HE TOOK HIS FIANCÉE TO HIS POOR HOMETOWN TO TEST HER—BUT THE PAPER SHE HANDED HIM LEFT HIM TOO ASHAMED TO MEET HER EYES

rode an aging bus from Houston to San Antonio, then transferred to a smaller shuttle that traveled dusty country roads lined with fields, mesquite trees, scattered houses, and long stretches of dry land beneath the afternoon sun.

Throughout the journey, Diego secretly observed her.

Lucia never complained. The bus was crowded, the air-conditioning barely continue reading …