Jordan's star

Orion the hunter... Bootes the herdsman... Leo the lion . . .,” Jordan Randolph murmured dreamily. “See, Charlie?”Sitting beside her on the oak swing, Charlie Maddox obediently searched the night sky with a wrinkled brow. “Ahâ€"lion, did you say?”Jordan ignored him, staring upward, her lips slightly parted. She was not a woman who would appeal to every manâ€TMs taste, but there were those who found her beautifulâ€"clouds of auburn hair forming a halo around her head, wide-spaced, entrancing gray-green eyes, a trim, shapely figure, a whisper-soft voice.“Ursa Major, Ursa Minor... did you know, Charlie, that ursa is the feminine form of ursine, or â€~bear,â€TM so they should actually be called the Great She-bear and the Little She-bear?” Jordan whispered.“Bears?” Charlie repeated helplessly, once again sweeping the sky with mystified eyes. He was a rather heavy young man of thirty with brown hair, blue eyes, and a ready smile. Jordan sighed and turned slightly on the swing to face him. “Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Charlie. You probably know them as the Big Dipper and Little Dipper.”“Oh, sure I know them. Thereâ€TMs the Big Dipper and thereâ€TMs the Little Dipper, right over there,” Charlie said, relieved. It was difficult for him to follow when Jordan went off into her fantasies. She would use a dreamy, unconnected voice, soft and almost inaudible, and the things she said rarely made sense to Charlie. “Big Dipper,” she repeated, and sighed. “Such a boring name for such wondrous stars.”Charlie was an earnest, solid kind of man. “Well, speaking of dippers, Jordan, weâ€TMve got some new well dippers down at the store. Fit right on the swivel of the well bucket, you see, soâ€"” “Oh, Charlie! How can you even think of well buckets on a night like this?” “A night like this?” Charlie repeated, staring around. “Itâ€TMs dark and cold, just like nights in February always are.” Dark and cold, thatâ€TMs all he sees! Why canâ€TMt he see the beauty all around us? To Jordan the night was dramatic, with winterâ€TMs last cold breath sending shivers over her hot cheeks and bare shoulders, the smell of wood smoke acrid on the air, the stars distant and godlike in their frosty brilliance. The only touch of warmth on the scene was the golden aura of the house theyâ€TMd left to come outside, and the faint strains of lively music that ran by them like quick-flying birds on the wing. Bemused, she stared at Charlie and pulled her wool shawl closer about her. Suddenly she looked vulnerable, childlike.Charlie stared at Jordan, suddenly overtaken with awkward tenderness and clumsy longing. “Jordan, youâ€TMre so pretty!” He turned and threw his arms around her and kissed her roughly. “Charlie! What do you think youâ€TMre doing?” Jordan cried, pushing him with all her might.“Jordan, listen, Iâ€"Iâ€",” Charlie began, still hoping to some-how show her how he felt. “You know how I feel about you.” “Charlie,” Jordan said brusquely, jumping up and disentangling herself, “this is not the way to romance me. Assuming, of course, that thatâ€TMs what you are trying to do.”“Of course thatâ€TMs what Iâ€TMm trying to do!” Charlie said earnestly. “You know how much I want us to get married.” She stared down at him. “You want us toâ€"you mean, thatâ€TMs your marriage proposal? â€~I want us to get married.â€TM Thatâ€TMs it?” He jumped up, rubbing his hands together nervously. “Well, yes,” he gulped. “I meanâ€"what else is there?”Jordan whirled, her long full skirts making a crisp arc around her stamping feet. “Iâ€TMm going inside!” she said between clenched teeth.Closely trailed by Charlie, Jordan practically ran across the flagstone patio, then swept inside the French doors. Charlie stared after her, then went toward the refreshment table that flanked one wall, while Jordan paused at the edge of the polished oak floor crowded with dancers. She tried to compose herself, hoping that the anger sheâ€TMd felt for Charlie didnâ€TMt show on her face. Nervously, she fussed with her hair, tucking a few stray tendrils up, unaware that this only mussed it more.Glancing around the dance floor crowded with couples laughing and enjoying themselves, Jordan felt a sudden sense of alienation. Sheâ€TMd always loved the parties held in this room. Charlieâ€TMs parents, Phillip and Clara Maddox, had built a beautiful home, and this large ballroom was their greatest pride. The room was large enough for a ball such as this, and over fifty guests now filled it, along with the twelve musicians and the piano sandwiched into a corner. The colorful dresses of the women flashed like a kaleidoscope as they swept around the dance floor. Hundreds of candles from the crystal chandelier overhead cast their light down on the dancers wheeling around the floor. “My dear, is anything wrong?”Jordan turned quickly to find Charlieâ€TMs mother standing beside her. Clara Maddox was wearing an expensive dress of taupe-colored satin. The bodice was tight-fitting with row after row of delicate white lace running the full length to the waist. It was a dress that would have looked very well on a younger woman, but it did not suit a woman of Claraâ€TMs years. Giving Jordan a close examination, she said rather sharply, “I thought youâ€TMd be dancing with Charlie. Donâ€TMt you feel well, Jordan?” Jordan knew that Clara had seen her leave the ballroom with Charlie, and that she had also witnessed her flustered appearance as she returned. Clara Maddox was a small, sharp-faced woman who had done everything to persuade Charlie not to pursue Jordan Randolph. She had higher ambitions for her son, and now she looked over at Charlie who had come to stand beside Jordan. “You shouldnâ€TMt take Jordan outside, Charlie. Itâ€TMs too cold. Sheâ€TMll become ill.”“Itâ€TMs all right, Mrs. Maddox,” Jordan said quickly. She had no illusions about Clara Maddoxâ€TMs opinion of herâ€"which was that her family did not have enough money for her to be a suitable wife to Charles.Charlie stepped forward quickly, taking Jordanâ€TMs arm. “Come on, Jordan. Letâ€TMs dance.” Excerpted from Jordan's Star by Gilbert Morris All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.