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I gave him scary crazy-lady eyes "You will not tickle me Ever Understood?"

He tilted his head and whispered in my ear, "Sorry, sweetheart, that’s not in the contract" Then he dug his fingers into my ribs

I screa He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me clear off my feet so ere nose to nose,uselessly around his shins

"It isn’t fair that you’re so giant," I groused "And freakishly strong"

"I’ up ht like I’h"

He chuckled and kissed the tip ofas all get-out I wondered with irritation why those kind of thick, silky, black eyelashes were alasted on boys who didn’t appreciate how lucky they were to have them

I sniffed like a snooty aristocrat "It was a slip of the tongue I’htheaded from lack of food I could faint at any ain "I see You’re still in fibbing o until"--he checked his watch, whichme up with one arhed and setme by my hand fro, tennis, fishing, boating, or touring the botanical gardens or rickhouse"

"Rickhouse?"

He looked over his shoulder at rinned "It’s where we house all the ricks, obviously"

I rolled my eyes "Obviously"

The rest of the day was a fairy tale, and I was Cinderella

We ate breakfast in a sun-filled roo in dozens of large cages hung at various heights around the roo to sht our food and cleared out plates Even , Jackson smiled back

He seehter Less burdened by ghosts His parents seereeted us warht conversation, and then took their leave with a pro they were leaving us alone together and not avoiding us, which are two very different things

Jackson gave iant B on the front, rear, and roof, which I found hilarious As if anyone could ardens were a ned by an anal-retentive botanist with a fetish for nude statuary and hedge mazes Had I been there alone, I would’ve been hopelessly lost in five minutes

We drove by the stables at top speed Jackson pointed thelad I hadn’t taken hi, because there were obviously still a few of his ghosts lurking in the tack roo to shriek and rattle their chains

Lakes Trees A beautiful white church topped by a steeple Acres upon acres of wooded pathways and hidden putting greens and spectacular sweeping vistas dotted ildlife More than once we had to swerve to avoid a startled jackrabbit or white-tailed deer Moonstar Ranch was a placed steeped in rew as the day wore on

All the whileprisht in starburst patterns everywhere like a prohed, held hands shyly, smiled at each other with our eyes In the rickhouse--a le where the family stored their private reserve--Jackson kissedwall of bourbon barrels stacked twenty high on metal racks We ate a picnic lunch under the shade of an enor lake We made plans to have dinner with his parents I wanted to make them Mama’s famous jambalaya with a blackberry-and-bourbon cobbler for dessert

When ent back to Jackson’s roo I’d left it on the dresser, too distracted from what had happened between us in the shower to re

"Hello?" I swatted away Jackson’s atteh

"Bianca," said Eeny Her voice caught on a sob

The words fell down on