Stolen Love by Joyce Lomax Dukes

 

    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