked. Jimmy did not answer. He just continued to pack. “Sarah?” Cody asked. “‘All my love, Sarah.’ Who’s Sarah? Someone we should all know about?” Cody snickered. “A friend. Something you wouldn’t know anything about,” Jimmy snapped back. Jimmy laid down on his bunk. Mark-gone? It seemed just like yesterday they were causing trouble. As his mind drifted off, thinking of years past, he fell asleep and woke before the sun came up. He grabbed his gear and headed toward the barn. Lou caught him before he got there. “Where you going?” She asked. “Visit a friend,” he replied, hoping she would not ask too many more questions. Luck was with him and she did not. “Ride safe,” she said, wandering back to the bunkhouse. Chapter Three Days passed and there was still no answer to her letter. “Maybe Mark was right,” Sarah thought. “ He doesn’t want anything to do with me.” That afternoon the clouds rolled in thick and black. It was very warm for that early in March. The sky looked ominous, so Sarah put the animals away and closed up the house. As evening set in, so did the rains-light drizzle at first that became progressively harder as night set in. Sarah tended to the fire and fixed a pot of chili with some cornbread, and she had just sat down to eat when a huge clap of thunder struck. It was so loud it sounded like the roof was going to come off. She jumped and spilt some of the chili out of her bowl. She was cleaning it up when she thought she heard a knock at the door. “That’s crazy,” she thought to herself. “No one in their right mind would be out in this weather.” Then, suddenly, another knock jarred her out of her thought and she went to the door. There in the doorway was Jimmy. “Can I come in?” he asked. “Lord, yes, you look like a drowned rat. Get in here before you catch your death.” She stopped herself, realizing suddenly that she had turned into her mother. “Got your letter,” he said as he took off his coat and hat. “How’d this happen?” he asked. She was upset and nervous when she had written it and had not included any details. “Please sit down,” she said. “Are you hungry? I just made some chili.” He nodded. “I am sorry I didn’t explain much in the letter. I just didn’t know what to write,” she answered as she fixed him something to eat. Jimmy looked like she had stabbed him square in the chest. “When?” “I buried him two weeks ago. I should have let you know sooner, but ....” she trailed off, lost in thought. The Marshal coming to her door in the middle of the night saying Mark had been in a fight and had been shot. That dark sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and already knowing that he was gone even before the doctor had told her. The worst part of the whole thing, and the thing that caused her the most guilt, was that part of her that was happy he was gone. Well, not happy, but relieved, at least. “We’ll talk later. You eat something. I’ll get you some clothes to change into-you’re soaked.” She went into Mark’s room, realizing it was the first time since his death she had opened the door. She was half expecting to see him sitting at this desk, polishing his guns. She grabbed a shirt and a pair of pants and laid them on the guest bed and turned down the sheet. Jimmy was finishing his meal when she returned. “You’re all set. If you need anything, let me know,” she said softly. Jimmy nodded and headed toward the guestroom. He changed into Mark’s clothes and hung his up to dry. When he came back to the fire, Sarah was adding another log. “Sarah, what happened?” “A fight. He was at the saloon, drunk, and picked a fight,” s he said without changing expressions. “ I don’t know what else to tell you that you wouldn’t a lready know.” “What do you mean?” “Right, it’s ok. He told me everything,” she said, half hurt by how he was acting. “Maybe he’s embarrassed,” she thought. “He doesn’t want me to know he was whoring around with Mark.” “What did he tell you?” Jimmy asked almost indignantly. “That you and he…That he’s seen you several times when you were in town.” “Sarah, I haven’t seen Mark since that one Christmas I visited,” he said, not really sure why Mark would tell Sarah something like that. She sat staring into the fire. Why would Mark lie to her, or was it Jimmy that was lying to her? Her head felt like it was swimming and she was so tired. Sarah stood and walked over to Jimmy, who was standing by the fireplace, staring into the fire as well. She walked up to him and hugged him. “Thank you for coming here. I’ve missed you,” she whispered. “I missed you, too. I’m sorry, Sarah,” he answered. He watched her as she walked away. He could not help but notice how much she had grown up. He took a seat in the rocking chair, his head was swimming now, too. Mark’s dead; Sarah grew up; and something seemed to be eating her. This all seemed so surreal. As he rocked in the chair, he drifted to sleep. “You stay the hell away from my sister!” Mark yelled, getting into Jimmy’s face. “I don’t want to ever catch you with your hands on her again,” he snapped. Jimmy has been helping Sarah put up some hay and one thing had lead to another. They ended up having a hay fight. It was all in fun, but Mark had walked in to find Jimmy lying in the hay, with Sarah on top of him, his arms around her waist. “Mark, you got it all wrong.” “I know what I saw.” “What are you talking about?” Jimmy snapped. “You aren’t making any sense. Sarah and I were just horsing around.” Mark got in Jimmy’s face again. ‘I don’t care what you were doing. Don’t ever touch her again.” Jimmy awoke thinking about how mad Mark would have been if he had seen Sarah hug him. It had been so long ago that Jimmy was not sure how much was memory and how much was just dream. He did know that Sarah was not acting like the girl he had known and it was not just her growing up. He stood up and walked over to her door and gently pushed it open. She was sound asleep. He stood in the door for several minutes, watching her softly breathe, before he turned and went to bed himself. Chapter Four Sarah, as usual, was up with the dawn and busy finishing up her chores when Jimmy woke. She was just coming in from feeding the cattle when he stumbled out of the bedroom. She was sitting on the hearth taking off her boots. “What?” she asked, a little uncomfortable that he was staring. “You’re wearing pants,” he laughed. “It’s a whole lot easier doing chores in this than in a dress. Of course I don’t expect you to understand that, seeing how your ma never made you wear a dress. You try and do chores and keep the damn thing clean!” she quipped as she walked to the cupboard and took down two cups. “You still drink coffee, don’t you?” she asked, offering him a cup. He nodded. He just did not know what to make of her. There were flashes of the person he remembered from childhood and then there was this whole different person. They sat down and talked for the longest time with large pauses where no one said anything. He told her he was going to stay a week or so if she would not kick him out before then. “You really didn’t need to come here. I just wanted to let you know what happened. I thought you had a right to know, since you had stayed in contact with Mark,” she said softly. “Why would Mark tell you he had seen me?” he asked, very confused by her reference that he and Mark had been in contact. “I think,” Sarah stopped, got up, and moved over to look out the window. “ I don’t know,” she finished. “Well what do you think?” he asked, going back to the sentence she had started. “I don’t know,” she snapped. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have to finish up my chores.” “What’s going on?” Jimmy asked, feeling like he had waited long enough to unravel. He was not very patient, truth be known. “Sarah, it’s me! You are acting like you don’t even know me. What is going on?” He looked at her, as she had stopped in the doorway. “I’ll talk to you tonight. I have things that have to get done.” She turned and walked out to the barn. “Tonight,” he thought. Why was she ducking his questions? Chapter Five Jimmy went to the barn, saddled his horse, and took off for town. He was hoping he would find some answers to his questions there. “Good afternoon, Marshal. My name is...” “I know who you are,” the Marshal stopped him “I don’t want any trouble around here.” “I am not here to cause any trouble. I came to visit a friend of mine, Sarah Lake,” h e said. “Her brother Mark was killed a couple of weeks ago,” Jimmy said, focusing on getting answers from the Marshal. “Oh yes, I remember her, clumsy little gal. Her brother was quite a troublemaker,” the Marshal mused. “Heard Mark was shot,” Jimmy said. “Don’t know. Found him in the livery stable. Couple of fellas had said he had been fighting with another guy in the saloon over some gal. A stable hand found him next morning. Sorry I can’t help you, but honestly, Mr. Hickok, it could have been any number of people round here. Truth is that not many folks cared much for Mr. Lake. Real hot head with a terrible temper. Don’t rightly know how his sister stood him.” Jimmy walked away with a less than good feeling. What had the Marshal meant when he called Sarah clumsy? Sarah had always struck him as rather graceful, not that he truly knew much about it. He knew Mark used to have quite a temper, even when they were younger. They had managed to get into some scrapes, rather dumb stuff, when he looked back on it. Most of the time it was over the affections of one girl or another. This still was not making any sense. He went over to the Express office and sent a message to Teaspoon about what was going on, telling him he would be back Sunday evening. Hopefully, he thought, he would be able to talk Sarah into coming back with him for a little while. He smiled. If she was anything like the girl he remembered, she would not hear of it. Sarah was the only gal, other than Lou, that could ride, fight, and shoot just as well as any man he had ever known. It was funny to see her now, because it was very evident that she was capable of taking care of anything, yet there was this weird, awkward feeling about her. They used to argue, fight, and talk. There just did not seem like there was anything that was uncomfortable or off limits. Now it was almost like he had met her for the first time. She seemed guarded, distant. All of the conversations they have had were formal and forced. What had happened to her? What was she hiding? Chapter Six Jimmy reached the house just as the sun was slipping behind the trees. Sarah was just cooking dinner and setting the table. “Good timing,” she quipped as he took off his coat. “Couldn’t have worked it better if I had planned it myself.” He smiled and sat down and reached for a roll that was setting in a hot pile on the table. Sarah smacked his hand before he had managed to reach it. “ “”’’’heor’yhvI don’t think so,” she smiled. “Not until you’ve washed up.” ‘ God,’ she thought to herself. ‘There I go again, sounding like my mother.’ Not that she thought it was a bad thing. There was not a day in her life that passed that she did not miss her mother. She just felt a little young to sound so old. Jimmy came back to the table, sticking his hands out like she would have to inspect them before they ate. “I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean it quite the way it came out.” He laughed as they sat down at the table. They ate and chatted but, as Jimmy had thought earlier, it was like he did not know her at all. Finally, with dinner finished, Sarah cleared the table and Jimmy went over to tend to the fire. She hurried to finish the dishes as her eyes kept wandering back to Jimmy. She was not sure what to make of all this, but the moment he walked in the door, it was as if he had never left. The feelings she had for him, which she thought, had died long ago, flooded back as he looked at her. She finished putting the pans away and sat down on the floor on the other side of the fireplace. “What happened to us?” Jimmy asked softly. “We used to just be comfortable.” “What do you mean?” Sarah asked shyly. “I thought we were friends,” he said, not looking at her. “We are,” she said. “But things are different. Life is different. We’re not little kids anymore.” She paused, not sure if she should continue. “ I’ve heard things. Things that I can’t ever believe I’d hear about you...” “Sarah.” “The Jimmy I knew wasn’t a cold blooded killer. Things are different in my life. Mark was…” she stopped herself. “What about Mark?” Jimmy asked, looking at her. She had been staring into the fire or anywhere else in the room so as not to have to meet his gaze. “Mark and I have had a rough couple of years. I don’t know why he told me he had seen you. My guess is to dissuade me from writing to you. He liked to control things.” “I haven’t changed,” Jimmy said, trying to sound convincing. His life had changed. “Why wouldn’t Mark want you writing to me?” She knew the questions were coming, but she did not want to deal with this. “You know, I am really tired.” She yawned and stretched. She was going to get up when Jimmy grabbed her arm. It startled her a little. “Sarah.” She pulled away from him. “What is it? Why won’t you talk to me?” he pleaded. “I don’t know what to say,” she answered flatly. “Things are different…” Her voice trailed off. “We’ve been friends for longer than I can remember. Things don’t just change.” He was desperate to find a way to reconnect. “Sarah?” “ Do you remember that hay fight we got into?” she asked, almost like she doubted it happened. He found a smile creeping onto his face. “That’s when this started.” She turned away from him. “What? What started?” he asked, trying to get her to look at him. “Do you remember what happened when Mark came into the barn?” she asked as she stared into the fire, not feeling like she could look at him. “Yeah, I do,” he said, almost chuckling. He could still see the look on Mark’s face. He had been so mad, almost to the point of almost being amusing. “Man, he gave me an earful. He thought that…” he stopped himself, not sure if Sarah knew what Mark had accused him of, and not sure that he should say anything about it now. “He thought we were doing something we ought not be doing,” she finished the thought for him. “Mark was furious with me. He said if I was going to act like a whore, he would treat me like one,” Sarah said. Jimmy was staring at her, shocked by her words, and not sure what to say. “I’m sorry,” he struggled. He knew Mark had been angry with him, but he had not taken Mark seriously. It was just a misunderstanding. “Sarah?” he questioned. She looked at him for the first time. “He said that if I ever let you touch me again, he would kill you. I tried to explain that it wasn’t like that.” She looked away from him, her voice softened almost to a whisper. “But the more I talked, the harder he hit.” Her words stung him like a strong slap across the face. “I’m not sorry he’s dead,” she said looking at Jimmy defiantly. “I know that is a terrible thing to say, and hate me if you want, but I’m not sorry,” she said. She got up and walked out the door. She was not sure where she was going, but she had to get out of the house. She felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room and she could not breathe. Jimmy sat there, stunned. He had never thought that Mark would be angry with her. He had lashed out at Jimmy, but he never in a million years would he have known Mark would hit Sarah. His heart sank. He had started the hay fight. Sarah was doing her best to get it finished when he had taken a big armful of hay and dropped it over her head. She had still tried to get him to focus on getting it done, but he had taken a handful of straw and put in down the back of her shirt. She had spun around and dropped the pitchfork. “Oh, you are a dead man, Hickok!” She laughed as she had caught him by his leg and tossed him headfirst into the pile of hay. He had just reached up and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her down on top of him, when Mark had walked in. He could see now how Mark had gotten the wrong idea and somehow thought that Sarah had started it. He put on his coat and walked outside. The heavy night air smelled of rain and the clouds were building again in the west. Sarah was no where in sight, but he had a pretty good idea of where she had gone. He found her sitting under the tree down by the creek. “Sarah, come on, it’s going to rain.” “So,” she said defiantly. “I never thought he’d hurt you. It never crossed my mind.” “Don’t matter.” “Sarah.” “Go away.” “Let’s go back to the house.” “Go away.” “You need to get inside...” he said, trying to put his jacket around her. She stood tossing it to the ground. “Go away!” She yelled. He was tired, frustrated, and she was acting stubborn, just like a little kid. “If you don’t get yourself up and get in that house right now,” he barked. “I ‘ll…” She interrupted him before he could finish. “You’ll what? You’ll what, Jimmy?” she yelled, pushing him “Hit me? Go ahead. I’ m sure I deserve it,” her voice cracked. The rain started falling as they stood there in silence. “It’s not your fault Mark’s dead.” Jimmy finally broke the silence. He walked forward and hugged her. Sarah sobbed and hugged him back. She did not mean to hurt him. He was the only true friend she had. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I know. Come on, let’s get back inside.” She had not realized how hard it was raining, nor how wet she was. They walked back to the house. She was so embarrassed that she had told him all those things. She had no right to yell at him the way she did. He had never been anything but kind to her. She sat down at the table, thinking about how horribly she had acted. A towel dropped in her lap. “You need to dry off and get out of those wet clothes.” Jimmy paused for a moment and added, “You look like a drowned rat.” He saw a smile come to her face when she looked up at him. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been terrible to you ever since you walked in the door.” She got up and walked toward her room. Jimmy sat at the table, not really sure what to make of everything. He was glad the distance between them seemed to have disappeared for now. He realized it had been quite a while since she went in to change. He got up and walked over to her door, afraid there was something wrong. “Sarah,” he called as he knocked on her door. The door swung open. She was sound asleep. She looked so innocent while she slept. She did not deserve any of this. He moved over to her bed. He pulled the covers over her, bent down, and kissed her forehead. He stopped at the door and looked back at her for a moment and then shut the door. He walked over to the rocking chair and sat down. He had not been there long when he heard her yell. Jimmy ran back to Sarah’s door and pushed it open. She was having a nightmare. He walked over to the bed and brushed the hair out of her face as she struggled with something seen only in her dream. He laid down on the bed next to her and held her close. She settled down and he could hear her breathing softly again. Chapter Seven Light coming in the window woke Sarah the following morning. She looked around, a little disoriented, and suddenly sat up when she realized where she was lying-in bed next to Jimmy. Her sudden movement woke him as well. “Good morning. Are you still mad at me?” he asked groggily. “No. I’m really sorry,” she said, dangling her feet over the bed. “What are you doing here,” she whispered. “Sleeping,” he snorted. “You were having a nightmare. I must have fallen asleep.” He sat up and faced her. “I’m sorry that I caused Mark...” His voice faded. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” He could see the pain on her face. “I didn’t know,” he said firmly, not knowing what it was that he could have said to make her believe. He could read her expressions like a book. She still believed that Mark had told him everything. “Mark told me that… That you had said that I was trying to start something… that you were glad he…” She looked down at her feet. “Mark lied. Do you really think I’d let him hurt you?” She looked at him, shocked. “I’m not sure what to believe,” she said, walking to the closet and getting her robe. Jimmy stood and walked into the living room, where he put on his boots. His movements were deliberate and sharp. “Where are you going?” she asked. “Home,” he said gruffly. Her heart sank again. “Jimmy, wait!” Sarah called after him as he cleared the door. He was walking briskly to the barn. She ran after him, forgetting she was barefoot and still in her nightclothes. He entered the barn, snatched up his saddle and blanket, and was in the process of saddling Sundance when she caught up with him. “Wait!” she called again as she entered the barn. “Jimmy, I'm sorry,” she said. Jimmy did not even look at her. He continued cinching the girth. Sarah ran over to the tack room, snatched his bridle, and walked back to the stall. “Jimmy, stop,” she snapped. She held up his bridle. He spun around. “Sarah, give me that. I'm just trying to get out of your life.” He reached for the bridle, but she moved out of the way. “And what if that’s not what I want?” she asked, backing away. “Sure seems that way. I’ve been in a thorn in your side for days now,” he said, grabbing for the bridle again. He caught a rein and started to pull it toward him. Sarah tugged back on it, holding her ground. He pulled harder, leaning into it. Sarah walked toward him has he pulled. She was right up to him when she let go. He fell back into a pile of hay. She ran over and took the saddle off Sundance. Jimmy laid there on his back for a moment. The fall had knocked the wind out of him. Sarah looked over at him. She realized that he had not moved and walked toward him. “Jimmy?” she whispered softly. There was no answer. “Jimmy, you alright?” she asked again. When he still did not answer, she knelt beside him, looking at his face. His eyes were closed. She reached out and touched his chest to make sure he was breathing. As she laid her hand on his chest, he grabbed her and rolled her over him. She screamed. She was lying there laughing. She had hay all over her, down her back, in her hair. Jimmy stood but she grabbed his belt and pulled him back down. “Jimmy?” she said sincerely. “I am sorry.” “I know,” he said, hanging his head. “I’m just not sure I should be here.” “Well, I am sure.” Sarah sat up on her heels and reached over, grabbing the front lapels of his jacket. “Please, Jimmy,” she said, trying to get him to look at her. “Please, don’t go.” He looked at her. She was serious, not joking. She pulled him close and hugged him and whispered again, “Please, Jimmy, I don’t want you to go.” Jimmy melted inside. They were so close. He could feel her soft breath on the side of his face. He pulled back slightly their lips now almost touching. He wanted to feel her soft lips on his. He reached up and touched her face. He wanted this kiss to happen, but she slowly backed away. Sarah stood and walked toward the barn door without saying a word. She was not sure if he would stay or go. She stopped at the door and looked back at him. He was still kneeling on the ground with his back to her. It almost looked as if he was in prayer. “Well,” she thought. “It’s up to him.” She walked back in the house and sat down next to the fire. She heard the door open slowly. She closed her eyes for a moment. What if he was just collecting his things? He did not have to stay. She had been horrid to him. She felt trapped sitting there. Jimmy walked over to where she was sitting, his heart beating so hard he was sure she could hear it. Why was he nervous? Why was being near her so hard for him? As he sat on his heels in the barn, he had been quite shocked at himself. He had never felt anything like this toward Sarah before. “Sarah, I’m sorry, for everything,” Jimmy said, pulling a piece of straw out of her hair. “It’s not your fault,” she said, standing and backing away from him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I didn’t want you here. I do,” she said looking at him. “I know,” he said softly as he brushed her cheek with his hand. He stepped closer to her, taking her into his strong arms. It felt so good, having him hold her. She felt safe-a feeling she had not had in a long time. She melted into his arms, wishing she could stay there forever. She pulled back and looked up at him. His hands dropped down her arms and he grabbed her hands. Holding her hands in his, he looked into her eyes as he ran his hands up her arms, gently touching her face. He leaned in to kiss her. Their lips touched for the first time. He could feel his body shaking. The kiss deepened for a moment and ceased. They stood there for a moment, face to face, in each other’s arms, no words. She reached up and brushed the hair out of his face. Her thin fingers traced his cheek. “Jimmy?” “Shhh,” he said softly and kissed her again. Continue On Email Erin HOME