Evening Star

(Need a female, pm me if you are interested)


Luke Duval, 29

Round Rock, Texas

"Charlie have returned."

Bob Willis tell Luke Duval as the both men where standing beside Luke's pickup truck. Bob was the only one in the small town that knew how the news would affect Luke. It wasn't common knowledge that the once poor Luke Duval had a romance with Charlotte Kincaid. That was ten years ago. Luke had been nineteen and Charlotte eighteen. They had been in love as only kids could. Despite their different upbringings they had not been able to stop seeing each other. That youthful passion had them doing everything except making love.

When Charlotte's father Bill Kincaid found out about their relationship he sent her to her aunt in Charleston. Luke tried everything to persuade Charlotte from going. He even proposed to her. She just shook her head and then she was gone.

Two years later Luke read about her marriage with Tyler Markham in the newspaper. He had held a hope of her returning to him once her father had lost power over her. After that he did everything to forget her. He had succeeded.

Now he was a successful veterinary and a respected member of the community. There was still some that looked down on him but most didn't. Now Charlie was back at the Evening Star and from what he hear she didn't have her husband with her.

"Why should i care?" Luke ask Bob. "Water under the bridge and all that."

"Fine, just giving you a heads up."

Luke smile and gets in the cockpit of his pickup.

"See you later." He waves and drives off.

Charlie Kincaid was back. Luke would lie if he said he wasn't shocked. It had been ten years but she still managed to invoke strong feelings in him. Not all of them was good. When he learnt of her marriage he closed that chapter of his life. He wasn't the poor boy from the wrong part of the town anymore. He was Luke Duval. Respected Veterinarian and popular bachelor. He didn't like how just hearing Charlies name made him nervous. How would he react when actually facing her after all these years?

Charlotte was back and Luke didn't like it at all.

Charlotte had returned home about a week ago. Her life had drastically changed and she needed the familiarity of home to help keep her head above water. Her divorce had been finalized and she felt no need to stick around in a city she did not care for anymore. She wanted to go home.

Of course, home had changed a lot. Her father had bought the neighbors farm and double the size of the ranch. Her father welcomed her help, though she was a bit rusty. He assured her it would all come back in good time. But with just being there a week, she would need more time to get back in the swing of things. She was still dealing with the failed marriage and she was sure it was the talk of the town. Her father could not keep it from spreading like wild fire. And her old friends seemed all too happy to fan the flames.

The people had changed as much as the ranch, especially her friends. Where they used to be kind and sweet to her, they were bitter and cold. Her suddenly disappearance apparently was not taken well by her friends. They had become distance and unwilling to hear her out. Even her old flame had changed. He had made a big name for himself in town. Part of her was happy for her, he broke through. The other part of her had been hoping he was the same. She knew she had hurt him when she left. There were many times in the past ten years she had wished she took him up on his proposal. Things might have not ended up so badly. She actually feared running into his now. She could only hope he had completely forgotten her because the odds of running into him were slim to none since he was the vet for the ranch.