Page 15 of Texas Destiny
“Pa thought we were old enough. Dallas was commanding his own unit by the time he was sixteen.”
The food she’d eaten rolled over in her stomach. “Yes, he gave me a detailed accounting of his accomplishments. I just didn’t stop to think how young he would have been when he enlisted. Sometimes, I wonder if it wasn’t actually a children’s war.”
He moved to the fire. “More coffee?”
“No, thank you.”
She watched as he poured the black brew into his tin cup before moving back. She had a feeling his movement to the fire was his way of signaling that he wanted to end that particular vein of conversation. Since he had an aversion to talking about the war, she decided to oblige him.
“Could I ask a favor of you?” she asked.
Houston had been waging a battle all evening, fighting to keep his attention focused on the writhing flames dancing in the night instead of on the woman sitting beside him. He didn’t think Dallas would appreciate how much pleasure it gave him to watch Amelia, but the lilt of her voice, a soft southern drawl that hinted at no hurry to be anywhere, the hope echoed in her words, was his undoing. Admitting defeat, he shifted slightly, met her gaze, and nodded.
“When your brother and I wrote each other, we didn’t describe ourselves, which is why we had to send something for identification. I was wondering if I could tell you what I think he looks like and you tell me if I’m wrong.”
“I could just tell you what he looks like.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No, I want to see how close I am to imagining him as he truly is.”
She sat on a small log, looking like a little girl waiting to be handed a piece of candy. He was willing to give her the whole jar, but in deference to his older brother, Houston merely shrugged. “Go ahead.”
She bit her lower lip. “All right. I know he’s tall, since you told me that. And I always thought of him as having black hair, like yours. Only it wouldn’t be as long. I think his hair might just cover his ears. It wouldn’t reach down to his shoulders.”
Houston nodded slowly, and her eyes brightened. He imagined the fun Dallas would have keeping those eyes shining. She seemed incredibly easy to please.
She closed her eyes a moment, then popped them open wide. “Blue eyes.”
Damn! He hated to disappoint her. He shook his head slowly. “Austin got our ma’s blue eyes.”
“Are Dallas’s brown, like yours?”
“Same color, but he’s got two.”
She leaned forward, pity filling her eyes, and he wished he’d just kept his mouth shut and not tried to tease her. What the hell did he know about teasing? For some reason, he wanted to hear her laugh again as she had with Mimi St. Claire. And he wanted absolutely none of her pity.
“How old were you when you were wounded?” she asked quietly.
“Fifteen. Thought you wanted to know about Dallas.”
Straightening, she gave him a quivering smile, and he knew he’d hurt her feelings again. Damn, he hated when he did that.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “My interests lie with Dallas.” She furrowed her delicate brow. “His nose is straight, not too big, not too small, and it sits right in the middle of his face.”
He was on the verge of asking her where else she thought she might find a nose when he noticed the glint in her eyes. She’d already forgiven him for his rudeness, was teasing him. She did it with such ease. He envied her that ability and could do no more than nod.
“He has a strong jaw,” she said.
He shook his head slightly, and the sparkle dimmed in her eyes.
“He doesn’t have a strong jaw?” she asked.
“Ain’t never seen it wrestle a steer to the ground.”
The sparkle that lit up her eyes was enough to blind a man. And her smile. Her laughter. Dear God, but a man could start to believe in heaven and angels and an eternity of peace.
She wiped a tear of joy from the corner of her eye. “I meant that his jaw was well-defined, like yours.” She reached out and trailed her fingers along his jaw.
He jerked back as though she’d seared his flesh with a red-hot branding iron. He could see the hurt and confusion swimming in her eyes, but he couldn’t explain to her about the needs that surged through his body with her simple touch, a touch that belonged exclusively to his brother.
