Premature or Deceptive

"I agree that the senator needs to be transparent about the whole AntiCrist situation," Robert said. "But not prematurely. If he makes announcements before we know them to be factual, then our vision for North California could be lost forever." He reached over and covered her hand with his. His eyes bore into hers, pleading with her to understand. "Is that what you want, Stevie? You came to North California six months ago because you wanted your children to grow up in a safe, loving, Christian environment. No drug pushers harassing them outside the school yard, no homosexuals recruiting them in the classroom, no pedophiles luring them into their cars, no thugs driving by your house blazing away with automatic weapons. You wanted to put a stop to this new brand of tolerance, the insidious idea that right and wrong are a matter of personal opinion. You wanted to help establish the first state in the union since the eighteenth century to be governed by Christian principles. This is your dream, remember?"

For a moment, as she gazed into his eyes and felt the warmth of his hand on hers, she struggled to remember something ... anything. Had she really believed that moving five hundred miles north to a new and different location could protect her children? Had she believed the move, coupled with her sacrificial involvement with Bellardi's campaign and the mentoring of his only child, could somehow absolve her of her guilt over Dougie's death? Could she truly have believed, even for a moment, that the determined, dedicated man sitting in front of her could ever be a permanent part of her life?