The Kissing Stars Read Online Free PDF Page B

swine barn, right?”
    Speechless, she simply nodded. She couldn’t have spoken had her life depended on it. Gabe picked up the empty lemonade glasses and returned them to the vendor before striding away in the direction of the racetrack, whistling as he went.
    Tess didn’t move, she couldn’t. He’d kissed her. Gabe Cameron had kissed her . For a dozen years she’d dreamed of his kisses and now, again, she’d experienced one. In the flesh.
    Kisses weren’t the only thing she’d dreamed about, either.
    “Oh, my.” Her eyes drifted shut.
    For a long moment she stood frozen in place, emotions beating at her like hailstones. Shock and bitterness, anger and grief. Joy and elation and anticipation. And, the memory of love. Such deep, soul-filling love.
    It all but brought her to her knees.
    Finally, she stirred herself to move, and five minutes later, she made her way into the chair-filled room that served as the Texas State Fair’s lecture hall. Twinkle waited for her. “My stars, Tess, you’ve cut this close. I was beginning to worry.”
    “No need to fret. I’m here and I’m fine.” More or less , she added silently.
    Twinkle flipped the latch on her purse and yanked it open. Removing a small piece of paper, she handed it to Tess. “I’m glad somebody’s fine. I was right to be worried, honey. A messenger delivered this telegram ten minutes ago. It’s Andrew. He’s taken sick again and he’s running out of quinine. They need us home with the medicine as soon as we can get there. I had Will get Rosie boxed up, and they’ll meet us at the train station. If you cut the last section of your speech, we should be able to make the early train. We’ll reach home a full day sooner.”
    Tess stared at the telegram, then lifted her fingers to her lips, and murmured, “A good-bye kiss.”
    At that moment, the moderator introduced her to the crowd, forcing Tess to turn her thoughts away from earthly desires and toward more heavenly pursuits—namely the rings of Saturn.

    GABE STUCK his head inside the pig barn. “Whew-y. I swear pigs must be the smelliest animals on earth.”
    “Then why the hell are we here?” Mack asked.
    “I told you. I’m meeting my wife.”
    “Uh huh.” Mack rolled his eyes. “I’d come closer to believing you’re meeting those two Rangers to kiss and make up than that you’re meeting a wife.”
    “Wanna put some money on it?”
    Mack gave him a shrewd look “What’s going on, Montana? You trying to put a bluff over on me?”
    Gabe simply grinned. He was feeling pretty good despite his aches and pains.
    It had been quite a day. He’d damn near gotten his nose broken, been drooled on by a hog, discovered a long-lost wife, and sneaked in the back of a lecture hall to listen to the little woman give a fascinating paper on a subject that once upon a time he’d dreamed of studying himself.
    Damn, but she had grown up fine. The promise of the girl had been more than realized in the woman. She was Helen of Troy, only better. A Texan beauty with brains, and a kiss that still knocked his boots off.
    Still, he wondered how she could stand to study the stars. He couldn’t. He hadn’t stargazed once since that god-awful night when their lives blew apart. The very thought of doing so gave him the shakes.
    Yes, his little wife had been full of surprises this afternoon. Now that he’d had some time and distance to think matters through, he had at least a hundred questions to ask her. Starting with this bit about her father, that bastard. Had old man Rawlins truly kicked her off the Rolling R? If so, why? Was he part of the reason?
    Surely her father hadn’t abandoned her entirely. He must have left her the money that supported her studies, otherwise how could she have managed?
    Tess an astronomer. Imagine that. To be perfectly honest, the idea of it sort of pissed him off. She’d taken his dream and lived it.
    He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. “She’s late.”
    Mack