CHAPTER 37

The day passed quickly and John stopped fighting and questioning what was happening between him and Charlotte. After she sang in church, he knew he was lost. And he didn't want to be found.

Then Alice changed, which was another thing. She had transformed from a quiet child into a vivacious young girl very immediately, owing to Charlotte . Before today, he had no idea how isolated Alice was from the outside world; he had assumed it was a passing phase.

Now Alice wanted new, feminine clothing and didn't want to wait, so she and Charlotte spent two hours in his office browsing clothing websites on his computer.

"How are you two planning on paying for all this?" he asked, watching as they commandeered his desk.

Charlotte held out her hand. "Credit card, please."

Dutifully, he dug for his wallet.

He and Charlotte didn't have five minutes alone and he wanted alone time desperately. That surprised him more than anything. This morning he'd awakened with a plan of control. Tonight control had taken a holiday. He had to stop struggling against something that was good.

Charlotte didn't have to think twice about sneaking out of Alice's room. The day had turned out so differently than she'd expected. It had been like a dream and she wasn't going to question why John wasn't pushing her away. All she would allow herself to consider was that there was hope for them.

John wasn't in his room, so she moved through the darkened house she knew so well to the back door. She found him sitting on the porch steps. She pushed open the screen door and sat down beside him, hooking her arm through his.

"She asleep?" he asked.

"I believe so. The new outfits we ordered made her very happy. She is eagerly anticipating their arrival."

He stroked her arm. "Thank you." He He gazed at her, the moonlight reflected in his eyes.

"You're welcome. Your fee is a kiss. I've been wanting you to kiss me all day."

"Me, too." He groaned and caught her lips gladly, eagerly, and for a moment they were lost.

"More?" he whispered against her lips.

"You bet, buster." She giggled.

She eyed the nearby hammock, barely visible in the dark, then took his hand and led him toward it. Pulling her T-shirt over her head, she asked, "Ever make love in a hammock?"

"Charlotte." He looked around nervously. "We need to go in. I'm the sheriff."

She unhooked her bra and he just stared.

"Oh, God, you're beautiful."

Unbuttoning his shirt, she said, "Relax. It's dark and no one knows we're out here. Your reputation is safe."

"You make me crazy. Do you know that?"

"Mmm." She unsnapped his jeans.

With a moan, he kissed her long and hard and soon she forgot where she was. All she felt was John and his strong arms and muscled body. As the lovemaking became more intense, they tumbled out of the hammock onto the ground.

They both began to laugh but quickly stopped in case anyone heard them. "Are you okay?" he murmured, trailing a line of kisses from her arm to her collarbone and then to her mouth.

For an answer, she wrapped her arms around him and they continued making love.

Later, they dressed and made their way into the house like guilty teenagers. After a long kiss, Charlotte went to her room.

On Monday, John left early because he had to testify at a murder trial in Temple. After attending Bible class, Charlotte worked on the mural with the kids. The church members' major unveiling was on Sunday, and the kids couldn't contain their excitement. She, as well.

Alice and Matt did an excellent job working on Jeremiah. She then had them all sign the mural at the bottom.

Alice's clothes arrived and Alice was beside herself with glee. She called her father, and he had to come home to witness a fashion show. Then Charlotte and Alice walked to the barbershop to show Hardy and Curtis her new "look."

"Mercy!" Hardy held a hand to his chest when he saw Alice in the pink shorts with the pink-and-white striped cuff that matched her cotton top. Rhinestone flip-flops completed the outfit. "Who is this divine creature?"

"It's me, Alice. Charlotte made my hair look different."

She'd used a curling iron to make fluffy curls.

"Curtis," Hardy called. "Come see this ravishing young lady."

"I'm busy..." Curtis stopped when he saw Alice.

"Don't call me a speckled pup," Alice warned.

"Oh, my dear." Curtis took Alice's hand and kissed her knuckles.

"You're as fresh as the dew on the grass."

Alice giggled and clearly enjoyed this new attention. On the way home Alice almost tripped several times as she stared at the sparkly rhinestones on her flip-flops. Charlotte hid a smile.

She stopped walking as they approached a dilapidated Victorian house with a huge magnolia tree in the front garden. Even though she had seen the house before, it caught her eye today. Overgrown weeds contained a picket fence that was discolored. Windows had been damaged, and the white paint had turned a soiled, peeling brown. She was reminded of the Civil War, the South, and the movie Gone with the Wind by its massive columns and verandas. She was knowledgeable about the topic because of her father, who had extensively researched the South and taught seminars about its effects on subsequent generations.

In her mind's eye she could see a Southern Belle on the upstairs veranda, her hoop skirt billowing around her. She fanned herself as she gazed into the distance, praying for her soldier to return from the war. And then he appeared, riding into the yard on his trusted steed. She raced down the stairs and threw open the door. A man stood there. His dark brown eyes were flecked with green. He smiled and she propelled herself into his waiting arms...

"Ah."

Alice stared up at Charlotte. "You're acting weird."

Maybe she was, but it felt right. She smiled. "Let's go home, Alice girl?"

That felt right, too.

Her nights were spent in John's arms. She wouldn't let herself think about when her time here would be up. She and John didn't talk about it. That was good, because she planned to stay here forever.

Could her fairy tale come true?