Dancing with the Devil

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Mama, why did Ance kiss you?" Penelope asked the moment Ance disappeared over the rise. 

Audrey rested her fingertips against her tingling lips and cursed Ance for the coward that he was for leaving her to come up with some explanation by herself. "Sometimes adults kiss," Audrey replied, hoping that simple answer would satisfy the girl. 

No such luck. 

"Because you're in love?" 

Audrey choked on air as she stared down at the innocent happiness on her daughter's freckled face. "What?" she gasped. 

Penelope tilted her head. "Do you love Ance?" 

"No," Audrey answered much too quickly. 

Penelope's face fell. "You don't?" 

Audrey hated that they were having this discussion. She hated that her answer had caused her daughter pain. She hated even more that she wasn't at all sure she had told the girl the truth. "Penelope, sometimes with adults relationships can be complicated." 

"Complicated?" Penelope's forehead wrinkled up in confused. 

Audrey sighed. "Yeah. It's not as easy as simply yes or no." 

"Why?" Penelope inquired, seeming to grow more confused by the moment. 

Audrey flopped her back against a tree. "It just is." 

"So you kissed him but you don't love him because it's comp... copli..com.."

"Complicated," Audrey filled in. "And, yes, that's right." 

"But Ance loves me, right?" 

"Yes," Audrey assured her. "He loves you very much." 

"And he's coming home to live on the ranch with us when he gets done beating the bad guys?" 

Audrey had no idea how to answer that question and was immensely grateful and relieved when several does and fawns came into view in the distance. 

"Look!" she whispered excitedly as she pointed toward them. 

Penelope saw them and her brown eyes widened as their conversation was forgotten and every bit of her attention became riveted on the deer. Audrey breathed out a sigh of relief and vowed to slap Ance hard when she saw him again for leaving her to deal with those questions alone. 

And of course those questions had only served to confuse her. Did she love Ance? Nibbling on her lip, Audrey realized that she couldn't answer that question with a no.. did that mean the answer was yes? What would Ance have to say about that? Audrey could only imagine him running away just as quickly as his legs could carry him and never once looking back. 

She forced her mind to turn away from such thoughts and focused instead on the deer and her daughter's fascination with them. Audrey lost herself in such a daze that she didn't realize anyone was approaching until a twig snapped only a few feet to her right. 

Audrey spun quickly, reaching for her gun as she did so and then let out a curse when she realized it was only Ance. He chuckled as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Please, don't shoot." 

Audrey snorted as she took her hand off her gun. "I probably should."

Ance chuckled at her surly tone which did nothing to improve her mood. "And why's that?" he inquired as he stuck his cigar in his mouth and slid a match box from his pocket. 

"For kissing me like you did in front of Penelope and leaving me to answer all her questions," Audrey hissed, happy that Penelope was still distracted by the grazing deer.