THE MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR
Romance Collection

The Most Ineligible Bachelor In Town

Opening Scene

Whitley, Kansas 1885

Micah North stared at his reflection in the stage depot’s window glass. He forced a smile and cleared his throat.  “Good morning, Gabrielle. You’re looking especially lovely today.” No, it was all wrong. The feigned confidence in his voice sounded  brittle, even to him.

The corners of his mouth drooped. Would she be offended if he called her Gabrielle? Most everyone in town called her Gabby, but Micah had always felt her given name too beautiful to shorten.

He shook his head. If only speaking directly to Gabrielle were as easy as talking to his reflection. Every shred of composure he possessed fled when Gabrielle Lockridge stood before him.

He heaved a sigh. The outgoing mail bag still waited on the desk and he had two telegrams to deliver. Yet here he stood, talking to himself and pretending he could maintain some semblance of dignity in Gabrielle’s presence. He glanced at the clock. The ten o’clock stage was already nearly a half hour late. But his postmaster/telegrapher duties could wait for one more minute. Perhaps he should try being more formal, since she was the preacher’s daughter, and all. He straightened his tie and assumed a courtly pose.

“Good morning, Miss Lockridge.”

“Good morning, Micah.”

Micah choked and spun toward the door. Gabrielle Lockridge stood at the counter. His eyes widened and heat flooded his face.

Sun streamed in the doorway, bathing her in its glow. Her honey brown eyes softened into a smile that weakened his knees. Did she have any idea how her presence robbed him of his good sense? She held up an envelope. “Papa asked me to mail this. Is it too late to get it into today’s mail?”

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, but he couldn’t back down now. All he had to do was force those same words he’d been rehearsing past his lips. He swallowed around the knot in his throat. “N-no.” Don’t stammer! And stop sweating. “M-Miss Lockridge, you–you’re, uh, not too late …” He ducked his head as the muttered words stumbled over his teeth.

She cocked her head. “Micah, we’ve known each other since the fourth grade. I don’t think it improper to call me Gabby.”

The heat rising up his neck intensified, and his mouth opened and closed like a guppy. The invitation to address her in a more familiar way should please him. Instead, he was struck dumb.