Chapter 3Melissa did not intend for it to happen nor was she quite sure later how it had occurred. Still, after only two encounters, her usual common sense and caution had been lost. Although she could not say why, Lawton fascinated her. He seemed a dark, somber figure out of legend, an archetype, a collage of every romantic hero she’d ever dreamed about.
She found herself creating a past to explain his cynicism and excuse his imagined wicked ways. It might be only an escapist’s illusion, but it felt so good to set aside the burden of guilt and sorrow to indulge in romantic daydreams.
Melissa accompanied Jo to Graveyard Gulch the next weekend with damp palms, a pounding heart and a mixture of eagerness and trepidation. This would be Jo’s first show as a member, which left her too wound u
