Excerpt: From Grains of Sand, Pearls

The woman's mouth opened and her eyes widened and then her face got all cold and calm. Her delicate, lace-gloved hands folded on her lap and she turned her head, looking like she wanted to take in the view of something far away. Her hair coiled in perfect ringlets.
Her dress resembled something out of a dream, all layers of lace and silk and little dangling pearls, a perfect sky blue with cream froth. All that fine cloth gathered up into a corset as tight as any saloon girl, but the lady looked refined. And she had a cute jacket, knee length but cut so that it couldn’t possibly close in the front. She had a black velvet cloak with ermine fur around the hood, and boots with the same blue silk over the leather, embroidered on with fancy cream ripples of thread.
Molly wondered if she had boots that matched every dress.
James tugged on Molly's hand. "Our cabin is this way."
Molly glanced over the man, but even that much made her feel warm and soft inside. He had a short beard and mustache that showed off his soft, pale mouth, and shoulder-length hair worn loose under a top hat with a jeweled band. His dove-gray suit showed off the darkness of his hair and the delicate dusky color of his skin and his broad, broad shoulders ...
The main room had two doors at each end and James led her to the fancy door on the right toward the back. The door was mostly glass, and foggy except for a clear pattern that was like flowers but none she'd ever seen, even in dreams. A little room, smaller than their cabin, was on the other side and it had two fancy beds with silk comforters and a red velvet-covered wall patterned with black flowers that had another door. Through that door were two more bigger beds. Both rooms had nice sinks and pitchers that were cupped inside the cherrywood furniture so they wouldn't topple.
Molly felt dizzy and a little scared, of what she didn't know except that she knew she didn’t belong here. "I can't do this."
"Do what?"
"I don't belong here. I need to go back." She couldn't breathe.
"Molly, please--"
"You always say please but you pointed a gun at me!" She tried to get past him but he got in the doorway.
"You cannot go back."
"They don't want me here any more than I want to be here."
"Keep your voice down."
"Why? Because they might hear what, that I'm pissed off, that I'm scared? If I'm who I say I am then what am I afraid of, huh?"