Dacey: Bride of North Carolina (Amercan Mail-Order Bride 12) by Shanna Hatfield Page B

immediately quieted.
    “Laugh all you want, honey. No one cares. They’re just admiring the delightful woman I’m fortunate enough to escort this evening.”
    “Braxton, you shouldn’t tell fibs.”
    He affected a wounded look. “That cuts me to the quick, Miss Butler. How rude to imply I might utter an untruth.”
    A grin lifted the corners of her mouth as she saw the mirth in his eyes and the teasing in his smile. “You’ve uttered plenty of untruths since I’ve been here, starting with telling me opossum are really cuddly pets that live in the woods. I nearly lost a finger when I picked up the one that was out by the smoke house.”
    “You had on gloves. Besides, I was more worried about the poor rodent when you tossed it so indignantly into the shrubbery.”
    “Well, we don’t have them where I grew up. In my opinion, they look like a badger got a little too friendly with a demented rat and created hideous offspring.”
    Braxton threw back his head and laughed as he spun Dacey around the dance floor. Several indulgent glances turned their way, except for Miranda Beaudry and her friends. They huddled in a corner, tossing frosty glares his direction.
    When the waltz finished, Braxton hesitated to release Dacey to her next dance partner. Since it was his father, though, he felt somewhat assured she’d be in good hands.
    Braxton danced with his mother, then some of her friends while Dacey went from one dance partner to the next.
    However, the moment Ernie Howell cut in, Braxton saw Dacey glancing around for him, sending a silent plea for help.
    Unable to extricate himself from his current dance partner without causing a scene, Braxton caught Jackson’s eye as he stood with a group of young men. He tipped his head Dacey’s direction. Jackson took the unspoken cue.
    Quickly striding across the room, he tapped Ernie on the shoulder and cut in, sweeping Dacey into a lively polka.
    As the evening progressed, Braxton let down his guard, pleased to see most everyone welcomed Dacey with open arms.
    Although both he and Beatrice encouraged her to be herself, she’d been very careful about her speech and manners. It had to be as wearing on her nerves as it had been on his, watching her hold part of herself back for fear of making a social misstep.
    Tired of the noise around him, Braxton opened a side door and strode out onto the balcony.
    In the light spilling from the ballroom and the moon overhead, he noticed a figure leaning against the railing in the shadows.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” He turned to go, but the voice that carried through the darkness made him stop.
    “You ain’t bothering me, buster.”
    He smiled and stepped behind Dacey, placing a warm hand on her back. “What are you doing out here, honey? You’ll catch a chill without a coat.”
    “It’s hotter than blazes in there and I needed a moment of quiet and some fresh air.” Dacey looked at him over her shoulder and straightened. “I hope that’s okay.”
    Braxton nodded and looked out at the peaceful night. He moved beside her, resting his elbows on the railing. “It’s perfectly fine. That’s the reason I escaped out here for a few moments.”
    “We’re quite a pair, ain’t we?” Dacey teased, playfully bumping his arm with hers.
    Although her words were meant in fun, Braxton took them to heart. He and Dacey were a well-suited pair.
    The fact they came from entirely different worlds didn’t matter to him. Dacey shared his sense of humor, his obsession for horses, and they’d even read many of the same books. Stubborn, opinionated, hard working, and loyal were traits they had in common.
    When he was with her, he felt unconquerable, as if he could do anything in the world. She made him laugh and think, dream and feel.
    More than anything, he wanted her always to be a part of his life. Without giving a thought to his actions, he gathered her in his arms, drawing her against his chest.
    “Dacey?”
    “Yes?” she