“Together they crawled through the attic space, looking for the source of a roof leak they’d discovered in the last bathroom. Jax was out in front,braving the spiderwebs. Maddie was behind him, working really hard at not looking at his butt.And failing spectacularly.So when he unexpectedly twisted around, holding out his hand for the clipboard she was now holding, he caught her staring at him.“I, um—You have a streak of dirt,” she said.“A streak of dirt.”Yes.” She pointed to his left perfectly muscled butt cheek. “There.”He was quiet for a single, stunned beat. She couldn’t blame him, given that they were both covered in dirt from the filthy attic. “Thanks,” he finallysaid. “It’s important to know where the dirt streaks are.”“It is,” she agreed, nodding like a bobble head. “Probably you should stain-stick it right away. I have some in my purse.”“Are you offering to rub it on my ass?”

“I screamed. You told me not to.” He rubs at the soot on one hand with his thumb, then stares at it. “The dirt,” he says, his voice strangely peaceful.“What about it?” she asks. “It’s dirty.”

“He inhaled her scent, uncaring of the blood and dirt and grime that permeated her hair and clothing. He was holding her. Finally holding her.“You’re real. You’re real.”She pulled away, looked up at him, the same answering emotion shining in her blue eyes. With a groan, he lowered his mouth to hers. He couldn’t hold back. Nothing in the world would have kept him from kissing her in that moment.He was overcome.”

“Once he reached the farm he followed a barely used dirt road that led towards the sandstone cliffs. He heard the dog scrabbling across the rocky ground. The huffling of her breath. Some of the rocks were quite large and he turned and watched her stumble into them. In terrain like this she could easily break a leg and yet she lurched on, determined to find him. When she finally reached him she touched his leg with her nose, before settling down a few feet away, blind head looking out of over the dry Limpopo below. He wished he could pluck out her eyes and hold them in his hands like marbles. Rub them together, make thunder, bring rain. Instead he nudged the safety catch off his rifle and shot her.”

“William leaned forward and pointed at the river. “I don’t know why you rolled in spaghetti sauce,” he said in a confidential voice. “I don’t really care. But that water over there won’t hurt you. Try washing it off.”She stuck her tongue out.“Maybe after you’re clean,” he said.Her eyes widened. She stared at him for a long moment. A little crazy spark lit up in her dark irises.She raised her finger, licked it, and rubbed some dirt off her forehead.Now what?The girl showed him her stained finger and reached toward him slowly, aiming for his face.“No,” William said. “Bad hobo.”

“You could have had anything else in the world, and you asked for me."She smiled up at him. Filthy as he was, covered in blood and dirt, he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen."But I don't want anything else in the world.”