Danica Favorite - Rocky Mountain Dreams

The door opened, and her father walked in. “The soup smells delicious, Maddie.”

Maddie beamed. “I’ll get you a bowl, and for everyone else. Joseph is going to look at his father’s cabin, and Annabelle fainted dead away on Harrison Avenue. A bit of soup will perk everyone up.”

“I did not faint dead away.” Annabelle met her father’s look. “I got too warm, that’s all.”

“She did, too!” Nugget piped up. “Fell on the ground and everything.”

The worry on her father’s face nearly killed her. After having so much illness in the family, the last thing he needed was to be concerned about Annabelle’s health. Especially if what Lucy had said was true. He’d never let her leave if he thought she was taking ill.

“I’m fine. It was just warm, and my dress was a bit...tight.” She whispered the word, knowing that ladies of her acquaintance often said that they sometimes got a little dizzy if their corsets were too tight. She would have easily said such a thing to her mother, or Maddie, if they were alone. But her father, being a man...still, if it eased his worry, a little diminished modesty would be worth it.

“Well, land’s sakes, child!” Maddie set the bowl in front of her with a thud. “Why didn’t you just say your corset was too tight? No sense in suffering misery for the sake of fashion. I told you I thought that dress was too much. I don’t care what the other girls are wearing. We’re getting you upstairs and changing out of that monstrosity and into that nice calico where you don’t have to be laced so tight.”

Annabelle’s face heated. She’d at least been discreet in her words. But for Maddie to be so free in front of... She stole a glance at Joseph, who winked at her.

Annabelle looked down at her bowl. Of all the...

“It’s all right, Annabelle. I have sisters. I never did see the point in those contraptions making a woman miserable.”

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to make this man know that such talk was completely inappropriate. But Maddie was tugging her out of her chair.

“Let’s get you changed.”

If only a change of clothes was enough to fix the woes in Annabelle’s life.

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