Distant Dreams by Tracie Peterson, Judith Pella

on her feet, James immediately unhanded her and gave a brief bow.
    “Forgive me,” he stated formally, then raised up to meet the warmest and widest brown eyes he’d ever seen.
    “I must say, you gave me quite a start!” she said with a nervous little laugh.
    James was momentarily lost in the alluring smile of full cherry red lips. Her rich brown hair had been drawn up high atop her head with long curls trailing down the back. A delicate pink ribbon, matching the color of her gown, was tied as a band across her head and woven into the hair in the latest fashion. For several moments he scarcely knew what to say, feeling quite the fool for his flustered reaction. Seemingly unaware of his discomfiture, the girl turned away, apparently to leave. He quickly straightened and drew a long deep breath, wondering how to detain her without appearing even more the fool. Then he noticed a book lying on the floor, apparently having fallen from her hand.
    “I do believe you have dropped something,” he said quickly as he scooped up the volume. He glanced briefly at the book as he held it out to her. The Principles of Science. An interesting choice of reading material for a girl, he thought.
    “Thank you, sir.” She reached out a dainty gloved hand.
    James held the book tightly, momentarily forgetting it as he studied her again. Then her disturbingly puzzled gaze caught his, and with a sheepish chuckle, he handed it over.
    “Again . . . thank you,” she said and turned once more to leave.
    “May I ask why are you in here, instead of out there enjoying yourself with the others?” he asked.
    She shrugged and her gaze dropped to the book. “This looked more enjoyable by far.” She glanced up at the rows of books with an appreciative smile.
    He thought her response rather odd, but he was of a progressive enough mind to pursue it. “Perhaps you would like some direction in finding something more to your taste—in a book, that is.”
    “If you know the library, then you must be James Baldwin.”
    “Yes, I am. Now, how about some Shakespeare?”
    “Shakespeare has his merits, and I do enjoy him, but that’s not what I was seeking just now.”
    “What exactly were you seeking?”
    “A book on locomotives. Have you any?” Her compelling brown eyes danced with hopefulness.
    “Locomotives?” James questioned. “Why in the world . . .”
    “Because I find them of great interest!”
    Did he detect a hint of defensiveness in her tone? “But you’re a woman,” James protested, unable to imagine the delicate flower before him having any such true desire to immerse herself in the properties and workings of mechanical things.
    She rolled her eyes in a most fetching way, though he was certain she had meant it to be derisive. Why had his mother failed to include this young woman in her list of prospective brides? Perhaps she was new to the area. Just as he was about to inquire of her name, however, she spoke.
    “Surely you can’t believe, Mr. Baldwin, that a female has no capacity for anything more complex than cooking and sewing. Why, look at this—” She excitedly thumbed through a few pages. “The Second Law of Thermodynamics. My brother told me about this the other day, and I was wondering if these principles could be applied to the transference of heat in the steam engine of a locomotive. There seems to be a relation to me, and that’s why I was looking for something about railroads that could verify my thoughts. Do you know anything about this subject?”
    The bright eagerness she exuded made him forget the notion that such talk from women was decidedly unfeminine.
    “As it happens, miss—forgive me, but I don’t know your name.”
    She frowned. “Of course you do. I am Carolina Adams.”
    “You?” He didn’t hide his surprise. “But she—that is, you are only a child.”
    “I am fifteen!” she said defensively.
    “I know, but here you are dressed like a lady in a gown and all.”
    “Not by