Bride and Prejudice

  Also by Bonnie R. Paulson

  A Date to Die for, Barely Alive, Into the End

  Sample Box Set

  Bride Texas

  Bride and Prejudice

  Clearwater County, Lonely Lace series

  Spurs and Lace

  Secrets and Lace

  Sorrows and Lace

  Lonely Lace Box Set, Books 1 - 3

  Clearwater County, The Montana Trails series

  Montana Trails Series Box Set

  Click and Wed.com Series

  Let US-B Wed (Coming Soon)

  The Right Click (Coming Soon)

  Downshift Series

  Block Pass

  Downshift

  Full Throttle

  Downshift Series: Gears 1 - 3

  Standalone

  Love Notes

  Watch for more at Bonnie R. Paulson’s site.

  Table of Contents

  Also By Bonnie R. Paulson

  Bride and Prejudice (Bride Texas, #1)

  Bride and Prejudice

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Also By Bonnie R. Paulson

  About the Author

  Bride and Prejudice

  Bride, Texas Series

  Bonnie R. Paulson

  Bride and Prejudice

  Pride left her heart at the altar. Will she destroy her second chance at happiness?

  Tessa’s pride drove her to Austin, leaving her heart in Bride, Texas.

  But she’s not her mother and making the same mistakes in love isn’t an option. When her mom dies, Tessa must return and face the man she left at the altar – with his son in tow.

  JJ flourished after Tessa left him, even though his ego was smashed on the floor. He’d moved on and made something of himself. Now Tessa’s back and they own a business together. What if he loses everything all over again?

  With so much between them, how will JJ react when he finds out she’s staying? How will Tessa survive when she sees he’s with someone else?

  Can the luck-in-love that the small town of Bride is known for be enough to help Tessa win a second chance at love? Or is Tessa doomed to the consequences of her pride?

  Prologue

  Ellora Shepherd waited, her arms wrapped around her waist as the stagecoach passed her by. She’d expected him three days ago.

  Him.

  Her true love.

  The dingy lace hem of her wedding dress fluttered in the afternoon breeze. She’d been crisp and fresh when she’d arrived from the east. She’d left everyone, everything. Rubbing her forehead and ignoring the gritty dust on her skin, she blinked wearily. Would he ever come?

  Maybe if they hadn’t planned on running away together. Maybe if she had made him stay with her instead of promising to meet her in Texas. He’d suggested a no-horse town made of a bench seat by a natural spring and a post office.

  That was it. Nothing else.

  The town didn’t even have a name. They called it Fountain or something.

  Well, if he wouldn’t come for her, she wasn’t going to wait.

  She pushed away the biting agony his rejection ripped through her. No, she wouldn’t be a victim. Instead, she was going to thrive. Ellora would push past the disappointment and become the luckiest girl who’d ever been in Texas. She’d turn her sob story around.

  She turned toward the spring with its muddy edges and green strands of grass reaching for the cool water. Bending down to scoop more of the refreshing liquid onto her face and hands, she laughed. The sound was deep and euphoric. She’d free herself from the strains of love. Never again would she allow any man to stomp on her pride.

  The laughter echoed through the small valley and the man who worked the post office stuck his head out his door to watch her.

  She didn’t care. Not anymore. Heck, if she wanted to, she’d kick off her boots and dance in the water barefoot.

  In fact, that’s exactly what she wanted to do. Before she’d even fully articulated the idea, she’d stood and kicked off the worn leather boots. Hiking her skirt layers around her upper thighs, she danced into the slightly chilly waters and splashed sparkling droplets of water up around her.

  The post office man ducked back into the building.

  No more would Ellora wait on anyone to decide her fate. Nope. Not anymore.

  And right there, Bride, Texas was born.

  Chapter 1

  Tessa

  Driving home shouldn’t be riddled with stress and doubt.

  No, Tessa Sinclair should have been excited to go back to the small town she’d all but run away from in her cowboy boots and wedding dress. Instead, her stomach hadn’t stopped clenching since she’d found out she was heading back. Every second leading up to her return had burned with anticipation.

  Anticipation and grief that she refused to allow herself to wallow in. Tessa was a Sinclair and if nothing else, she’d be hanged before she’d cry in front of anyone – even in front of herself.

  Bride, Texas was a lot of things, but stress free wasn’t one of them – at least for Tessa’s family. Even from Austin, Tessa hadn’t been able to escape the expectations of Bride – no matter how anonymous they’d been. The small town humility had stuck with her and she’d fought hard to get where she was – which wasn’t high as a waitress for a low class restaurant. She’d never get out from underneath that stigma and some days she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  Her mama was a bartender all her life. Nothing wrong with it, even if the old biddies from town thought so.

  Her mama. Jillian Sinclair. From what Tessa remembered, the woman had been formidable and vulnerable all at the same time. She could break up a bar room brawl with just her two hands and a piercing whistle, but when it came to accounting or business acumen... Mama was severely lacking in that arena.

  Tessa would’ve been excited to head home, if she weren’t returning to take care of her mother’s things and finalize the funeral plans. How did she know what her mom wanted for a funeral or memorial service? It’s not like the last time they talked, they had laid out what songs Jillian would want.

  As far as Tessa was concerned, she’d never planned on her mother dying. Jillian was too stubborn to let go of life, especially not so early.

  No, the last things they’d said to each other had been rife with anger and resentment. Tessa couldn’t even say goodbye or apologize for the last time they’d spoken more than a handful of years ago.

  Dealing with Jillian’s death wasn’t an option at the moment. She continued ignoring the truth, choosing instead to cope with the urgency of tasks rather than the contemplation of regret.

  Lifting her hand to her forehead, Tessa rested her left elbow on the windowsill of her old Honda four-door sedan. She wasn’t even sure of the color anymore, the thing was so old. The body style screamed ‘90s but the interior was cloth, so who knew? She shifted on the too-soft cushion and tossed a half-smile at her seven-year-old son sitting in the seat beside her. She would’ve put him in the back, but all of their worldly possessions had been crammed into the backseat and trunk. There was just no room for a little boy to fit.

  Nathan was a good kid. He hadn’t
complained once as Tessa had packed them up and made assurances she probably couldn’t keep. He studied his Rubic cube like it held all the secrets to the universe in its colored squares. Knowing Nathan, it probably did. He’d been working on the algorithms from his club and he could figure out the mental puzzle in less than two minutes. He was working on less, but his shorter fingers messed up his rhythm.

  Everything about him amazed Tessa. Now her mom would never get a chance to meet him. That was on Tessa. She swiped at the sudden moisture on her cheeks and puckered her lips. Nope, she’d deal with the emotions when she had time. Right now? Not the appropriate time for a breakdown.

  Not that there was ever an appropriate time for a display of weakness.

  She reached over, tousling his thick dark hair, so much like his daddy’s. She didn’t want to deal with that line of thought either. “Whatcha got goin’ on there, champ?” Tessa wasn’t the best mom, at least by her standards. Something she did have going for her was the fact that she didn’t down tequila shots with the customers while her kid played Barbies under the bar.

  At least Tessa could say that.

  “Do you think there will be other boys like me?” Nathan turned large, dark eyes her way. Worry creased the smooth skin between his eyebrows as he tilted his head to the side, his hair falling across his forehead. Where had he gotten his curls? Tessa’s hair was wavy and Nathan’s father’s hair had never been anything but thick and short. Nathan’s hair was filled with curls which Tessa tried controlling by keeping it short or under a hat.

  At the stop sign to the exit from the highway leading to Bride, Tessa studied her son. She couldn’t keep the half-smile from slipping across her lips, not even if she tried. “Nate, I don’t think there are any boys like you – anywhere in the world.” She nodded, and continued driving, looking at the street. “But boys your age? Sure. The town’s small, not miniscule.”

  Her stomach didn’t want to keep driving. Nothing in her body did. Why was she still going toward Bride? What was she doing? She wanted to turn back, resume their life, pretend her mama was still alive.

  “Miniscule?” Nathan rubbed the side of his freckled nose. He stopped pushing the squares of the cube around and stared at Tessa with curiosity.

  “Ah, another word!” Tessa arched an eyebrow and tapped his tablet. “Look it up.” She pushed literacy and figuring things out for himself. One thing she’d learned growing up was that no one could help you all the time. While she would always be there for him, it wouldn’t always be the best option to have her solve his problems.

  Her throat worked as she tried to swallow down the depressing thought that her mom wasn’t there anymore, just like Tessa wouldn’t be there one day.

  Hopefully, her death was a long way off.

  The sun rose high in the sky as midday approached. Even with rivers and lakes in the vicinity, there was always more heat than there was breeze. Wild flowers waved and bobbed along the sides of the road like they watched a parade in their finest.

  Tessa hadn’t thought about lunch or anything else since leaving Austin early that morning. She’d grabbed Nathan a breakfast biscuit at the gas station. That had been hours ago. His little body was probably hungry. She had to figure out a way to get through town without being seen by anyone – no one in particular...

  Okay, that was her first lie. No, it wasn’t. That little fib was one of many.

  She didn’t want to run into Jeremiah Jackson. JJ as he was affectionately known. Thinking about him made her hurt more and her knuckles whitened with her desperate grip on the steering wheel. She wouldn’t run into JJ. He was from a better part of town. Not that Bride was big enough for too many divisions, but Tessa was the bar owner’s daughter. No one wanted that kind of smear on their doorstep.

  Maybe she just didn’t want Jeremiah to know she was back. Maybe she didn’t want anyone to know. Well, whoever had sent her the note to her PO Box knew and they knew how to contact her. The only one who had her address was her mom.

  But her mom was dead. Dang it, how was she back to that topic? She’d deal with it later.

  Most importantly, Tessa didn’t want to run into anyone who would tell JJ she was back.

  If he was even still in Bride.

  The first sign of her home town was in the trees on the horizon. They seemed to grow out of the dry grasses alongside a river wending its way through green-covered rolling hills. Emerald-colored leaves rustled in a breeze Tessa tried corralling with her open windows. Judging by the fine droplets of sweat gathering at her base of her hairline, it looked like the leaves were more successful in catching the wind than she was.

  Sneaking between the tall tops of the trees, square lines of rooftops thrust into view. The buildings of her town were within reach. She just had to make it through a few more street crossings and... wait, a minute. When had they put in that street light? The newest light gave her an extra second to calm down.

  Except... it didn’t seem to matter how much time she had. Her stomach twisted, relieving the clenched tightness in her chest, but only enough to make room for the pain of nerves in her gut. What was she doing? Was it okay to get mad at Jillian for dying and leaving Tessa there to deal with things?

  “Mom? The light’s green.” Nathan watched her with more curiosity on his face than Tessa wanted at the moment. Her son had a tendency to read his mom better than a book.

  Taking one more second to catch her breath, Tessa tossed a fake smile at Nathan. She splayed her fingers across her eyes like she was shading her vision from the sun which wasn’t a stretch. Even as nervous as she was, she couldn’t help peeking out from between her fingers.

  Driving forward, the car lurched in the middle of the intersection, but thankfully, kept moving. They arrive to their destination within the next few minutes, but that didn’t mean it needed to be in a smoking car.

  What else would happen to Tessa?

  Oh, please, don’t call down the wrath of anyone in the Heavens listening! Tessa scanned the cracked cement sidewalks with trees planted every ten feet in large concrete pots. When had they put in the flowers by the stop signs? Why didn’t she recognize the name of that story? Two Cups. It looked like a cake store or a bakery. Just around the corner would be Sinclair’s Bar.

  Passing the well-maintained older buildings with their brightly painted shutters and flower boxes by their doors, Tessa tried controlling her breathing. What was she doing?

  Would JJ be in one of those buildings? Did he escape the redundancy of the small town or had he found someone more worthy to love?

  That final thought drove a pang of despair through her heart. Of course, she would have to feel emotions right then. She shoved it down. No need to run through anything at that point. She’d have to push it away for just a bit longer. Tessa could do it for just a bit longer.

  Turning the corner, Tessa was prepared to see the rundown sign with its cracked corners and missing B. What she wasn’t prepared for was the new name – Refill Bar and Grill. Bar and Grill? The sign was bright and chipper and there were flower boxes outside the front windows which didn’t look shadowed at all. Plus, the new patio style set up threw her for a loop with its bright green and white umbrellas over the tables with a quaint white picket fence wrapped around the eating area.

  Her mother had been busy with small white barista style tables and neatly maintained white chairs at the tables. Maybe she had changed the menu and the interior. What else had she changed?

  A significant fear-of-missing-out washed over Tessa. She’d never realized just how much her mom would move on or change without her around. She’d been so certain her mother was immovable and unbending. Things staying the same had been her invisible comfort blanket.

  That’s how she justified never picking up the phone and calling her mom. She’d been so sure her mom wouldn’t change.

  How humbling to see Tessa had been more wrong than her pride was comfortable with.

  She took the back alley toward the rear parking lo
t. Hopefully that hadn’t changed in all these years. Was JJ still in town? What if she saw him? Would he recognize her? Too many things had proven to change. Had he replaced her? If he had, then she wouldn’t have any problems with losing Nathan. If JJ had a different family already, he wouldn’t be interested in the one she’d stolen from him when she’d left.

  Pulling into the parking lot located behind the brick two-story building, Tessa parked the car and ignored the screech of the engine as she turned the key to shut it off. In the small town, she wouldn’t need to drive much since everything was within walking distance.

  How did she introduce her son to her troubled past in a town that had only judged where she came from? She wanted him to have a fun time while they were there.

  “Hey, Mom, guess what?” Nathan waited until she looked at him. “You and I are a lot alike. We both don’t have dads.” He smiled like it was the newest revelation since the last Pope was assigned.

  “You’re right. Look at us.” Tessa pasted a smile on her lips. “Okay, seatbelt off. Let’s get inside and see if we can find something to eat.” She didn’t want to talk about her dad leaving when she was three years old and his reasons why. She didn’t want to think about her past. She already had to face it head on and what memories were dredging up were close to causing a migraine.

  Best not to go down that road until she’d grabbed a stiff drink and some chocolate. And a bath. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for a deep, hot bath.

  “Okay, Nate, grab your bag.” She dug through her brown leather pack which doubled as a purse for the key she’d kept all those years to her mom’s place. She climbed out of the car and rounded the back to let her son out. Wait, she paused. What if the locks had been changed? Would Tessa be stuck on the street inches from her mom’s place?

  She shrugged off her discouragement and smiled as she opened the door.

  As she opened her mouth to say something, a woman spoke, making her spin on her heel. “You can’t park there! That’s Miss Jillian’s spot. There’s no respect in the younger generations. None. I’m going to call a tow truck.” An older woman with tightly wound curls and black horn-rimmed glasses slapped the hood of Tessa’s car. A large thick ring clanged on the metal, making Tessa wince.