Chapter 1

I had, I just had to do it. I walked over to their table. "Is everything OK?"

Feeble excuse maybe.

"I just wanted to say I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you!" I looked right at the blond bombshell. The other girls giggled.

I walked away. It was the truth; she would put the Mona Lisa, Diana and Aphrodite to shame in any comparison.

I had worked in the pizza place before. Tonight I was just filling in to help a friend. It was a college town but she, in no way was some college girl. I guessed Paris, Milan or London were more suited to her.

Tonight I was bouncer, waiter, and kitchen helper, whatever Tony needed. I had graduated Med School here. Rice was one of the schools that had given me an academic free ride. I choose here mainly because my Aunt Betty (on Dad's side) lived near the University and invited me to stay with her.

My home though was Texas, South and West of Dallas. I say both because my ranch was west and since the accident that killed my parents, my 'pretend mom's' spread was south. We were neighbors and she was really my Aunt. (On Mom's side)

I had decided that being a Vet and having a research degree would help us both out. Our life was breeding horses and cattle; she just had more of both. You have to remember in Texas small is big most elsewhere and 'Texas Big' is larger than most entire States back east. I had gotten my B.S. at Texas A&M.

Back home, we did not measure a ranch in acres, rather miles or how long it took to fly end to end.

Getting back to the important stuff. That girl, woman, female, whatever. I was not prone to falling in love the moment a pretty face showed up. It happened once in Hawaii on a trip to see Millie. That girl was a much younger version of the woman I saw today. That's it; only twice and I was 25.

You sort of get to know you are in the presence of a rare and beautiful creature when your heart starts to pound, you feel flushed and stop breathing. Does the term 'breathtaking' mean anything to you?

When she left she smiled at me. God, she was so lovely that I wanted to heel at her feet.

One of the girls at her table came up to me. "Tex. (I was wearing clean duds, but boots.) Are you free for a minute or two I'd like to explain something?"

"Yep, she did not look anywhere as cute as that woman but you could sense she was sincere. "Sure, let's sit in the closed section. What is it?"

"Well you seemed a little taken with Bianca. Hon, if I spent a tenth of what she does on make-up and her hair, No, even then few could compare to her, she is not bad looking."

"An understatement maybe."

"Her husband at least thinks she is pretty. She came to school to settle her younger sister here. Her English is not good. I explained to her what you said. She asked me to thank you for the complement and explain things to you. You're sort of cute Tex, but she gets that a lot most everywhere she goes."

"Thank you for explaining, but like the Mona Lisa, one can admire things knowing they can never be yours. I just wanted to tell her how impressive she looked."

"I think most guys think several parts of her are very impressive, some girls too. Well Tex, I am going to call it a night. I start classes tomorrow. Do you go to school here?"

I thought a bit how to answer her. I was impressed with her maturity and how she handled what could have been an embarrassment. (For me, anyway)

"Yes, I go here."

"Which Dorm do you live in?"

"I stay with my Aunt nearby. I'm from Texas though."

"Gee, you never could guess that."

"Well, see you around maybe Tex."

"Yup and thanks!"

I never expected to see her again, not so soon at least.

She was there, front row in a lecture class that I was acting as an assistant professor for. It was Chemistry 311-A, a little advanced and specialized. (One could replace Chemistry with Biology if you wanted, you need both.) I almost missed her, it was at 8:00 am and eyes were 'wide shut' for both of us.

"Welcome! Your course in this class will consist of this lecture time every Monday and three lab periods on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. A paper and some demonstrable project will make up your grade. Your usual Professor will be Dr. Hawkins. Samantha Hawkins. My name is Jeff Jameson, I am a Grad student here in the research department studying Chemistry but I am already a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. We both will be available to answer any questions, Sam more on the theoretical, me on the practical side."

I noticed the girl was sitting up.

"I wanted a research degree also primarily because back home, our livelihood is in breeding horses and cattle. In case you did not know, Chemistry and Biology play an important part in this."

Missy was definitely paying attention.

She came up after class.

"I'm so sorry Dr. Jameson!"

"Sorry, for what, you spill something or forgot to brush your teeth. You have nothing to be sorry for that I know off."

Last night, I didn't know you were a Doctor already. I thought..."

"Thought I was just another love-struck man, huh?"

"Well, yes. I told you most guys see my sister and they are gone. Their eyes see only below her neck, usually."

"I told you, I can appreciate beauty, look at it and not try to own it."

She stuck out her hand. "Hi. I'm Amanda, Bianca's sister. We are from Sweden but I have been in the US several years now; she got married back home and stayed there."

"Hi Amanda! I think you told me last night her English was not great. You never said you were the younger sister though."

"I'm not; we have another going here, Hope."

"I won't make any jokes about 'virtues' or 'temperance' then."

"Ha! You don't know my sister."

"Well if she is half as nice and mannerly as you I look forward to meeting her someday."

The closer she got and the more I looked one could see something in her that her beautiful sister would never have. It could only be described as wholesomeness. She was the kind of girl you would take home to Mama ASAP.

With her being in Advanced Chemistry, she either had to be pretty smart or smart as well as pretty. I realized better what she had meant about makeup, she wore very little.