Morgan stared at her for a minute. "Good G.o.d, you're as jacked up as I am."

"Something else we have in common." Jaclyn handed an acorn to Morgan. "Throw this as far as you can. It'll make you feel better."

Morgan hurled it and watched as it landed in the water a fair distance away. "How do you want to handle this?"

Jaclyn explained it like she was reading from an instruction manual. "You're going to kiss me again, and this time, I'll kiss you back, then we're just going to take it as it comes. Call it dating if you want to."

Morgan sat up straight. "Did you just order me to kiss you?"

"I did," Jaclyn said defiantly. "I dare you, throw a double dog on top."

"A double dog dare, I haven't heard that in ages." Morgan looked away and asked, "You're not afraid of getting hurt?"

"Even if you weren't considering leaving here, there would always be that chance." Jaclyn shrugged. "Maybe you'll decide to stay, maybe you won't, but not taking the chance feels more painful right now."

Morgan reached up slowly and caught a strand of Jaclyn's hair between her fingers; it felt like silk to her touch. "I wanted to do that the minute I saw you. It's beautiful and so are you. And now, I'm too nervous to kiss you."

Jaclyn leaned in close. "I'll help you." The kiss was slow and sweet and as perfect as Jaclyn dreamed it would be. She had no idea what the future held for them, but in that moment, she had no fear. In that kiss, they discussed more than they'd ever shared with words, and Jaclyn felt the whisper of promises. "Walk with me," she said when it ended. "Let me show you my world. You might like it."

"Hot d.a.m.n! They kissed, and now they're walking hand in hand toward the marsh." Ida lowered the binoculars and grinned as Betsy danced around in a circle. "This crazy s.h.i.t is working."

"And you both doubted the leaves," Clarice said in an imperial tone as she folded her arms.

"We're gonna continue to drink the potion, right?" Ida looked at Clarice.

Betsy grinned. She knew that Ida wanted Jaclyn's happiness as much as anyone, but her reason for agreeing to this hocus-pocus was because she really enjoyed smoking Clarice's dope.

"Come on. If they turn around, we'll have no excuse for being out here," Ida said as she headed up the road.

Betsy looked skyward as she followed, hoping that Augie was seeing all of this. Many a night they sat together, and Augie had privately confessed her concerns for her granddaughter. Sure, she would've loved for Jaclyn to have a husband who would help raise Austin, but that was never to be. She didn't understand Jaclyn's desire for another woman, but she'd accepted the difference, and unlike Jaclyn's folks never believed her granddaughter had chosen to be that way just to be spiteful.

Betsy agreed. Jaclyn had a kind heart, and she deserved a good mate who would take care of it. So Betsy went along with Clarice's so-called prophesy at first because she simply wanted to believe. But after talking to Morgan, she realized that the newcomer possessed a respectable character, and Morgan was everything Clarice had asked the universe for.

May Morgan be strong in body, soul, and mind. Let her heart be pure and kind. Let her face stir desire in our young sister. Let her be all these things so Jaclyn cannot resist her.

Chapter Twenty-two.

It was the simplicity that struck Morgan as she strolled lazily along with Jaclyn. She'd never taken such pleasure in simply holding a woman's hand. The warmth of it spread through Morgan, making her feel almost giddy. Somehow, they'd crossed a difficult hurdle together, and the peaceful feeling she felt in the corn maze had returned.

"Do you suffer from allergies?" Jaclyn asked.

The question struck Morgan odd. Her brow furrowed as she looked at Jaclyn. "No, why?"

"Because I want to show you my favorite place. I took Austin there once, and he sneezed for days afterward. This is the perfect time of the year to see it."

If it was Jaclyn's favorite place, then Morgan was perfectly content with sneezing into eternity. "Show me."

Jaclyn smiled. "It's just up ahead. When I was little, Grandma would give me a soda and a hot dog for my picnic lunch and I'd come here." Jaclyn took a left and pointed to something ahead.

The yellow glow stood out against the darkness of the trees and thickets beneath. Foliage formed a canopy above them, and Morgan almost felt as though she were pa.s.sing through a tunnel to Wonderland. Jaclyn stopped at the end of the trail, and Morgan looked out over a field of golden flowers surrounded by the woods.

"No one ever built here. I suppose because it isn't close enough to the water, but it's really the only firm land after the bridge. I like to think they just didn't want to destroy this tiny slice of heaven. The flowers you see are goldenrod, but there's ragweed growing along with it, and that causes hay fever."

Morgan looked at the field in awe. "It makes me want to run through it."

"Me too."

"Can we?" Morgan asked as a childlike exuberance bubbled within her.

Jaclyn's response was to release her hand and take off into the waist-deep flowers with her arms outstretched. The noonday sun glinted off her blond hair that blew around in the breeze. The deep purples, lavenders, and pale yellows of the plaid shirt Jaclyn wore were in contrast. Morgan waded in slowly, transfixed by the sight.

"You're not running," Jaclyn said as she made her way back to Morgan.

"I can admit this freely now. I can't stop looking at you." Morgan pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of Jaclyn's demure smile as she stood in the field of goldenrod.

"I want to take yours."

"Wait." Morgan waded into the field and tried to do a handstand. "Get me while my legs are up."

Jaclyn's laugh echoed in the woods around them. She snapped dozens of shots of legs at odd angles. When Morgan finally stood, her hair was a mess, her mouth open in laughter, and Jaclyn snapped off another batch of pictures.

"I'm going to close my eyes." Morgan turned her back to Jaclyn. "I'll count to ten, you hide." She was certain that if anyone were watching, they'd think two grown women had lost their minds. "Two...five...eight...ten!" Morgan turned, and Jaclyn was nowhere in sight. Golden flowers waved back and forth in the breeze, giving no indication of where she'd gone.

There were no sounds of traffic, no bustling, no horns blaring, only the birds and the wind in the trees. Morgan roamed the field taunting. "I'm going to find you, and when I do, I will kiss you senseless."

Jaclyn was grinning from ear to ear as she rose up near where Morgan was standing. "Give up?"

"No, I was still looking. You provoke too easily," she said as she turned. "Now go hide again."

"You're such a tease," Jaclyn grumbled and scurried off.

Morgan gave her a little extra time and yelled, "ten," as she turned. "You so suck at hiding," she said when she found Jaclyn standing behind her.

"I want to be kissed senseless. No one has ever done that before."

"Well, I'm always up for a challenge." Morgan took Jaclyn into her arms and made good on her promise. They quickly got carried away in that field. Jaclyn's body felt so good in her arms, her kisses stirred a longing that Morgan wasn't sure would ever be quenched. Breathless, Morgan pulled away before she herself became senseless. "I have a history of moving way too fast. Don't let me make that mistake with you."

"I'll close my eyes then, and you hide," Jaclyn said almost in a daze. "Run very fast, Morgan." Jaclyn sighed as she heard Morgan move away. It was so easy to let go and slip under the spell she felt had been cast over her. She didn't want to think about tomorrow. "I'm opening my eyes," she called out as she turned.

Morgan popped up immediately and ripped off her shirt. So much for taking it slow, Jaclyn thought as she moved toward her.

"Ants, f.u.c.king fire ants," Morgan said as she danced around, trying to get out of her shoes.

The spell was broken as Jaclyn did what she could to brush them from Morgan's back. She was stripping so fast, she was nearly a blur. "Be still," Jaclyn said as Morgan wiggled around.

"Oh, G.o.d, they're in my bra." That flew, too, and Morgan was stripped down to nothing but her underwear.

Despite being bitten, Jaclyn brushed anywhere she saw one of the small red ants. Morgan's skin was already blotched and swollen across her stomach and back. Jaclyn pulled out her cell phone and called Betsy. "I need a favor. Can you drive down to Miller's Bridge and bring rubbing alcohol with you? Morgan's gotten into fire ants." Her eyes widened as she got a good look at Morgan. "And a blanket, hurry." Jaclyn dropped the phone into the back pocket of her jeans and picked up Morgan's shoes. "We have to get you home. You have a lot of bites." She banged the sneakers together, but ants still swarmed over them.

Morgan raised her arm and swept a few out of her armpit. "I'm on fire."

"I know, sweetie." Jaclyn kicked out of her shoes. "Slip your feet into my sneakers."

It was obvious Morgan was in pain as she asked, "Why?"

"You don't need any more bites, just do it." Jaclyn stripped down to her tank top and draped her shirt over Morgan's shoulders. "Leave your clothes, we'll get them later." She watched Morgan as they walked briskly toward the bridge. Jaclyn's socks helped a little to protect her feet, but once they got onto the gravel of the road, she moved slower than she wanted to. "Does your throat feel like it's swelling?"

"No, I'm breathing like this because I hurt, and I'm near about naked. I just had it in my mind it would go differently when I took my clothes off in front of you."

Betsy crossed the bridge and brought her car to a stop as she drew near to the pair. Clarice got out of the pa.s.senger's side. She took one look at Morgan and shook her head. "No home remedies, she needs a doctor. Girl, did you roll in them?"

"Well, kind of." Morgan's breath came out in a hiss when Betsy doused her with the rubbing alcohol. "I've never had anything feel so bad and so good at the same time."

"Let's get her in the car," Jaclyn said as she began leading Morgan. "I'm afraid this is going to make you sick at the very least." Betsy forgot the blanket, but she did have a raincoat in the trunk. Once Morgan was situated in the backseat, Jaclyn draped it over her. "How's your throat?" she asked nervously. Morgan rocked back and forth, her face a mask of pain.

"Fine, I feel a little queasy, though."

"Betsy, get this barge movin'," Clarice said as Betsy turned the car around. She looked into the backseat of the Buick and shoved her gla.s.ses higher on her nose with her middle finger and took a good look at Morgan. "Could've been worse if you had your clothes on. They get all up in the material and bite before you can get them off."

"She was clothed," Jaclyn said coolly.

"Pity," Clarice said as she turned around. "The gas pedal is the long slender thing on the right, Betsy, push it hard."

Chapter Twenty-three.

Morgan behaved much better in the ER than Maddie. The injection she received put her out like a light. It took Jaclyn, Skip, and Austin to get her out of Betsy's car later that evening. One day when the shock and worry wore off, Jaclyn figured she'd think back on the image of Morgan wearing nothing more than a raincoat over a hospital gown and laugh. But at the moment, she was more worried about how Morgan was going to feel when she woke up.

Once they got her onto the porch, Skip scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside. "Take her into the guest room," Jaclyn said, "I don't want you to risk falling on the stairs."

"Oh, cher, you got a lot of faith in me. She ain't that heavy, but she's deadweight, I couldn't make it up two steps." Austin opened the door, and Skip brought her into the room and laid her on the bed after Jaclyn turned the covers down. Skip shook his head as he looked at Morgan. "They got me once when I was changing the oil on my truck. Before I knew it, I was covered. I danced one h.e.l.l of a jig, then puked."

Everyone gathered in the room and stared at Morgan, who was completely down for the count. "I'm gonna mix up a paste tomorrow to rub on the bites, it'll help with the itch." Clarice winked at Jaclyn. "If she needs something sooner for pain, you let me know."

From the way Betsy looked, Jaclyn was afraid to ask what Clarice had to offer.

Austin picked up Morgan's hand and let it drop on the bed. She didn't flinch. "What did they give her?"

"Dr. Bennett described it as an amped-up Benedryl," Jaclyn said.

Skip nodded. "He gave me the same thing after Rene insisted that I go to the hospital, but it didn't do me like that. I was droopy but not knocked out."

"You were singing John Denver songs," Jaclyn said with a roll of her eyes. "I had to help your wife get you out of the car that day. You kept singing the chorus to 'Rocky Mountain High.'"

"It's a good song, Jac. I should've charged for that concert. I don't sing for just anybody."

"We should go." Betsy gave Austin a hug. "I'm sorry that you're not feeling well, either. Jaclyn, do you need me to stay and help take care of them?"

"No, but thank you. Austin will be going to bed soon, and Morgan's already down for the night. I think I can manage them both. I'll call if I need help, though."

Skip looked as though he wanted to make a joke about Morgan's attire but seemed to change his mind as he glanced at Austin. "You can call me, too, and I'll send Rene over."

"Out." Jaclyn gave him a playful shove. She wrapped an arm around Betsy as she walked them to the door. "Thank you and you, too, Clarice, for coming to our rescue so fast."

"Please tell Morgan we'll be thinking about her," Betsy said quickly when Clarice opened her mouth to speak. "Good night."

Jaclyn watched them all go and closed the door. She ran a hand over Austin's cheek. "How're you feeling?"

"Better, and I took my medicine already. I'm reading your mind," he said as he put his fingers in her hair. "Go to bed, Austin."

Jaclyn giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so good."

"...all I'm sayin' is Morgan might need to see a few hibiscus flowers. She's gonna feel like she has the chicken pox tomorrow."

"No, I know Jaclyn wouldn't be comfortable with that, and, Clarice, whatever paste you're gonna mix up better not have marijuana in it," Betsy said as she stopped at Clarice's driveway.

"I'd never waste my Hawaiian on a paste. Brownies maybe, but not paste."

Jaclyn managed to get Morgan out of the raincoat but left the gown the hospital supplied her with. The places where Morgan had been bit on her arms and legs had swollen into angry-looking knots. Morgan seemed so out of it that Jaclyn stood quietly watching her chest rise and fall before she left the room for a quick shower. Morgan hadn't moved when she returned. Jaclyn climbed in beside her and toyed with her hair. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"I had a great time," Morgan mumbled, "until the ants. Am I still naked?"

"No," Jaclyn said with a grin.

"Are you?" she asked as she opened one eye.

"No, T-shirt and shorts, you aren't missing anything."

Morgan closed her eye and smiled. "That's your opinion."

Jaclyn kissed her on the forehead. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here."