Bluebonnet Belle

Dr. Fuller paused on the bottom step, scrutinizing the wagons. “What is all this?” Stepping off the sidewalk, he approached the buggy.

April watched as the driver assisted the raven-haired beauty down from the carriage. Snapping her parasol closed, the woman rose on tiptoe and kissed Gray flush on the mouth.

April looked at Beulah again, and they both raised their eyebrows.

“Hello, darling.” Francesca brushed Gray’s lips with her fingertip. “Surprised?”

“Very. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Of course you weren’t, darling. It wouldn’t be a surprise otherwise.”

Walking around the overburdened rigs, he frowned. “Francesca—you should have wired. You shouldn’t be here at all…”

“If you insist on living here in this…this town, then I have no choice but to come to you.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t I deserve a more appropriate welcome? I am your fiancée. I am entitled to a kiss—”

“Was,” Gray corrected. “Was my fiancée. The engagement is over. Done. Ended.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t be absurd, darling. You can’t break an engagement just like that.”

Gray opened his mouth to protest, then stopped. “I can’t?”

“Of course not,” Francesca said firmly. “It just isn’t done among people like us. Stop this foolishness and act like you’re glad to see me.”

He took her arm and steered her toward the door. “I’d like to speak to you inside.”

She glanced toward the wagon and the waiting men. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a few moments.”

Gray eyed the heavily loaded wagon. “What is all that?”

“My clothing and personal effects. I’ve come to stay for a few days.”

He stared, mesmerized, at the wagon. “Clothes? All those trunks?” He counted eight—enough for an army. A well-dressed army.

Francesca smiled. “But of course. Just because you’re so rural doesn’t mean I have to be.”