THAT NIGHT, COLTON couldn’t sleep in such close proximity to Ella. Each time he was close to sleep, her floral scent would waft toward him, waking him again. Soon, the faint rays of morning sunshine seeped in around the heavy curtains, alerting him to the start of a new day.

Ella was still sleeping, snoring lightly with her back to him. He smiled and shook his head, knowing she would never admit it.

A basin and pitcher with fresh water were set in the corner, out of the way. He stretched, washed his face in the basin, and then slipped into a clean, crisp, white shirt, a black vest, and matching trousers. Although he felt more comfortable in his jeans and leather, he didn’t want to embarrass Ella on the train. He slipped on a matching morning coat and brushed his long brown hair, pulled it back with his hands, and then let it fall down his back. He was about to don his cowboy hat, but decided against it.

“Well, don’t you look nice,” Ella noticed, causing his heart to flutter.

One corner of his lips curled into a devilish smile. “Spying on me?”

She laughed. “No, not hardly.” She sat up, and her blonde hair fell loose, framing her angel face.

Colton forced himself not to take her into his arms and kiss her right then. Instead, he turned and walked out the door. “I’ll leave you to dress.”

She nodded as she pulled the sheet up over her gown. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

He smiled. “Don’t be long.” Or I’ll be tempted to come back to get you and we may never leave. The fact that he left the cabin and shut the door behind him was testament to his being a true gentleman. It was all he could do.

In the dining car, he found a free booth to the left. He sat down and looked out the window, watching the scenery go by as he waited for her to arrive. How did he get here? He had never felt this way about a woman before, and she was determined to marry another. Just his luck.

“Tea, sir?” the waiter asked as he gave a slight bow.

Colton shook his head. “Coffee.” Suddenly, his stomach rumbled. “And I’d like some eggs, bacon, and biscuits, too, please.”

“Make it for two.”

Colton looked up. Ella was dressed in a beautiful burgundy gown and matching hat with black lace-up shoes. Her golden-blonde waves were swept up under her hat, but he couldn’t help but think of the image of it falling loosely over her shoulders.

The waiter smiled and stepped back to let her slide into the booth across from Colton. “I’ll bring that right out.”

Unable to resist, Colton leaned across the table toward her. “You look gorgeous in the morning.” He was sure she had no idea that he meant how she’d looked when she first woke.

A beautiful shade of pink filled her cheeks. “Thank you.”

He sat back as one side of her lips curled into a smile. “You snore, you know. Kept me awake all night,” he teased.

Ella’s mouth flew open. “I do not snore!”

A couple across from them gave them a dirty look. Colton laughed. “Here we go! Tsk, tsk. Making a scene already.”

She suppressed a smile. “You love teasing me, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “It’s quickly becoming my favorite pastime.”

“That’s what I thought.” She smiled at the waiter as he set down a silver tray with two cups of coffee, a small pitcher of cream, and a crystal bowl filled with sugar.

“Thank you,” Colton said, claiming the waiter’s attention.

The waiter nodded. “I’ll be right back with your breakfast.”

Colton gave a slight nod, and the man walked away. “So, did you sleep well?” he asked, smiling, as he took a sip of his coffee.

Ella spooned some sugar into her coffee and stirred. “Not well, but adequately. And you?”

He shook his head. “Not well, but by the way you were snoring, I could have sworn you slept like a log.”

The spoon clattered when she set it down a bit too hard onto the saucer. “I do not snore,” she stated as she took a dainty sip of her coffee.

“What? No cream?” Colton asked, surprised.

She shook her head. “Too fattening.”

Colton laughed, attracting the attention of the couple again. Colton looked over at them, and they quickly looked away.

“And what is so funny about that?” Ella asked, reclaiming his attention.

Colton loved it when he ruffled her feathers. She was like a feisty kitten thinking it was much bigger than it was. “You, my dear, have nothing to worry about.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Colton smiled. “It means that I’m trying to pay you a compliment.” He leaned forward, conspiratorially. “You have a lovely figure. I doubt you have anything to worry about.”

She turned away as the same light pink filled her cheeks again. “So, what would you like to do today?”

A dangerous question that he couldn’t afford to answer truthfully. “I assume poker is out of the question.”

She laughed aloud, attracting the attention of the other passengers again. “I guess that may shock a few of the other patrons here in the dining car.”

Colton shrugged. “Nothing like creating a sensation.”

The waiter proudly set plates filled with eggs, bacon, and biscuits in front of them. “Would you like jam or marmalade?”

Colton shook his head. “No, everything looks great. Thank you.”

The waiter gave him a slight nod. “Let me know if you require anything else.”

“We will,” Colton said, and the waiter walked away.

The scent of bacon and fresh coffee filled the room, causing his stomach to grumble.

Ella suppressed a smile as she cut her eggs. “It appears that someone is hungry,” she teased.

“Yes, so you’d better eat up,” Colton stated as he buttered a biscuit.

Ella laughed. “I was talking about you, silly.”

Colton took a bite. The biscuit was so flaky that it practically melted in his mouth. “Um,” he moaned involuntarily.

Ella suppressed a smile. “Hungry, are we?”

“Just a bit,” he admitted, then scooped a bite of egg into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “One thing I have to say about the railroad: they sure know how to cook.”

Ella laughed. “Yes, they do.” She moaned as she took a dainty bite.

Colton’s lips curled into a smile. “Hungry, are we?”

She grinned. “Okay, that’s enough.”

Colton laughed and continued eating. “So, what would you like to do today?”

She shrugged as she took a bite of her bacon. “I’m not sure. I’ve never had this much time to myself before.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Maybe a stroll to the observation platform at the end of the train?”

“Maybe later.” A devilish smile lit his lips. “I like my first idea: a friendly game of poker. But instead of playing here, we could play in our cabin?” He said it like a question.

She shrugged as a corner of her lips curled into a smile. “Ready to lose?”

Colton laughed. “Lose, huh?” He dabbed at his lips, placed his napkin on the table beside his plate, and slid out of the booth. “We shall see.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

She did the same, took his arm, and let him lead her to their cabin.

Colton had been prepared to take it easy on her, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that she was quite good. In fact, she could give many professional gamblers a run for their money... literally.

“Ha!” Ella exclaimed as she spread out her cards. “A full house!”

Colton smiled as he spread out his cards on the bench. “A royal flush.”

Ella frowned. “It’s a good thing we’re not playing for money.”

Colton smiled as he shuffled the cards. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.” He dealt another hand. “Where did you learn to play poker like that?”

She shrugged as she looked at her cards. “Mia and I used to play for fun.” She laughed. “Sometimes we would play the men at the saloon when it was slow. Oftentimes, we’d win.”

Colton chuckled. “I can see that. You’re quite good.”

She smiled, stirring his heart. “Thank you.” She picked up her last card. “So are you.”

He watched her when she wasn’t looking, noticing the curve of her neck as it met her shoulders, the prominence of her collarbones, her high cheekbones....

She laid down two cards without emotion, and Colton gave her two more. He also laid down two and took two more.

“Your call,” she stated, her expression unreadable.

“Three of a kind, queens high.” Colton spread his cards across the bench between them.

She smiled as she spread out her cards. “Three of a kind, aces high.” She laughed. “I guess we should have been playing for money.”

Colton chuckled. “I’m glad we’re not.”

Ella giggled again. “Here,” she said as she reached for the cards. “My turn.”

As they spent the afternoon playing cards and watching the scenery go by, Colton knew he was getting in deep and setting himself up for a fall. How could he let this happen? Fall in love with a woman who had promised herself to another? He had never fallen in love before, but now here it was, knocking on his door.

“Yes!” she shouted happily as she spread her cards onto the bench. “Four of a kind, queens high.”

Colton hadn’t been paying attention as he watched her. When he looked down at his hand, he had a straight flush, king high, but he folded his hand. “I think I’ve had enough.”

“No! Wait! What did you have?” she asked as she reached for the cards.

He reached for the deck, but she pulled it away.

“I don’t think so,” she said, making another grab for his cards. “Not until you show me.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And what would you like me to show you?”

She gave him a dirty look. “You know exactly what I mean. Now, show me your cards!”

Colton shook his head as he held his cards up over his head. “Nope. Not this time.”

But she wouldn’t give up. “Show me!”

He leaned way back, laughing as he held the cards above her. “No,” he teased, enjoying her reaction. “I had no idea you were so competitive.”

“I am not competitive!” she retorted as she practically crawled across him after the cards.

Colton laughed. “Not competitive? What do you call this?” He stood and held the cards above her head, just out of reach.

She stood and jumped for them. “Show me!” Suddenly, her feet slipped and she fell against him. He steadied her as he fell back against the wall with her against his chest. He looked down into her eyes and leaned forward, unable to take it anymore.

She turned her chin up to him, but then recovered herself and stepped back, pretending to smooth her skirts, suddenly serious. “I guess it wasn’t that important, anyway.”

Colton smiled. “Here.” He reluctantly held out the cards. “My apologies. I was only playing.”

She took the cards and her smile reappeared. She looked at them and her eyes opened wide, but she said nothing.

“I need to go for a walk,” Colton stated, needing to get out of the cabin to clear his head before he did something she might regret. “I’ll be back in a few moments.”

She shook her head, but said nothing, watching as he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

He let out a deep breath and walked quickly through the passenger cars until he reached the end and stepped out onto the small observation deck. He leaned against the rails and breathed in the fresh October air to clear his head. How could this happen? The more time he spent with Ella, the more he realized how perfect she was. He loved her laugh, her smile, her sense of humor, and her playful demeanor. She was the perfect woman, everything he’d always wanted... and promised to another.

He watched the sun as it set in the distance, filling the sky with color.

“There you are.”

Colton knew it was Ella before he even looked.

She placed her hand on his arm. “Are you all right?”

He nodded.

She leaned against the rail beside him. “What’s the matter?”

He shook his head.

She waited for a moment and touched his arm again. “Tell me.”

Colton cleared his throat. “You don’t want to hear what I have to say.”

“What makes you say that?”

Colton turned and looked into her eyes. “How can you marry him?”

She let out a deep breath. “Don’t start—”

“Why not?” he asked as he grabbed her arms. “You’ve never even met him before.”

“Colton—”

He stared into her eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. He had never wanted to kiss a woman so badly before in his life. A moment later, he took a step back.

Ella stared at him for a moment then recovered herself. “They’re serving dinner.”

He turned to the rail once again. “You go ahead. I’ll be along soon.”

She didn’t move for a moment, and then he felt the rush of air flow in as she opened the door. “Don’t be too long,” she said, closing the door.

He nodded and then turned his attention back to the setting sun.