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“I’m almost fourteen. A. J.’s only eleven and she has a bosom.”

“I wouldn’t call those two little bumps on her chest—”

“You noticed!”

He slammed his eyes closed. “You’re gonna get me skinned alive.” He opened his eyes. “It’s not like I was lusting after her or anything. She’s my cousin, for God’s sake.”

“But you noticed.”

And who wouldn’t? All of Uncle Houston’s daughters had nice curves, but it didn’t mean he had lascivious thoughts just because he’d noticed.

He leaned against the wall, dug the heel of his boot between the bricks, and decided to hold his tongue because there was no way in hell he could win an argument with her.

He pulled a sarsaparilla stick from his pocket.

“Gimme,” she ordered holding out her hand.

“It’s my last one,” he said as he broke it in half and handed her a piece. “Want to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

“I love John Byerly and he loves Samantha Curtiss. I know it’s because she already has a bosom and I don’t.”

“What do you want with John anyway? He’s a runt.”

“All the boys are runts next to me.”

He couldn’t argue with that. She already came up to his shoulder, and he had a feeling she wasn’t finished growing.

“No one is ever gonna love me, Rawley.”

He shoved himself away from the wall and put his arm around her. “I love you, Faith.”

“But you’re my brother so that doesn’t count.”

He cupped her chin. “You don’t want somebody that’s just looking at the outside of you. You want somebody who cares enough to look inside because what’s inside never grows old or wrinkled or gray.”

She sniffed. “If no one asks me to dance, will you dance with me?”

“Why, Miss Leigh, I’d be honored.”

He slipped her arm through his and led her into the Grand Ballroom. He had a feeling in future years, Faith was destined to break an abundance of hearts. His greatest fear was that one of them would be his.

With his brothers flanking him on either side, Austin allowed his gaze to wander the room. Cookie played his fiddle and couples waltzed. Men still outnumbered women, but not by much. His nieces were growing into young ladies, his nephew a fine young man.

“Is this what you envisioned when you answered Amelia’s ad all those years back?” he asked Dallas.

“Nope. I had no idea it would turn out this good,” Dallas said.

“Even if you didn’t end up with her?” Houston asked.

“Even though you stole her from me,” Dallas emphasized.

“I always thought that worked out for the best,” Austin said.

“It did,” his brothers concurred at once.

Austin watched as Rawley sauntered over. “Dallas, I need to get back to the ranch and check on the herd.”

Dallas gave him a long slow nod. “Whatever you think best.”

Rawley held his hand out to Austin. “Uncle Austin, it’s good to have you home. Reckon we’ll see you up at the house later.”

“Reckon so.”

“Uncle Houston, I’d keep an eye on that fella dancing with Maggie.”

“Him and the other three that followed her home from school. I told her she could miss school because this was a special occasion, but those fellas … not dedicated to their studies from what I can tell.”

“They’re dedicated to her.” Laughing, Rawley patted Houston’s shoulder before wandering out of the room.

“Still can’t get him to call you ‘Pa’?” Austin asked.

Dallas shook his head. “Nope, but it doesn’t matter. He’s my son and he damn well knows it.”

Austin caught sight of his own son ambling toward him, a young girl in tow.

“Father, this is Mary McQueen,” Grant said.

The girl had eyes the blue of a summer sky and hair that glinted red. Austin hunkered down. “Hello, Mary McQueen.”

“Your boy talks funny.”

“That’s because he hasn’t been in Texas very long.”

“You aim to remedy that?”

At the sound of an old friend’s voice, Austin slowly unfolded his body and held out his hand. “Cameron.”

Cameron’s handshake was firm. “Austin, you look like a man who has met with a great deal of success.”

“I could say the same for you. How’s the general store business?”

“Booming, although he’s too modest to admit it,” Becky said as she stood beside him.

“He expanded the store to include the second floor and has all the merchandise divided into departments. We actually live in a house now.” Her smile softened.

“We’ve been so proud following you around the world.

Dee has all your news written up in the newspaper. ”

“You look happy, Becky.”

“I am.” She turned slightly to the young boy standing beside her. “Do you remember Drew?”

“I sure do.”

“And you’ve just met our Mary.”

“I told Mary that you would play for her,” Grant informed him.

Austin raised his brow at his first born. “Oh, you did, did you?”

His son nodded. “If you’ll play for her, then I’ll play for you because I know Mother wants to dance, and the gentleman who’s playing hasn’t quite got the knack of it.”

“Don’t tell him that.”

“No, sir, I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. So will you play for Mary?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Dee said as she slipped her arm through Dallas’s. “You could play for all of us. I realize we’re not royalty—”

“How can you say that, Dee, when you’re married to the king of West Texas?”

Dallas snorted. “If you’re gonna play, get to it. I’ve got a hankering to dance with my wife.”

Loree knew the moment when the crowd hushed that Austin intended to play for them. The reverence he held for his gift was apparent as soon as he stepped on stage and lifted his violin to his shoulder.

The first strains of the sweet music filled the air, and Loree smiled.

She knew the song. It always began the same, but the ending had changed over the years, growing deeper and stronger, a reflection of their love.

She never tired of hearing it. Never tired of watching her husband coax the melody from the strings in the same way that he elicited passion: with care and devotion and attention paid to the tiniest of details.

His three oldest sons already exhibited a preference for music. Grant had, on occasion, joined Austin on the stage and wooed audiences with his talent.

“He’ll go farther than I ever dreamed,” Austin had told her once. And she wondered if it was that revelation that had brought him back home, so he could give his sons roots as well as wings.

The music drifted away like dandelion petals on the wind. An awed silence permeated the air before someone dared disturb it by clapping. Austin smiled and bowed. The cry rose up for another song, and her husband simply shook his head.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to dance with my wife now.” He handed his violin to Grant and whispered something into his ear before stepping down from the makeshift stage.

Loree’s heart warmed as he approached, knelt in front of her, and slapped his thigh. “Come on, Sugar.”

He removed one shoe, then the other before standing and signaling their son. The music floated toward them, and Austin swept her onto the dance floor. His blue gaze never strayed from hers, but grew warmer and held promises she knew he would keep.

She had toured the world. She had waltzed with royalty.

But she was happiest when Austin held her within the circle of his arms, and she was surrounded by the splendor of his love.