Free The Shepherd's Daughter (Dry Bayou Brides Book 1) by Lynn Winchester Page A

jig. She held her breath and hoped he’d stop her and kiss her again.
    What a silly, silly thought , she chided herself.
    Truth be told, she didn’t really know if she would stop if he wanted her to. But when she finally turned the bend and he still hadn’t made a sound, her heart nearly broke in half.

Chapter Eleven

    “T oday’s the day, Tilly. I’m gonna tell Billy I love him, then make him choose between me and Rebecca.” Ray didn’t know how her voice rang with such confidence when her mind wasn’t singing the same song.
    She was pacing between Tilly’s chair and the window that opened on to the alley between the Mosier house and their store. Tilly was working on another length of fine lace, but she nodded her head and “hmmmed” where appropriate, just to humor her nutty friend. Ray had only intended to stop in and hear the latest town gossip after a long day of chores and trying to forget Billy’s kiss.
    She touched her mouth where she could still feel the sensation of Billy’s lips against hers. He’d kissed her and she ran away.
    Never kissed before, it pleased her that Billy was her first, like a blessing from heaven. Except for his motivation. He felt sorry for her; more a pity gift than expressing how he felt about her.
    Tilly clicked her tongue and dropped her work into her lap, giving Ray a sympathetic look. “Well, if that’s your plan, I think you need to go ahead and get to it. There may not be much time left.”
    That took the wind right out of Ray’s sails. “What do you mean? What did you hear?”
    Tilly was a treasure trove of secrets, which is why she always seemed to know everything about everybody, even before everybody else knew it.
    “I heard that the Ducharmes are planning a welcome party for Rebecca. They’re holding it in the town gardens and plan to invite everyone to meet the woman they plan for their son to marry.”
    Ray felt sick to her stomach. “They’re forcin’ his hand.” His parents knew darn well, though they hadn’t said it outright, planning a party for Rebecca was as good as calling it an engagement party.
    “Seems like it—but don’t count yourself out just yet. You can use that party as your chance to show Billy you’re the better woman for him.”
    “How?” Ray was desperate. She’d try anything at this point.
    “Well, you can put on your prettiest dress, your prettiest manners, and charm him right down to his boot heels.”
    “But…what if that doesn’t work?” Her faith in her own ability to charm him was at an all-time low. “What if I make a fool of myself and have to spend the rest of my life watchin’ Billy and Rebecca livin’ their happily ever after?”
    The words conjured an image of Billy smiling down at Rebecca on their wedding day; love shining on his face. It felt like a fire was raging inside her chest and she fought off the tears filling her eyes.
    Tilly stood up and came to stand beside her. “Ray, I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose the man you love and then have to watch him live happily ever after with another woman.”
    Ray groaned, heartache spreading into her belly.
    “Tell you what… I have an aunt in Boston. She wrote to me just this week about a room she has to let. She’s studying be a chemist and needs a little help paying for room and board. You can go live with her; maybe find a job and stay with her for a while until you figure out what to do next.”
    Is that what it would come to? Me leavin’ my ma to run like a coward and hide in the big city…away from the man I love?
    “Do you think she’d have me?”
    Tilly tapped her chin, then gave Ray a reassuring smile. “Of course, but that option won’t be necessary. You’re going to win Billy’s heart at the party.”
    Her friend had more confidence in Ray than she had in herself. The look of determination on Tilly’s face stirred something deep within Ray. Something that she’d been pushing down and trying to snuff out since she’d come