Free Schulze, Dallas by Gunfighter's Bride Page A

at all.
    “It won’t bite,” he said. The hint of dry amusement in his voice
made Lila realize that she was staring at the handkerchief as if she didn’t
recognize its purpose. Flushing, she took it from him.
    “Thank you,” she muttered without lifting her head. She’d never in
her life met a man who could annoy her so easily. It was her misfortune to find
herself married to him. The thought was enough to bring on a new rush of tears.
She buried her nose in his handkerchief and let the tears fall.
    ***
    She slept. And as she slept, she dreamed.
    The ballroom was a glittering rainbow of color and laughter.
Planning and organizing her brother’s wedding reception had been Lila’s final
task as Douglas’s hostess. After tonight, entertainment at River Walk would be
Susan’s responsibility. As she watched the guests swirl around the dance floor,
Lila was pardonably proud of the results of her efforts. Everything had turned
out just right. The flower arrangements were exquisite, the food was delicious,
and the champagne was marvelous. Lila knew the latter for a fact since she’d
consumed two glasses of it herself. Everyone looked as if they were having a
wonderful time.
    Everyone but him.
    Lila’s eyes settled on the tall, broad-shouldered figure across
the ballroom from her. Her smile faded slightly.
    He didn’t look as if he was having a wonderful time. Bishop McKenzie
surveyed the ballroom with a detached air that could have signified boredom or
simply a total lack of interest in the scene before him.
    Her mouth tightened a little. It wasn’t the first time she’d
gotten the impression that Douglas’s western friend was unimpressed with the
civilized East. In fact, she was starting to wonder if anything ever impressed
Mr. McKenzie at all.
    Lila continued to study him, her eyes taking on a stormy tint as
she considered Bishop’s tall figure. She couldn’t put her finger on just what
it was about him that annoyed her so. He was polite certainly. She couldn’t
fault his manners.
    And it wasn’t as if he was hard to look at. Far from it. In fact,
if she were to be completely honest, she’d be forced to admit that the man was
much too handsome for her peace of mind. Hair the color of a raven’s wing,
strong, even features, and a thick black mustache that gave him a vaguely
dangerous air and sent an annoying little shiver of awareness up her spine. His
shoulders were broad, his legs long and lean—though no lady would ever notice a
man’s lower limbs. All in all, he was handsome enough to set a girl’s heart to
beating just a little faster.
    Not that her own heart had done anything so foolish. And even if
it had, Mr. McKenzie had made it quite clear that the feeling was not mutual. He hardly seemed to know she existed. Lila’s fingers tightened on her
fan, endangering the delicate ivory sticks. She didn’t think she was particularly
vain, but, having been courted and flattered from the time she was old enough
to let her skirts down and put her hair up, she would have been very foolish
indeed to remain unaware of her own attractiveness to the opposite sex. It was
more than a little annoying to find Bishop McKenzie so completely indifferent
to her charms.
    His opinion did not matter a whit. Still, there was something
about being so completely ignored that pricked her pride. Particularly tonight,
when she knew, without vanity, that she was looking her best. Her dress was of
sea-foam green silk that draped low across her bosom and left her shoulders
nearly bare. The pointed bodice dipped into a skirt cut slim across the front
before gathering in luxurious folds in the back. Silk roses in ivory and green
decorated the sides of the gathers. Long gloves covered her arms to the elbow.
Silk stockings and satin slippers dyed to match the dress completed the
ensemble. It wasn’t conceit to see that the gown complemented her pale skin and
made the most of her thick auburn hair.
    Not that he’d seemed to notice.
    As