was the first time in her life she'd been outside of an urban setting. At first, it had felt weird. She could honestly say that, while during her first couple of months living in Lusty she'd been a little creeped out about how quiet the town was, especially at night, she'd discovered that was nothing compared to the time she spent out on the ranch.
Carrie used the towel she'd set aside for herself to blot the bit of sweat created by her exercise attempt. She figured the perspiration had as much to do with the rising outdoor temperatures and the fact that she had her AC turned off as it did any exertion on her part.
She took one step toward the bathroom when her cell phone chirped out Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway." An old song, but it was her sister Chloe's favorite.
"Hey, big sister! How is life in that Divine town of yours?"
"Likely not as hot as life in that Lusty town of yours, little sister."
Carrie grinned. They'd begun poking each other about their respective town names right after Carrie had taken up residence in Lusty.
"So how's everything going with you?" Carrie had been wondering if her sister would be having a groundbreaking announcement soon. She'd been in Divine for some time, and had been living with a "perfectly nice man." His name was Beck O'Malley, and he was a beekeeper.
Personally, Carrie didn't want to go anywhere near where the bees were, but she did want her sister to be happy. Chloe had met Beck in Dallas and had moved to Divine with him. The fact that her sister kept telling her that Beck was a "perfectly nice man" made her think that maybe he really wasn't the man for her.
Chloe sighed, and Carrie had the first inkling that all was not well in her sister's world. "Well, Beck asked me to marry him."
Because she knew her sister, and already figured she knew the answer, Carrie didn't yell or scream or shout out congratulations. Instead she said, "And?"
Chloe sighed. "Damn it, Carrie. I turned him down. I turned him down and I broke his heart. I hate myself right now. Of course, we're not together anymore. I moved out of his place...damn it, what a mess."
Carrie tried to exhale in relief without it sounding that way. "Don't hate yourself, honey. I'm sure you had a good reason."
"He's such a nice guy. He really is. And I like him, a lot. But..."
"But you don't love him." Carrie had never given the matter any thought, at least not before moving here. But really, if a person didn't love someone, why marry them?
"Carrie? Am I asking too much? I remember how it was with mom and dad, how their eyes would just light up when they saw each other. Every day when they'd get home from work and they'd see each other, they just glowed. Am I asking too much to want that for myself, too?"
Carrie didn't really remember their parents as well as Chloe did. But she'd been in this town long enough, had been surrounded by so many people who lit up when their loved ones entered the room. She felt relieved to be able, finally, to say something in support of her sister.
"No, Chloe, you're not asking too much at all."
"Beck is such a fabulous guy. He's the best guy I've ever met, you know? And I wanted so badly for him to be the one. Why couldn't he be the one?"
Before coming to this town, Carrie would have told her sister that she had no idea. But she'd watched, and listened to the stories, and she'd learned.
"You can't control love, Chloe. You can't create those feelings - the zing, the chemistry. They happen all on their own, or they don't happen." She thought of Ginny Kendall, and the words she'd said at her Commitment Ceremony. "Do you know what I think? I think that love happens in its own time, and in its own way, for each of us."
"I wonder when it's going to happen for me? Maybe I have to stop looking for it. Maybe, maybe I just have to forget about it, you know?"
"Maybe you do. Maybe you just need to let love find you."
"Maybe I do. That town of yours...it wouldn't happen to have a day spa, would it?"
"No, I'm sorry, it doesn't. Why did you ask? Are some of your coworkers there giving you a hard time about Beck?"
"No, not really. Some of them just don't