Stolen Love

Author:
 
Joyce Lomax Dukes

Cover picture by Samantha Rodriquez

Olmstead Publishing,

www.olmsteadpublishing.com

[email protected]

Printed in the
United States of America

© May 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cover Christine Hammett

Editing by Phyllis Olmstead
 

ISBN-13
  
978-1-934194-23-2 paperback

ISBN-10
  
1-934194-23-2 paperback

Two17-year-old cousins, Charles and Dru Roxenbury, graduated from high school and were planning to college at the end of the summer to study law. Dru traveled from Promise,
Texas
, to
Los Angeles
,
California
, to spend a few weeks with Charles.

At the beach, they met two 16-year-old girls that were the best of friends, Ashley Richards and Tiffany McKinley. Charles fell in love with Ashley at first sight and then he lost her. Charles rode back with his cousin to spend time at Dru's home with his aunt and uncle. Nine years later, Charles discovered Ashley again.

Chapter One

Charles and his cousin Dru were very close, they both graduated from high school, and at the end of the summer, they are headed off to different law schools. The seventeen-year-olds’ fathers' are brothers. Charles’ father, Leland Roxenbury, is an attorney-at-law in Promise,
Texas
.

Charles’ mother, Charlotte Roxenbury, is a social worker. She was raised on her parent’s ranch in
Texas
. She owns a horse ranch called The Roxenbury Ranch. The Roxenbury Ranch is known for training and breeding the fastest of horses.

Dru drove the Jeep his parents bought him for graduation to visit his cousin Charles. Dru and Charles loved riding and caring for the horses. After three weeks on the ranch, Charles rode back to
Los Angeles
with Dru.

They arrived at Dru's house in the evening. Dru's parents took them out for dinner and a movie, just as they did when the boys were younger.

Dru's father, Andrew Roxenbury, owns a law firm in
Los Angeles
. Dru's mother, Linda, is a secretary at her husband’s law firm.

On Saturday morning, the boys got up, ate breakfast, and went to the beach. Shortly after they arrived at the beach, they noticed two16-year-old girls.

Ashley and Tiffany were the best of friends. Ashley was shy about meeting boys because of a scar on the side of her face. When Charles and Dru got closer to the girls, Ashley caught Charles’ eye and he knew it was love at first sight.

The guys spent hours talking and swimming with the girls. When the girls were ready to go, the boys asked if they could take them to the movies that night. Tiffany and Ashley agreed to go to the movies with them.

The boys drove the girls home from the beach. That evening the boys picked up their dates back up to go to the movies.

After the movies, they took the girls back home. Tiffany and Ashley lived on the same street, about eight houses down from each other.

They arrived at Tiffany's house first, the guys mentioned to the girls that they would be going to law schools in different states.

Tiffany said, “Ashley and I are going to law school when we graduate, too. We are applying at the same college.”

After talking about it for an hour, Ashley said to Tiffany, “It's getting late, I'm going home. I'll see you in the morning.”

Ashley said bye to Dru and Charles. Charles called out, “Ashley, wait. I’ll walk you home.”

While walking with Ashley, Charles noticed she kept pulling her hair to one side of her face, he asked her, “Why do you keep hiding that scar on your face with your hair? How did you get it?”

She replied, “From a burn when I was four years old.”

Charles said, “You are so beautiful to me, I fell in love with you at first sight.”

She smiled at him and in a skip and a turn, said, “This is my house. Maybe we will see you on the beach Monday.”

He smiled and said, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

She went into the house and Charles walked back to Tiffany's house.

Dru and Charles said goodbye to Tiffany and went home.

Sunday morning Charles and Dru went to church with Dru's parents.

At church, Charles saw Ashley sitting with her parents. He waved at her then she waved back. After the service, Charles and Dru went over to talk to Ashley. Dru saw Tiffany leave with her parents.

Dru's mother called out “Charles and Dru let's go.” Charles said to Ashley, “I'll see you tomorrow.” And, he left with his family. The boys spent the rest of the day at home.

Monday morning, Andrew and Linda were heading to the office when Andrew told the boys they needed to go to the office about 3 pm that he had something for them to do. The boys agreed to show up at the office, and then Andrew and Linda left for work.

The boys went to the beach at noon and they saw the girls playing in the water. The boys joined the girls and they played in the water with them for a few hours.

Later Tiffany told Dru they would have to go because Ashley's mom was picking them up to go shopping.

He said, “We need to be leaving, too. I'll call you tonight.”

Dru and Charles went to the office and his father gave them office work to do that evening, then the family went out for dinner.

At dinner, Charles told them about Ashley, saying, “I know in my heart that I am in love with her. It was love at first sight the day I saw her on the beach!”

His uncle replied, “I have something for the both of you boys to do at the office for the rest of the week that will keep your minds off those girls.”

The boys had to work for the week, just as Charles’ uncle said.

Friday evening Andrew sent Dru to deliver some papers before he came home. Charles rode with Andrew to the store. Riding down the street with Uncle Andrew, he saw Ashley sitting at the park.

His uncle stopped at the store, Charles said, “Look, Uncle. That’s the girl I'm in love with, I'm going over to talk to her.”

Andrew said, “I'll see you when I come out of the store.”

Charles walked up to Ashley and asked her why she was there.

She said, “Hi, Charles! I like coming to the park to draw and I'm waiting for my dad. He's at the store.”

He asked, “What did you draw?” She replied, “Look!” He looked at her book of drawings and said, “These are very beautiful.” She told him he could have them if he liked, he said, “Yes, I will always keep them.”

Andrew called out to Charles, Ashley said, “I will walk with you. My dad is coming, too.” They walked across the street together.

Charles said, “I will call you tonight.” Ashley got in the car with her father. Charles got in the truck with his uncle.

That night after dinner, Charles talked to Ashley on the phone.

When he hung up with her he went to his aunt and said to her, “I know in my heart I truly love Ashley and I feel it every time I see her or talk to her on the phone.”

His aunt said to him, “If you truly feel that way then finish college and stay in touch with her, build a life together after school. Just always, let her know how you feel.”

Charles said, “But, I don't think she feels this way about me.”

Aunt Linda said to Charles, “Time. Always give her time.”

That weekend the boys took the girls to the amusement park. They had lots of fun riding on most of the rides and playing the games. The boys spent a lot of time with the girls. Dru and Tiffany were getting very close, making plans for when they finished college.

The next weekend the four of them went horseback riding. Every evening Dru went to Tiffany's house to see her, her parents really liked him. Ashley would talk to Charles on the phone.