Whisperer by Jeanne Harrell Page A

can find me. Is that too much to ask?”
His plaintive expression made her sad.
    “No,” was all
she could say.
    “Could we
please go for a walk?” he asked. Mandy didn’t hesitate this
time.
    “Sure. I think
it would be okay. How about around the building a few times?”
    “Great.” He
beamed like she had made his day. It sure didn’t take much. This
kid was really suffering. Walking around, he became happier,
especially when he was closer to the horses. Mandy didn’t see Colt
anywhere, but made a mental note to ask for permission to put Jimmy
on a horse soon. She had read studies where horses used in therapy
sessions could be successful. Horses seemed to have a healing
effect on children, in particular. They can give a person immediate
feedback about their actions and body language through ‘mirroring’.
A horse mirrors if a person is upset or nervous. Learning to read a
horse’s behavior can help with your own.
    Mandy decided
to talk to the camp administrator as soon as possible. After
returning Jimmy to the recreation area, she checked in his office
and discovered he was gone for the day. She left a note for him and
then went home. She and Colt would be riding later, before
dinner.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
    The temperature
fell that night, so Colt made a roaring blaze in his fireplace to
keep them warm. After dinner, they had decided to snuggle up on his
sofa and watch a good movie. Of course…
    “So what are we
watching tonight?” Colt brought in a soft blanket to wrap them up.
He was looking forward to it. Doing anything with his girl was
wonderful.
    “For our
viewing pleasure, I got an old black and white – one of my
favorites. This one is ‘ It Happened One Night’, starring
Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It won the Best Picture Oscar in
1934 and was directed by Frank Capra, a great American director.”
She put in the DVD and settled on the sofa curled up in his arms,
with the blanket on them both.
    “Can you take
any more trivia?” she asked.
    “If I must…”
Colt rolled his eyes.
    “I heard that
Claudette Colbert had it in her contract that she could only be
filmed on her left side. Apparently, she felt that was her ‘good
side’.” Mandy laughed. “I can only imagine how difficult that made
the cinematographer’s job.”
    Colt knew from
experience that she could go on like this for hours. She was a
movie encyclopedia. Sometimes he felt like playing along, but
tonight, he had something else on his mind. About halfway through
the movie, when Clark and Claudette knew they were falling for each
other, Colt muted the film. With that wonderful old black and white
movie flashing in the background, his scene began.
    She turned to
look up at him. “Why’d you mute the movie?”
    “I’d like to
talk. Is that okay?” He looked serious.
    “Sure, anything
wrong?”
    “Sweetheart,
everything is right. That’s why I need a question answered: Where
do you see this relationship going?”
    “I can’t
believe you said that. It’s usually the girl who says it.” Mandy
smiled.
    “You can say it
then, but I’d still like an answer.”
    “Well…” she
began, while watching his handsome face. She reached up to touch
him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I’m really not sure. What
did you have in mind?”
    “Oh, no. No
throwing it back at me.”
    “Wow…okay…” She
sat up by him on the couch and he put his arm around her.
“Ah…going…yes…”
    “You don’t see
it going anywhere? Do you want it to stay like this?”
    “Will I scare
you off if I tell you what I really feel? I thought guys didn’t
want to hear this.”
    “I want to hear
it, because I want to tell you my feelings.”
    She thought a
minute and looked deeply into his eyes. She put her one hand on his
chest and the other on his face. “Colt Johnson, I love you dearly
and have since we first met. I would like very much to be with you
forever and have your children.” Then she added, “Would you