For the previous Twirl, go here and to the Neverending stories tab at the top of the page.

For my new Invisible Friends, Twirl is the story of a feisty, sassy ballerina named Vivi and her handsome cowboy named Wade. After falling in love swaying on the dance floor to the sound of a fiddle and steel guitar, the couple have stumbled onto a old Texas legend that might possibly lead to riches! On top of everything, Vivi is fighting her controlling father and over involved dance teacher, who are trying to trap her into a life she may not want. Add in a mysterious secret with her mother, a scheming evil boy in her dance class and regular teen angst and you’ve got DRAMA!

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After a kiss that made Vivi’s head spin and her heart flutter, Wade lowered her to the ground.  Running his fingers through her tangled strawberry red hair, he rested his chin on her head.

“You know what?” he said.

“Hmm?” Vivi murmured.  She inhaled deeply, taking in the rich scent of leather and cologne from his shirt as she rested her face against his chest.

“I’ve only known you a few weeks,” Wade said, his voice cracking slightly.  “But I feel I’ve known you forever.”

“I feel the same way,” Vivi whispered.  She raised her eyes up to his.  There was so much she wanted to tell him, so much she wanted to say.  She opened her mouth, but a unexpected question popped out.  “Why didn’t you go to college?”

Wade raised his eyebrows.  “Vivi, you know.  Grandpa needed help on the ranch.”

“But weren’t you upset?” Vivi pressed.  “Didn’t you feel like someone else was deciding your fate for you or whatever?”

“My future is what I make of it,” Wade answered.  “And yes, I was mad.  I was downright pissed.  I had all sorts of plans that were wrecked because my dad wouldn’t take responsibility, my mom’s a drunk and my brothers are losers.  But, I realized that I was getting mad over things I couldn’t control.  What I could control was what kind of man I would be.  If I went to college and let the family ranch fail, I’d always regret it.  I know I’ll go to college.  It just may be a few years later than I expected.”

Vivi leaned her head against his chest.  “I wish I was like you,” she murmured.  “You’re just so good and nice.”

“Vivi darling, not knowing if you want to dance forever doesn’t mean you’re not good,” Wade corrected, twirling the ends of her hair against his fingers.  “You’re just trying to figure out what you’re passionate about. You, not your daddy.”  He fingered her busted lip and his eyes narrowed.  “Vivi, I need to tell me you’re safe here.  I can’t leave if I know he might hurt you.”

Vivi nodded, keeping her eyes locked on the ground.  Wade studied her a moment, then nodded.  “Ok,” he said.  Releasing her from his embrace, he walked to the back of the truck and pulled out a box full of letters and papers from the black box they’d discovered at his grandfather’s.

“Come on,” he said, nodding toward the front of the house.  “I want to make sure you get in ok.”

They strode across the lawn in a comfortable silence.  Vivi looked up to see Wade’s eyes locked on her, crinkling at the corners with amusement.

“What?” she asked, tossing her hair with a sassy grin.  “What are you grinning for?”

“No reason.”  Wade smiled and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers.  When he pulled back, his voice was thick with smug amuesment.  “No reason at all.”  He carefully handed her the box and glanced up to the light spilling out of the window of her room.  “Can you carry it up there all right?  Should you get one of your parents to help you?”

Vivi rolled her eyes, trying not to grin.  She had never met a guy so convinced she was made of porcelain.  “I can carry a box, Wade.  I’m tough.”

Wade gave a low chuckle.  “Oh yeah.  Tough as nails.”

“Kitty has claws,” she teased, swiping a free hand at him.  The box tipped and jerked her left arm down, and she struggled to catch it before the letters fell.  The corner of Wade’s lips twitched as he dove to help her, but Vivi’s murderous glare kept him silent.

“Good night,” he murmured, leaning forward and giving her a kiss.  Vivi felt the familiar flutter in her belly and her toes tingle as she leaned forward.  Both were breathless when they broke apart.  Wade ran his calloused finger down her face one last time, then winked and headed back to his truck.  Vivi turned and went inside, racing up the stairs with the box.  Hurrying to the window, she watched as Wade’s truck glided down the street. Finally, the yellow lights of the truck faded out of sight.

After a quick shower and changing into her pajamas, Vivi turned her attention to the letters.  She picked up a couple pages, scanning them.  There were a couple of business receipts from the local general store and dressmaker, and some ranch ledgers about cattle and such. Wade’s grandmother apparently was  very through researcher.  She could piece together Addie’s daily life, but nothing about Bill.  She had gone through half of the box, and still found nothing. Well, nothing interesting.  Finally, she spotted a yellowed page covered in soft, feminine writing.  Squinting at the faded ink, she held it up to her face and began to read.

“Dearest Bill,

You don’t know what it did for my heart to know you were all right.  I’m so thankful I found the letter you hid for me at our house, rather than my father.  He’s enraged, Bill.  He’s determined to find you and hang you.  My happiness or love for you means nothing to him.  He’s a cruel, vindictive man.  I can only hope when this letter finds you, you’ll be far away.

How I long to see your kind eyes!  Living without you has been nothing short of torture.  Without you, the sun has no warmth, the sky has no color, laughter has no joy…”

“She’s really laying it on thick,” Vivi muttered, scanning over the countless paragraphs of heartbroken declarations of devotion and lover’s angst.  Finally, she narrowed in on the last part of the letter.  Some of the words had been traced over and over again, making them jump out from the others.  A few had been underlined.

“For you, my love, I’ll twine blue ribbons in my hair and dance under the stars all night under the full moon in my best gown.  Next week, I’ll be in Lydell for the reading of “Dancing Wolves,” the newest book by my favorite author.  I’ll dine with Ms. Erstwhile at the Satin Belle Tea Room, right next to the old dance hall.  What fun it will be!”

Vivi stared at the paragraph, letting the words swirl around in her brain.  She pulled out a notebook from her dance bag and stared at the words she had written down: Starlight under the Oak Moon. Blue ribbons. Bluebonnet. Biting her lower lip, she scanned over the dates on both letters.  She leaped to her feet and cracked open her laptop, typing in a few key words on her search engine.  When the results popped up, she whopped with glee and pumped her fist in the air.

Grabbing her cell phone, she dialed Wade’s number.  “I figured out where the treasure is,” she announced.  “I found the next clue!”

To be continued….

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  Tomorrow we have a fun Easter craft and Sunday, our featured creative woman Brooke from Conversations with Cupcakes! Stay tuned!

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