Free Love Finds You in Groom, Texas by Janice Hanna

hands together and looked at Kate. “Oh, I know! Let’s put your hair in pin curls tonight. Would you like that?”
    Kate’s expression hardened. “Will it hurt?”
    “Oh, no. I’ll be as gentle as a lamb, I promise. You won’t even know you’re sleeping on them. And while we’re pinning up your curls, I’ll tell you a story about the day I first arrived in Texas as a young woman.”
    Suddenly Anne found herself intrigued. “You’re not from Texas?”
    “No, my folks lived in Missouri. My father, God rest his soul, came down to the Panhandle on business and fell in love with the place. He took one look at this magnificent land and…” Maggie giggled. “Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me get Kate’s hair washed and then I’ll tell the story.” She and Kate disappeared into the bathroom and Anne glanced at the front door, wondering if she could really slip outside for a few moments of alone time. Off in the other room, she heard Kate’s voice ring out alongside Maggie’s in a rousing rendition of “Camptown Races.” Before long, she found herself humming it too.
    Just about the time she’d opened her mouth to sing a few of the words, a gentle voice rang out from behind her. “So, the fair Guinevere sings too.”
    Anne turned, her cheeks suddenly feeling as if they were on fire.
    “Excuse me? What did you call me?”
    He grinned. “Oh, sorry about that. Just a slip.”
    “Did you say Guinevere?” She took a seat. “Like the one in the legend of King Arthur?”
    “That’s the one. From the minute I first met you, I felt you resembled her. Or at least the image of her I’d painted in my head after reading the story.”
    “That’s a lovely compliment.” Anne found herself embarrassed by such flattery. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.” He paused and gave her a tender look. “Did I hear you say you were going outside for a walk?”
    “Yes.”
    “You’ll catch the sunset if you hurry. I’ve got to head out to pen up the goats and then tend to my mare, Frances.”
    “You named your mare?” For whatever reason, this got her tickled.
    “Well, sure. Don’t you name your animals?”
    “Yes.” She chuckled. “I call them Emily and Kate.”
    He seemed to get great pleasure out of that. Before long they were both laughing.
    “I’ll be in the barn a few minutes, but I’ll join you when I’m done.” Jake gave her a second glance. “If that’s all right.”
    “Of course.” She offered him a shy smile, her heart skipping to double-time as he returned it. Oh, those dimples. How they captured her imagination.
    Before heading outside, Anne peeked in on Kate, who was singing a song in the bathtub while Maggie scrubbed her hair. Since when did Kate sit still for a hair scrubbing? Why, the youngster was really going to town, singing that song. And where was Emily? She’d disappeared. She glanced into the youngster’s room and was surprised to find her seated at the rolltop desk. As Anne entered the room, Emily looked up.
    “Aren’t you too tired to write tonight?” Anne asked.
    “Not at all.” Emily looked at her, clearly stunned. “This has been the most amazing day. Loaded with fodder for my story. If I don’t capture it right away, I’ll go to sleep and forget. I need to put the words down while they’re fresh.”
    “I see.” Anne chuckled. She didn’t really understand her sister’s enthusiasm for stories but knew that writing brought some sense of comfort. “Well, I’m headed outside for a little walk. I’ll be back in before long.”
    “Mm-hmm.” Emily turned back to her tablet, her pencil moving fast across the page.
    Anne slipped through the front door and stood on the porch for a moment. She thought about sitting in the swing to enjoy the sunset but decided that a walk sounded more appealing.
    She made her way down the stairs and across the lawn, going west so she could see the sunset in all its glory. In all her nineteen years, she’d never seen