Cassie

She rolled over and wiped the tears from her cheeks. No, it was more than that. He was everything she ever dreamed of in a man. He was the one for her - but was she the one for him?

Someone tapped on her door. Room service, probably. She needed a good long bath. She opened the door to find a little Mexican boy holding a package.

"Are you Seniorita Rinehart?"

"Yes."

"Then this is for you." He deposited the package in her outstretched hands and turned, running down the hall.

"Thank you," she called after him, but he was already running down the stairs.

She dropped the package on the bed and eagerly tore back the brown paper wrapping. On the top of a pile of clothes lay a flower and note.

Wear this above your left ear if the answer is no - right if the answer is yes.

As he had promised, Bordeaux was demanding a decision to his proposal of marriage. She lay the flower and note aside and lifted a dress from the package, blushing as she realized his estimation of her size was accurate. So he still wanted to marry her. Then why the solemn mood yesterday? And why had he dumped her the minute they got to town? Neither of them had been in high spirits yesterday. They were both tired and cranky. Perhaps that was the answer. Today he would be different, and so would she.

Later, as she soaked in a deliciously warm tub of water, she thought of the twins. Once again she had let her desires drive them from her mind. Bordeaux might not want to take them into their home. After all, they had their father. Maybe that unconscious thought had been the inspiration of her dream this morning. She couldn't abandon the twins - leave them with a man who had become a stranger to them. He left once. He might leave again. And yet, now the twins could return to their beloved ranch - the one she had finished paying off. What if he sold the ranch? She stared at the bath water, only mildly aware that it was losing its warmth. What if Bordeaux bought it? Was that what Bordeaux had in mind? No, he said he was on his way to Ashley. What business did he have here? She sat up straight. Of course. He had been preoccupied yesterday with his business in Ashley. The package this morning confirmed his feelings.

She stepped out of the tub and dried off. After she dressed, she stood before the mirror with the flower in her hand. She knew little about Bordeaux except that she loved him. Bordeaux wasn't like her father, and it wasn't fair to keep comparing them. Accepting his proposal of marriage might be setting her up for a fall, but declining was surely something she would live to regret.