Chapter One

The afternoon sun bathedthe room in a warm, golden light as Deborah"s nimble fingers danced over her latest knitting project. Surrounded by the soft clicking of needles and the hum of friendly chatter, the parlor of Mrs. Agatha Jackson"s orphanage was a cozy haven for the ten young women who called it home.

"Deborah, that"s lovely," Amy remarked, peering over her shoulder with a tray of freshly baked cookies in hand. The scent of cinnamon and sugar filled the air, mingling with the laughter and conversation of their make-shift family.

"Thank you," Deborah murmured, her cheeks tinged with modesty. She rarely looked up from her work, but the pride in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Can"t wait to wear it," Brenda chimed in, green eyes sparkling with mischief as she teased Deborah gently.

"Behave, Brenda," Erna scolded lightly, though her eyes crinkled with mirth.

"Surely will, ma"am," Brenda replied with an exaggerated tip of an imaginary hat, eliciting giggles from around the room.

"Imagine all of us living near one another, married with men of our own. No kids for me, of course, but marriage sounds lovely," Cassandra sighed, her voice tinged with longing as she helped Gail untangle a skein of yarn.

"And we'd all have servants, instead of being servants," Faith added, smoothing out a wrinkle in the tablecloth.

"I love that idea," Hannah agreed, smiling at Mrs. Jackson, the silver-haired woman who presided over the orphanage with a grace that made each girl feel cherished.

"Why did I spend all this time learning to bake bread and darn socks if I'm going to have servants anyway?" Imogene asked.

"Because those are skills every lady should have," Amy said, placing the cookies on the table. "Helps in life and love."

Jane, the youngest, watched the exchange with wide-eyed wonder, her own knitting forgotten in her lap. She'd just finished school, and was happy to say that Cassandra was no longer her teacher.

"Come now, everyone, let"s enjoy these treats Amy"s prepared," Mrs. Jackson said, guiding them together like a mother hen with her brood.

As they gathered, the distance between Deborah and the rest of the world seemed to lessen, her shyness melting away in the nurturing environment that Mrs. Jackson fostered. Here, among her sisters, she found a place where her quiet spirit was not just accepted, but celebrated. And perhaps, in time, the outside world would learn to appreciate her too.

*****

DAWN"S FIRST LIGHTspilled through the gauzy curtains of the orphanage, casting a soft glow on the faces of sleeping children. All thirty children who called the foundling home their own woke to the familiar routine that bound them together. They dressed in simple garb, whispering and giggling, their camaraderie woven into each shared chore and whispered secret.

Deborah slipped quietly between the beds, her slender fingers deftly folding blankets into crisp rectangles. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the sleeping forms of her closest friends—Amy, Cassandra, Brenda, Erna, Faith, Gail, Hannah, Imogene, and young Jane—before she gathered her shawl and stepped into the cool morning air.

The walk to the general store was a silent affair. Deborah"s thoughts were varied and active as always, just like the winding path that led her into town. At the store, she tucked herself behind the counter, her hands busy with stocking shelves and tidying goods. Her boss, Mr. Welling, often furrowed his brow at her hesitance to engage with customers, particularly the male patrons who seemed to turn her voice to a whisper.

"Deborah, you"ve got to speak up," he"d say, not unkindly. "Folks won"t bite, you know."

She would nod, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, and continue her work with quiet efficiency. She'd worked at the store for two years, and she still couldn't get used to talking to men. She'd rarely been around men, mostly just boys at school and at the foundling home. She hoped that someday she wouldn't be so afraid to voice her thoughts, but that day seemed very far off.

*****

BACK AT THE ORPHANAGE, the buzz of excitement was palpable as Mrs. Jackson summoned Deborah to her office, a rare event that could only mean something extraordinary. Deborah entered, her heart fluttering, to find Mrs. Jackson beaming from behind her desk.

"Deborah," Mrs. Jackson began, her eyes twinkling. "I need your help. We"re hosting a dance in Texas, a grand event to bring people together. I believe it might be a wonderful opportunity for you."

"Me?" Deborah"s voice was barely audible, her fingers twisting the hem of her apron. "I don't go to dances."

"Yes, you! It"s high time the world saw the wonderful young woman you"ve become. And who knows," she added with a wink, "perhaps love is waiting for you under those Texas stars."

Deborah"s mind whirled with the possibilities, her previous night"s dreams intertwining with this unexpected chance. The thought of dancing, of laughter and music, sent a thrill through her that was both exhilarating and terrifying.

"Think it over," Mrs. Jackson encouraged. "There's no rush."

As word of the dance spread through the orphanage, the girls buzzed with questions and daydreams about suitors and gowns. Even Deborah found herself caught in the tide of enthusiasm, her reservations ebbing as she imagined the warmth of the Texas summer, the sound of fiddles, and perhaps, just perhaps, the touch of a hand leading her onto the dance floor.

Oh, how she hoped she would be able to follow a man to the floor and allow him to touch her without throwing up on his feet. Embarrassing herself that way would be truly tragic.

*****

DEBORAH TWIRLED THEyarn between her fingers, the soft click-clack of knitting needles a comforting cadence against the hum of conversation. The other girls were excited, their excitement palpable in the sunlit parlor of the orphanage. But beneath Deborah"s calm exterior lay a roiling sea of trepidation.

"Imagine all those cowboys," Amy gushed, "tall and handsome!" Deborah knew that Amy wanted a family of her own more than anything. Amy was calm and difficult to ruffle, and Deborah could see her with her own children. It was easy to imagine.

"Yes," Deborah murmured, eyes on her knitting, imagining instead the vast, open Texas skies that awaited them.

"Deb, you"ll be the belle of the ball with your dainty stitches!" Cassandra grinned, leaning over to admire the delicate patterns emerging from Deborah"s nimble work.

"Hardly," Deborah replied softly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "It"s just knitting."

"More than "just," I"d say," Brenda chimed in, casting a knowing glance Deborah"s way.

A hush fell as they turned to see Mrs. Jackson enter, her presence always commanding gentle respect.

"Girls, remember, this dance is about new beginnings," Mrs. Jackson reminded them. "It"s a chance to find family, love—"

"Or both!" Erna interjected, earning a chorus of giggles.

But for Deborah, the mention of love knotted her stomach tight. Her past experiences had been frayed at best. She'd been adopted for a year before she was returned. She remembered a father who was a whisper of a memory, who had run off when she'd been little and a mother's suitor whose eyes had lingered too long, his hands too eager. She shied away from those memories, focusing on the steady rhythm of knit and purl.

"Jane, my dear," Mrs. Jackson said softly, turning to the youngest of the group, "you know you"re not to join the others in Texas."

Jane nodded, her expression tinged with disappointment. "I understand, Mrs. Jackson. Eighteen feels so far away."

"Your time will come," Mrs. Jackson assured her, placing an affectionate hand on Jane"s shoulder.

"Will it?" Deborah thought, her heart aflutter with unease. "Can time unravel the past?"

"Deborah, are you all right?" Hannah asked, noticing her friend"s distant gaze.

"Of course," Deborah answered, her voice a whisper lost in the chatter of hopeful hearts.

"Texas will be grand," Faith added, trying to coax a smile from Deborah. "New people, new places..."

"New fears," Deborah nearly said aloud but caught herself.

"Perhaps," she conceded instead, her smile more a promise to herself than a reflection of joy. She decided then. She would go to Texas, not for romance, but for the hope that maybe, just maybe, the dance could help her learn to face her fears.

*****

DEBORAH STOOD BEFOREthe cracked mirror, tugging at the hem of her simple cotton dress. The fabric felt rough against her fingertips, a stark contrast to the delicate yarns she was accustomed to weaving into warmth. Her reflection showed a woman, barely past girlhood, with tendrils of brown hair escaping the practical bun at the nape of her neck.

"Looks fine to me," Amy commented from behind her, her voice brimming with the same enthusiasm that filled the room.

"Thank you, Amy," Deborah replied, her words careful and measured.

"Are you excited?" Cassandra asked, bustling about with last-minute preparations.

"Excited... yes, and nervous," Deborah confessed, allowing herself a moment of honesty.

"Those men won"t know what hit them!" Brenda chimed in, her laughter echoing around the walls of the dormitory they shared. Brenda had worked in Beckham as a nanny, but with the matchmaking dance coming up, she was back living in the foundling home with the others.

"Men are just people, like us," Gail said, catching Deborah"s eye. Her tone was matter-of-fact, an attempt to bridge the gap between fear and reality. Only Cassandra knew that Deborah was afraid of men, but the others all knew she was shy around them. They often tried to help her feel better in social situations.

"Perhaps," Deborah murmured, her gaze drifting towards the window.

"Remember, it's just a dance," Hannah reminded her, her voice soothing like a lullaby.

"Right, just a dance," Deborah echoed.

"Promise us you"ll try to have fun?" Faith pleaded, her eyes wide with concern for her friend.

"I promise," Deborah said, the words forming a pact she intended to keep. For her friends, for Mrs. Jackson, but most importantly, for herself.

"Good," Imogene added, her voice soft yet firm. "Because we"re all rooting for you."

"Even Jane," Deborah thought, her chest tightening at the mention of the youngest among them, left behind due to the cruel constraint of time.

"Thank you, everyone," Deborah said, her gratitude interwoven with determination. She turned back to her reflection, seeing not just a shy orphan but a courageous soul ready to face the unknown.

"Let"s show Texas what we"re made of," she declared, more to herself than to anyone else.