Queen Read Free Page B

outside the bus another glance. Where in the world would one wander to? she thought. There was nothing to see and nowhere to go.
    She, along with a large assortment of passengers that had accumulated from various stops the bus had made while she slept, got off and straggled in a slipshod line toward the smell of fresh coffee and frying bacon.
    "Y'all come on in," a waitress called out as the first of the group came through the door. "Find yourself a seat, I'll be with you in a sec."
    Queen chose a single stool at the bar rather than a booth. It was too early in the morning for socializing, especially with a bunch of strangers she sincerely hoped she'd never see again.
    Two cups of coffee and a plate of eggs and hash browns later, she rose, paid her bill, and headed for the door, intent on stretching her legs for whatever time was left. She was too tall to be comfortable on the cramped bus seats.
    The air was warm and dry. She turned around and faced the east, letting the rays of the early morning sun shine a welcome on her face. Her ample bust pressed tightly against her thin cotton shirt as she raised her arms above her head and tilted her head from side to side to loosen her stiff, aching muscles.
    The bus driver inside the diner paused in the act of y a sip of his coffee and stared, lost in the sight of womanly shape. Although she was a beautiful lady, he'd noticed that she rarely smiled. It had been his experience that women who looked the way she did usually appreciated the admiration of the opposite sex. This one led to be the exception to the rule. Her face was striking… an unforgettable combination wide, clear green eyes above high cheekbones, a ht. perfect nose, and a mouth that would have tried to be kissed were it not for the stubbornness r chin and the warning her body language gave, dark red hair was long and curly, and in the morning sun it looked like a halo of fire. He shuddered, itching her backside sway as she walked away, and not to think of how those long legs might wrap around a man and never let him go.
    Queen took advantage of the remaining minutes to brush her hair and her teeth in the ladies' room and her teeth in the ladies' room and wished again for a chance to shower and change. But the driver's warning bellow quelled the thought. It was time to go.
    Two new passengers boarded, a mother and her child and Queen held her breath, hoping she wouldn't have to share the empty seat beside her. She wasn't in the mood for three states of small talk. Fortunately the harried mother chose to sit in the front of the bus with her toddler son.
    Three hours later Queen realized she could have wed herself the worry. Ultimately the mother's location was moot, as the toddler had taken free rein of the aisle of the bus. Queen winced at the mother's shrill voice and stared out the window as she listened to her repeated but apathetic warnings to the child.
    "Frank! You get on back here now. You hear me? I'll whip your butt if you don't, and I mean it."
    It was obvious that Frank, the toddler, had heard that impotent threat too many times before to pay close attention. He paused at Queen's seat and looked up at her, venturing a smile. Then he glanced down at the colorful map sticking half in and half out of her pocket.
    "Book?" he said, pointing at the map.
    Queen smiled in spite of herself and wondered why the mother hadn't bothered to wash the child's face this morning. Remnants of breakfast hung on his chin and down the front of his grimy little shirt.
    "No, that's not a book," she said softly. "It's my map."
    "Map." The toddler nodded as he repeated the word, uncertain what it meant but willing to agree, happy with the gentle tone of her voice and the smile on her face.
    "Frank! You leave them people alone, and you do it now! Hear me?"
    Frank didn't wince. Queen wondered if he was even three. His soft brown eyes were huge, but he was small, blond, and spindly, and his bare belly distended suspiciously over baggy