A New Hope

Paxton turned her face to the sun and closed her eyes, enjoying the heat on her skin. The late summer breeze rustled the leaves of the flowers still blooming in Elizabeth’s garden. Elizabeth’s bridge group picked her up twenty minutes earlier and whisked her away for an afternoon of gaming. Paxton sat alone, watching the birds flit from tree to tree.

Her eyes traveled up the handsome house to where her bedroom sat, windows wide open, and smiled. The pain in her heart from losing her father had subsided a great deal, though she’d always miss him terribly. But Elizabeth had stepped in a filled another void; one left by her absent mother. The overwhelming affection for her grandmother filled her with joy. She was happy here, in Dell Falls. During the dark days immediately following her father’s death, as his attorney explained where she would live, she never imagined she’d feel the way she did now. This was home.

She sighed heavily and leaned back in the low garden chair. It was home, true, but she was about to leave it again. In one week she’d be off to Warner Academy for her final year of school. The place was beautiful and she’d get a quality education, but it took her away from where she desperately wanted to be.

“Hey,” he called softly, startling her from her thoughts. A wide grin spread across her face as he fell to the ground in front of her. “Figures I’d find you out here. Enjoying your last few moments of freedom?”

She leaned over to peck his lips. “I thought you were in Missouri?”

“False alarm,” he said with a smile that didn’t touch the swirls in his eyes.

She touched his shoulder gently and urged him closer. He scooted to her chair, back leaning against it. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and kissed the skin behind his ear. “You’ll find him, I know it.”

He patted her hand lightly and raised it to his lips, kissing every knuckle. “He won’t come near you again,” he said in a low voice that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to snap to attention.

He’d left two days earlier after receiving information that Theron was near St. Louis. Chaz was torn – not wanting to leave Paxton alone but wanting to find Theron and stop him once and for all. Finally, Royce convinced him to take Nate and Alec and leave the others behind to keep an eye on things. He relented but when the trail went cold, he didn’t hesitate getting back to her.

“I’m not leaving again until after you’re tucked away safely at school,” he vowed, turning in her arms to face her. “Unless I know for absolute certain where Theron is.”

Her heartbeat tripled when he smiled, this time sending his gray eyes swirling. He pulled her to his lap, mindful of the arm still encased in plaster. She toyed with his shirt collar as she pressed her cheek to his chest. “Good. I have to leave next Sunday and I don’t know how I’ll get through an entire week without you.”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest. “You’ve managed before, Pax. And it won’t be so bad. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of friends to keep you busy. Not to mention school work.”

She grunted dubiously. “Sure. Tons of friends. I can see it now.”

He shifted so he could peer down at her. “You’re a nice girl; I’m sure you’ll have a few new friends the first week.”

“Not if they’re all snooty boarding school girls,” she pouted.

He smirked ruefully. “You’ll be a snooty boarding school girl soon.”

She smacked his chest. “I will not be snooty.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe the others won’t be either. Give them a chance.”

She sighed again and snuggled into his chest. He had a point. It wasn’t fair to judge any of the students at Warner – especially as she hadn’t met them yet. She just wished she had one friend there already. Someone she knew.

“Hey,” she said slowly, an idea forming in her head. “You should enroll Kya there.”

He tossed his head back and laughed. “She’d hate that.” He smiled down on her and kissed her softly. “Kya can’t, love. She still has training to do, you know.”

Her spirits sank to the deepest pit of her stomach. She knew it was a long shot but she just had to try. It would have been fun, too, to have the always bubbly Kya around. She would definitely miss her. And the others, too. Even Alec who had warmed up some to her since the incident with Theron.

He eased her out of his lap and helped her to her feet. “Come on. Get inside and change. I’ll take you out somewhere fun tonight. We’ll do the whole dinner and dancing thing if you want.”

“Okay,” she said as she took his hand and led him to the house. He plopped in chair in the sitting room while she bolted up the steps. So maybe it would be hard to not see him every night. Maybe she’d only get to see him a few hours on the weekends when she did come home. Maybe they’d have to live only on phone calls for weeks at a time.

We’ll make it, she thought as she pushed through her door and ransacked her closet. I love him and he loves me. That’s enough for now.

She kicked off her shoes and prepared for an evening full of fun and laughter – leaving all the worries and distress behind.

A/N: Short, I know. And sorry it took so long to put up but I didn’t know how to end this.

The second part will start next week. I don’t have any of it written yet but I know how I want it to go so be on the lookout.

Thank you so much to those of you who read and reviewed. I appreciate your time and your kind words.