Dallas.â
âWhy yes, I did meet Maggie.â Gwen offered her hand for a handshake, and Rosita Perez took it in both of hers, startling Gwen into a stammer. âItâs, uh, very nice meeting you, Mrs. Perez.â
âCall me Rosita,â she said as she turned Gwenâs hand over and peered at her palm. âAh, yes, just as I suspected.â
âYou suspected what?â Gwen said cautiously. Was this woman a little light in the upper story, or what?
âYouâre in love,â Rosita said calmly. âAnd you will be married right after the new year. Whatâs this I see? Children! How wonderful! You and Zane will have four children.â
Gwen yanked her hand back. âMrs. Perez, everything you think you saw in my hand is as far from the truth as it could get. Now, if youâll excuse me?â
âYouâre quite wrong, my dear,â Rosita called out cheerfully as Gwen hastened away.
Outside, Gwen tried to calm her shaken system with breaths of fresh air. Without a doubt Rosita Perez was the strangest person sheâd met here today. Zaneâs relatives might be curious about his latest girlfriend, but at least they were polite about it.
Latest girlfriend? Gwenâs spirits dropped another notch. She was a hired girlfriend, and she had better not forget it for even a moment!
In the next heartbeat she saw Zane walking toward her. Apparently heâd been watching for her. How was she going to get through the rest of today and then tomorrow morning with him being so consistently attentive, when she couldnât seem to rid herself of feelings for the man that just kept going deeper?
Well, she had to do it, that was all there was to it. She had to smile and talk and act as though he wasnât the most incredible guy sheâd ever met. Inwardly she groaned. Why was this happening to her?
Zane walked up to her and smiled. âIs your room satisfactory?â
âItâs a lovely room. Zane, I met the strangest woman in the house. Sheâs Maggieâs mother, Rosita, and when I offered to shake her hand, she took mine and read my palm.â
Zane let out a whoop of laughter. âSo you met our local oracle.â
Gwenâs jaw dropped. âAre you saying sheâs a genuine soothsayer?â
âIâm only saying this, Gwen. Rosita Perez has accurately predicted many an event, and folks around here have come to respect her predictions.â
âYou donât mean it,â Gwen said weakly.
âWhat did she see in your palm?â
âUh, Iâd rather not say. I donât believe in that foolishness, anyhow, so it doesnât matter what she told me.â
âReally,â Zane said with a small chuckle. âKnow what I think? I think Rosita told you something that shook your underpinnings, and you wish she hadnât. Come on, be a sport and tell me what she said.â
âThink what you want. Iâm still not telling you what she said to me.â Gwen noticed people filing into the second tent. âShall we join the others?â
Zane nodded amiably, but he would have given almost anything to know what Rosita had told Gwen. Maybe he could pry it out of Rosita, but heâd much rather hear it from Gwen.
As they strolled toward the dinner tent, he realized how much he was enjoying the day. And his enjoyment was mostly thanks to Gwen. That was food for thoughtâsome very pleasant thought, he discovered.
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Throughout the meal people kept rising and offering toasts to the newlyweds. Gwenâsâand everyone elseâsâchampagne glass was filled again and again. Gwen became more mellow and relaxed with each swallow she took of the most delicious champagne sheâd ever tasted. She realized, if a bit fuzzily, that she was truly enjoying herself. It was becoming much easier to smile at Zane, and even to flirt with him. It was, in fact, almost possible to forget that she was being paid to
Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life, Blues