When I saw Cam at his shop the next day, I asked if I could talk to him for a few minutes. He put a "Back Soon" sign on his counter, and we strolled over to the benches by the nearby flowerbeds. I picked up his hand and held it, then said, "I wanted to let you know that Cowboy's been sold..." Cam looked surprised, but before he had a chance to feel sad, I went on, "...to me! I bought him for you—so that you'd never have to worry about him being sold to someone else. He's all yours now. He'll board at Grady's, it's all been arranged."

"You what?!" he exclaimed. "I... I don't know what to say. That's... well, that's such an incredible gift! Is he really mine now? A horse... my horse. I never thought I'd have a horse of my own. I mean, I can't even have a cat. But then, I never thought I'd be riding horses—let alone enjoying it. Thank you, Alice. You're so generous." He leaned over and kissed me.

Pulling back after a moment, I said, "So do you want to go say hi to Cowboy? I can watch your stall for a little while if you like."

"Really?" he asked. "That would be great, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," I replied, laughing as I pushed him along the plaza towards Grady's. I returned to the flower shop and removed the sign, watching with a grin as Cam ran down the steps at the far end of the plaza and disappeared as he went around the corner towards Grady's pasture.

Ever since the tunnel between the two villages had been completed, tourism in the area had picked up a lot. So by the time Cam had returned, I'd sold masses of flowers to a surprising number of customers. I was amazed at how many men were buying flowers that day, and commented on it when Cam finally came back. To my surprise, he just threw his head back and laughed and laughed. I didn't see what was so funny, and told him so.

"My darling Alice, the flowers weren't the attraction—you were. They were only buying flowers as an excuse to talk to you."

Turning red, I said, "What nonsense! I'm sure that they were buying them for their girlfriends or wives or something. Or maybe there's a festival nearby we hadn't heard about."

Looking at me with an amused expression, he said, "Tell me, did any of them try to give the flowers to you? Or ask you anything... well, personal?"

"Well... there were a few that apparently changed their minds after they had already paid for the flowers, so they asked if I'd like them... " I admitted reluctantly. "And some of them asked me things like what plans I have for tonight, or how long had I been working here, did I live in this town, and things like that. But that's just small talk!"

Cam shook his head at me, saying with a wide grin, "And what did you say?"

"Oh, well, the ones that asked about my plans, I said that my boyfriend was coming over for dinner. The ones who asked how long I'd been working here, I told them that I didn't—that it was my boyfriend's shop and I was just covering for him while he ran an errand. The guys that asked what I like to do in my free time, I said that lately I'd been enjoying horseback riding with you, and the ones that asked if I live here, I said no, I was just here to see you."

"I thought as much," Cam replied with an even broader grin. "You see, I saw the flocks of men that gathered around you, and I saw one after another leaving in disappointment. I even overheard two of them talking, one asking the other if he'd had any luck with the flower shop girl, and the second replying 'no, apparently she already has a boyfriend, lucky guy'." Chuckling at the recollection, he said, "I'm sorry, I would have been back sooner, but I kind of got caught up watching the spectacle."

Deeply embarrassed by his revelations, I pretended to be offended. He made it up so nicely, though, kissing me and whispering such sweet things, and even offering to buy me dinner that night, that I quickly forgave him. I gave him a kiss, and suggested instead of eating out, he get a picnic basket from Howard and Laney and we go for a ride and a moonlight picnic. He agreed and said he'd be over after work.

Cam appeared at my door shortly after 6, grinning at me as I let him in. "So, beautiful lady, I'm too late to buy your flowers. But if you're free tonight... ?"

I laughed and gave him a playful push. "Oh, stop teasing me! I think you're making it up, anyway. I'm nowhere near as pretty as Laney, so why would I get more attention than she does? She doesn't get flocks of boys in the café! I'm sure they were just perfectly nice boys. I was just surprised that you'd have so many appear out of nowhere, that's all."

Cam looked at me seriously, saying, "I think part of your charm is that you are so totally unconscious of it. You just think the best of people because that's all you ever see—but it's there because you bring out the best in people. Laney doesn't get as much attention simply because while she's very pretty and nice, she's also a bit of an ice princess. Guys feel shot down before they even start. But you—you're kind and sweet and, well, more approachable. Guys feel like maybe they have a chance with you, kind of like people in general feel drawn to you."

I frowned at his words, hating to be reminded of the singular attraction men seemed to feel towards me, and the sometimes unpleasant results. I turned away and asked, "Well, are you ready to go then? Did you bring a picnic for dinner?"

"Uh, yes, yes I did," Cam said, his voice sounding surprised. "I brought fresh bread, and cheese, and fruit, and salad. I think Laney may have put in some fresh baked cookies, too. Is that okay?"

I nodded, walking into the kitchen. Cam caught my hand, saying, "Hey, is something wrong?" I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze as I blinked back tears. "Come on, what is it? Was it something I said?"

Clearing my throat, I said, "I'd rather not talk about it right now, okay Cam? I... I need to clear my head. I think I'll feel better after a good ride. Let me grab a bottle of wine, then we can hit the trail, okay?"

Cam nodded, saying, "Okay, sure. You 'd better grab a jacket—it's looking cloudy on the horizon, so it might get chilly." I grabbed the wine and a jacket and we headed out to the barn.

We set out after deciding to stick to the familiar mountain path, since we'd be riding at night. It was still sunny now, but as Cam had mentioned, I could see clouds in the distance. As soon as we hit the long, straight path from the river shallows up towards the peak, I turned and grinned maniacally at Cam and shouted, "Okay, let's go!" and urged Nimbus into a full-out gallop. I raced her up the path clear to the top of the mountain near the spring, Cam and Cowboy following close behind.

Arriving at the peak moments after me, Cam came to a stop. I turned Nimbus around and walked him up alongside Cowboy so that they were standing nose to tail, and then I leaned over and kissed him. He seemed startled at first, but he quickly warmed to it. We kissed, leaning towards each other to bridge the gap between us, until finally our horses became impatient and started to pull away from each other. We dismounted, laughing, removed the horses' saddles and bridles, and tied their lead ropes to a pair of trees on the edge of the meadow near the spring. Grabbing the picnic supplies, we strolled up to the mountain top, spreading out a blanket in the clearing overlooking the valley where we could watch the setting sun and the moonrise as we ate.

Sipping wine after we'd finished our meal, I looked over at Cam. The sun had almost entirely dipped below the horizon in a blaze of fiery glory, and his face was bathed in the brilliant colors. He watched it, seemingly lost in thought, then he noticed me looking at him, and leaning back against the rock behind us, he held his arm out, inviting me to snuggle up to him. We sat curled up together in silence until the golden glow had faded to deep purples and blues. The moon was already rising above the tree line behind us, bathing the mountain peak in a silvery glow.

I leaned my head against my shoulder, and he pulled me closer to him. "Are you cold?" he asked as I shivered slightly.

I shook my head, saying, "No... it's not that. Cam, I'm sorry for being a little short with you earlier. But you don't know.... You talk about the attraction I hold for others. But... it's not always a good thing, you know. Some people—men, that is—just... lose it. Like that time with Ash. It's nice to be loved, but when it turns into an obsession...." I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "There was this one boy in my high school, Luke was his name. He... he wanted me, badly. I mean, really badly. And I just didn't feel anything at all for him, so I kept turning him down. I still hadn't gotten over Mikhail, you see, and I just wasn't interested in dating anyone. He... really couldn't handle rejection. Not at all. The last time I saw him was near the end of my senior year. He came over to my house to try to convince me to go out with him yet again. When I turned him down, he just... snapped. He lost it, flew into a complete rage. He... grabbed my kitten and... " I choked, unable to speak for a moment, overwhelmed by the emotions awakened by the memory. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I continued after a moment, looking Cam in the eyes. "He grabbed her and... and... he snapped her neck." Cam gasped in horror, and I went on. "Right in front of me. Said that if I knew what was good for me—and for my family—I'd better reconsider. Luckily my parents got home right then. They called the police, and he ended up going to jail. Not for very long—definitely not as long as he deserved, if you ask me—but long enough for me to finish high school and go away to college."

"That... that's horrible," Cam said, squeezing me tightly. "I'm so sorry, Alice. What a terrible, frightening experience."

Shakily, I resumed my narrative after a moment. "He wasn't the only one, either. There was also Henry... this was a year or so before... before the incident with Luke. Henry lived nearby, and he was about eight or ten years older than me, I think. I was a junior, and he'd finished college, though he was still living with his parents. Anyway, he... he also ended up getting locked up. My father found him up in the tree outside my window one summer night, packing a camera, a length of rope, some skimpy lingerie... a-and a great, big hunting knife, like a big Bowie knife. He escaped before the police arrived and went into hiding, but since we knew who he was, the police found him within a few days. But I was scared to death while they were hunting for him... I never knew if he might show up or what he might do. They ended up putting him in an asylum...."

Cam held me tightly as I pressed my face against his shoulder, trembling and dampening his shirt with my tears. "Wow," he said after a few minutes. "I... I had no idea. No wonder you'd get so upset when I'd talk about your charisma and how everyone is so drawn to you. I'm sorry, Alice. I never meant to bring up bad memories."

I shook my head, saying, "No, it's okay Cam. How could you have known?"

"So that explains why you were so badly shaken when Ash... not that it wouldn't have been scary anyway. But having been through that...."

"Yeah," I agreed, "he really terrified me. I was so scared that he was turning out to be like them. It took a while before I felt at all reassured that he wasn't... headed that way. I'm still a little scared of him, but it's slowly getting better."

I shifted my position a little, working out a kink that was forming in my back, then said, "Oh, I've gotten your shirt all wet—I'm sorry! Do you want your jacket?"

"Don't worry about it," he said as he reached up, stretching to pull our jackets down from the branch where we'd hung them without loosening his hold on me. He dropped mine around my shoulders, holding it for me as I slipped my arms into it, then shrugged into his. He settled back again, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me.

I sighed, and said, "So anyway, that's what's been bothering me. I... I guess I maybe can be in denial about it, just because it's had some really bad effects. I wish it wasn't so. But... I just can't bring myself to be intentionally mean!"

Cam laughed at my chagrined expression, giving me a hard squeeze and saying, "Don't worry about it, Alice. I'm here for you now, you know. I'll watch out for you." I snuggled down into his arms, feeling relaxed and secure.

After several minutes, I sighed and said, "This is so nice, Cam."

"Yeah," he replied, "it is. I'm glad you're here with me." He cleared his throat and fidgeted slightly, then went on. "So, Alice, I kind of wanted to talk to you. I guess, well, there's something I'd like to know...."

I turned and looked at him curiously. "Okay, what is it?"

Clearing his throat again, he reached down and held my hand, then said, "Well... it's just that.... You know, I'm really happy when I'm with you. You're really important to me. And I hope you feel the same way?"

I nodded, squeezing his hand and saying, "Yes, I do. I love being with you."

"Then, ahh, well, I wondered... well, this," he replied, and I felt something cold slip onto my finger. I looked down to see something glittering in the moonlight on my hand, and looked up at him in surprise.

"You... you mean.... Are you... ?"

"Yes, Alice, I am. Will you marry me? I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Nothing would make me happier, and I promise I'll do my best to make you happy."

I looked at the golden band, the oval gemstone sparkling and flashing in the faint light, and I felt tears spring to my eyes as I smiled at him. "Oh, Cam," I murmured as I threw my arms around his neck. "I love you so much." Cam sighed in relief as he nuzzled my hair and put his arms around me again. I leaned back and looked into his eyes before I continued.

"But... I can't marry you. I'm so sorry." And I slipped off the ring and set it in his hand, closing his unwilling fingers around it.