The summer days passed pleasantly—hot, humid days and balmy nights filled with picnics, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. On the evening of Bluebell's Flower Festival, Cam came to visit and surprised me with a cluster of beautiful lavender roses. I breathed deeply of their sweet fragrance, and said with a smile as I led him into the living room, "Thank you, Cam! That's so sweet of you! 'Enchantment'?" I asked, trying to recall the meaning of the velvety blooms.

He looked into my eyes and said, "They have another meaning, too: 'Love at first sight'."

I looked down at the flowers shyly, feeling my cheeks grow hot, and asked, "Really? Did you really fall in love with me at first sight? I didn't know that. You... you hid it rather well."

"I couldn't help falling in love with you when I first saw you," he replied as he sat on the sofa. I sat next to him as he went on, "I remember I'd been lost in thought—remembering the past—and suddenly you were standing there, all radiant and golden in the sunlight, and I felt like I was slowly sinking into billows of storm-blue silk when I first looked into your eyes. I'm sorry if I seemed cold... I was in a bit of a daze and could hardly even think, let alone speak. And I wasn't yet ready—I was still hurting from the last time I'd been in love, even though that had been years before. I didn't think I'd ever love anyone again... until I met you."

I tucked my arm into his and leaned my head on his shoulder, thinking about the day we met. After a few minutes, I looked up at him and asked, hesitantly, "So... that girl... the one you once mentioned. What... what was her name? What was she like?"

He sat silently for a moment, then sighed and leaned back, putting his arm around my shoulders to draw me closer to him. "Her name was Nadia," he began, his eyes focused on nothing as he lost himself in his memories. "She was so beautiful: long, black curls, pale ivory skin, and eyes the color of violets. She wasn't from around here—her family was wealthy and came from somewhere in the deep south. Her older sister was in very sick, and the doctors had told her parents to take her to some quiet place in the northern mountains where she could rest and recuperate. They rented Eileen's house while she was away at some seminar or class or something for several weeks. I was eighteen at the time; my parents had died just the previous winter, and I felt very much alone."

He paused, sighing at the memory of his loss, then continued. "Nadia was sixteen. She was strong-willed, but she seemed kind-hearted. I remember watching her the day they arrived. I'd never seen anyone so... so exquisite. She called out something to the carter as he unloaded their possessions, and her voice was sweet and musical. I was infatuated with her from that instant. I brought her flowers and tried to get to know her better. She was cool the first few days, but after they'd settled in, she began to warm up to me. It all happened quickly after that—by late summer we were in love. I even asked her to marry me, and she accepted. But then...."

He paused again, swallowing hard. "Then Armand came to town one day. Tall, muscular, handsome, and rich—the girls were all fainting at his feet left and right. But he only had eyes for Nadia. Still, I wasn't too worried. I knew that she loved me, and I trusted her implicitly. Until... until one day I came across them kissing passionately in a little glade in the woods near the river shallows."

Cam brushed his hand over his eyes, rubbing his forehead is if it ached. "She came to see me that night. Said it was over, that I'd never meant anything to her, really—I was just a diversion to her. She'd never been serious about our engagement—it was just another notch on her belt, I suppose. She said she'd be marrying Armand as soon as she was of age, and then... and then she left. I never saw her again. My heart was completely shattered. It was days before I could even get out of bed, let alone function. So when you arrived... well, as I said, I was still hurting even though it'd been more than five years. And I didn't think I was ready—didn't think I even wanted to try—to love anyone again. After she hurt me like that, I didn't think I could ever trust another girl."

I nuzzled his shoulder with my cheek, holding his hand and saying, "I see. So that's why whenever you spotted me with someone else—like when I was out riding with Kana—you'd get so upset. It didn't make sense to me at the time, since everything seemed so innocuous and since we weren't even in a relationship at the time. But now it makes sense. You were measuring me by the only yardstick you had—the one she gave you. And... and I guess all this business with Mikhail must have been doubly hard on you after going through that."

He nodded, then said, "Although, it's not really the same. I mean, at first I didn't really know you, so even the thought of falling in love with you terrified me. But as we became better acquainted, I learned that you are fundamentally different from Nadia. She seemed kind; you are kind. You're beautiful both inside and out; she was only beautiful on the outside. She was a superficial, greedy little socialite; you value people over possessions, and you love people for their own sakes, not for what they can give you or do for you. She was both selfish and self-centered, but you're neither. So as I got to know you, and once you'd told me about your history with Mikhail, I came to feel that I really could trust you. You've never lied to me, not even when it wasn't easy to tell the truth. So it's been much easier to trust you than I thought it would be. And while I still live each day with the fear that you will tell me that you have chosen him over me, at the same time, I don't believe you'd lead me on or deceive me or that you would toss me aside like a discarded toy."

I squeezed his hand hard, my throat feeling tight as I held back tears. After a minute, I said, "Cam, I...."

"Shhh," he said, "it's okay. You don't need to say anything." I struggled to regain my composure, then I stood up and walked slowly over to my dining table in the next room. I picked up a basket with some flowers in it and turned to show Cam.

He looked at them, then looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Primroses? Mikhail?" he asked.

I nodded. "Apparently there's also a flower festival in the town where he's settled for the summer, so he express shipped these to me in honor of the day. Dirk dropped them off this morning."

"They mean 'I can't live without you,' right?" he murmured, looking curiously at me.

"Right," I replied. I set them back on the table, then went and placed Cam's roses in a vase of water. "The funny thing is," I said slowly as I returned, carrying the vase with me and setting it on the living room table, "I... I don't really miss him all that much. Not as much as I feel I should, anyway. I think I miss you more when you're away for just one day than I've missed Mikhail in the weeks since he left. I feel awful for feeling this way, but... it's almost a relief to have him gone. He was getting to be so... possessive. So temperamental and jealous. It was getting to be too much. And he kept wanting more and more from me, wanting more than I was ready to give him."

Cam looked at me for a moment, then said, "So... what is it that you're saying?"

I came up to him, sat on his lap, and placed my arms loosely around his neck. Leaning my forehead against his, I said, "I'm trying to say.... I'm trying to tell you that I... I just don't know if I can see myself living happily with Mikhail. I'm not sure that we're at all well suited for each other. But I think... I think I can see you and I living happily together. I don't know if you feel the same way...."

He pulled back and looked at me, stunned. He inhaled sharply, and pulling me tightly to him, he said in a low voice, "Alice, I've never wanted anyone or anything more than I want you. I want you with me always, for the rest of our lives." He held me tightly, as if afraid I'd disappear if he let go.

We sat like that, me on his lap and our arms around each other, lost in thought. After a while, Cam started slightly, and said, "Well, it's getting late. I'd better head back to Bluebell. Can I come see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, please do," I replied, reluctantly standing up. "Do you want to go for a ride?"

"Sounds great," he murmured into my hair as he gave me a final hug. I saw him to the door, giving him a kiss goodbye before he headed back towards the tunnel.

I saw Cam pretty often over the next few days. He came over for dinner most nights, and we went on long rides together on his days off, packing picnic lunches to take with us. He was getting more comfortable on horseback as well as more skilled at handling his horse. In addition to the mountain, we explored the area around the villages, too. There were numerous hills and dales and small mountains in the vicinity that made for enjoyable riding.

He had become fond of Cowboy, the buckskin that Grady and Georgia let him borrow, too. He was a gentle, calm gelding, and although not very speedy, he was surefooted and hardy, and very patient with Cam's inexperience. So the Monday after the Flower Festival, I went to talk with Georgia to see if I could arrange to buy Cowboy and board him at Grady's. "Cam's gotten quite comfortable with Cowboy," I explained. "But I know you and your dad have a business to run, and it would be only natural if sometime you found a buyer for him. So, if you're willing, I'd like to be that buyer."

Georgia agreed that it would be great for me to buy him, if her dad was willing to board him. We approached him on the subject, and he gladly consented. We settled on boarding arrangements and fees as well as on a price for the horse and his tack, and I paid up.

Pleased by the outcome, I went out to find Cowboy. Stroking his soft black nose, I told him, "Well, boy, looks like you belong to Cam, now. What do you think of that?" He nickered softly as I fed him a lump of sugar, then I returned to work, eager for tomorrow to arrive.