gone.”
“Times have changed,” Maggie said. “This isn’t the 1850s, after all.”
“Rules for the aristocracy have not loosened to the point that a girl can go running after a fiancé in another country and think she can come home to resume her life unscathed. She told everyone she knew what she was doing. Everyone. She must have written a dozen letters before she left, gushing about her new life in Texas and urging everyone to visit her when she was settled. Good God, what a mess.”
Maggie laughed. “For all we know, they could be a happily married couple by now, living in complete bliss. Like us.”
“Yes,” Edward said rather grumpily.
“That wasn’t very convincing.”
His face softened as he turned to look at his new wife. “I’m sorry. My life is bliss. Or would be if not for this mess.” He kissed her softly on her lips. “What would I do without you?”
“You’d be a miserable old wretch,” Maggie said sternly. “There’s no sense worrying about a dozen different scenarios when we don’t know what has happened. We’ll find Amelia. I know we will.”
“I wish I could be as certain as you are.”
“I wish so, too,” Maggie said, smiling up at her handsome husband. The wind had turned his cheeks ruddy, making him look younger than his twenty-seven years. “We’ll be in Texas within three weeks.”
“Three weeks,” Edward said, as if it were a lifetime. “She damn well better be happy, or else Mr. Kitteridge is going to have a lot of explaining to do.”
“She will be,” Maggie said, even though she didn’t believe a word of it. Carson Kitteridge was one of the most charming men she’d ever met. He could make old ladies blush and young women become fools over him. She only wished he could make Amelia happy.
Chapter 6
At the end of the first day working in the store, Amelia was thoroughly exhausted. Her face actually hurt from smiling so much at these strangers who came to gawk at her.
“I’m heading home,” Agatha called, wiping her hands on her apron. “There’s some cold ham and such in the kitchen if you get hungry.” Agatha looked like she was about to say something, but clearly didn’t want to. Amelia was so tired, she was tempted to let the older women go home without another word.
“I know it’s none of my business,” Agatha started.
“I’m certain it is not,” Amelia said, smiling.
“Don’t you sass me,” the older woman said in mock anger. “Just because you’re all fancy doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two from an old lady.”
“You’re hardly old.”
“There you go, sassing me.”
“Please go on,” Amelia said, slightly exasperated.
“I know your heart’s broken, but I also know that someday you’ll realize you’re better off without a man like Carson in your life.”
“I think I already realize it.”
Agatha nodded, as if she’d managed to solve all the world’s problems with a single sentence. “You’re all right, then?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Agatha began to leave, and suddenly Amelia didn’t want to be alone. Dulce had determined that with Boone and Carson both gone, she had no need to be there, which was actually a relief to Amelia. She was unused to such hostility directed at her; it simply was completely foreign to her to have someone so obviously dislike her.
“I do have one question.”
“Oh?”
“It seems so unlikely to me that Carson and Boone are brothers. They seem completely different from one another.”
Agatha chuckled. “About as different as two brothers can be.”
“How is that possible?”
“We weren’t in these parts when they were boys, but I do know they were raised by different folks, at least part of the time. That could explain a lot.”
“You seem doubtful that it does,” Amelia said, slightly amused by the woman’s mysterious tone.
“Sometimes people just come out bad.”
Amelia stiffened. “Carson is hardly bad.”
“Now, how’d you know I was talking
“Times have changed,” Maggie said. “This isn’t the 1850s, after all.”
“Rules for the aristocracy have not loosened to the point that a girl can go running after a fiancé in another country and think she can come home to resume her life unscathed. She told everyone she knew what she was doing. Everyone. She must have written a dozen letters before she left, gushing about her new life in Texas and urging everyone to visit her when she was settled. Good God, what a mess.”
Maggie laughed. “For all we know, they could be a happily married couple by now, living in complete bliss. Like us.”
“Yes,” Edward said rather grumpily.
“That wasn’t very convincing.”
His face softened as he turned to look at his new wife. “I’m sorry. My life is bliss. Or would be if not for this mess.” He kissed her softly on her lips. “What would I do without you?”
“You’d be a miserable old wretch,” Maggie said sternly. “There’s no sense worrying about a dozen different scenarios when we don’t know what has happened. We’ll find Amelia. I know we will.”
“I wish I could be as certain as you are.”
“I wish so, too,” Maggie said, smiling up at her handsome husband. The wind had turned his cheeks ruddy, making him look younger than his twenty-seven years. “We’ll be in Texas within three weeks.”
“Three weeks,” Edward said, as if it were a lifetime. “She damn well better be happy, or else Mr. Kitteridge is going to have a lot of explaining to do.”
“She will be,” Maggie said, even though she didn’t believe a word of it. Carson Kitteridge was one of the most charming men she’d ever met. He could make old ladies blush and young women become fools over him. She only wished he could make Amelia happy.
Chapter 6
At the end of the first day working in the store, Amelia was thoroughly exhausted. Her face actually hurt from smiling so much at these strangers who came to gawk at her.
“I’m heading home,” Agatha called, wiping her hands on her apron. “There’s some cold ham and such in the kitchen if you get hungry.” Agatha looked like she was about to say something, but clearly didn’t want to. Amelia was so tired, she was tempted to let the older women go home without another word.
“I know it’s none of my business,” Agatha started.
“I’m certain it is not,” Amelia said, smiling.
“Don’t you sass me,” the older woman said in mock anger. “Just because you’re all fancy doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two from an old lady.”
“You’re hardly old.”
“There you go, sassing me.”
“Please go on,” Amelia said, slightly exasperated.
“I know your heart’s broken, but I also know that someday you’ll realize you’re better off without a man like Carson in your life.”
“I think I already realize it.”
Agatha nodded, as if she’d managed to solve all the world’s problems with a single sentence. “You’re all right, then?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Agatha began to leave, and suddenly Amelia didn’t want to be alone. Dulce had determined that with Boone and Carson both gone, she had no need to be there, which was actually a relief to Amelia. She was unused to such hostility directed at her; it simply was completely foreign to her to have someone so obviously dislike her.
“I do have one question.”
“Oh?”
“It seems so unlikely to me that Carson and Boone are brothers. They seem completely different from one another.”
Agatha chuckled. “About as different as two brothers can be.”
“How is that possible?”
“We weren’t in these parts when they were boys, but I do know they were raised by different folks, at least part of the time. That could explain a lot.”
“You seem doubtful that it does,” Amelia said, slightly amused by the woman’s mysterious tone.
“Sometimes people just come out bad.”
Amelia stiffened. “Carson is hardly bad.”
“Now, how’d you know I was talking
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