Web of Dreams (Casteel 5)

have to do any work for a while," he said. I followed

him out and to the carnival area where there were

rides and games and food stands. It was a wonderful

day to go to a circus and carnival. There were just

enough clouds in the sky to keep the sun from beating

down, yet it was warm with a slight breeze. Everyone knew Luke and from the way most waved to him and

greeted him, I thought they liked him very much. As soon as we entered the carnival area, he

talked me into going on the Ferris wheel. Although it

wasn't a very big one, we still had a wonderful view

of Atlanta when we reached the top. The seat swung

back and forth, taking my breath away. I squealed

with delight and Luke laughed and embraced me to

give me a sense of security. I did feel safe under his

strong arms.

"Want a beer?" he asked after we got off. "I can

get it free," he said winking and nodding toward the

young man at the beer concession.

"No thanks," I replied. He bought me a soda

pop.

After that he tried his luck at darts. He became

very upset when he didn't win anything, but I told him

not to put down any more of his money on the game. "Try another, if you want," I advised. "My

father used to tell me that when something's not going

right, just put it aside for a while and do something

else."

He nodded, thoughtfully.

"You're right, Leigh. I get stubborn and stupid

sometimes and lose everything in anger. It's nice having someone sensible beside me," he said, his eyes soft. When he looked at me like that, with such intensity and with such sincerity, all sounds around me died away. It was as if we had drifted into our private world for a moment, risen above the crowd,

just the way we had on the Ferris wheel,

"Come on," he said taking my hand excitedly