"Hey, rich girl. Where's your nanny?"

Leah Kingsley suppressed a groan as she slammed her locker door shut. Just ignore her, she thought. Only one more month. I can do it. Adjusting her books in one arm, she turned to walk past Alyssa Brenner but was stopped when the auburn-haired bully blocked her path.

"I asked you a question." Alyssa glowered down at her, but Leah straightened to her full five-foot-four inches and met her nemesis' stare with a glare of her own. Inwardly, her insides twisted in knots of nervousness and fear. Outwardly, she raised her chin a notch higher.

"I don't recall needing to tell you anything. Get out of my way."

Alyssa's nostrils flared, a sign of her wrath. "Your arrogance ticks me off."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Leah tapped her chin, pretending deep thought. "Oh, I know! Because you can't control me and you never will." Satisfied to have delivered the last jab, Leah stepped around Alyssa and hurried down the hall toward the exit doors. Unease begged her to peek behind, to see if the taller and stronger girl had followed; stubbornness kept her eyes forward. I would rather be taken by surprise than to let that brat think she can intimidate me! Still, she hastened her steps.

Relief found Leah when she rushed into the welcoming rays of the warm, spring sun and the High School parking lot. She scanned the vehicles, spotted the familiar red sports car she searched for, and smiled for the first time that day. As if on cue, the car's door opened and a well-dressed young man stepped out. His brown eyes and smile were warm as he waved at her.

She started to lift her hand, to wave in return. Sudden squealing paused her movements. Distracted, she looked toward the football field and spotted the two teenage girls that demanded her friend's attention. A quick glance back proved he hadn't spared them a second glance, if he had glanced their way at all.

I guess he is kind of handsome, she mused, taking in his wavy auburn hair and slender figure that was only accentuated by his jeans and blue, cotton shirt. As always, he left the top three buttons of his shirt undone, sensualizing his appearance.

When he raised his eyebrows in question, Leah flushed, realizing too late she had come to a complete stand-still and now stared at him. She decided to play off her awkward blunder as if it had never happened and approached with a casual, easy grin.

"Thanks for picking me up, Charles."

"It always brightens my day to get a text from you." Charles grinned, reaching to take her school books. "How did you escape your nanny this time?"

Leah snorted, earning a small chuckle from her friend. "It wasn't hard. She wants to quit anyway, so I told her to bug off and Daddy would never know. I bet she's lounging at the mansion eating chips and watching television."

Leah went around to the car's passanger side and climbed in. Charles shut her door. She waited until he rounded the front and seated himself in the driver's seat before finishing with, "She's a pathetic nanny, anyway. I don't know why Daddy insists I have one. I'm almost eighteen. I can take care of myself."

Charles shrugged as he reversed the vehicle and pulled out of the parking space. "I feel better with someone keeping an extra eye on you. Number one!" He grinned. " You're trouble. Number two...You're trouble. Number three!"

"I know, I know. I'm trouble."

"Nope. Number three, you did get kidnapped when you were little. It could happen again. Just having another presence may prevent that."

Her irritation was instant. "A kidnapping I have no recollection of. It's not fair. And besides, I'm not a child anymore. And what's a nanny going to do? Beat a kidnapper off with her broomstick?"

"That's a witch."

"Same difference."

Charles chuckled but tension had entered the vehicle.

"Your dad is a wealthy man with a lot of enemies. Like it or not, being his daughter makes his enemies your enemies. I'm on your dad's side here. It's for your own good. Please, promise me when you get a new nanny, you'll stop ditching her."

Leah crossed her arms. "No can do. I need space. The likelihood I would be taken again is close to zero anyway. You and Daddy are ridiculous. I can't even take a hike without a tag-along!"

That tension mounted.

"No, we aren't. Kidnappers aside, the woods are full of copperheads and, thanks to that huge pond in the middle of your property, water moccasins too. What if you were bitten?"

Exasperation scorched her soul. She wanted to scream at the man beside her, but knowing it would do little good, took a calming breath instead. "I can't be protected every second, but ... whatever. At some point, I'll need to take care of myself."

Charles sighed. "If you needed to, then I would agree. But you don't need to. Your dad has the means to ensure you are doted on your entire existence. Why won't you accept and enjoy your life? You're constantly fighting it."

"Never mind, Charles. You don't understand me, and I'm tired of talking about this."

Silence. Then, Charles said, softly, "If you need to get away, just call me, okay? I'll take you anywhere you want to go; I'll do anything you want to do. I just don't want you hurt."

Leah stifled a groan. Arguing was pointless. How could she explain or even make Charles understand that she felt like her very soul was being suffocated, slowly but surely. She rubbed a finger on her temple. And I thought school was the only drama I would have today.

She turned and stared out the window, watched the bustling town of Springdale, Missouri disappear and transform into a beautiful countryside of rolling hills and open pasture. The dead grass had turned bright green over the past few weeks, and she couldn't help but smile at the vibrant color.

"I love green," she murmured, for no reason at all.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Upon hearing the gentleness in Charles's tone, Leah turned toward him again. Though he glanced at her for only a second due to his driving, she blushed at his tender expression. She knew, despite his age being several years older than she, he had feelings beyond friendship. She wasn't sure when she had come to this realization, but it seemed the older she became, the more noticeable his feelings. And this troubled her.

I just don't see him that way. Yet, deep down, she feared she might lose him if she couldn't develop feelings that went beyond friendship. He was her only friend outside of her personal maid, Fiona, and more than anything, she wanted to keep him at her side. Will I need to force my feelings to keep things the same? She had no answer for this question, and thus, a dark cloud of depression settled over her. With that depression, a greater question arose.

How did a girl force herself to love?

Leah Kingsley didn't think it possible.