Carousel by Barbara Baldwin

covered with glistening white snow; huge, wet flakes continued to float downward in an ever increasing storm.
    "Penny for your thoughts," Nicholas said from the doorway.
    "We don't have snow in Dallas," she replied without thinking. "At least not like this." She turned to smile at him. She gasped again as she took in his appearance.
    Dressed in formal black attire, he appeared as the devil himself, wickedly handsome and deadly as sin. He had slicked his hair back in a queue, but it refused to obey and a wave curled over his brow. He sauntered into the room like the king of England, and she repressed the impulse to curtsey.
    "Does this look all right to you?" he questioned as he tugged on the cuffs of his white shirt, barely visible beneath the cut of his vest and coat.
    "All right?" He was much more than all right. Jaci let her gaze drift down the length of him and back up.
    "Yes; you know." Nicholas waved his hands up and down, encompassing his clothes. "Damn, I hate dress up affairs. I don't know why I even suggested it."
    A frown marred the sculpted planes of his face and she longed to smooth away the lines with a kiss. Instead, she settled for a light touch to his bow tie and a brush of her hands across his shoulders, as though straightening that last little bit.
    It worked; the frown was replaced by a smile which made Jaci hold her breath in wonder. Could anyone be more charming and...more out of her league than this man? She turned back to the window.
    "You speak of Dallas as though it were the garden spot of the entire world. From what I hear, Texas is a heathen country full of Indians, wild cattle and wilderness." Nicholas poured himself a brandy as he spoke. "Would you care for a drink?"
    She shook her head, squaring her shoulders for a fight. If there was one thing in the world she would defend, it was her birthright as a Texan. "Texas is far from heathen, sir, though she did have a hard fight for independence. But as part of the United States, you have no right to speak of her so."
    Nicholas tilted his head and gave her a strange look and she swore she was trapped. He smiled and lifted his glass in salute. "Though Texas might be rough and tumble, she breeds the most beautiful and spirited of ladies. For that reason alone, I retract my disloyal comments." He took a sip of his drink before meeting her gaze with a quite serious look. "If you insist on returning to your city of Dallas, I will finance your trip and ask no more of you."
    Jaci stood in silence, daring for one moment to believe she heard a wistful note in his voice. When his words registered, she had only one answer.

"I appreciate your offer, Nicholas, but no thanks. There's nothing in Dallas for me yet." "Yet?" A frown creased his forehead.
    "At this time," she hurried to correct herself. When would she quit making stupid mistakes?
     
    Chapter Six
     
    "Mr. Mason Edwardson and his daughter, Miss Lycinda," Selkirk intoned from the doorway, and the moment with Jaci vanished.
    Nicholas would have liked a few more minutes with her before their guests arrived. He had an innate feeling she had made a slip of the tongue when they spoke of her origins, but he couldn't quite figure it out. He only recognized the flash of anxiety which crossed her face before Selkirk interrupted. With a sigh, he pasted on a smile and strolled towards his guests.
    "Lycinda, it's always a pleasure when you grace my home." He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back. "Mason, good of you to come." He shook the older gentleman's hand.
    Lycinda smiled demurely and swept him a curtsey. Always the lady, Nicholas thought idly before he glanced towards Jaci. She must have mistook his look, for she scurried towards the door.
    "I'll leave you to your guests, Mr. Westbrooke." She whipped past him and he almost missed snagging her wrist to keep her from leaving.
    "Oh, no, you don't," he whispered before adding aloud, "Nonsense, Miss Eastman. You must stay and allow me to introduce you." He