Melissa shook her head, moisture glistened in her eyes. Her lips quivered a little as she spoke. “And I didn’t think you wanted me. You kept saying I was too young and I know I’m—well, I’m still naïve, not sophisticated at all, even if I did lead a privileged life.”
Lawton gathered her closer again. “I thought most of that was just a pose, a facade, until I got to know you. I couldn’t believe you were for real, even though something was telling me just the opposite. And at first I didn’t even realize you were the child from Canto de Brisas. I’ve tried to forget most of that life, all the things I’ve had to do. I knew, but it didn’t really hit me until I went in the shack over there and found the guy you clobbered.”
Melissa laughed softly. “It felt so good, hitting him! I was getting real
