by Emily Woods
“Admit it, she’s beautiful,” Timmy said as he and Danny walked along the dirt road just outside of Pinecone. “She ain’t Evana, but she’s a different kind of beautiful.”
Danny nodded. “She ain’t Evana. Nobody is Evana. But Evana doesn’t want me anymore…”
“Exactly,” Timmy replied. “She wanted someone else. Not you. You have this real beautiful, wonderful, Godly woman in front of you now, and she is ready for you to step up and care for her. Danny, just open your heart! I’ve been praying for you, and so has Cassie. This is what was decided, so you need to be a man and make Jeanne feel at home!”
Danny shrugged. It had been two weeks since Jeanne’s arrival in Pinecone, and after a tense meeting with his father and brother, it had been decided that Jeanne and her daughter would remain at Timmy and Cassie’s home in hopes that Jeanne and Danny would get to know each other.
“There ain’t another choice,” Jackson had told his sons with a look of concern. “Timmy, you sent for her, so you will be responsible for taking care of her, at least for now. Danny, I hope you can see that your brother tried real hard to make you happy. We’ve all been real worried about you, son. You ain’t like you used to be. I know Evana broke your heart, but maybe this Jeanne can help you to feel like yourself again. You never know what can happen. Your ma and I fell in love in an unexpected way, and maybe you will too, Danny.”
Danny had grimaced as his father told him the plan. He turned to glare at his brother. “How could you do this to me, Tim?” Danny glowered. “My heart is broken. I can hardly take care of myself, let alone some woman and her daughter! How could you do this?”
Timmy had shrugged. “I’m looking out for you, brother,” Timmy replied. “Jeanne is a real nice, honest girl. You need someone like that in your life. You ain’t got to marry her tomorrow, Danny, but you got to give her a chance.”
Danny had stormed out of the house, and Julia had gone to find Jeanne.
“Dear,” Julia began. “We’re real sorry about Danny, and we’re real sorry that Timmy tricked you into coming here.”
Timmy had nodded, hanging his head.
“This is what we will do. You will stay with Timmy and Cassie. You and Danny will spend some time together, and if after a few weeks, marriage still seems impossible, we will try to find a local fellow for you to marry. We know it isn’t easy to leave your home and to travel with children. I came here alone with the two boys many years ago, and I can only imagine you must be so scared and tired. The Lord is listening though, dear, and Jackson and I are praying for you. You will either marry our son, or we will help you find someone else to take care of you.”
Jeanne had nodded obediently, not feeling like she had any other choice. She had no money and no other prospects, and she dutifully walked with Julia to Timmy and Cassie’s house.
“You two sat next to each other in church yesterday, and I saw you staring at her!” Timmy said to his brother, clapping a hand on Danny’s shoulder as the two walked. “Danny, you have to give her a chance. If you don’t, you’ll lose her. She’s wonderful, Danny. Cassie and I love having her around! She helps cook and clean, she reads the Bible with her little girl, and she is real kind and loving. You would be darn fool if you let her get away!”
Danny sighed. He knew that everyone hoped he would get along with Jeanne. He had overheard his mother praying about Jeanne just that morning, and Timmy dropped each and every hint he could whenever the brothers spent time together. Danny just felt unsure. He was still trying to understand how he had lost Evana, and the pressures of becoming a husband and a father to two strangers wasn’t something he was easily processing.
“Just give me time, Tim,” Danny said, his brow furrowed. “You have to let me come around on my own time. I loved Evana since I was a boy, and this ain’t easy.”
Timmy reached over and threw an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “I know, Danny,” Timmy said gently. “I know you just need time.”
“It’s been two weeks, Cassie,” Jeanne lamented as the two women prepared dinner. “He barely speaks to me, and he can hardly bring himself to look at me!”
Cassie wiped her hands on her apron and shook her head. “He sat next to you at church yesterday, Jeanne! That ain’t important?”
Jeanne rolled her eyes. “You and Timmy set that up! I watched you two rearrange yourselves so that Danny and I were next to each other. That doesn’t mean anything.”
Cassie sighed. “You just have to be patient with Danny,” she said seriously. “He’s been through a lot, Jeanne.”
“So have I, Cassie!” Jeanne exclaimed. “Everyone around here acts like Danny is so delicate, but it’s me who has been through the worst! I have no mother to turn to, my father has been locked up since I was a girl, and my husband perished! I have a baby girl who depends on me for everything, and now, I have a husband-to-be who doesn’t really want me around! It’s terrible, Cassie! I wish you all would stop telling me to feel sorry for Danny and see how difficult it’s been for me.”
Cassie’s jaw dropped. She stared at Jeanne in disbelief. Jeanne was usually calm and reserved, and Cassie had never seen this side of her before.
Jeanne looked down at her boots, ashamed of her outburst. “I’m sorry, Cassie,” she said, wiping her own hands and reaching to embrace Cassie. “That was too much. You and Timmy have done so much for me, and really, if it weren’t for Timmy, I would still be marching back and forth to that horrible factory every night and morning. This isn’t what I expected, but it’s better than what I had.”
Cassie put her arm around Jeanne’s thin shoulders. “It will all be alright,” she said. “We’re all praying for you, Jeanne. Just have faith. Danny will come around, I just know it!”
“Girls?” Timmy called out as he walked into his home. “Cassie? Jeanne? We have a visitor!”
Timmy pulled Danny into the house. It had taken some convincing, but Timmy had persuaded Danny to join he, Cassie, and Jeanne for dinner, and he was hopeful that Danny and Jeanne would enjoy their time together.
“Jeanne? Jeanne, Danny is here!” Cassie called up to Jeanne as she came down the stairs. Jeanne did not appear, and Cassie sprinted back up to the spare bedroom.
“Jeanne!” Cassie cried out. “Jeanne, Danny is here!”
Jeanne had been napping, and she rubbed the sleep out of her dark eyes as she registered what Cassie was saying.
“He’s here, Jeanne! You can’t go downstairs looking like a sleepy mess. I ain’t going to let you do that! Let’s get you prettied up, Jeanne! You can show Danny just how pretty of a wife you would make him!”
Cassie pulled Jeanne from bed and riffled through the small, plain bag Jeanne had carried with her to California.
“Jeanne!” Cassie said in horror. “You have no pretty dresses to wear for Danny! These skirts are just awful. Where are your nice Sunday clothes?”
Jeanne shook her head. “I don’t have nice Sunday clothes,” she admitted. “I’ve been borrowing yours for church. Back home, our church was very informal, which was good, because I didn’t have the money to afford a nice church dress.”
Cassie scanned Jeanne with her eyes and ran out of the room, returning several minutes later with a handful of worn but still pretty dresses.
“Try these,” Cassie said, throwing the frocks at Jeanne. “I’ve worn them all to pieces, but they are all clean and pretty. Surely something will fit you!”
“Mama pretty!” Joela said, her large, brown eyes bright with excitement as Cassie cooed at her.
“Move it, Jeanne! Try the first one on. I have a pair of matching gloves and a matching petticoat to go with it. I hope it fits!”
Jeanne was much thinner than Cassie, but luckily, the very last dress fit Jeanne’s small body perfectly. It was a rose-colored dress with a high neckline, and the color brought out Jeanne’s eyes.
“It’s lovely!” Jeanne exclaimed, looking down at herself as she ran her hands over the soft dress. “It’s too lovely. I c
an’t wear this!”
Cassie shook her head. “Of course you can! You need to look nice for Danny, and the dress fits you real good! We’ll tie a ribbon around the middle to make your little waist look nice. Why is your waist so small and pretty? You had a baby and you still look as small as my pinkie!”
Cassie ran out of the room and came back with a black satin ribbon. “Hold still,” Cassie ordered Jeanne. “I’ll tie this here, and you’ll look real perfect. It ain’t new, and it ain’t that fancy, but I think you look wonderful!”
Cassie stepped back to survey her handiwork. “We need to do something about your hair,” she muttered to herself. “Sit down, Jeanne.”
Cassie directed Jeanne to a narrow wooden chair and guided her down. “I’m going to brush out your hair and make it shine like the Pinecone stars,” Cassie said, reaching for the antique hairbrush given to her by her mother when she came of age. “You have such beautiful hair! You should wear it down more. It would be real pretty if you wore it down and long around your waist.”
Cassie ran her fingers through Jeanne’s glossy black hair. She brushed nearly two hundred strokes, and the hair fell perfectly down Jeanne’s back. The locks were straight, but they fell into loose curls at the very ends.
“He won’t know what to do about you!” Cassie exclaimed as she finished brushing out Jeanne’s hair. “Let me get one more thing.”
Cassie left the room once again and returned with a small barrette. The barrette was dotted with tiny, milky-white pearls, and Cassie grinned as she fastened it in Jeanne’s hair.
“I wore this on my wedding day,” Cassie said to Jeanne, adjusting the barrette in Jeanne’s dark hair. “My ma gave it to me. She said it would bring me good luck in my love with Timmy. I know it ain’t your wedding day, but this dinner could change things with you and Danny! You are a real nice girl, Jeanne, and I hope we are sisters someday.”
Cassie handed Jeanne a small, porcelain hand mirror. “Look at yourself! You are real pretty!”
Jeanne gasped. Her hair had never looked shinier, and the white pearls in the barrette made her look refined. The high neckline of the gown accentuated Jeanne’s long, graceful neck, and she smiled demurely at her reflection as Joela clapped her hands.
“Mama pretty! Mama pretty!” Joela yelled in delight.
“Yes, little one,” Cassie agreed. “Your mama is real pretty.”
The beginning of dinner was uncomfortable for everyone. Cassie was nervous and spoke too much, Timmy was nervous and spoke too little, and Danny and Jeanne hardly touched their food. Finally, Timmy summoned Cassie to the kitchen, and the married couple left the table, their heads bent together as they whispered.
Jeanne looked at Danny and felt her stomach tumble. He was undeniably handsome. With his dark blue eyes and muscular arms, Danny was the epitome of masculinity. Jeanne felt herself blush as she studied his chiseled jawline out of the corner of her eye, and she slowly floated her arm closer to his as they sat together.
“Dinner was good,” Jeanne said, not looking directly at Danny, but feeling his gaze on her. “I hope you enjoyed it. Cassie and I spent all day preparing the turkey.”
Danny nodded, and Jeanne felt her spirits lift.
“My favorite thing to cook is a beef stew. Have you ever had beef stew, Danny? I’ll have to prepare it for you sometime. My husband used to love it, and I miss making it for someone.”
Danny placed a hand atop Jeanne’s, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
“Your husband,” Danny said. “I read the letters you sent to Timmy...well...to me. Your husband died, I read? I’m real sorry about that. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love.”
Jeanne turned to face Danny. His hand was still atop of hers, and she could feel her heart beating furiously as his blue eyes stared into her dark ones.
“Losing the one you love is never easy,” Jeanne agreed. “But I do believe God gives us all enough heart to love again. He is faithful, and He wants us all to love and be loved. That’s what I believe.”
Jeanne watched as Danny’s eyes filled with tears. She placed her free hand atop of his. Their hands were now stacked on the table, and she looked down at her small hand resting on his large one.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Danny took his hand away, but he placed it on Jeanne’s shoulder. “You know how it feels to lose someone you love,” he said. “What you said about the Lord wanting us to love again was real nice, Jeanne. I’ve been reading your letters, and you seem like a real nice lady, and what you just said made me feel...understood.”
Jeanne smiled at Danny. She was nervous. This was the most they had spoken since the first time they met, and she didn’t want to ruin anything. She was happy that he was responding to her, and as she sat with Danny in her pretty gown, she felt confident that the Lord had been listening to her prayers.
“May I pray for us?” Jeanne asked, looking sweetly into Danny’s eyes. “I know that Timmy prayed for the table before we ate, but I’ve been praying for you before you even knew I existed, and I would love to pray for us now.”
Danny nodded, and Jeanne closed her eyes.
“Dear Lord,” Jeanne began. “Thank you for this meal and for the hands that prepared our food. Thank you for the time spent together with dear ones and new friends. Thank you for bringing me to this table in Pinecone, California, and for giving me the honor of meeting these people. Lord, I pray for Danny tonight. I pray that Danny feels consumed by Your love, and that he understands the power of Your grace and redemption. I pray that Danny knows how much I have been praying for him, and I hope he understands that I know how badly it hurts to lose someone. Lord, You have redeemed me, and You are making something beautiful from the ashes of my losses. I pray that You show Danny Your love, and that You give him the love and redemption You have given me as he walks through his path of loss. Amen.”
Jeanne finished her prayer and as she opened her eyes, she found Danny wiping tears from his cheeks.
“That was real nice,” Danny said, his voice shaking. “Thank you, Jeanne.”
Danny rose from his chair and pulled Jeanne to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest.
“No one has prayed for me like that before,” Danny said, gingerly placing a hand on Jeanne’s cheek. “That was real nice, Jeanne.”
Danny pulled Jeanne even closer. She could feel the loud, powerful beating of his heart. Jeanne had not been this close to a man since her husband had died, and she melted into Danny’s arms as he held her.
“Jeanne,” Danny whispered. “Jeanne, thank you.”
Danny leaned down and with his thumb, he guided Jeanne’s mouth to his. He ran a hand through her glossy black hair as he kissed her, and the instant their lips first met, Jeanne felt the deep tug of desire that she thought had died with her husband.
“Danny,” Jeanne whispered back as Danny kissed her harder. “Danny.”
Jeanne wrapped her arms around Danny’s neck. He was so much taller than she was, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach him. Jeanne pressed herself against Danny, and he pulled her waist to his. Jeanne could feel Danny’s urgency, and she quickly pulled away.
“Danny,” Jeanne said, staring up into his eyes, her cheeks flushed. “Danny, I want to take things slow.”
Danny nodded, but he reached for Jeanne again. She stepped back and placed a hand on his chest.
“Danny,” Jeanne murmured. “I’m not your wife, and I don’t want to do anything that would dishonor the Lord. Let’s take things slowly.”
Danny nodded again, and a smile came to his lips. Jeanne had never seen him smile before, and her heart tossed and turned as his lips turned upward.
“He is so handsome,” Jeanne thought. She couldn’t stand it anymore, and in spite of herself, she ran back into Danny’s arms, leaning into the embrace and closing her eyes in anticipation of another long, passionate kiss.
6
“It’s perfect!” Jeanne gushed as Cassie grinned at her. “You’ve made magic out of this dress!”
The two women were upstairs in Jeanne’s room. Jeanne was standing before Cassie in a long, white dress, and the two women were giggling as Cassie arranged pins and needles to fit the dress to Jeanne’s thin body.
“I can’t believe this is all happening at last!” Cassie screeched, her eyes bright with joy. “That night at dinner just changed it all! He ain’t been the same, Jeanne, and it’s all because of you!”
Jeanne beamed. “I know! It’s all working out, Cassie! The Lord was smiling on us three weeks ago at that dinner, and He’s been smiling down on us ever since! Danny’s been so sweet. He’s taken me on walks and picnics, and he’s read the Bible with Joela and me! He’s been so attentive and gentle, and I couldn’t ask for a better husband-to-be!”
“A husband-to-be!” Cassie squealed. “That brother-in-law of mine has finally woken up! He ain’t in that dark hole anymore at last, and it’s all because of you!”
Jeanne hugged her soon-to-be sister-in-law. The two women had grown close, and when Danny finally proposal marriage three days ago, Cassie was the first person Jeanne told. Now, as Cassie adjusted one of her old dresses to fit Jeanne for the wedding ceremony next week, Jeanne could not imagine sharing her joy with anyone else.
“I’m a little nervous about the wedding night, though,” Jeanne admitted, lowering her voice as she watched Joela playing in the corner. “It’s been so long since I did anything of that sort of wifely nature. What if I let Danny down?”
Cassie smirked at Jeanne. “Jeanne,” she said. “Danny ain’t been married before, and he’s a good, loyal man of God. He will be more excited to spend his wedding night with you than he’s ever been to do anything in his whole life! You should see the way he looks at you. When you walk into a room, it looks like his heart is about to burst with excitement! You ain’t got to be nervous, Jeanne. You’ve been a wife before. You’ll know what to do.”