Texas rich Read Online Free Page B

smoothing down the skirt of her jumper. Suddenly, the fringe along the hem seemed girlishly silly and trendy, and for the second time that day she wished she were wearing stockings and heels.
    Agnes Ames's eyes narrowed when she heard the sound of a car door closing in front of the house. None of Billie's friends drove a car. She parted the lace curtains slightly and peered out. Billie and a navy man. An officer, considering the dress whites. What could have happened? She wouldn't panic. Billie was a responsible child. A serious, responsible child.
    {17}

    "Mother! Pm home. Come and meet someone."
    Moss Coleman stood a good six inches taller than Agnes, yet he was inmiediately aware of her strength, as if she were his height or even taller. It was in the measuring, brown eyes
    and in the subtle squaring of the shoulders He'd seen the
    same signs of character in Seth. Pearls. Why did they always wear pearls? It seemed every giri's mother he'd ever met was adorned with them.
    Billie broke the silence. "Mother, this is Moss Coleman. He was nice enough to bring me home so I wouldn't be late. Moss, this is my mother, Mrs. Ames." He waited to see if Mrs. Ames would offer her hand. She didn't.
    Billie was beginning to feel desperate. Agnes was standing her ground, staring at Moss with suspicion. "I've invited Moss to dinner tomorrow. He's from Texas and it's been a long time since he's had a home-cooked meal. I knew you wouldn't object," Billie prompted hopefully.
    "Dinner. Of course. We'd like to have you for dinner. Lieutenant," Agnes offered.
    Moss wondered if Mrs. Ames meant she'd like to have him as a guest or for the main course! But hold on a minute, he'd never accepted the invitation. Somebody was being raikoaded here and he thought he knew who. "I wouldn't want to impose, Mrs. Ames," he said in his best-bred Texan, just a shade short of humble. Before he could pohtely make excuses, Agnes forced something that passed for a smile.
    "Fine. Shall we say around two? I want to thank you for bringing my daughter home. It was very considerate of you. She's very young and I worry when she's late." There it was, the gentle nudge, the reminder that he was suspected of being a troll who lived under a bridge and preyed on iimocent young girls.
    "It was my pleasure, ma'am," Moss drawled. "Billie, thank you for the invitation. I have to get the car back to the yard. Nice meeting you, ma'am."
    He still hadn't said if he was coming to dinner and Billie felt wretched as she watched him walk out to the car, Agnes's words about her youth still smarting.
    Outside in the car. Moss exhaled a long, gusty sigh. He didn't think he wanted to come to dinner. But Sundays were always so boring you could want to tear your hair out, and it had been nice talking with Billie. If he didn't have anything
    {18}

    better to do, he'd show up around two o'clock. If something came up, he'd send a note.
    Before Agnes could question her daughter, Billie rushed into a lengthy explanation. "I think it was very nice of him to bring me home, don't you, Mother?"
    "Billie, you broke how many rules this afternoon?" Agnes said frigidly.
    "Mother, please. Do we have to go into all of this? I'm home, safe and sound. Nothing happened. The lieutenant is charming. He didn't say he was coming to dinner and I'm certain he has other plans, so don't count on it. I'm sorry if I upset you."
    Agnes sniffed. It was her usual reaction to Billie's apologies. Once, just once, Billie would have liked to hear that she was forgiven, or at least that her mother understood.
    "I think I'll go up to my room and get ready for supper."
    "I moved your room downstairs to the study. Mr. Campbell from next door and his nephew helped move down the furniture. I'm going to rent your room. We really have to do our bit, Billie. The housing situation is reaching crisis proportions."
    Billie only knew that someone else was going to live in her room, the only place she'd been able to call her own since she was