Free Misty's True Love (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 2) by Ruth Hartzler

into her eyes.
    She could stare into his eyes all day,
given the chance. They were so warm, so kind. He pulled her in a
little closer, and she rested her head softly against his chest as
they moved. She knew the music should have drowned it out, but she
could swear that she could hear his heart beat. A steady, soothing
drum beneath the strings and flutes of a quartet in the back of the
room.
    All too soon the song ended. She was
sorely tempted to pretend not to notice, and Cody seemed to feel
likewise. They simply lingered in the dance floor in each other’s
embrace, waiting for a new song that did not come. A few eyes
watched them as they stood there almost past the time of
propriety.
    Eventually, they parted and walked
from the dance floor arm in arm. Misty stole a glance at the
handsome man at her side. Was this all a dream? If it were, it
would kill her to wake up from it. She wanted to savor the moment
forever.
    “ I am happy that you
accepted the invitation. It was on such short notice, that I half
feared that you would not make it.”
    “ Only half afraid?” she
teased as he kissed the back of her hand, letting his thumb run
across the knuckles of her fingers before reluctantly letting her
go. She instantly missed the warmth of his touch, restraining an
urge to rest her hand back in his a moment more. That brazen act
would certainly go well past propriety.
    “ Perhaps more than half,”
he admitted with a kindly smile. “Yet I am happy to be right. You
are brightening up a monotonous night.”
    She smiled, not bothering to deny the
exaggeration. She never imagined that she would be so happy to be
in such a position. Who knew a ball could have such a deep impact
on someone?
    “ Allow me get you a
refreshment,” he said with his charming smile, excusing himself
once more. She suppressed a sigh as she watched him go, half
tempted to grab him by the coat sleeve and follow him into the
crowd. She managed to hold back her childish impulse, surprised at
how many such impulses she had this evening.
    Misty gazed over the crowd, seeing it
in a new light after the dance. She could not help but feel a
little closer to the town at that moment. She even found herself
hoping that it would be home to her before long.
    Maybe at the next ball I
will be Mrs. Cody Mills . Misty shook her
head at herself. She was never one to give into her fantasies.
Until she had responded to his letter, she had never entertained
such thoughts so brazenly! Maybe that was a good thing.
    Misty froze as she saw a lady in the
crowd glaring at her intently. But before she could get a good look
at the person, she disappeared into the crowd like a ghost. Misty
felt an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach.
     
     

Chapter 12

    Misty stood in front of Rosamund’s
opulent home, noting once again at how beautiful it looked from the
outside. It almost looked like a small palace, its large pillars
holding it upright as the sun gleamed off the home’s many
windows.
    “ Good afternoon, my lady.
Miss Swire has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. May I show you
to her at once?” the kind, raspy voice asked.
    “ Yes, thank you,” Misty
replied, nodding slightly as she flashed a smile.
    With that, she was headed toward
uncertainty, a place that looked warm and welcoming, but she knew
the person behind it all was anything but. As the butler opened the
front door, Misty followed behind closely, amazed at how the
magnificence of the interior far succeeded the exterior.
    “ This way, my lady,” he
said.
    They walked slowly down a long
hallway, its olive tiles paving the way like colored bricks with
patterns etched into them. The walls were a beige color, with a
decorative finish that showcased beautiful, vibrant flowers
throughout the long corridor. Several portraits hung on those
walls, most likely portraying the lineage of Rosamund’s
family.
    One of the portraits was a painting of
an older, refined woman from years past. She and Rosamund looked
alike