A few seats behind them, she spotted Graham Lindell, who turned his smile from Evie to raise his eyebrows at Kate as though asking if she was going to be next. Kate gave her head a tiny shake, and his shoulders shook with a silent laugh. She searched on through the faces in the church until her eyes landed on Aunt Hattie in the back pew. The little black woman’s hands were lifted up toward the ceiling and her face was an explosion of happy wrinkles. Graham’s sister, Fern, was right beside her with her hair combed and wearing what looked to be a new dress. Even Fern was smiling as much as Fern ever smiled.
The whole church was practically pulsing with happiness. Kate could feel it hopping from person to person. She wasn’t a bit surprised when one of the men in the back corner laughed right out loud. Everybody was happy for Evie. Happy for Mike. Kate was smiling too. Inside and out. How could she not on this day when her sister had to be the happiest girl in the world? And the luckiest.
Kate’s smile didn’t even dim when Jay Tanner gave her another amused grin as they reached the door of the church. What did she care what Jay Tanner thought? He’d driven in from who knew where. He’d be driving back out to the same place as soon as the festivities were over.
He wasn’t the kind of guy to let much grass grow under his feet. Mike told them Jay drove up from Nashville. And before that he’d been in Memphis. Not a man who would see anything of interest in a little one-store, wide-spot-in-the-road place like Rosey Corner.
They formed a line outside on the walkway. Evie claimed a receiving line after the wedding ceremony was every bit as important as the processional up to the altar. It was simply unfortunate the church faced toward the west. The sun was hitting them full force, and Kate hadn’t talked to three people before sweat rivulets began to slide down her sides. The fancy dress was going to be ruined. But at least she wasn’t wearing a black suit like the man beside her. He had to be melting, even if he did appear totally unbothered by the heat as he kept smiling at the people grabbing his hand and welcoming him to Rosey Corner.
Kate kept smiling too as they all squeezed her hand in turn, while giving her that knowing look and telling her she’d be next. She wanted to ask them, next to do what—faint from the heat? But she remembered her manners. It was Evie’s day, and Kate had promised her mother to be nice no matter how many people asked her when she and Carl Noland were going to follow her sister and Pastor Mike down the aisle into wedded bliss.
She even managed to keep her smile from flagging when Carl came out the door, his high cheekbones stained red. No doubt he’d been getting the same kind of remarks inside the church that she was hearing outside. If so, Carl’s ears were readier to hear them. He was looking at her like a little boy staring at a plate full of his favorite cookies after he’d just been told he could eat them all.
She liked Carl. She really did. After all, they’d grown up together in Rosey Corner. Had heard each other recite lessons in school. Had waded in creeks catching frogs. Had climbed trees and played hide-and-seek in her yard. But she’d never given the first thought to falling in love with Carl. It wasn’t going to happen.
She tried to keep the dismay from showing on her face as he grabbed both of her hands and gave her a bashful smile. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy. Ordinary with light blue eyes and brown hair that even with pomade never seemed to lay right on his head. He’d shot up five inches his senior year in school, and even though that had been a couple of years ago, he hadn’t quite figured out what to do with his longer arms and legs.
But none of that was why she couldn’t fall in love with him. It didn’t have anything to do with how he looked. It was everything else. How he didn’t like books. How he couldn’t imagine going anywhere farther than Edgeville. How he had to ponder every decision until the cows came home. Even something as unimportant as which piece of pie he wanted at a church dinner. He had no imagination at all. Kate needed imagination the way a rainbow needed color.
She tried to gently free her hands, but he grasped her fingers tighter. His hands were damp with sweat, and when he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbed a bit.
“Kate, you look beautiful,” he said, then stuttered a little as he went on. “I–I . . .”
“You look nice too, Carl.” Kate spoke up fast to cut him off. She had the horrible feeling that all the jibes from the church people were giving him the courage to pop the question right there in front of everybody. No way could she let that happen. Not now. Not here. She smiled her best smile and managed to tug her hands loose at last. “We can talk later. You need to go give Pastor Mike your congratulations.”
He kept his hands reached out toward her for a few seconds before he awkwardly dropped them to his side. “Right,” he said. “Later.”
She didn’t let her sigh come out. She kept smiling as Mrs. Jamison stepped up to take Carl’s place and tell her what a nice wedding it was and wasn’t love a beautiful thing.
When at last Mrs. Jamison turned toward Evie to tell her the exact same thing, Jay Tanner leaned closer to Kate and kept his voice low as he said, “Later, eh? Carl is one lucky fellow.”
Kate pretended not to understand him as she smiled at the next person in line. By the time every person had come out of the church and wrung her hand and talked about how pretty everything was, her cheeks were frozen in a smile and her dress was sticking to her back. Evie didn’t appear to be faring any better. Her cheeks were bright pink, the curls she’d worked so hard to straighten were going kinky again, and her lipstick was gone, along with her smile. But Mike looked happy enough for all of them as he put his arm around Evie and started to pull her close to him.
Evie pushed him back. “Watch out, Mike. You’ll mess up my dress. I have to look nice for the reception.”
She sounded almost cross. Newly married to the most wonderful man in the world and already forgetting to be happy. It was more than Kate could imagine and she had to force herself not to reach over and give Evie a shake.
“You look nice. You look better than nice.” Mike reached for Evie again and captured her this time, holding her gently as though she were a priceless treasure.
“They’re all waiting for us.” Evie put a hand against his chest to hold him away.
“They don’t need us to enjoy your mother’s pies and cakes. Everybody there will have a full plate.” Mike’s smile got bigger. “In fact, why don’t we let Kate make our excuses and just get in the car and head for the hotel in Louisville?”
“We can’t do that,” Evie protested. “Whatever would we tell everybody?”
“We wouldn’t tell them anything. We’d be in the car on the way to our honeymoon. But Kate could tell them we were overcome by the heat. It wouldn’t be a lie. I’m warming up to the idea of being a married man for sure.”
“Why, Mike Champion! What a thing to say!” Evie flushed beet red. That was the thing about being a redhead and so fair skinned. Every emotion bloomed bright on her face.
Kate knew exactly what was going through Evie’s mind, and Kate’s own cheeks warmed a little too. Evie would be thinking about the awkward conversation their mother had with them both a few nights earlier. About honeymoons and what to expect.
None of it was new to Kate. She’d found out how babies came to be when she was twelve. She hadn’t bothered asking her mother. She’d gone straight to Aunt Hattie, who helped women birth babies all the time and who told answers straight out if she knew them.
“It sounds some strange when a body talks it out,” Aunt Hattie had told her after explaining the way things worked. “But it ain’t nothin’ for you to worry your head over. When you meet the right feller and get married, it’ll be natural as breathing.” Aunt Hattie narrowed her eyes on Kate then as she went on. “But you make sure you do wait for the right feller and let the good Lord bless your union before you step down that path. Ain’t much worse for a woman than being led astray by a fast-talkin’ man with no thought of settling down. Babies can come on quick.”
Evie had found the r
ight man and had stood before the Lord and her friends and family and promised to love, honor, and obey till death do them part. So even though her face was burning red, her eyes were soft, yielding, ready.
Mike’s face had a different look too—one Kate had never seen—as he said, “I’m your husband now, Mrs. Champion.” With eyes tight on Evie’s face, he laughed softly, a low throaty sound.
Kate turned her eyes away from them. The look they were sharing was too private. Something Jay Tanner must have noted too. He took hold of Kate’s arm and whispered loudly, “I think you’d better show me where those cakes and pies are, sister Kate. The loving couple seem to be in need of a little time alone. Or maybe a lot of time alone.”
Kate started away with him, but then looked back at Evie. “It won’t be right if you don’t come. Everybody expects you to be there.” She didn’t look at Mike. She couldn’t very well tell him what to do, but she could Evie.
“Oh hush, Kate.” Evie flashed a look toward Kate. “You wouldn’t go if you didn’t want to. You’d probably just elope to begin with.”
“Maybe so,” Kate agreed. “But I wouldn’t have had everybody baking for days for a party I claimed I had to have and then not show up.”
“Girls, girls! No fighting on my wedding day.” Mike laughed and took his eyes off Evie long enough to glance toward Kate. “Go on ahead and let them know we’ll be there soon as I pray over the car and get it started. Nobody will expect the bride to walk.” He smiled back down at Evie. “That way we can make a quick getaway.”
“After we cut the cake. We have to cut the cake.” Evie was smiling again too. “Kate, make sure Uncle Wyatt has his camera ready so he can take pictures of us getting there. I told him to get extra film.”
Kate bit her lip to keep from saying anything as she turned away from the happy couple. She reminded herself yet again that it was Evie’s day. Next week would be soon enough to tell her sister she wasn’t boss of the world. Or even of Rosey Corner. She hiked up her skirt a little and started off up the road as though she were the one who was late.
She’d almost forgotten Jay Tanner until he hurried after her. “Wait up. You want me to get my car?”
“No need. It’s not far.” She didn’t slow down and she didn’t look over her shoulder to see if Evie and Mike had headed toward his car. If they didn’t show up, they didn’t show up.
Jay fell in beside her, matching her stride. “So you and lucky Carl are planning to elope. Not tonight, I hope.”
“Whatever are you talking about?” Kate slowed a little to stare over at him. He was nice looking. She couldn’t deny that.
“You and Carl. Eloping.”
Kate let out a sigh. “I’m not eloping with anybody. And especially not Carl.”
“That’s probably good. He didn’t look like the eloping type.” He was pretending to be serious, but his eyes were full of teasing.
“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows at him. He was acting like he’d known her for years. There was something that easy about him. Something that was making her like him in spite of herself. “What or who is the eloping type?”
“You.” His smile came back full. “Me.” Now he was the one raising his eyebrows at her. Not just raising them, but waggling them. “What do you say? I’ve got a nearly full tank of gas.”
She couldn’t keep from laughing. “You’re out of your mind.”
“No doubt about that,” he agreed. “But we might have some fun.”
She shook her head at him. “The only place I’m going with you is to Grandfather Merritt’s house to eat wedding cake. Evie’s wedding cake.”
“Oh well.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “You can’t fault a guy for trying when he meets an angel.”
“You’ve been talking to Lorena.” Kate laughed again. “She’s a sweetheart, but I can assure you that she’s the only one who has ever imagined me anything like an angel. Just ask Evie.”
“Or Mike?”
She heard the underlying tone of his question, but she ignored it. “Or Mike. He’s been preaching at me since I was fourteen.”
“Fourteen, huh? He’s been preaching at me since I was eleven. So see, we have something in common already.” He grinned over at her. “We’ve both heard plenty of Mike’s sermons and we love him anyway. You do love him, don’t you?”
“Of course. He’s my brother-in-law.”
“Right, he is. And just think. After we elope, he’ll be my brother-in-law too.”
“You’re dreaming, Mr. Tanner. Completely dreaming.”
“But what a dream.” His grin turned into a laugh. “Eloping with an angel.”
His laugh was infectious and Kate couldn’t keep from smiling back at him. “Everybody needs a dream. But dreams don’t always come true.”
“I can’t argue with that.” His smile faded as he studied her. “Then again, sometimes if a man finds the rhythm that speaks to his heart and if he can dance the right steps, if he can find a way to pull hope out of thin air and not let doubt steal his dream or cause him to whittle it down too small, maybe he can grab hold of that dream and hang on for dear life. That kind of dream can make the sunrise brighter every morning.”
Kate stopped walking and stared over at him. “That sounds like something out of a book.”
“Could be. It’s hard to separate the words you read from the ones you think up all on your own sometimes. Either way, it’s no less true.” The corners of Jay’s lips twitched up. “How about you, Kate Merritt? What makes you welcome the sunrise in the morning? What’s your dream?”
4
Kate!”
The little sister running down the road toward them saved the girl beside Jay from having to give him an answer. She was a dreamer. He was sure of that. Someone like him who was forever reaching for the biggest apple on the tree no matter how impossibly out of reach it was. He’d seen her looking at Mike, but that apple wasn’t even on the tree anymore.
A girl like Kate would be wasted on Mike anyway. He needed a woman who would lean on him and be the good little pastor’s wife. Someone who would wear the right clothes and say the right words whether she meant them or not. A girl like the one he fell in love with. Unless Jay missed his guess, Evangeline was the kind of girl who would have no trouble putting on her hat and painting on a lipstick smile every Sunday morning to play the role. The old gray-haired ladies, the backbone of every church Jay had ever spent any time in, would love her.
The sister beside him, well, Jay figured she’d be better at improving the old ladies’ prayer lives. He didn’t really know her, but he’d learned to read people fast a long time ago. Helped him know when to throw the first punch or when to duck his head. He didn’t know which he was doing with Kate—punching or ducking—when he threw out that crazy eloping idea. Sometimes he opened his mouth and let words fly out without thinking. For sure, he would have had to do some serious backpedaling if she’d called his bluff. He had zero plans to elope or stand at an altar with any girl. Even one as appealing as the girl beside him.
She wasn’t pretty-pretty like her sister who had just tied the knot with Mike. He studied her face as she turned her attention to the little sister, the one he’d called Birdie. She was telling her to slow down before she fell and messed up her new dress. It did look like a crash waiting to happen. The little sister was all legs and arms at that age when a kid could trip over air from growing so fast. The kid was cute, with all the earmarks of growing up to break the heart of every boy in the neighborhood someday with those big brown eyes. Eyes more the color of his than any of her sisters. But then she wasn’t really a sister. Not in the kinfolk, look-alike way.
Actually he’d noted that none of the three sisters looked that much alike. Mike’s new bride was a blue-eyed redhead with fair skin that pinked up easy. Very pretty, and Mike was certainly entranced. The teenage sister, Victoria, had hair almost as dark as the curly-headed little sister in front of him, but her eyes were a green that made a person look twice. By the
time she got all the way grown up, that one was going to hit the mark a good ways above merely pretty. She was already there in the eyes of the gangly boy hanging around her. O beautiful is love. More words out of a book.
Nothing wrong with borrowing words from a book. Jay liked books. Books took him to other worlds when the real world was closing in on him. The girl beside him liked books too, if what he saw at her house last night was any indication. Books had been everywhere. Shelves of them behind the father’s chair in the sitting room, and more place-marked with torn bits of newspaper on the tables around the room. Jay had talked poetry with the mother. That along with her brown sugar pie and all the pretty daughters had him wondering if he’d stepped up into heaven.
Kate had been the only one not to take to him friendly. Except for the bride, who’d been in such a dither about the wedding that friendly was the farthest thing from her mind. She’d given him the once-over and asked if he had a suit. When he assured her he did, she’d nodded slightly as if he’d passed the best-man test and she could mark him off her worry list. One that appeared to be long as she began fretting over the wedding cake, her mother’s dress, the flowers, whatever came to mind about the big event. Jay hadn’t paid much attention.
He had paid Kate plenty of attention. Something about her grabbed him. She had brown hair that fell straight down around her shoulders. Her eyes flashed between green and the blue of water with the sun hitting it. Nothing really remarkable about her looks, but at the same time she was remarkable. Very remarkable. So very remarkable that he wasn’t absolutely positive he would have backpedaled if she’d taken him up on that eloping idea. Even now he might be in the car headed out toward Louisville or wherever to find an accommodating Justice of the Peace.
He’d never been one to turn down an adventure, and he had a feeling he was looking at a girl anxious to chase after a little adventure of her own. They might have both been saved from their own foolishness by the kid sister who was leaning against Kate, catching her breath.
Small Town Girl Page 3