Page 6 of A Star in the West

Leaning close, she murmured an apology in a quiet voice. “I never would have flirted with the professor had I known he was your fella, Miss Barrington.”

Annabelle had struggled to fit in with the other girls when she first arrived at Baylor last fall. Her lack of academic focus and the inconsequential standing of her family had made it difficult to connect with other students. She’d been sent to school on scholarship since her father was a preacher, and while Annabelle had never admitted to anything scandalous in her past, Stella had pieced together enough of her story to infer that the Raymonds had sent their daughter to school to extricate her from a relationship they deemed unsuitable. As a Christian institution, Baylor had a reputation for strict propriety when it came to educating their female students. Policy prohibited young ladies from accepting the attentions of men while enrolled. Annabelle struggled to embrace the restrictive confines, and Stella did her best to provide gentle guidance as well as a sympathetic ear whenever Annabelle grew discouraged.

Stella patted Annabelle’s hand. “Professor Stentz is not my beau. He’s simply a friend and a colleague of my father’s. Nothing more.” At least not yet.

Not yet? As if a change was guaranteed. Nothing in life was guaranteed, especially her ability to win the affections of a man like Frank Stentz. Goodness! He was bound for Germany in a few months. Germany! An entire ocean away. Even if something did bloom between them, nothing could come of it for several years because she’d never abandon Papa to travel overseas.

But wouldn’t she also be abandoning him if she moved to Massachusetts?

Her stomach churned. She couldn’t leave Papa. He needed her. Who would make his breakfast and press his shirts? What had she been thinking? This was a mistake.

“Miss Barrington?” Annabelle squeezed her hand. “Are you all right?”

“O-of course.” Well, that wobbly assurance would fool no one. Least of all herself. She forced a smile onto her face, but Annabelle’s grip on her hand only tightened.

“Don’t let fear steal your chance for happiness, Miss Barrington,” Annabelle whispered. “If God can make a path through the Red Sea, he can clear a way through whatever obstacles stand in front of you, too. So don’t go running back to Egypt just yet.”

As if the words had unlocked the door to a storm cellar, Stella dove inside the shelter they provided and closed the door on the tornado threatening to spin her mind out of control. Blinking, she peered at the young girl before her with new eyes. “What wise counsel, Miss Raymond.”

An impish grin lit Annabelle’s face. “I stole that advice from my eldest sister. It’s what she told me the night before I left home to come to school.” Her expression sobered, and her shoulders bobbed in a shrug. “It reminded me that holding tight to something just because it’s familiar isn’t always as safe or good as one might think. Sometimes we have to try something new to discover blessings only God can see.”

The howling storm abated a little more, and Stella managed to inhale a full breath. “Excellent advice.” She took another breath for good measure and let the brittleness around her forced smile soften into something more genuine. “How perceptive of you to recognize my need to hear it.”

Annabelle beamed, and she stood a little taller. “I’m glad it helped.” She gave Stella’s hand a final squeeze, then hurried off to catch up with the other girls. “See you later!”

Stella raised her hand in farewell, then turned to search for Frank. She found him intently studying a set of bricks in the dormitory wall a few steps away.

Clasping her hands behind her back to hide her residual nervousness, she moved toward him. “They’ve gone.”

He twisted to face her, his gaze glancing off her face to fall to the ground before making a slow climb back to her eyes. As she waited for him to reply, it dawned on her that he’d never made eye contact with any of the other young ladies either. Ladies who were all quite attractive, intelligent, and vibrant. Could it be that it wasn’t her that he found difficult to look at, but people in general? Or at least new people with whom he hadn’t yet established a level of comfort?

His eyes finally connected with hers, and she suddenly felt glad that he didn’t share them with others on a regular basis. They were quite extraordinary. Bright blue, like a summer sky. Yet it wasn’t their color that captivated her so much as what she saw in their depths. Intelligence mixed with an endearing uncertainty. Probing mixed with patience. Admiration mixed with . . . attraction? Her pulse fluttered despite the logic that insisted she must have misinterpreted that last element.

“I hope you don’t think me cowardly for evading your friends. I’ve never been adept at conversing about things outside the realm of mathematics.”

“I don’t find you cowardly in the least,” Stella assured him. “Anyone would have been caught off guard by that swarm of young ladies. When you offered to walk me home after my literary society meeting, I thought only of the convenience of us both being on campus at the same time. I didn’t consider the likelihood of my ladies ambushing you.”

Frank stepped away from the building and came alongside her. “I’ll be better prepared next time.”

Next time. How strange that two simple words could spread such warmth through a person. Feeling as if she’d just been hugged, Stella steered their trajectory toward the creek that ran along the west side of campus.

“When the weather is nice, I like to follow the creek home. It’s not a very direct path, but it’s peaceful and affords a rather scenic view.”

“Sounds like an excellent route.” He fell into step beside her, allowing her to lead the way.

Neither said anything as they wound through the students milling around the buildings, but as they left the school behind, the silence between them began to grow uncomfortable. Stella searched for something to say that didn’t have to do with the weather and came up empty.

Thankfully, Frank filled the void. “Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know from your letters.”

“All right. Let’s see . . .” Her mind remained stubbornly blank.

She’d already told him of her hobbies and activities. He knew of the passing of her mother and her literature studies. She’d shared her favorite books, confessed her lack of singing voice, and even mentioned her fondness for the color green. What else was there to tell?

“How about your middle name? Do you have one?” Frank offered, and Stella latched onto the simple topic with relief.

“Celeste.”

“Stella Celeste.” His gaze left the trail ahead long enough to caress her face before dipping back down. “It suits you. A star in the heavens.”