Down In the Valley: Chapter 3

"One dance, one look, one kiss, that's all we get. Just one shot, to make the difference between happily ever after, and "Oh? He's just some guy I met once."

~ Hitch

By the time Neil came for me at noon, I'd completely forgotten about my jealousy towards Hannah. She really was a wonderful teacher, and it was quite clear how much the children adored her. Or, rather I had until she brazenly asked Neil to escort her to the harvest dance that the mission was hosting in two weeks time.

Neil's hesitation to answer made me feel slightly better. "Well, I would, but I'm not really sure if I'll be here. That's usually the time when I had to Knoxville to pick up supplies. It's really one of my last chances before snow sets in."

"Oh. If you're busy then..." Hannah looked absolutely pitiful, and I couldn't help but notice the tears that glazed her eyes.

Neil, being the gentlemen that he was, hastily tried to remedy the situation. "I suppose I could put the trip off until the day after."

I was tempted to slap the overjoyed grin off of her face.

"Miss Huddleston, are you ready?" The gentle tone of Neil's voice, no matter how upset I felt, was a soothing balm to my troubled emotions. I nodded in response to his question

"Good. Shall we go?"

Happily, and with a smug look that was completely uncalled for, I took his outstretched hand.

We ambled slowly on his horse for several minutes in silence before he spoke.

"Aren't you going to ask me where were going?"

"No. I've learned to just go with things. Besides, I..." He pulled up on the reins abruptly, and I was nearly thrown to the ground. "Neil, what..."

"Hush. Look over there."

Hesitantly, I raised my head to peer over his shoulder. I half expected find an angry moonshiner, or some vicious animal. The sight that greeted me was far from it.

Lazily lounging under an oak tree, not fifty feet from us, was a doe, and from the looks of it, her newborn fawn. It was possibly the most precious thing I'd ever seen.

"Neil, they're so sweet."

"Aye. The wee one can't be more than a few hours old."

Wanting a closer look, but knowing Neil would refuse if I asked, I slipped down from the saddle.

"Christy, get back here! You're going to frighten her."

Ignoring his warning, I slowly approached the deer. I moved closer, inch by little inch, until I was crouching right beside her.

Cautiously, I held my hand out to her for inspection. She didn't shy away. I suddenly felt bold, and reached my hand out to pet her. The doe flinched. The more I murmured nonsensical sounds to her however, the less resistant she became. Soon, she was leaning into my touch, her eyes trusting.

I shifted to face Neil, a triumphant smile on my face.

"Amazing," he breathed.

Slowly, I rose and headed back towards Neil.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"I've never seen a deer be so complacent before. Usually they bolt."

I shrugged my shoulders. Is it still too far from where we're headed to walk?"

He shook his head and dismounted. "Nope, it's only another mile and a half." Neil took the reins in one hand, and mine in the other. "I'm glad you're back, Christy."

I squeezed his hand in reply. "Me too."

"You know, you never really told me much about why you came back."

I sighed heavily. It was now or never. " Two days ago, I was supposed to marry Ethan. He's a banker, or rather he's going to be. I've known him for years. Anyway, I'd been having doubts for several weeks, but I pushed them off as pre-wedding jitters." I broke away from Neil, and laced my arms about myself. The guilt of what I'd done still weighed heavily on me, even though I knew I'd made the right decision. "I was actually in my wedding dress, dolled up, bouquet in hand, waiting for my father to come and fetch me. I ran." I shrugged my shoulders. "And now I'm here."

"You didn't answer my question. That's what you did, Christy; but why did you do it?"

"I didn't love him. I'd already lost my heart to..." I paused and turned to face Neil. "someone else."

He dropped the reins, and met me in the middle of the path. "Things have changed, Christy. I'm not the same man I was a year ago, you're not the same woman." The look of pain on his face mirrored mine.

"I...I know. But can't you see that we need each other. Can you honestly tell me that you don't feel anything? That the hole I feel in my chest all the time isn't in you too?"

"Christy, I..."

"Tell me that you've moved on, and I'll go. We can forget this conversation ever happened. I'll go back to Asheville, find a teaching job, live my life as if you never existed."

"Isn't that what you did last fall? Leave and forget everything?" I recoiled at his harsh words. They were true. A rebuttal was on the tip of my tongue. He didn't give me a chance to respond. Neil's hands shot out and wrapped around my upper arms, pulling me roughly against him.

"I've tried to move on, but it's you, Christy. It's always been you." The anger that had been in his voice at the beginning of our argument had been replaced with a desolate note that tore at my heart. His lips closed over mine and any argument I had to his earlier claim flew out the window. My hands clenched his shirt as I pulled him to me.

Abruptly, he shoved me away.

"No! I won't do this! You broke me once, I'll not let it happen again."

"I love you."

His face contorted in pain.

"We had our chance, Christy. We had it, and we lost it. Something like that doesn't happen twice. It's best if we both on."

"Neil, I..."

He raised his hand to silence me.

"No."

We walked in silence a ways more, both of us to raw to speak.

Then, a squealing pig and the click of a rifle as it was cocked, shattered the silence.

A/N: Christy: Teacher, Heart breaker, and Deer Whisperer? So, they've both acknowledged their feelings, but Neil has refused to give them a shot. But can you honestly blame him? If it's as he claims, and she truly broke him once already, why would he want to risk that kind of pain again? Where are they, and what's with the pig?

Up next: We find out what really happened between them last year, and what is really up with the pig.

"It was something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime."

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