by Verna Clay
I want to pinch myself. Am I dreaming? I open my mouth but nothing comes out.
"Promise?" he prods.
Slowly, I nod. He gives me another heart-stopping grin, and then he's gone.
Did I just hallucinate this guy?
Rolling my chair to the back of the room, I hope to make it there without knocking someone's books off their desk. I still feel hot with embarrassment and want to cry. The dozen or so students in the room had all stopped what they were doing when Tyce knelt in front of me. Most have gone back to talking or pulling stuff out of their backpacks, but not all. Over by the windows, three pretty girls whisper and keep glancing in my direction. I hate garnering attention.
Finally, I reach a desk at the back and maneuver my chair as close as I can. Although the room is accommodating with a desk for wheelchairs, it's in the front row. I never sit in front. Not only am I in a wheelchair, but I have a facial scar that, as much as I try to cover it with makeup, is still slightly visible. It runs from the middle of my right cheek to below my jaw and over to my ear. Cosmetic surgery and time have minimized the scarring, but not my awareness of it.
It takes a second before I realize someone is speaking to me.
"Hello, earth to whoever you are." The girl at the desk next to mine, wearing a red T-shirt that clashes with her orange hair, tries again, "Hellooo. My name is Lucy. I'm a sophomore. What's your name? I'm guessing you're a freshman?"
The girl seems genuinely friendly, not like some people who only act friendly, but can't wait to get away from the invalid in the wheelchair.
For the second time within minutes, I introduce myself. "I'm Morgan Weston, and yes, this is my first year."
"Nice to meet you, Morgan. Oh, my last name—are you ready for this—is Arnez. Yep, my mother loved Lucille Ball so much that she couldn't resist naming me after her daughter so she could introduce me as Lucy Arnez. The spelling's a little different, but it sounds the same.
I immediately like the friendly girl and uncharacteristically joke, "Do you have a brother named Desi, Jr., or a dad named Desi?"
Lucy grins. "Nope. My dad's name was John and he died when I was five. I'm an only child. After me, my mom said she couldn't handle more children. She said raising me was like raising triplets." Lucy chuckles at her own joke. "What about you. Got any brothers or sisters?"
A stab of pain pierces my heart for my dead sister. "Ah, two brothers, Nate and Les. Nate is four years older and Les is three years younger." I don't tell her about Emily who died at the age of seventeen.
Lucy leans closer. "You do know, don't you, that the guy who knelt in front of you is the hottest of the hot guys on campus, right?"
"Um, no. I didn't know that."
"Well, now you do. He's a senior and super smart. I think he tutors a lot of students."
"Oh, that's nice." Another lame response.
"I think he's between girlfriends. From what I've heard through the gossip mill, he used to go with Cindy Thornton." She motions toward the window with her eyes. "Those girls that keep glancing your way and whispering are some of her friends."
I lower my lashes and peek in their direction. True to what Lucy said, they're still eyeing me and whispering.
Lucy leans closer, lowers her voice, and says expressively, "O. M. G., when Tyce knelt in front of you with all that male intensity, I thought someone might have to peel me off the floor."
Our conversation is suddenly interrupted when a very short, stocky man, with bushy gray hair pulled into a low ponytail, walks into the room.
In a booming voice that should belong to a tall man, he says, "Welcome newbies to Psych 101. My name is Professor Shields. Hopefully, by the end of the semester, you'll have learned something useful for everyday living."
As much as I try to concentrate on what Professor Shields is saying, I can't get Tyce Brandon out of my thoughts. Why would the campus hottie even notice me?
He probably felt sorry for the crippled girl.
After an hour of listening to Professor Shields call roll, warn students about intolerable behavior, and finally introduce class objectives, he writes the homework assignment on the whiteboard and dismisses us. I'm almost finished copying the instructions when I hear Lucy's quick intake of breath and feel the atmosphere in the room shift, like it just got electrified. Gut instinct tells me Tyce Brandon is back.
Lucy drops her pencil on the floor. When she bends to retrieve it, she let's loose with an F-bomb and whispers, "He's coming our way."
I nervously place a hand over my scarred cheek. After I lift my lashes, I wonder if I'll be able to speak. Tyce looks better than any model in GQ magazine. Dropping onto the vacant desk on the other side of me, he says, "Hello, Morgan Weston. How was psych class?"
"It was, um…" I decide the truth would be best. "Long and boring."
He laughs. "I can relate. My class was also long and boring." He glances at Lucy. "Hello, I'm Tyce Brandon. And you are…?"
Lucy stutters, "L-Lucy Arnez."
Tyce blinks. "Seriously? That's your name?"
Lucy's face blushes the same color as her hair, but she says evenly, "Seriously, it is."
Tyce grins and I see his crooked tooth. To Lucy he says, "Cute name."
Lucy blushes even more.
"Hellooo, Tyce," says a sexy voice. It's one of the pretty girls with her friends beside her. They give little waves to Tyce.
I think I see a slight grimace in his expression, but I'm not sure. He says, "Hello Tina. How's it going?"
"Great. Hey, are you coming to the party at Lenny's tonight?"
"You know I'm not into those parties."
Tina glances at me and then Lucy, not even acknowledging us. She returns her attention to Tyce. "One can always hope. Hey, I'll tell Cindy I saw you."
Other than a slight narrowing of his eyes, Tyce's expression doesn't change and he says casually, "You do that." He returns his attention to me and Lucy.
Now that he's not looking at her, Tina gives me and Lucy a venomous look.
So much for being invisible. I'm probably on her shit list now.
Tina leaves and Tyce asks me, "What's your next class?"
I reach for the paper I tucked in the side pocket of my wheelchair. Why is he being so nice to me? "It's water aerobics. It doesn't start for almost an hour. Ah, I know where the gym is located."
"Okay. What about your class after that?"
I look at my schedule and my face must reflect my horror. "Speech. Room 7, Building G."
"Hey, speech class isn't that bad. Who's your teacher?"
I look back at the paper. "Professor Wilkes."
"He's great. Believe me, you'll enjoy the class. The room's not far from the gymnasium. When you leave the gym's main entrance, turn right. The first building is H. Enter that building and continue to the exit at the end of the hallway. The building directly in front of you will be G." He glances at Lucy. "You were a student here last year, right? Do you need directions?"
Lucy stumbles over her words. "N-no. I'm good."
Tyce stands and stretches a little. "Well, ladies, it was nice meeting you. Let me know if I can help with anything. See you around."
After he leaves, I hear Lucy visibly exhale. She says, "Did you see that man's eyes? I think he's invented a new shade of blue called, Sexy Blue. Geez, I'm sweating and my heart is racing like a jackhammer." She turns speculative eyes on me. "He sure had those sexy blues on you."
Shocked, I reply. "That's crazy."
"Crazy or not. I know what I saw."
Branded in Oasis (Excerpt)
Two: Mingling
It had been announced on the wedding invitations and by the pastor after the ceremony that Max and Pilar's reception would be held at the recreation center at Desert Princess Trailer Park. Several guests were already walking the quarter mile to the park and others were starting their cars to drive over.
Kade and Shiloh waited in the reception line to congratulate the newlyweds. After Desi stepped away, Ka
de hugged Pilar and shook hands with Max, wishing them the best. He introduced his grandmother to Max and she told the couple how beautiful their wedding had been. Max asked, "You're both coming to the reception, aren't you?"
Kade grinned. "We wouldn't miss it." Glancing behind Max, he saw Skylar fiddling with her camera. Pilar turned to follow the direction of his gaze. When she waved and motioned Skylar over, he almost groaned. Pilar said, "Skye, I'd like you to meet Kade's grandmother, Shiloh Blackwell."
Kade saw Shiloh glance between him and Skylar and her eyes twinkled when she said, "I've been wanting to meet the woman who has the power to put my easygoing grandson in a terrible mood."
Skylar shot Kade a quick look before exchanging greetings with his grandmother.
Shiloh said, "I hear you're a photographer."
"Yes, ma'am, and I love my work."
"Well, I also hear that you like taking pictures of my grandson."
Kade interjected, "Granny, I think we're holding up the line. We'd better move on."
Shiloh looked at the lineup, and replied, "Oh goodness. You're right. Anyway, Skye, I've always said my Kade should be on the cover of a magazine. The only man better looking than him was his grandfather. Our son, Kade's father, wasn't much in the looks department, kind of took after me, but he made up for it in every other way. Why, his wife could hardly keep her hands off him, even in public. I remember one time…"
Kade wanted to groan, but reminded his grandmother, "Shiloh, we need to step aside and let the other guests–"
"Oh, goodness. There I go. You're right." Kade placed his hand on her elbow and gently led her past the receiving line. She called back to Skye, "Honey, you come talk to me at the reception. We'll get to know each other."
Kade clenched his jaw. The last person he wanted his grandmother to get chummy with was Skylar Rutherford.
By the time the bride and groom arrived at the reception, the recreation center was overflowing. Kade had led Shiloh to the reserved family table and chosen a spot closest to the cake. His granny would have a great view when the bride and groom cut the cake and fed each other. Now he headed to the refreshment table to pour Shiloh a glass of punch. When he returned, Lilac, who had coordinated the reception, was talking to Shiloh. He handed his grandmother her punch and asked Lilac if she wanted anything. She declined and he listened to their conversation. Lilac was saying, "So me and Vera couldn't decide if we wanted to hang balloons or streamers, and when we asked Pilar, she said it was up to us. Finally, Goody suggested that we pick a number between one and ten. He assigned balloons a number and streamers a number. I picked seven and Vera picked three. Three was the number for balloons. Imagine that, she got the number perfect. Anyway, I took it as a sign and didn't argue for streamers anymore."
Shiloh responded, "Well, the room is simply lovely. Did Dottie make the cake?"
"She sure did. If she didn't own the dime store, I'd suggest she go into the cake making business. Maybe I should suggest it anyway. You know, she could make extra money, and heaven knows she needs it, what with her supporting a daughter away at college."
Shiloh asked, "Has she said how Lucy's doing?"
"The last I heard, she was doing great and making good grades."
Shiloh responded, "That's good to hear. As for Dottie making cakes for money, I suggested that very thing after she donated that masterpiece celebrating the mayor's reelection, but she said it was only a hobby she indulged in now and again."
Lilac clucked, "Seems a shame not to make money by using your talent." She motioned toward the wedding cake. "She donated Max and Pilar's cake, too; said it was her gift to the bride and groom."
Kade's attention to the women's conversation began to wane and he surveyed the crowd. Having grown up in Oasis, he knew everyone in the room. His father had also grown up in the town, but whereas Kade loved the area, his father never had. Kade's dad had moved to Mesa, near Phoenix, after marrying a Mesa girl, and taught third grade there. Both of Kade's parents had died in a car crash when he was a baby, and he'd been returned to Oasis to be lovingly raised by Shiloh.
Pilar's mother and his mother had been sisters, and before his aunt's death when Pilar was sixteen, she had regaled him with stories about his mother. She would have the family laughing uproariously at the hilarious trouble the two girls could find themselves in. Kade had loved hearing her remembrances.
Across the room he saw Skylar snapping pictures with an expensive camera sporting a telescopic lens. She remained on the outskirts of the crowd, shooting photos of the bride and groom as they moved among their guests. So far, he hadn't seen her turn the camera on him, something she'd done relentlessly during her previous visit to Oasis.
On the evening of the motorcycle crash, she'd shown up at one of the monthly parties hosted by the trailer park. He'd still been pissed about her casual attitude toward the accident, and she'd made him even madder with her obvious fixation on photographing him.
Now, watching her, he decided she'd finally wised up to the fact he wanted to be left alone. Just when he started to look away, she turned the camera in his direction and snapped a photo.
Sucking in a long breath, he leaned toward his grandmother, and whispered, "I'll be back in a minute, Shiloh."
She patted his knee. "I'm not going anywhere. Go have some fun." She returned her attention to Lilac's ramblings.
Biting his jaw to control his anger, Kade walked his six foot two frame menacingly toward Skylar Rutherford. Apparently, she needed a reminder to keep her camera pointed away from him. She saw him bearing down on her and her mouth formed an "O."
To her credit, she didn't slink away. She released her camera and let it hang by its strap from her neck. Cocking her head to the side, she waited for him, never removing her eyes from his.
She was a small woman, probably five foot two or three, so Kade towered above her when he finally stood in front of her. She looked up and grinned sheepishly.
Barely controlling his temper, he said, "I don't know if you're mentally challenged, or just hard-headed, but I want you to stop taking pictures of me."
Still craning her neck upward, she sighed and said, "Have you forgotten you're at a wedding where photos are normally taken of the bride and groom as well as their guests?"
Before he could respond, she continued, "I know you don't want to hear this, but you've been given a gift, Mr. Blackwell." Her grin turned slightly lopsided and warned him that she was about to say something he wouldn't like. "And no, your gift is not an affable personality."
Kade's eyes flashed with impatience, but he remained silent.
She continued, "Your gift is your appearance. You are the most photogenic person I have ever met. And before you lash out at me about how much you could care less, let me tell you that being born attractive can be a curse, but it can also be a blessing. It becomes a curse when one is consumed by vanity, but it's a blessing for the person who understands his or her ability to make people smile—to lift them out of the mundane and into a world of fantasy, even if its only for the briefest of moments. As a model, you could appear in magazines, on book covers, possibly television and movies." She sucked a breath and continued, "We live in a world where escape into fantasy is a necessity for emotional survival. If I couldn't get away from my 'everyday problems'," she made quote marks with her fingers for emphasis, "and live in an alternate reality every now and again, I would go crazy." She paused and waited for his response.
For a second Kade was taken aback, then he said, "That's a crock and I want you to stop photographing me." For an instant he thought he saw hurt reflected in her eyes, and then she said low, "It's not a crock. But if you don't like that, how about this, you could make a butt load of money if you allowed me to photograph you."
Now Kade was even more pissed. "I wondered when it would come back to that. Does your whole world revolve around money, Ms. Rutherford?"
"Not at all. I have all I need. But you don't. Think of what you could do with it. How you could
improve the lives of others."
"You're disgusting."
"I may be disgusting, Mr. Blackwell, but you're blind."
Novels and Novellas by Verna Clay
WESTERN ROMANCE
Contemporary
Romance on the Ranch Series
Dream Kisses
Honey Kisses
Baby Kisses
Candy Kisses
Christmas Kisses
Rock Star Kisses
Forever Kisses
Oasis Series
Stranded in Oasis
Branded in Oasis
Crashed in Oasis
Historic
Unconventional Series
*Abby: Mail Order Bride
Broken Angel
Ryder's Salvation
Joy's Return
*Gold Medal Winner Readers' Favorite International Book Contest
Finding Home Series
Cry of the West: Hallie
Rescue on the Rio: Lilah
Missouri Challenge: Daisy
FANTASY ROMANCE
Shapeling Trilogy
Roth: Book One: Protector
Fawn: Book Two: Master
Davide: Book Three: Prince
Jazmine
YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE
(Verna Clay writing as Colleen Clay)
Fragile Hearts
AUDIO BOOKS
Abby: Mail Order Bride
Broken Angel
Cry of the West: Hallie