Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chapter Four



   We stayed in an embrace for some more time when Nikki remembered the
kitchen.  She got up and disappeared into the bathroom and returned.  "We
made a mess of Nikki, babe!  I'm going to finish dinner." She pulled on the
clothes she'd strewn around the house.

   I joined her, walking up behind her as she stood at the stove.  I put my
hands on her shoulders and kissed the back of her head.  She turned, her
hair bouncing, spoon in hand.  She smiled.  "You know, it'll be even better
around here since we won't have to tiptoe around each other."

   "Huh?"

   "You know," she smiled, "Makin' sure you're properly clothed around me
an' me around you.  Stayin' a respectable distance apart.  And I don't have
to make a bed on the sofa."

   "No you don't," I said.

   "You don't know, Dan.  I wanted to get in bed with you the first night I
was here.  And not for sex, babe.  Just to feel safe."

   "Sweetie, I'm glad you didn't try.  I couldn't have handled it.  I was
battling in my head over you."

   "Why, Dan?"

   "Because you're an impossibility.  You're smart and cute and sweet. 
Well, that first day, I didn't know the 'smart' part.  But you're
impossibly young.  I was killing myself every time I had a thought about
you that strayed just a bit off the line."

   "I know, Dan," she said.  "I was havin' the same ones." She lifted a pot
lid and stirred the contents.  "Get a plate.  This is ready."

   We sat down at the table and ate our meal.  She was glowing.

   "You look so much happier, Dan," she said.  "Is that from ME?"

   "Yes, my love, it is."

   We cleared the table in record time.

   "Shower" she said, giggling.  "Both of us."

   I stared.

   "Don't be bashful.  I want that whole naked thing.  You're the first guy
I ever saw naked, and I wanna play, okay?  So we can start in the shower."
She was shedding clothes on the way up the hall, laughing, "Don't worry
about the clothes on the floor.  I know that lady that takes care of the
place and she'll pick `em up."

   I followed like a lovesick puppy.

   "Come on, Dan... you can't take a shower with your clothes on." Her eyes
twinkled.  "Here!  Let me help." She peeled my t-shirt over my head and
then started unbuttoning my jeans.  I heard the sound of my own zipper and
then she tugged the waistband downward.  She stood up, naked.  A vision. 
Her face was wreathed by that walnut colored hair, a sassy little flip at
her jawline.  She shook her head and her bangs settled in place.

   She kissed me.  I kissed her back, then started to bend over to get out
of my pants.

   "Nuh-uh," she said.  "I started it.  I'll finish it." And she knelt down
in front of me.  Her fingers hooked into the waistband of my briefs.  And
pulled them downward.  The elastic waist caught on my dick, pointing
upward, hard.  Blue eyes looked up at me.  "Uh, Dan, I've never undressed a
guy before." She pulled the waistband out and past my dick, dropping my
briefs on top of the jeans piled around me feet.  I stepped out of them.

   "Don't go anywhere," she said.  "I didn't get a chance to look while
ago." She could look now.  It was pointed at her face.  Her fingers gently
wrapped the shaft.  "This is so neat," she said.  As I stood there trying
to keep my knees from buckling, her fingers explored the head, tracing the
coronal ridge, touching and squeezing.  A big drop of pre-cum formed on the
tip.  Her eyes looked at me and turned naughty.  She picked up the drop on
her fingertip and popped the finger in her mouth.

   "Hey, that's actually pretty tasty." And then she wrapped the head of my
dick in her mouth and sucked.

   "Oh, gosh, Nikki," I moaned.

   She pulled off it.  "Did I hurt you?" she asked.

   "Oh, no, babe.  You surprised me."

   She stood up and pulled my face down to hers.  And kissed me.  "Another
first for Nikki, lover," she said.  "Let's get that shower."

   I was glad I'd designed the shower.  I knew when I designed the house
that days would come when I might need the room.  Nikki in the shower with
me was that need.  And a naked, wet and lathered Nikki was a thing of joy.
I washed her.  I shampooed her hair.  She washed me.  Scrubbed my back. 
Finally we stepped out and I wrapped her in the biggest, fluffiest towel in
my inventory.  And made a mental note to get new towels.

   She dried off and was drying her hair while I shaved.  She giggled.  "I
never saw a guy shave before.  You make funny faces."

   I put a dab of lather on her nose.

   After I finished shaving and brushed my teeth, the said, "Dan.  A little
of your cologne would be appropriate."

   "I didn't think you noticed."

   "I TOLD you that I noticed.  You need to listen to me better."

   "Yes, ma'am." I put cologne on.  And she put dabs of perfume here and
there for me to find.

   We went back to the bedroom.  The covers were still a mess from our
earlier activity.  "Grab a corner," she said, and we straightened the
covers.  She saw the spot where we'd leaked together earlier.  And there
was a slight tinge of red.  "I'll wash these tomorrow, baby," she said. 
And she crawled into the middle of the bed and stretched out on her back.

   The cat strolled into the bedroom, looked at the two of us, and strolled
back out.

   "Poor thing!  I'm probably taking his spot."

   "He'll probably be back when things quiet down."

   "But they're quiet right now," she cooed.

   I crawled beside her and kissed her, cupping a breast in my hand, my
fingers teasing a nipple to hardness.  And then I moved my face away from
hers, downward, kissing my way to her nipple.

   "Oh yeah, Dan!  I like that!"

   I tongued and sucked first one perky breast, then the other.  Then I
looked up into her eyes.  "Nikki," I said, "different people like different
things.  If I ever start to do something that you don't like, you need to
tell me.  It's your body.  You get to say what we do."

   "Oh, Dan, I want to do everything."

   "Everything?  What do you consider everything?"

   She pulled herself down to cuddle up with me.  We entwined arms and
legs. And she explained.  "You know I WAS a virgin until a couple or three
hours ago, right?"

   "Right," I said.  "I felt that.  And saw the evidence."

   "I was.  And I'm not experienced.  At all.  I never even made out with a
guy.  Or kissed one.  Not like we did.  When I felt your tongue touch mine,
that was the first time that happened."

   "But you... you started it."

   "Yeah.  That's the point.  I know about stuff.  I heard Mom and whatever
guy goin' at it, an' like I said, they weren't quiet.  The tongue thing,
well I read about it somewhere.  And that stuff about shooting an' coming,
well I heard that through the wall a bunch of times.  And when I did you
with my mouth, I heard about that.  And about her gettin' him to do that to
her."

   "Wow!"

   "But, baby, I never did anything.  With anybody.  So, like, maybe I
don't know HOW to do things, but I know that things are done."

   "Okay..."

   "And the same thing goes with you.  If you don't want to do something
with me, just tell me.  I remember one of Mom's guys didn't like to, as he
said, 'Eat pussy'.  But most of them did." She looked into my eyes.  "Do
you?"

   "I think that eating you would be one of the happiest events of my life,
babe."

   Squeal!  "Good!  "Cuz I want to see if that feels as good as I think it
will." She kissed me.  "And while ago?  When I put your thing in my mouth?
I REALLY liked that.  I hope you do.  I want to do that.  Lots."

   Her hand was exploring my balls.  "Lay back an' let me play."

   I did.  She had questions about what and how hard and where, and I
answered as she explored.  She finally eased up into my arms again and my
fingers explored the sweet, moist folds of her womanhood.  Oh, right, she
was fifteen.  Make that her late girl-hood.  We kissed and teased, lips to
lips, face, neck, chest, and I kept my fingers busy in her pussy, finally
succeeding in breaking her train of thought.  Her pelvis was hunching
insistently against my fingers as I teased an orgasm out of her.  Finally
she tossed her head back and said, "Dan!  Lick me.  There!"

   And I did, reveling in the juices flowing from her, the smell of lust,
the velvet feel of her folds, and the little pea-like head of her clitty. I
covered her clit with my mouth, sucking it in between my lips and working
it with my tongue in light, feathery flicks.  And she came, pulling my face
hard into her wetness.  Her muscles tensed then relaxed.  I gave her a few
seconds, then resumed.  "Dan!" Her hands went back to my head.  "I don't
know!  It's too soon!  Aughhhh!  Wait!  Don't stop!  Please.  There! 
HARD!" And I abandoned the light flicks and laved her clit vigorously with
my tongue.  "Nnnnnnngghhhhhhh!  Ohgodohgodohgod!!  Yesssss!" She went
rigid, back arched, her pussy pressed against my face.  And then fell back.
"Ahhhhhhh!  Please!  Come up here!"

   I cuddled her into my arms and kissed her face lightly.  "Dan, baby,"
she whispered, her lips near my ear.  "I used to do myself with my fingers
sometimes, and I made myself come.  But what you just did, wow!  Just wow!"

   I brushed her sleek hair away from her face and kissed her.  "You make
me feel good, babe!  You're a doll.  A fantasy.  No, I take that back.  My
fantasies were never this good."

   She pushed me onto my back and rested her chin in her hands on my chest.
"Did you have fantasies about me, Dan?"

   "Oh, Nikki, I tried soooo hard not to.  I felt bad about thinking of you
like that.  I wasn't supposed to."

   A smile formed on her lips and her eyes twinkled.  A smile to Nikki was
something that involved her whole face.  "But you did anyway, huh?"

   "I couldn't help it." I kissed her.  "I felt bad about it."

   "You don't have to feel bad about it any more.  I want you to think
about me like this!" She eased down my chest, playing on my nipples with
her tongue.  "Do guys like this too?" she asked.

   "I don't know about other guys, but I love it.  And it's like there's
wire from my left nipple to my dick."

   "Your left nipple?  Is it the most sensitive?  You showed me my RIGHT
nipple is more sensitive." And she was holding my dick when she latched
onto my left nipple, sucking it with her lips and teasing it with her
tongue.  She giggled.  "That's so COOL!  Every time my tongue moves, your
thing moves.  And gets harder." She smiled.  "I'm gonna love learning how
to please you."

   "You already please me, blue-eyed girl."

   "Yeah, but I want to fix you so where every time you stop to relax, you
think of me."

   "Too late, Nikki!"

   "Too late?"

   "Yeah.  All day today every time I closed my eyes, I saw you."

   "Before we even talked about us?"

   "Yes.  Before we even talked about us."

   "It's us now, Dan." She left my nipple, headed further down.  She
regarded my dick at close range.  It was rock-hard.  She turned her head
back toward me.  "This thing is MADE for me to suck on, Dan!" Her head
dipped and I felt lips close over me, sucking.  She pulled off me with an
audible pop.  "I think I could do this better if I was between your legs,
baby!"

   "Okay," I said.  I scooted up toward the head of the bed, arranging
pillows to support my back.  The fact that it gave me a clear view of the
brown-haired cutie crawling between my thighs was a definite plus.

   She started kissing my balls, giggling.  "They're all wrinkly!  It feels
funny on my lips.  I like it!" She kissed again.  "You said not to suck too
hard, huh?"

   "Yeah."

   Her head bobbed down.  "Mmmmmm," she purred.  "Was that too hard?"

   "Nope.  Perfect!"

   "Okay, then." She worked me over for a minute.  Then she licked up the
shaft of my dick.  "I'm just kinda wingin' it here, babe," she said,
grinning.  Her pink tongue made another pass.  "Oooooh, look!  You made me
some juice!" She dispensed with the finger this time and her pink tongue
licked it off me like a lollipop.  And then she sucked.  Her hand was
wrapped around the shaft and her lips met her fingers as her head bobbed.

   "Dan," she asked, "can I bite it?  Just a little?  I mean, I WANT to."

   "Bite, baby."

   "How hard?"

   "As hard as you want.  I trust you." It is a truly sensual thing to see
your lover smile when she's got your dick in her mouth.  I felt teeth.

   "Too hard?"

   "Nope.  You could bite a little harder.  Just not on the head.  Real
light on the head, okay?"

   And she gave me a series of sucks, licks and nibbles.  Purrs and giggles
accompanied her experimentation.  "Am I doin' this right?"

   "If you do it much longer, you're gonna see how right you are..."

   Squeal!  "Like, I'm gonna make you COME?  With my mouth."

   "Yes, you are.  So you better stop or you are going to get a mouthful."

   Her lips slid down over the head and her teeth fastened behind the
ridge, tugging.

   "Nnnnnnnghhhh!" I breathed.  "Baby!  I'm serious.  I'm gonna come."

   "I want you to."

   "B-but..."

   "You're my lover, Dan, and I want this thing to come in my mouth.  I
mean, if Mom could do a guy she just met, I can do THE guy who I'm gonna
spend my life with..." And she went back down on me.  As she worked me over
with lips, teeth and tongue, her free hand cradled and caressed my balls.
She looked up at me, giggling.  "This is FUN!  I can feel it throbbing!"
She returned to sucking and swirling me.

   "I'm close, baby," I said, touching her pretty hair.  She doubled her
effort and "Nnnnnnghhhhh!  Baby!  Hereitcomes!  Gahhhhh!  Ohbaby! 
Nnnnnghhhh!" The first surge spurted into her mouth.  I felt her tongue and
cheeks as she swallowed.  Then the second.  And third.  And the rest was
just a long flow like fire.

   She kept the suction as I softened, then she climbed up to rest on my
chest.  "Would it be gross to kiss you right now?"

   "No.  You kissed me with your juice all over my face.  Kiss me."

   She did.  I could taste the vestiges of my semen in her mouth.  "We
taste pretty good, huh?" she giggled.  We kissed more.  Then she asked,
"Uh... When they say sixty-nine, that's where we do each other at the same
time?"

   "Yes it is.  Wanna try?" And in a trice I was treated to the prettiest
little pussy I'd ever seen.  We attended to each other for some minutes.

   "I LIKE this," she said.  "But I wanna kiss you." She turned back around
and we embraced.  "You're hard again, Dan." And she impaled herself on me.
We went one more round, and I was astonished to find out that I could do a
third orgasm in just a mere few hours.  Nikki was under no such limitation
and came twice as my stamina met the hurdle of building my third orgasm. 
This time when she sat up, recognizing the wetness between us, she grinned.

   "I know what to do about this mess," she announced.  "If you don't think
it's gross."

   "What's gross?"

   "You clean ME up and I'll clean YOU up.  And that way, we won't make a
big mess like we did earlier."

   I grinned at her.  "I like the way you think, darlin'!" She squealed and
simultaneously attacked my dick and balls as I licked our combined juice
from her pussy.  She was right.  We WERE delicious.

   Finally we lay side by side, holding hands.

   "Wow!  What a day, Dan!"

   "Yes it has been.  I left here this morning troubled and lonely, and now
I have YOU."

   "Forever, Dan.  I will never leave you or forsake you."

   "And I will cherish you and you alone, for the rest of my life.  I love
you Nikki.  Forever."

   "I love you, Dan," she whispered.  She gave me one more kiss and turned
toward me, her hand holding my dick as we drifted off to sleep.

   The alarm was all too soon.  Nikki hit the kitchen dressed in my t-shirt
(But I'd rather YOUR t-shirt than pajamas) and panties and whipped up a
breakfast for us both.  As we sat at the table eating, she said simply,
"Dan, we're married, you know."

   "Married?"

   "Yep!  Maybe not the way the state sees it, but that's the way it always
was.  When a man took a woman to be his wife, then they vowed to each other
and sealed it with making love.  We've done all that."

   "You actually WANT to be married?  To me?"

   Fifteen year old eyes regarded me coolly.  "Yes I do.  I said so
yesterday."

   "Then we're married.  First day I get free, we're going to buy us some
rings."

   She smiled sublimely.

   "Now I have to go to work, babe.  I'd rather stay with you, but I need
to make us some money for a honeymoon." And I kissed her and turned to
leave.

   She tugged at my belt.  "One more, husband," she smiled.

   I kissed her.  "They're all yours from now on, wife."

   And I went off to work.  I zipped through a couple of hours of site
visits and pointing out things that might be obvious but that the clients
felt better about after I validated their suppositions.  Mid-morning I
parlayed my day to drive out of the hurricane footprint to a nearby city
where a facility was drying out some wet equipment.  After my visit, I
stopped by a cellphone store and picked one out.  I grabbed a burger on the
road and headed back into the mess and a couple more site visits.

   At the five o'clock hour I saw no reason to hang around longer so I
headed back south to my Nikki.  She was in the living room at the front
door when she heard my key in the lock.  Greeted with a kiss at the end of
a day.  What a wonderful thing.  Even more wonderful with Nikki, soft,
eager, smiling, those blue eyes laughing for me.

   "I hope you're hungry for spaghetti again," she said.  "I had a hunger."
She paused.  "Actually TWO hungers.  Spaghetti is one of them." She smiled
wickedly.  "Let me go start the water boiling for the pasta.  Go sit in
your chair."

   It felt good to recline.  Nikki showed up at my feet and untied my work
shoes.  This was almost too much.  "Baby, you don't have to do that," I
said.

   "I know, babe," she smiled.  "But you went off to work today and I
stayed home." She pulled off my shoes and kneaded my feet.  I moaned.

   "The sheriff stopped by today to check on us.  In an army hummer."

   "Did he say anything?"

   "Just checking on us, is what he said."

   "Okay," I said.  "I wonder if he's asking himself questions about you
being here."

   "He didn't say anything about it.  Why?"

   "Oh, just something to worry about.  You're fifteen, living with a guy
who's old enough to be your daddy."

   "Or my uncle." She smiled.  "Or my husband."

   "Except you're too young to get married in this state."

   "Oh.  That's stupid."

   I sighed.  "That's the law."

   "But what about girls who have sex an' get pregnant and they're younger
than me?  Huh?"

   "I didn't say it made sense, baby, just that it's the law."

   She left and came back.  "Pasta's gonna be ready in ten minutes." And
she crawled into my lap.  "Baby, but I WANT to be married to you.  It's
just stupid!  I could be the biggest skank in the school, and nobody would
care, but if I want to commit my life to the man I love, it's against the
law?"

   "It would be against the law for me to be with you if you were the
world's biggest fifteen year old skank.  To skank legally you've have to do
guys your age."

   "It's not funny, Dan."

   I kissed her.  "I know, baby, but what is, is.  We can't do much about
it." I stroked her sleek walnut tresses.  Pushed them back from her ear and
nibbled at it, eliciting giggles.  And whispered, "I love you." And that
got me another, full mouth, passionate kiss.  Our tongues wrestled
together.

   "Mmmmmm," she purred.  "It's a mess.  But you know, this is the best
I've had it since Grandma died."

   "I'm sorry, baby.  You're cute and smart and funny and a delight to
behold and things should be better for you."

   "Thank you, Dan.  You make me feel so good."

   Our little reverie was interrupted by the bell of the kitchen timer.  We
ate our meal, talking about what we each did during the day.

   "I pulled a book off your shelf and read it, and I listened to some of
your CD's."

   "What CD's?"

   "Oh, some Beethoven symphonies.  I love his "Pastorale"."

   "That's one of my favorites, too.  What book?"

   "That one you had of collected Mark Twain works.  You have to sort of
get your mind into him, but when you do, he's FUNNY!"

   "No TV?"

   "I didn't feel like TV.  I vacuumed and swept and did the laundry. 
Those sheets with the big spot on them." She giggled.  "I should have cut a
square out and framed it." She smiled.  "You know.  Proof of me giving
myself to you."

   "It means something to me, Nikki.  It does."

   "I know it does, Dan."

   And there was a knock on the door.  I had the shotgun in my right hand
as I opened the door with my left, my foot anchored firmly to stop it from
opening more than a few inches.  "Yes?"

   "Uh, Dan?  It's me, Sheriff Richard."

   "Oh, come in, then."

   I stepped back, leaning the shotgun against the wall behind the door. 
He walked in and saw the shotgun.  "Prepared, huh?" he laughed.  "I would
be, too.  I had to arrest four guys in a pickup truck today.  Looters."

   "No shit?!?!?!"

   "Yeah.  Kinda what I said.  But you know how some people are.  That's
why I came by today.  Wanted to check on you folks."

   "Where's your Hummer?" asked Nikki.

   "I gave it back to the national guard.  I like my SUV." He smiled. 
"Miss Nikki, I put your name in a database.  We're trying to find your
momma, but nothing's turned up yet.  But if she goes to Red Cross or one of
the other organizations and asks, you'll show up."

   Next he turned to me.  "Dan, you got everything you need?  Food? 
Water?"

   "I have my own well, sheriff," I answered.  "And we have plenty of food.
How about you?  You're welcome to a home-cooked meal.  We have spaghetti.
Nikki learned to cook from her grandma.  She's GOOD!"

   He patted his belly.  "Not today.  I've been eating at the national
guard field kitchen.  They got a good cook there, too.  Mess sergeant. 
From New Iberia." He looked at Nikki, then me.  "So are ya'll related?"

   "Nope," I answered.  I told him the story of walking outside after the
storm, surveying the fallen building next door.  Hearing the cries.

   "I thought that's what I heard you say the day we flew in.  But I didn't
think to ask.  Little girl," he said, "that's a heck of a story.  How'd you
get left behind?"

   Nikki explained to him as she had to me.

   He looked at the two of us again.  "I can get you out of here, Nikki, if
you want."

   "Thanks, Sheriff Richard," she said, "but if you take me from here, I'm
gonna be a teenager in a shelter by herself, and I don't want to do that.
Mr.  Dan's got me a cellphone and if you find out anything you can call me.
I'll be right here.  Just like today.  Okay?"

   "That's okay with me," he told her.  "Dan, she told me you're driving
out to work?"

   I told him about what I was doing and where, and about taking her to
Houston to buy clothes and supplies.

   He looked at me with an odd expression.  "Sounds like you're taking
better care of her than she would've gotten at a shelter.  So you're okay
with her staying here?"

   "Just call it the only shelter in the parish."

   He laughed.  "Well, then, I'll make sure that the deputies know she's
here during the day and they'll make patrols."

   "Any word on when electricity will be back?"

   "The electric company says we'll probably get this road back in another
five or six days.  My office is on generator too, though, and the propane
truck's gonna come in on Friday.  I'm gonna send `em over here under escort
to make sure you're filled up, too." He looked thoughtful.  "Hang on!  I'll
be back."

   He walked out the door and came back in a minute with a walkie-talkie
radio.  "Here," he said.  "This one's on our frequencies.  Here's the
charger.  If you need us, make sure it's on channel one.  That's our
priority channel.  And just holler for help.  Miss Nikki, that's especially
for you.  It's faster'n 9-1-1 on your cellphone."

   "Thanks, Sheriff Richard!" she said.  Turning to me, he said, "Dan, can
you walk outside with me for a second?"

   Now I was worried.  But I walked outside.  "Whatcha got, sheriff?"

   "Dan," he said, "You know that a person with a dirty mind would be all
kind of suspicious about a fifteen year old girl stayin' the house with
you."

   "Yeah." I rubbed the back of my neck.  "I can see where a person might
read something into that."

   "Well, here's what I see..." he leaned back against the hood of the SUV.
"I've asked her THREE times now if she wanted to leave and three times she
says no and then she looks at you.  I know what "no" means.  And I'm an ol'
country boy and I'm pretty sure what that look is, too."

   "What?!?!?"

   "Don't get upset, man," he said.  "She's just not hiding it very well.
The kid is in love."

   "And with a bit of knowledge like that, where does that leave me in the
eyes of the law, sheriff?"

   He crossed his arms.  "In the eyes of the law, you're looking at five to
twenty, and a life as a registered sex offender."

   My shoulders fell.  "That'd kill Nikki.  Me too.  But Nikki... Sheriff,
she's had a rough time..."

   "That's what I'm sayin', Dan.  IF... and that's a big "IF", I was to
make a case of it.  But you see, she might have told you about her momma,
but I already KNEW about her momma.  And what's goin' on with her momma
right now."

   "What?"

   "The woman's been in this parish for two years now and I've had her
picked up three times for prostitution.  Drugs twice."

   "Nikki said there were problems, but she didn't mention arrests." I
rubbed my neck again.

   "And just so you know, her momma's NOT going to try and find her, I
don't think.  She and the latest boyfriend got arrested with another guy at
a meth lab in Arkansas today.  I got a call an' sent `em a file on 'er."

   "Oh, shit!" I said.  "I don't know how to tell Nikki..."

   "Don't tell her.  It's a piece of knowledge that won't help anything. 
Kinda like me knowin' that she's stayin' here with you."

   "Damn!"

   "Look, buddy," he said.  "This is the country.  I'm the sheriff.  I get
a pretty free rein on how to enforce laws here.  On you an' her, I'm
keepin' my mouth shut.  Now I'm gonna tell you something.  An' if you say
anything to anybody, your ass is mine, but I ran a background check on
you."

   "That should have been interesting."

   "It was.  Army engineer lieutenant.  Honorable discharge.  Good credit.
No criminal record.  Divorced once.  Blah-blah-blah.  Talked to a guy I
fish with that works at one of those plants where you work.  He says you're
some sort of electrical god.  You have a lot to lose, you know."

   "I know."

   "You know Nikki's grandma?"

   "Dead grandma?  To hear Nikki tell it, the woman was a saint."

   He laughed.  "You choose words wisely.  She was.  Was my wife's aunt,
too.  And this bein' a little country parish in Louisiana, I know that
sometimes young girls and old guys, well, her grandma was a case.  And so
was a certain law enforcement official who fell in love with a teenaged
girl thirteen years his junior."

   "No joke?"

   "Nope.  I'm sixty-two and she's forty-nine.  And her brother's the
district attorney."

   "That's awfully convenient," I laughed.

   "So here's the deal," he said.  "You and Nikki... okay.  Unless SHE says
it's a problem.  If you're a couple, you're a couple.  And not one of those
couples where I get reports of domestic disturbances.  You appear to be an
honorable man." He paused.  "Now let's see what Miss Nikki says about some
of this."

   We walked back into the house.  Nikki was pacing.

   "Nervous?" Sheriff Richard asked her.

   "Ya'll been out there talkin' for a long time.  Dan looked serious. 
Like he was worried."

   "He had reason to be," said the sheriff.  "Miss Nikki, do you know what
the law says about under-aged girls?"

   "Yessir.  Mr.  Dan explained it to me."

   "He did?  Good!  So let me get a final answer from you.  Are you SURE
you want to stay here.  With him?"

   This time I was watching.  And he was right.  She tried to hide it, so
the smile didn't show on her lips, but her eyes twinkled and she stood just
a little straighter.  "Yessir," she said.  "I do."

   "Go sit on the sofa by `im, then," he said.

   Nikki obeyed.  She sat next to me, hands folded on her lap, a little
fidgety.  She glanced at me.

   "Now," he said, "tell me that you livin' here with Mr.  Dan is what you
want, and don't try to tell me that it's 'I'll clean the house and cook and
that's it!', okay?  Am I right?"

   Nikki glanced up at me and then burst into tears.  "B-but Sheriff
Richard, he didn't force me to do nothin'.  I love `im.  An' he loves me.
Don't take me away..." She wailed, tears rolling down her cheeks.  I put my
arms around her.  She looked up at me.  "I'm sorry, Dan," she sobbed.  "I
love you."

   I kissed her then turned to Sheriff Richard.  "Is that an answer?"

   "Dammit, I'm sorry, Dan.  I'm sorry Miss Nikki," he said.  "I know what
I need to know.  You two are okay.  Just like you are." He paused.  "Dan.
Outside for another minute?"

   Out the door we went.  He turned to me.  "I just broke my OWN damned
heart, Dan.  I'm sorry."

   "I am too, sheriff."

   "Stop the "sheriff" bit.  Call me Ernie."

   "Okay, Ernie."

   "Dan, are you... would you, if you could, you and her get married?"

   "Married?  How?  She's fifteen."

   "Listen," he said.  "Her mom's in jail, headed for prison.  She's in a
bad spot."

   "I know.  But..."

   "But nothin'.  I've been huntin' in these marshes since I was a kid. 
I'm good at it, and I end up with a bunch of lawyers and a judge or two who
just love to come down and shoot a few ducks with me and drink some liquor
an' play cards every fall.  And I just might have me... us a plan."

   "What are you thinking?"

   "Emancipation.  Court order takes her out of her mom's custody.  And a
judge can sign a court order to allow her to marry.  At fifteen.  Used to
happen all the time, just to make sure that a baby wasn't sittin' in the
front pew clappin' when his parents got married.  When I was young, people
cared about that stuff.  They don't now, but I think I could talk a judge
into..."

   "Wait.  Nikki's not pregnant."

   "So?!?!  Nobody said she had to be.  I had an uncle who married his
fifteen year old girlfriend before he went to Viet Nam.  They have four
grown up kids now.  She wasn't pregnant.  Just wanted to get married."

   "You think you can pull that off?"

   "I'd pretty much bet on it.  Cost you a cold coke, though."

   I laughed.  "Come on in." We walked into the house.  "Nikki!  Get Mr. 
Ernie a coke!"

   She came back in with the can in her hand.  "Ya'll sure seem happier
this time."

   "You gonna tell `er, Ernie?"

   He smiled.  "Miss Nikki, I am so sorry I made you cry.  I really am."

   "I'm okay, Sheriff..  uh, Mister Ernie."

   "It appears to me that you love this here old guy.  Am I right?"

   She nodded warily.  "Yessir."

   "Enough to marry `im?"

   A smile, briefly, then, "Yessir."

   He laughed.  "Then smile, baby.  We're gonna make that happen."

   Squeal.  And Nikki threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, the
chastely kissed Ernie on the cheek.  "Really?  How?"

   Ernie explained.  "Now I gotta go, folks.  But here's the deal.  After
the wedding, we get together for a crawfish boil or a gumbo or somethin'.
And Dan...?"

   "Yeah?"

   "You vote for me?"

   "Hell, man, I'll put your sign in my yard!"

   I shook his hand and Nikki hugged him before he left.  We plugged in the
radio charger and she was almost giddy.