When she noticed Mike and Christa walking together, their hands almost touching, she smiled. "Last year they competed over anything. This year they can't stay apart. A teen romance. How sweet!" Her heart twitched again and stopped her in her tracks. "This I don't understand. Anytime I see two people together, my heart is saying it wants the same thing. Gray Cloud mentioned Colby and my heart twitched. I don't even know him." She shook her head. "No. My heart is set on finishing college and getting through vet school. Love is not part of the plan. It's not even in the running for my attention."
These thoughts bothered her throughout supper and kept her distant from everyone. When Faith called everyone to the campfire, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. "We're going to try something different tonight," Faith said. "Usually Gray Cloud tells the stories or Brett and Charlie sing, but tonight we're going to tell the story."
"All of us?" Paige asked bouncing her legs.
"All of us," Faith said. She readjusted her bottom on the log and then started. "Once upon a time a young couple visited the Circle M. They spent their time riding, hiking, and fishing. One day…" Faith stopped and looked around the group. When she spotted Christa she said, "What happens next?" After Christa shrugged, Faith smiled and said, "Make up something."
Christa's brown eyes blinked in thought. "One day they walked hand-in-hand to Willow Lake, hoping to find a break from the heat. Even the trees did not protect them from the sweltering sun. When they reached the lake they dove in." Christa looked to Paige.
Paige tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and started her story. "They dove into the lake to find cold water. There was nothing except darkness. Ivy shivered because she didn't know how to get back. Where was Jack, her boyfriend? She wondered if she should keep swimming or go back to the surface." Paige looked at Charlie.
Charlie took a deep breath and rubbed his mustache. "They traveled together to the bottom of the lake, which goes about 60 feet deep." His western accent seemed highly exaggerated. "Neither understood how they traveled so far without feeling pressure. Then a water spirit appeared with open arms, leading them into her underwater house. She offered food, drink, and a bed for rest. In the morning, the water spirit asked one question. 'Do you want to live here or return to the other world? Think carefully as you get one choice and it cannot be changed."