Lone Star Cinderella by Debra Clopton Page B

go,” she said, fumbling for the door handle. She was certain he could hear the pounding of her heart, she was in such a panic. The door opened at last, just as he’d started to reach across her to open it. She almost fell out of the truck trying to get away.
    â€œI’ll pick you up in the morning?”
    She nodded.
    â€œThen it’s a date.”
    She wished.
    She nodded. “Thanks for a lovely day,” she managed to say. “See you in the morning.” And then she ran…well, she walked, but mentally she was running. When she reached the porch, she dared to turn and watch him drive away on the silver ribbon of road that glistened like a moonbeam.
    She told herself she was on dangerous ground. If she woke tomorrow to realize none of the day had really happened she wouldn’t be surprised at all. She knew it was too beautiful to be anything but a dream. She’d been right to come to her senses and remember that she had Ty and his addictions hanging around her neck like a dead weight.
    And as if she needed any proof of what her realitywas, she found it as soon as she opened her door and saw the blinking red light on her answering machine.
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    â€œYou ready for some adventure?” Seth asked the next morning as Melody tugged open the door. But one look at her and he knew something was wrong. He’d found himself fascinated by her the day before. He’d been champing at the bit for the morning to come so he could see her again. Last night he’d intentionally steered the conversation toward finding out more about her. And he’d liked her all the more. Two weeks ago he couldn’t begin to picture her controlling a class of rambunctious fourth graders. He’d figured they’d run all over her, but now, having seen her spunk shining through on several occasions, he knew that she might struggle every once in a while, but from the stories she told as a whole, her class didn’t push her too hard. For that, he also found himself saying a prayer of thanks to the Lord…obviously He’d gone easy on her by giving her students who wanted to learn. Of course, once she started talking it was pretty hard to look away from her, and he could see her having the exact same effect on her class. She was infectious in a wonderful way.
    Today he wanted to learn everything he could about her. And he wanted to start by finding out why her eyes looked haunted today instead of excited. He had a feeling he knew.
    â€œSorry,” she said. “I’m running a bit late. The—a phone call held me up.”
    He’d known it before she confirmed his suspicions. “Do you mind if I grab myself a cup of that coffee I smell?” he asked, following her into the hall.
    She looked nervous standing there with her bare feetpeeking from beneath her jeans as she fingered her socks. “I just need to get my boots on and then we can run—get out of here.”
    He strolled into the kitchen with her following him. “No need to hurry,” he said, fully suspecting that her words hadn’t just gotten mixed up. She was ready to bolt as quick as she could, and he wanted to know why someone on the other end of a phone had the power to make her want to run. “You put your boots on, and I’ll pour my own coffee.”
    She hesitated as if contemplating telling him that they didn’t have time for him to drink a cup of coffee. He reached for a cup from the drain board, and she sank into a chair at the table and started to pull on her socks. He tried to choose the right approach as he poured his coffee, then leaned a hip against the counter and watched her. Seeing her fumble to get the socks in place sent that out the window. “Is something bothering you?” he asked frankly.
    Her head shot up. “No.”
    â€œYou really aren’t going to sit there and tell me that when anyone with half a brain can see something is bothering you.” A bit