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had it together defensively for tonight’s game. Neal looked back
     toward the door but the man had already vacated the premises. Scanning the windows
     to see which direction he’d taken proved fruitless as dusk was starting to settle
     in. The impending darkness didn’t ease Neal’s discomfort. Something in the air had
     changed since he’d left two months ago and it had everything to do with Ashes to Dirt.
    *
    Charlotte heard the knock at the door and she knew it was Neal arriving to pick her up for the game.
     She’d tried to argue with him earlier that she could drive over to the field, or for
     that matter walk, but her arguments proved useless. He’d become more contemplative
     halfway through their dinner and she wasn’t sure what had changed. They’d both tried
     to stay away from the topic of their past and it had gotten harder with each passing
     hour.
    As they’d walked out of the diner, Charlotte had inquired as to where he was going
     to stay. She was certain the house his parents had deeded over to him was still rented
     by the Orlins and Neal been gone for so long that the majority of the friends that
     he’d had back in high school hadn’t been around these parts in a very long time. Nothing
     had really changed along those lines…once a person left Hearth they didn’t come back.
     That wasn’t likely to change anytime soon.
    The temperature dropped in the evenings this time of year, so Charlotte had layered
     up and was now decked out in jeans and a thick red poncho type sweater with a long
     sleeved thermal shirt underneath. She was starting to rethink her attire as a hot
     flash came over her that had everything to do with the man knocking on her door. What
     she needed to do was concentrate on why she’d asked him here and not on the what ifs that she found herself ruminating in.
    Inhaling deeply, Charlotte steadied her nerves and greeted him with a smile on her
     face. It faltered slightly as she saw that he, too, had changed clothes. The navy
     blue sweater he was wearing hugged his wide chest and left little to the imagination
     while making the color of his green eyes richer. Had he gotten even bigger since leaving
     town this last time? A flush stole across her cheeks as he raised an eyebrow at her
     silence and she hoped like hell he didn’t know the cause.
    “It’s really cold out here,” Charlotte exclaimed, snatching her house key and a twenty-dollar
     bill off of the side table. She stuffed both in her back pocket so she wouldn’t have
     to carry a purse and stepped out onto the porch. She’d already had her cell phone
     in her other back pocket, just in case Mandy called. When Neal didn’t back up right
     away, her body came within inches of his and she felt like she’d been placed directly
     next to a blazing fire. Her mind went back to that one clear memory of them standing
     in the rectory and of how cold she’d been during that time. Had her heart and soul
     ever truly thawed out? She hadn’t thought about what the ramifications would be for
     her when she’d asked for his help, but she was quickly comprehending them. “Let me
     lock up and then we can be on our way.”
    “I noticed a few of the cult members walking around town,” Neal said, seemingly oblivious
     to her body’s reaction. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief as she followed him down
     off of her porch. He was noticeably looking around the neighborhood as they walked
     down the stone path she’d put in this past spring. She was proud of the way it turned
     out, but since he hadn’t mentioned the remodeling she’d done on the outside she didn’t
     think he’d noticed or cared. Music from the high school stadium could be heard from
     a few blocks over, indicating the game was getting ready to start. “They seem to be
     loitering around town with no destination in mind. Is that a new thing?”
    “Sort of. It started October first but the sheriff said there wasn’t much he could
     do about it