by Janice Hanna
“No, they’re far more than that. They are an act of love, and it shows in every detail.” She threw her arms around Anne’s neck. “Every single element is perfect. How can I ever thank you?”
“By living happily-ever-after with Cody.”
“Oh, I plan to do that.” She reached over and grabbed one of the little sandwiches and gave it a nibble. “Mmm. I still can’t believe you came up with this recipe. Who would have dreamed you could put cream cheese in a sandwich?”
“Or in frosting on a cake.” Maggie drew near and shook her head. “This is the first time I’ve made a cake with cream-cheese frosting, but I’m addicted. Don’t see as I can ever turn back. My waistline just won’t be the same after this.” She put her hands on her broad hips and grinned. “Think anyone will notice an extra pound or two?”
“Maggie, on you, it will just look like love.” Anne leaned over and gave the dear woman on a kiss on the cheek.
“Girl, you are almost as sweet as that cake.” Maggie grinned. “Almost.”
“Thank you, Maggie. I could say the same about you.”
Before long, the music began and toes started tapping. Folks enjoyed a dance or two, along with sandwiches and punch. Finally the time arrived to cut the cake. Virginia and Cody enjoyed the first slice…after Virginia smeared it all over Cody’s face. He returned the favor in short order and everyone had a good laugh.
As Anne sliced up pieces of Maggie’s cake, she pondered the suggestion Mrs. Harrison had made just yesterday. Maybe once she got settled in Dallas, she could hire herself out as a wedding coordinator. But how did one go about advertising services such as that? And would she really be comfortable, offering her services in a place where she knew no one? Perhaps Mrs. Witherspoon could be of help. Yes, surely she had connections.
Anne didn’t have time to give it much more thought. Folks rushed the table for that delicious cake. Cassie Martin came back later and asked for a second piece. “I’ve never had cake with raspberry jam between the layers. Whose idea was that?”
“Oh, well…” Anne shrugged.
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
“You’re making it harder and harder for me to dislike you.”
“Dislike me?”
“Yes.” Cassie sighed. “I see how Jake looks at you.”
“O–oh?” Anne passed her another piece of cake, hoping to avoid the conversation.
“Anyway, the cake is great.” Cassie plunged her fork into the second piece and shoveled a bite into her mouth. “Mmm. Almost makes the broken heart bearable.” She shrugged and headed back to the other side of the church lawn, leaving Anne’s thoughts whirling.
Oh well. Just one more thing she wouldn’t have to worry about once she arrived in Dallas. Cassie Martin could rest easy, knowing that Jake wasn’t distracted by a wayfaring stranger. Almost immediately, a lump rose in Anne’s throat. She did her best to swallow it but couldn’t quite manage it. Thankfully, Uncle Bert showed up for another slice of cake, which provided the perfect distraction. Today she could use all the distractions she could get.
The musicians played a rousing song, and wedding guests took to dancing. Well, all but Aunt Bets and Uncle Leo, who stood off to the side as always. Bets’s arms were folded at her chest, and she had a sour expression on her face. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Leo had taken Maggie’s hand and led her to the floor for a rousing folk dance.
Jake watched from the sidelines, wishing Anne would finish serving up cake so he could ask her to dance. He observed John, taking Ruth by the hand and gliding her around the dance floor. Then came Joseph, who bowed and took Milly by the hand. She giggled and the pair began to dance. Same with Jeremiah and Cora…and Jedediah and Pauline. Looked like all the O’Farrell brothers had been caught up in the dance…minus one.
Then an idea occurred to Jake, one he couldn’t squelch. He walked over to Aunt Bets and offered her his hand. For a moment, she looked as if she didn’t know what to do. Then, with her face as tight as a drum, she took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the center of the floor. He swept her into his arms and led her in a waltz. Her ease of steps caught him by surprise. So much for thinking she didn’t believe in dancing.
Seconds later, Jake deliberately bumped into his mother and Leo. “If you don’t mind,” he said to Leo, “I’d like to switch partners.”
In that moment, it felt as if everything in the place shifted to slow motion. Jake released his hold on Bets and took his mother’s hand instead. This, of course, left Leo and Bets standing in the middle of the dance floor, staring at one another. Leo, God bless him, grabbed his wife and managed to get her to dance. For a moment or two, anyway. When the song ended, she ran from the dance floor, up the steps of the church, and inside, away from the crowd.
“Anne, did you see what just happened?”
Anne glanced up from her cake slicing, noticing the excitement in Emily’s eyes. “No, what’s that?”
“Bets and Leo were dancing.”
“No.” She glanced at the dance floor. Through the crowd she made out Leo, but he was alone.
“Bets got upset and ran into the church. Maggie went after her.”
“Oh, dear. Emily, stay here in case anyone needs more cake, all right?”
Emily’s eyes widened and she nodded.
“I’ll be right back.” Anne hiked up her skirt and ran toward the church, almost tripping up the steps in her hurry. By the time she got inside, Bets was seated in the back pew with Maggie at her side. Anne had never seen a person weep with such intensity. She sobbed until Anne wondered if she might make herself sick.
When Bets finally came up for air, Maggie handed her a fresh handkerchief. “There, there, honey. I’m so sorry you’re upset.”
“He…he…danced with me.”
“Well, of course he did. He’s your husband. Who better to dance with you?”
“Oh, Maggie, I don’t expect you to understand. You and James had the best relationship in the world.” Bets looked over at her sister, her nose red and eyes still damp. “With Leo and me, it’s different.”
Anne couldn’t help but ask the question that had left her puzzled for days. “Why did you marry him, Bets?”
“W–what?” She looked at Anne, eyes wide.
“I don’t mean to pry, but it’s clear you’re unhappily matched. Please forgive me if I’m out of line in asking, but whyever would you marry someone you can’t abide?”
Bets stared at her and her eyes filled with tears once again. “It breaks my heart that folks assume I don’t love Leo. He was—is—the love of my life.”
Anne hardly knew what to say. She’d assumed something entirely different.
“Old habits die hard.” Bets blew her nose.
Anne couldn’t quite make sense of that. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean, we started bickering back in the old days and now I don’t know how to stop. It’s become an ugly habit.” Tears welled up. “You have no idea how much I’d love to just grab that man by the shoulders and plant a kiss on his wrinkled old face.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “My, I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”
“Well, why don’t you?” Maggie asked.
“Pride. Stubbornness.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Half the time I’m afraid he’ll have a heart attack if I kiss him instead of lashing out.”
“So you continue to lash out instead?” Maggie fussed with her apron. “I daresay he stands a better chance at having a heart attack over all the arguing than a good kiss. A kiss can heal wounds, not create them.”
“At this point, I’m not so sure.” She dabbed her eyes. “You have no idea how jealous I am when I see couples in love.” She pointed at Anne. “Say you and Jakey, for instance.”
“W–what?” Anne took a step back as she absorbed Bets’s words.
“Well, sure. Don’t tell me you’re trying to keep it a secret. It’s as obvious as that red flush in your cheeks. You two are so hap
py… and meant to be together.”
“I really don’t know what you’re referring to.”
Bets shrugged. “Well, honey, I’m old and crotchety and my vision’s not that good. But even I can see it, plain as day.”
“Love is an interesting thing, isn’t it?” Maggie slipped her arm around Bets’s shoulders. “It causes us to act in strange ways. But I think I know just what needs to be done here, Betsy. I think you need to hightail it back out there and dance with your husband—and not just one dance, but as many as your feet can stand. You know what they say…actions speak louder than words.”
“I–I’m not sure I can.”
“You can. And you will.” Maggie rose and extended her hand, which Bets took.
“I’ll do my best.” Bets offered the first smile of the day—until she happened to gaze at the garlands that hung just to their right. She took a couple of steps in that direction, gazing at the flowers. “Are these calla lilies?”
Anne’s heart quickened.
“Why, yes, I believe they are.” Maggie fussed with her hair. “Pretty, aren’t they?”
“But I don’t know anyone else in town who has this color of callas.” Bets looked her way, eyes narrowing.
Maggie patted her on the back. “Now, don’t call for the sheriff, Bets. Leo said we could take them.”
“He did what?” Her face grew red.
“He said we could take them, and we took them. And here they are, gracing the aisles of a church where people are dancing outside. Don’t you see, honey? It was all meant to be. Your flowers. Your dance. This day was meant for you.”
Anne wasn’t sure how Bets would respond to those words, but in the end, the poor, dear soul flung her arms around her sister’s neck and then allowed herself to be pulled out to the dance floor, where she spent the rest of the afternoon kicking up her heels with the love of her life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Summer is upon us, and love is in the air. Fellas, if you’re in need of advice on how to woo a lady proper-like, you’ve come to the right place. Here in the Texas Panhandle, we’ve conquered the art of courting. I asked my wife to help me put together a list of things a fella could do to catch a lady’s eye. First off, learn how to talk to her. Don’t bore her with the price of cattle or the latest automobile fad. Make sure you flatter her and call her “darlin’ ” or “honey.” Tell her how pretty that new bonnet is. And pull out her chair for her when you sit down to a meal. Sweep her into your arms and waltz her around the room on occasion. And for heaven’s sake, bring home flowers after you’ve had an argument. I brought home a dozen red roses just last night. —“Tex” Morgan, reporting for the Panhandle Primer
After the dancing came to an end, Jake gathered his four brothers on the church steps. If they couldn’t advise him on the art of coaxing Anne to stay in Groom, no one could.
“Fellas, I need to talk to you. I need some advice.”
“What sort of advice?” John leaned against the railing and gave Jake a curious look.
“Female advice.”
“Ah…female advice.” Jeremiah chuckled. “Now we’re talkin’. How can we help?” He plopped down on the top step and rested his elbows on his knees.
Jake looked at his brothers. Gathered here on the front porch of the church, they looked like a proper wedding party. Perhaps one day soon they would be.
“You’re all married men, so you’ve figured out how to court a lady. I need advice. I don’t want Anne to leave, but it’s too soon to ask her to stay. At least, I think it is. I’m not sure. That’s the problem. Nothing is clear anymore. I used to think I knew what I was doing, but now I can’t even remember if I put my socks on this morning. Do you see my problem?”
“Plain as day,” Joseph said. He gave Jake a pensive look. “You’re in love.”
“Yeah…” Jake sighed and leaned against the railing. “And it’s just plain awful.”
“Yep.” Jedediah drew near and patted him on the shoulder. “Wish I could say there was a cure, but it’s terminal.”
“Don’t really want to recover,” Jake said. “Just need to know what to do about it. She’s leaving in two days, and I don’t want her to.”
“Does she know that?” John asked. “Have you told her that you care about her?”
“Well, I’ve held her hand and comforted her a time or two,” he said. He wanted to add, “And planted a few kisses in her hair,” but thought they might laugh at him.
“You need to court her proper-like,” Jeremiah said. “You’ve always been loaded with ideas. I would think this would be the perfect time to come up with a few new ones.”
“Remember the time you decided we could cut down on our workload if we would just put ourselves on a schedule?” Jeremiah leaned against the edge of the barn. “You were right.”
“And remember when you got that idea—we all thought it was harebrained—to move the cattle to the south pasture because it’s more shaded?” John laughed then stopped abruptly. “Turned out you were right.”
“Now that I think on it, you’ve been right most of the time,” Jedediah said. “Least when it comes to good ideas.”
“So what’s stopping you from coming up with an idea to keep Anne here?” John asked. “If anyone could do it, you could.”
“Really? You think so?” Jake felt his confidence growing.
“Sure.” Joseph grinned. “A-course, you could put a feed sack over her head and throw her over your shoulder like we did to you.”
“I don’t think so. Not exactly the proper way to win her heart.”
“Well, then, what if you work up a few tears?” Jedediah suggested. “I read about a fella who did that once. He blubbered like a baby.”
“Did it win him the lady?” Jake asked, considering the idea.
“Nah. She thought he was a big sissy.”
“I’m not the cryin’ type, anyway.” Jake paced the area in front of the church steps.
“There’s only one idea that works, Jake.” John put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “You’re going to have to come out and tell her you care about her.”
“Won’t be easy,” Joseph added. “I remember the first time I told Milly. My palms were sweaty and I thought I was gonna be sick.”
“Why didn’t you fellas warn me that it was gonna be like this?” Jake asked. “I had no idea love was so difficult.”
“Oh, it’s difficult all right.” Jeremiah sighed. “Just wait till you’re married to her for a few years and have a couple of screaming young’uns runnin’ around the house. Then you’ll know what real love looks like.”
“Hmm. How did we jump from telling her that I care about her to being married and having young’uns?” Jake asked.
“Trust me, it’s not as big a leap as you might think.” Jeremiah grinned and slapped him on the back. “So prepare yourself for the inevitable. If you tell her you love her, you’d best be prepared to show it by walking down the aisle.”
“This might be a good time to remind you that I just met her eight days ago.” Jake chuckled.
“True, but when you know it’s right, there’s no point in waiting. Besides, you don’t want her to slip away, do you? She’s leaving town tomorrow, isn’t she?”
“Monday.”
“Monday.” All four of Jake’s brothers spoke the word in unison.
“Doesn’t give you much time to come up with something brilliant to say.” Joseph’s brow wrinkled.
“If you’re really asking for help, I know who to call on,” John said.
Jake perked up at this proclamation. “Who’s that?”
“Just a minute.” John left and returned with Ruth, Cora, Pauline, and Milly.
“Ladies, my little brother here needs your advice.” John gave them a nod. “It’s a matter of life and death.”
“Life and death?” Cora’s eyes widened. “Who’s dying?”
“Jake, if he can’t convince Anne to stay. So you’ve got to help him. Tell him what to say to he
r.”
All the ladies began to squeal at once. Jake felt embarrassment wash over him. This wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured the conversation going but he listened anyway, just in case any of the women had some good advice.
Before long, Milly got control of the situation. “Now, Jake, you have a seat. We’re going to give you some courtin’ tips, and I want you to commit them to memory.”
As his brothers’ wives began to offer their suggestions, Jake found himself overwhelmed. Their ideas were good, no doubt, but he didn’t have time to do half the things they mentioned.
He played along, nodding when appropriate, but all the while knowing this really just came down to one thing—courage. He had to work up the courage to tell her. And he would do it today, before they left the church.
When most of the wedding guests had gone, Anne stayed with Maggie, Uncle Bertrand, and a host of others to clean up the mess. Jake and his brothers helped with the big stuff—the tables and so forth. Then they disappeared to the front porch steps to drink lemonade and gab—probably about the weather. The skies overhead had grown heavy. Thank goodness the wedding was behind them. Looked like they had a storm brewing.
Just as she loaded up the last of the dirty tablecloths, a familiar voice sounded from behind her. “Anne, can I ask you a question?”
She turned to face Amaryllis. “Yes, of course. What is it?”
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?” Anne brushed some cake crumbs from her skirt.
“You’re just so…perfect.”
“W–what?” Anne brought her hand to her chest as she tried to make sense of Amaryllis’s words. Was she being serious…or poking fun? Anne could hardly tell.
“Yes. You’re one of those girls I’m supposed to hate.”
“I don’t understand.”
Amaryllis took another step toward her. “You remind me so much of a couple of the girls in my class back home. You’re so much like them, and yet you’re nothing like them. They were beautiful on the outside, like you.”