The day with the wolves opened up a floodgate of sorts. Kit seemed happy to see me, as if he was actually waiting for our sessions together. Our last reading meet turned out to be us talking the entire time, without a single sentence read from the book.

On the surface we had hardly anything in common, but with every sentence we fell deeper and deeper into an oddly intense and close friendship. There was so much about him that drew me, and the more time we spent together, the more I realized just how much I admired and liked him. Tomorrow I would see him again and already I could hardly wait for the sound of his pickup parking outside the library.

With a sigh I placed the apple pie I had made into the hot oven. I closed the door and set the timer. Taking off my oven mitts I hung them in their place. I was about to start cleaning up the mess when the doorbell rang.

Who could it be? It was nearly ten o’clock at night, and most folks around here were fast asleep in their beds by now. Unless it was Elaine on her way back from the bar, I chuckled to myself. I slipped on my dark glasses and walked to the front room with a slight frown. Elaine didn’t say anything about going to the bar.

I stood behind the door and called out. “Who’s there?”

“It’s Sawyer.”

My frown deepened. Sawyer Buchanan! What in God’s name was he doing here at this time of the night? I opened the door and smelled his aftershave: citrus with a hint of rosemary and something else musky. Like an expensive version of Pledge.

“Hello, Lara.” His voice sounded slightly slurred. Was he drunk?

“Hey,” I greeted casually. “What are you doing in this part of town?”

“I was passing and I … er … saw the lights so I thought I’d pay a little visit. Can I … um … come in?”

My eyebrows rose in disbelief at the blatant lie, but I opened the door wider out of sheer curiosity, and he came into my little house. I heard him close the door and rub his hands together.

“It’s bitter out there,” he said in his toe curling drawl. There was a time I thought I was in love with him. It wasn’t completely my fault that I fell for him. He did kinda lead me up the garden path. He would put his hand on the small of my back, or come so close I could feel his warm breath on my neck. When he kissed me on the cheek his lips used to linger so I honestly felt that he liked me too, but I guess I was wrong. He didn’t.

I led the way to the living room. “Can I get you a drink? Milk, orange juice, water?”

“You don’t have anything stronger?”

I had a bottle of French wine that I got for my birthday, but I was saving that for a special occasion, maybe when I finished my mermaid, the biggest project I had ever undertaken. She was almost life-size and had already taken three months of my life. “Not really,” I said softly.

“Nah. Don’t bother, then. I’m not really thirsty.”

“Have a seat,” I invited, waving towards the sofa and walking to the armchair opposite.

I heard the sofa depress under his weight.

“So, what can I do for you, Sawyer?”

“There’s talk around town that you’re mixed up with that oddball hick up at Old Man’s Creek.”

I took a deep breath. “He is not an oddball hick,” I said slowly and clearly.

“Heck, Lara. You don’t know what a risk you’re taking going off with him alone to that godforsaken place. Anything could happen to you.”

I felt my temper rising, but I held myself in check. “As you can see nothing has happened to me. I’m perfectly safe. Mr. Carson has been nothing but a gentleman.”

“I don’t like it.”

Wow. Where did that come from? “I beg your pardon.”

He stood up and started pacing the floor. “Don’t go to his house, Lara,” he burst out suddenly. To my shock he marched up to me, grabbed me by my upper arms, and pulled me upright.

“Sawyer!” I squealed, completely taken aback and confused. What on earth was going on?

He let go of me as suddenly as he had grabbed me. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, and took a step back. He seemed so agitated I couldn’t think straight or understand what was going on. I heard him move away from me as I rubbed my arms where he had grabbed me.

He came back towards me, and though my instinct was to step back, I held my ground.

“Please, Lara,” he begged. “I simply can’t bear the thought of you going to his house and spending time with him. It makes me sick to my stomach. I worry about you, you know?”

My mouth dropped open with shock. My mind went blank. What the hell was he talking about? I ran my hand through my hair. I took a deep breath.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re engaged to Kayleigh, aren’t you?” I asked. I didn’t know Kayleigh, but her family owned most of the land around here, and most of the wealth too. Elaine went to school with her. When I asked her to describe Kayleigh, she just snorted, and said in a sour voice, “Just imagine a cow wearing a tiara, then imagine it being snooty to boot.” But I knew it wasn’t true. Kayleigh was beautiful. There was even talk of her becoming a model.

He made a tortured sound. “Yes, yes, yes, I know goddamnit, but fucking hell, you know that I’m in love with you.”

I felt cold all over. “What are you talking about?”

“I loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you,” he declared passionately.

“You didn’t want me. I offered myself to you, remember?” I cried.

“Oh, Lara. What a little innocent you are. I love you, I always have, surely you know that, but I can’t marry you.”

It hit me then and I took a step back. “Because I’m blind?”

“No, no, you little fool. I wouldn’t care if you were legless and armless.”

“Why then?” I whispered.

“Fuck.”

“Tell me,” I yelled suddenly.

“It’s money, okay? It’s her fucking money,” he screamed back.

I fell backwards into the chair, breathing hard. “This is crazy.”

“I can’t bear to lose you to that, that murderer.”

“Murderer?” I repeated in a daze.

“Everyone knows he killed his wife.”

“He did not murder his wife,” I said quietly.

“How do you know that?”

“I just do.”

“Yeah, and everybody thought John Gacy was just a clown.”

“I don’t get it, Sawyer. You’re going to marry Kayleigh. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to be my sweetheart, Lara.”

A disbelieving laugh escaped my lips. “You want me to be your whore.”

“No. It’s not like that. I love you.”

“Not more than Kayleigh’s father’s money it would seem,” I said bitterly.

“It’ll just be a marriage of convenience. It’s you in my thoughts, my heart, my soul. I love you, Lara. Please, just wait for me. I swear, we’ll be together one day soon. I want to marry you. With every fiber of my being.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “Just give me two years. That’s all I need. I have a plan. Old man Havington has promised me that I’ll be head of his business. I’ll work hard and make enough money for us. Enough to take care of you. You won’t ever have to work again.”

“Two years?”

“Yes,” he cried eagerly. “Two years is nothing. It’ll fly, you’ll see. Just please don’t give yourself to anyone else until them.”

“What if you have kids, Sawyer?”

“I’ll let her keep them. I only want the kids we make together.”

I shook my head in wonder. “I used to envy Kayleigh. I used to think she had everything, money, looks, you. I used to dream of you, but you know what? I pity her now.”

“You don’t have to pity her. She knows I don’t love her. She just wants to hang on the arm of the best looking man in Durango Falls.”

I shook my head sadly. “Then I pity her more. Good luck with your life, Sawyer. I’ll certainly not be waiting for you.”

He knelt in front of me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and I hated it. To think I cried for this man. What a silly girl I was.

“Please, Lara. Please. Please understand,” he urged desperately.

“I understand perfectly.”

“No, you don’t. I want to give you everything. Everything I’m doing is for you. Say you’ll wait for me. Please don’t go to that crazy wolfman.”

“You’re not half the man he is,” I said through clenched teeth.

He jerked forward, and suddenly his lips were on mine. Wet and insistent. For a second I was paralyzed, then I opened my lips and bit down hard. He screamed and fell backwards. “You bit me,” he cried incredulously.

“Get out,” I said, wiping my mouth. I could taste his blood. “Get out and never come back.”

“This is not over. I’m not giving up,” he yelled, but he picked himself up and rushed out. I listened to the door slam then began to cry. I had no one.

Everybody who really loved me was gone forever.