Free The Antique Love by Helena Fairfax

sight of her reflection in the darkened glass and pulled her hat off crossly, stuffing it into her bag. A knitted bobble hat was something a kid sister would wear. Kid sister. She remembered Kurt’s expression when he said that’s how he thought of her and she winced again.
    Good job she’d had her head screwed on when he’d offered to teach her to ride. Her first reaction had been to cry Awesome! And even now, the most treacherous excitement coursed through her at the thought. Luckily, her imagination stepped in just in time, painting a picture of reality for once, and she’d had the good sense to turn him down.
    She took in the disappointed expression on the face of her reflection in the window. Don’t look like that. She frowned at her reflection. You know what will happen. You’ll be helped into the saddle, and then you’ll have to tag along behind Kurt and Cass, like their annoying kid sister. And that will just be painful torment, not fun at all.
    Her reflection looked back at her, dejected. Stop it, she told herself sternly. He’s looking for a wife. He already has a kid sister. And the more time you spend alone with him, the worse it’s going to be when he finally tells you he’s got engaged.
    Her reflection didn’t look any better at this lowering thought, so Penny looked away and studied an advertisement for hair restorer. How silly she’d been when she imagined Kurt was a cowboy. What did she think would happen—that he was some sort of hero, ready to sweep her off her feet and ride off into the sunset? Granddad had often told her not to pin her hopes on dreams, and he was right. Dreams hardly ever came true in real life. Not for most people, anyway.
    She stared at the unfeasibly black hair of the man in the advertisement until the train slowed for her station.
    * * * *
    Kurt lifted the bottle of white wine the waiter had left and made to pour his date another glass. She raised a ring-covered hand to wave him aside.
    “No more thanks. One glass is enough. Too many empty calories.”
    He replaced the bottle on the table, wondering as he did so whether his date could maybe do with a few more calories—empty or otherwise. All through their meal, Jemima had shown an admirable determination to preserve her sticklike figure.
    They’d been introduced through the dating agency and met first for coffee, where Kurt had asked Jemima out for dinner. On paper they’d seemed just right for each other. Jemima was down-to-earth, mid-thirties, attractive, and with an interesting career in law. When Kurt told her what he was looking for in a relationship, she’d told him she admired his common-sense attitude.
    “So you’ve been to Wyoming?” he asked politely.
    “Yes, we visited Wyoming a while back,” she said. “Me and some ex. We went for the skiing. It was fun.”
    Fun. Jemima delivered the word as though travelling to Wyoming was like taking a trip to the mall. She managed to make Wyoming sound, well, bland, somehow. As though she’d been to better places. And from what he’d heard from Jemima so far, maybe she had. She seemed to have travelled the world, always in the company of some ex .
    He watched her pick at her grilled chicken, and an image of Penny came into his head the first time he’d met her. He remembered her reaction when he’d told her he came from Wyoming. Her whole face had widened, her blue eyes deepening in shade in that cute way they did when she was excited about something—which was pretty often. Kurt smiled softly at the recollection.
    “So, how about you?” Jemima asked, spearing another piece of lettuce. “What do you find to do with yourself when you’re not at White River?”
    “I think I mentioned I’m moving to Richmond? Last weekend I had a girl over that runs an antique place off the King’s Road. She’s refurbishing the interior.”
    “Oh, antique businesses,” Jemima waved her fork in the air dismissively. “All that overpriced tat. Shame I didn’t know