Free Luca's Dilemma by Deneice Tarbox Page A

pigtails on either side of her round head. The little girl’s large blue eyes were wide with curiosity. Sheila watched, her own curiosity now piqued, as the little person moved closer to her. She couldn't begin to fathom what would come out of the girl's mouth next.
    Andrea stopped directly in front of her. “I’m sorry I called you dirty. I hope it doesn’t make you cry anymore.” Pure innocence danced in her celestial orbs.
    Sheila couldn’t help but smile. “No problem, sweetie. I promise I won’t cry over it. Friends?” she asked, offering her hand to solidify their new pact.
    Andrea looked to her mother and then to Luca for encouragement before accepting Sheila’s hand. As she held onto it, she began to turn it over in her tiny ones, rubbing the back of it with her tiny facial features drawn together in utter concentration. “It's so soft, and pretty,” she gushed in surprise.
    “It sure is,” Luca stated emphatically, taking Sheila’s unoccupied hand in his. Every available eye swung his way, but he seemingly ignored them, keeping his attention on Andrea. “Now do you understand that not only do people come in different colors, everyone has feelings just like you and me?” he asked gently. “Keep that in mind the next time you run across someone that doesn’t quite look like you.”
    “I will, mister.” She looked up at her mother with pride from having learned something new. “Thank you, miss, and I hope you’re not sad anymore,” she said to Sheila.
    “Thanks to you, I’m not,” Sheila responded, beaming.
    Andrea returned the smile just as broadly. She took her mother’s hand, and the two of them walked away.
    “That went well,” Tina chimed in from the sidelines.
    “Yeah, I guess it did,” Sheila agreed. “Thanks to my landlord.” She cast him a slight smile, conveying her gratitude before dropping all pretenses of humor. “I still want to go home.” It would take more than a warm and fuzzy encounter to change her mind about hanging here all day after what she’d witnessed. The horrendous sight of those damn sheep still danced vividly in her head.
    “Come now, there's no need for all that. These people aren't going to hurt you,” Luca said reassuringly as he hugged her closer. The hug felt damn good, but it still wasn't enough to persuade her.
    “Yeah. And we just got here. I'm not ready to go,” Richard protested in a whiny voice. “Besides, I’m due in the horse stables later. I can’t take you home.”
    Sheila'd had her fill of Richard and was about to tell him so. Luca, however, beat her to the punch.
    “Okay… why did you bring her here again?” he asked curiously, obviously oblivious to the couple’s brilliant plan to desensitize her to the animal kingdom.
    “We just wanted to get her past this irrational fear of animals that she has,” Tina answered, even though the shrinking of her voice implied that it no longer sounded like such a good idea to her.
    “Fear of animals? So you purposely brought a woman with zoophobia to one of the largest agricultural events in the region? I'm sorry. I just don't understand why anyone would bring someone like that to the Fryeburg Fair, of all places,” Luca reprimanded, not hiding his displeasure at their antics. “You're supposed to be her friends. Even I know better than to force such a thing on a city girl like her.”
    “Okay, Romeo. You were doing well up to that last comment,” Sheila said, crossing her arms under her breasts.
    Luca’s gaze dropped fleetingly to Sheila’s cleavage. But he appeared not to hear her as he lifted his head again and began rotating it from Tina to Richard, as though trying to discern their way of thinking. They visibly shrank from his scrutiny, unable to meet him eye to eye. A momentary feeling of compassion went out to her friends before Sheila’s common sense swiftly laid it to rest.
    “Tell you what,” Luca began again after the couple remained silent. “Why don’t I just keep