Cowboy to the Core. Joanna Wayne

was relieved when only one contender remained on his horse, the jouster clad in black and silver. He was declared the winner amidst more yells and some heckling and then was toasted by the approving lords and ladies in the viewing stand.

      With so many open arches providing exits, the arena cleared quickly. Dani and the girls lingered for a few minutes so that they could get an up-close look at one of the knights who’d stayed around to talk to a group of admiring females.

      By the time they left, there were only a few other stragglers ambling through the wide center arch. They took the path that led toward the giant swings. There seemed to be more people than ever milling around the area.

      An auburn-haired woman in an exquisite period ball gown pushed past them, practically knocking Dani down in her haste. She paused as if to apologize but said nothing. Instead, she stared at Dani, a look of alarm on her face.

      Their eyes met, and Dani had a crushing sensation of déjà vu. “Have we met before?”

      “No,” the woman answered quickly. She hurried away before Dani could say more.

      “Geez,” Katie said. “That woman looks almost like you, Ms. Baxter.”

      “Except she’s not as pretty,” Celeste said. “She’s too skinny, and her hair’s the wrong color.”

      “You weren’t even looking at her!” Katie exclaimed. “You were watching those guys at the climbing wall. And she did so look like your mother.”

      “I have that generic look,” Dani said, dismissing the comparison. “People are always saying someone looks like me.”

      That wasn’t exactly true, and Dani had noticed a remarkable similarity between her and the woman. But it was the feeling that she knew her or had at least met her before that had really captured Dani’s attention.

      Could she possibly be the woman from the nightmare?

      The hair was close enough. The eyes could be the same color. She wasn’t sure about anything else. There hadn’t been time to get a good look at her before the woman had hurried away.

      And here she was falling back into the green dress trap. Coming to this wedding had definitely been a mistake. At this rate, she was going to have a nervous breakdown before they got back to Austin.

      “Let’s go get our outfits for the party and wedding now,” Celeste said. “I can’t wait to pick mine out.”

      Next the costumes, then the dinner party with the ruggedly handsome cowboy along for the ride. She may as well enjoy that part, though he’d no doubt think her totally mad when she explained why she’d hired him.

      She was beginning to think the same thing herself.

      ELLA SOMERVILLE’S headache approached migraine status as she hurried away from the woman who looked much too much like her for comfort. It was the second time today they’d crossed paths. The first time had been this morning when the woman had fainted in the festival dress shop that Ella managed. The woman hadn’t seen her, but Ella had been there.

      Fortunately, that was over quickly enough when the man in the black hat came to her rescue. Running into her the second time was even more unsettling. It was an omen, the push she needed to leave the Renaissance circuit for good.

      The danger lay in getting comfortable in a routine. Predictability created risk. Even if she had to just give the trailer to Kevin, it was time to go. Things weren’t working out between them anyway, especially now that his buddy Billy Germaine had joined the jousting team.

      She’d come back to the travel trailer for painkillers for the pounding in her temples, but she might just stay here now and rest for a while. She needed to get rid of the headache since she was signed on to work tonight as a server for an after-hours shindig.

      Even that didn’t seem such a good idea now, but she could use the extra cash.

      She pulled her keys from her pocket, then came to a quick halt when she heard Kevin’s and Billy’s voices coming from inside the trailer. Kevin sounded angry. That didn’t surprise her. She’d warned him not to get in so deep with Billy.

      The guy was trouble. He reeked of it. Not to mention that he’d hit on her a few days after joining the troupe, when he knew good and well she and Kev were a couple. Not that they were married or ever would be, but they were living together.

      Billy was dating a lady who worked in one of the jewelry shops now. Connie Rincon. She loved jewelry, especially if it included dragons in its design. A nice lady, way too good for Billy.

      Ella tugged the floppy, feathered hat from her head with her right hand and fit the key into the lock. The door opened a few inches before she turned it. Kevin never bothered to lock it.

      Billy spit out a stream of curses. Ella hesitated, listening as the conversation grew more heated. The accusations made her stomach roll. This had to be some kind of sick joke.

      But, no, Kevin was growing angrier by the second. The key slipped from her shaking fingers and clattered to the threshold. The talk stopped immediately.

      “Is that you, Ella?”

      “It’s me, Kev. I have a headache. I didn’t have any meds with me so I came back to the trailer to get some.”

      “How long have you been standing there?” Billy demanded.

      “I just walked up.” Her voice faltered on the lie. She tossed her hat to an empty chair so that she could look away and avoid eye contact.

      “Did you get an ear full?”

      “Leave her alone,” Kev said. “She already has a headache.”

      Billy crushed his empty beer can. “Women who talk too much wind up in the morgue, Ella. That’s a fact of life. Did you ever hear that saying before?”

      “Sounds like beer talking to me,” she said. “You guys go ahead and visit. I’m just going to pop some pills and go back to the shop.”

      “Why not take off if you’re sick?” Kev asked. “You’re the boss.”

      “That’s why I can’t,” she said, looking for any excuse to get away from him and Billy. “There’s a party on the grounds tonight and four weddings tomorrow. People will need outfits for those and that translates to a busy afternoon. And don’t forget that I’m doing table duty tonight for the caterer, so I won’t be home until after that.”

      “Try not to be too late,” he said. There was no hint that he suspected she’d overheard the damning conversation.

      Still, it was time to move on.

      DANI FELT LIKE Queen Guinevere waiting for Sir Lancelot to ride up on a white horse and steal her away as she stared into the full-length mirror. Her dress was exquisite and just a tad daring.

      The girls had picked it out, though it hadn’t been their first choice. That one had been green, not anything like the gown in her nightmarish illusions, but green nonetheless. She’d vetoed it immediately.

      This one was sapphire-blue, in a fabric that shimmered and picked up the light like a million dancing jewels. Her inherited, cherished pearl amulet on its golden chain added the perfect finishing touch. Grams had always claimed it had mystical powers that could save the one wearing it from any number of evil deeds.

      Dani had yet to put it to the test. She planned to keep it that way.

      “Wow, Ms. Baxter, you look super,” Katie exclaimed as she slipped through the door that separated their adjoining rooms.

      “Thank you, Katie. I feel super.”

      “Good. Celeste and I were afraid you were coming down with the flu or something when you passed out this morning.”

      The flu would have been a much more credible excuse than low blood sugar, especially when Celeste knew her eating habits so well. But who could think when they’d just snapped out of a mind-numbing