A Heart's Desire - Book 1 of the Crossing Midian Series - A Christian Romance

Chapter 6

By the end of that first week, Wesley was wishing the drive from the diner to Anna's house was longer just so that he could spend more time with her. He drove slower, and he started taking the long way around, hoping to drag out his time in her company.

Suddenly, just being around her had him smiling. He hadn't yet figured out everything that was going on with her and the couple of times that he tried asking, she immediately changed the subject. Wesley was content with whatever he could get, but he hoped that eventually she would be comfortable enough to talk to him about it. It wasn't as if he didn't have a few secrets of his own after all. He still hadn't told anyone about joining the Marines and now that he and Anna were trying to be friends again, he felt even more rotten about not telling her the truth.

Tonight, as he pulled up at the end of her driveway, Anna got out and Wesley barely resisted asking her if she wanted to hang out the next day. Instead, he watched her walk to her door and waited until she was inside before pulling away.

Once he got home, he climbed the stairs and headed for his room, but before he got there, Beau walked out of his own room. The young boy was dressed in Captain America pajamas but he didn't look like he had been sleeping, despite it being nearly eleven at night.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, kid?" Wesley asked as he walked over to him.

"I've been waiting for you," he said with a shrug.

Wesley shook his head and ushered Beau back into his room, and pulled the covers back on his bed. When Beau climbed in, Wesley pulled them back up around him before sitting down on the edge. "What's up?" he asked.

"I can't sleep." Beau answered simply.

"How come?"

Beau sat up in the bed and looked seriously at Wesley. "Okay, you know Josh's dumb ol' cousin, Marcus?"

"Yeah." Wesley said, trying to hold back a grin.

"Yeah, well, he said today at school that him and his brother caught the biggest fish in the county last weekend in their little pond behind their house."

"Is that right?" Wesley asked, becoming more amused by the minute.

"And I told him he wasn't nothin' but a big liar 'cause 'member when we caught that one in our pond last year and that thing was this big?" Beau stretched his arms out wide and Wesley laughed.

"I think it was bigger than that. It's a shame we threw it back."

Beau nodded solemnly. "That's for sure. And that's why we gotta go catch it again cause o'course Marcus don't believe me."

Wesley let his jaw drop in mock surprise. "He doesn't believe you?!"

"Nope. So I figure I'm gonna catch him again and when I do, I'll take it to school for show and tell and he'll believe me then!"

Wesley nodded and leaned closer to his brother. "I only see one flaw in your plan, kid. You know mom ain't gonna let you go down to the pond by yourself, so how do you figure you're getting there?"

Beau rolled his eyes. "Now, Wesley, you know you're my favorite brother!"

Wesley pointed to himself. "I am? What about Tommy?"

Beau crossed his arms over his chest and looked off to the side. "I ain't talkin' to him."

Wesley laughed. "He wouldn't take you, would he?"

"He says he ain't got time to go fishin' 'cause he's got some dumb report to do for school."

"But you think I've got time?"