Seventeen

Seven o’clock Saturday evening, Kara was ready and just as she came into the living room, she heard Brad’s car pull up outside.  She had been a little late with getting ready, since she had lost track of time while training the horse and letting her mind wander on Matthew.  Something she just could not seem to stop doing for some reason.

Kara opened the door and smiled welcoming at Brad as he came up the stairs in casual jeans, which was new to her.  She had always seen him in a suit, except at her welcoming party, but that had been a more formal look.  His gray eyes sparkled with humor, like they always did.

He looked comfortable in the jeans and the checked beige button-up shirt he wore.  As he came to stand in front of her, he planted a confident kiss on her cheek, startling her slightly with the ease of the action; she was still not used to the ease with which people tended to touch others.  Then he glanced over her outfit with a smi