It was nasty but she's home. Courtney was just a flesh wound. You deflected the bullet down that could have killed her." Courtney? I didn't know she'd...been hit."Dani?" I croaked. Rhonda put a straw to my mouth and I sipped in water. Blessed water. My throat still felt like it was on fire."She'll be okay. It will take a little while. Be patient, lover," Rose said. I couldn't hold back any longer."Lexi?" I knew the answer as soon as they dropped their heads."She never had a chance. They say she. Just ten minutes later Miss Edwards caught me watching and forced me to undress in front of the girl, Jenny, before she punished me with a cane. At the end of my ordeal Miss Edwards suggested to Jenny that she should stay behind after her next piano lesson to watch me being punished again. So, here I was, a week later and feeling very nervous as I rang the bell. Miss Edwards looked more attractive than ever as she opened the door. She told me I was a little early but to come in and wait. I. ‘All the way,’ Mat said. ‘Class of ’92. Don’t tell me. If you’re from Jackson, I’ll bet you’re a Rebel.’ ‘Hoddy toddy,’ Melanie said with a laugh. ‘Yep. Ole Miss Class of ’88. I was a Delta Gamma. For whatever that’s worth.’ ‘Just means you got a little breeding,’ Mat said. ‘I was GDI myself, although I had plenty of friends in the frats. Anyway, you’d better be going. Your friends are going to think I kidnapped you.’ ‘Well, enjoy yourself,’ Melanie said, thinking that perhaps being. She rose quickly and strode up the bleachers to the concession stand. There he was, in line, his strong back a mere feet from her touch, But she needed to be patient. Here was a man worth being patient for. With a chance to look without being seen, she shook her head as she recalled how modest he was, how self-deprecating, how disbelieving when she told him how gorgeous she thought he was. Here was a model-perfect man. And she should know, because husband #1 had modeled when they were in.