Third Time's a Charm

by Virginia Smith

  It felt good, just hanging out with Joan. Now would be a good time to discuss what she’d discovered about Daddy living in Cincinnati, but Tori hesitated. Why spoil the moment by dredging up a painful subject? All she wanted right now was some good sister-time in the family home, since she wouldn’t have the opportunity much longer. Joan had always been the quietest of the Sanderson sisters, the most laid back and relaxed. And whether Tori liked to admit it or not, in the past year since Joan met Ken, she’d become more than laid back. Peace seemed to radiate from her. In the midst of the chaos Tori’s life had become lately, it was good to have someone like Joan.

  Tori’s thoughts slipped out before her verbal filter could snap into place. “I hope someday I meet someone who does for me what Ken does for you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know. You’re so happy and . . . well, peaceful.”

  Joan’s head tilted sideways to rest on Tori’s. “Ken does make me happy, but he’s not the source of my peace.”

  Here it came. She should have known better than to give Joan an opening. Next she’d be talking about Jesus. Tori forestalled the sermon with a quick question.

  “So, what did you end up getting him for a wedding present?”

  “Not a thing.” An exaggerated sigh blew through the curls on the top of Tori’s head. “I went in every store in the mall and saw lots of stuff he would like. But I want the perfect gift to celebrate our marriage, and I couldn’t find it.”

  Tori straightened so Joan could see her teasing smile. “I’m telling you, a gold-plated stethoscope is your answer.”

  “You’re a big help.”

  A door slammed above them, and Allie’s voice drifted down the stairs, answered by Mom’s. The rest of the family had arrived.

  Joan launched herself off the bed. “Come on, let’s go help Gram with dinner.”

  Tori stood. “You do that. I’ve got dibs on Joanie.”

  “Not if I get to her first!”

  Joan leaped for the door. Tori left her shoes lying on the floor and raced after her sister.

  A few minutes before two, Tori was putting the finishing touches on her makeup in the bathroom when she heard the doorbell. She smiled at her reflection. He was right on time.

  “Tori?” Joan’s muffled voice came through the door. “Ryan’s here.”’ Tori whipped open the door, and enjoyed watching her sister’s eyebrows climb up her brow. “Wow. Those pigs are going to be really impressed.”

  Tori twisted sideways to the mirror and admired the appliquéd lace strip that ran from her waist down the straight leg. “Do you like them? They’re D&G, and the blouse is DNKY.”

  “Ah. You’re arming yourself with the whole alphabet of designers.” A smile hovered behind Joan’s mock-serious expression. “Let me clue you in on something, little sister. Pigs don’t give a flip about the label. And I doubt if Ryan knows the difference, either.”

  “That doesn’t matter. I know.” With a final check to be sure everything was in place, Tori tossed her curls as she marched past Joan. “Life’s too short to dress frumpy. Clothes are an investment in your self-image.”

  He might not know the difference between Levis and D&G, but Ryan certainly seemed to appreciate her appearance. When Tori stepped into the living room, his eyes gleamed. “You look great.”

  She flashed a dimple. “Thank you.”

  He gestured toward the door. “Shall we go?”

  “See you later,” she told her family.

  As she opened the front door, she glanced back. Allie and Joan immediately snapped to attention, guilt plastered over their faces. To her surprise, Ryan wore a similar expression. Was something up between the three of them? She narrowed her eyes and let her gaze slide from one too-innocent expression to another.

  “Bye.” Allie waggled her fingers in the air and whirled to leave the room, Joan close on her heels.

  Tori allowed herself to be led through the door. When Ryan pulled it shut behind her, she stopped on the front stoop. “Are you passing secret messages to my sisters?”

  “Who, me? No!”

  Before she had a chance to question him further, she heard her name called from next door.

  “Tori. Do you have a minute?” Ken stood in his front yard. “I need to ask a favor.”

  She looked at Ryan, who shrugged. “Sure, Ken.”

  He shot a quick glance toward the front window of Gram’s house, then gestured for them to come. “I don’t want Joan to see us talking.”

  They crossed the grass to where he stood at the corner of his house. A wild barking started in the backyard. Tori glanced toward the fence, where Trigger, Ken’s gynormous canine, was running back and forth, barking like crazy. She shuddered. At least the creature was contained. That mongrel outweighed her by twenty pounds, and if it raised up on its hind legs, it stood at least a foot taller than she did. She spared a kind thought for Miss Muffett, who had the sense to be the perfect size for a household pet.

  “Trigger, lay off,” Ken shouted at the dog.

  The barking stopped, but Trigger continued to race back and forth, whining. Tori kept a wary eye in that direction while Ken talked.

  “I need some help with the honeymoon, and I think you’re the best person to do it.” He glanced again toward the house.

  “Me?” Tori managed to keep the scowl off her face, but she wasn’t sure she filtered the disdain out of her voice. “I don’t know a thing about building houses in foreign countries, or whatever it is you two are planning to do in Taiwan.”

  “It’s Thailand, and it’s a church building we’ll be helping with.”

  “Whatever.” She pretended not to notice Ryan’s curious stare.

  Ken shoved one hand in a pocket. “Actually, it’s not about that. Before we head up to Udon Thani where the church is located, I’m taking her to Ao Nang in the south of Thailand. I’ve rented a luxury villa on the shores of the Indian Ocean.”

  Surprised, Tori looked closer at him. “Really?”

  He nodded. “We’re both passionate about the mission part of this trip, but . . .” He shrugged. “I want our honeymoon to be something special for her. We’re staying at Ao Nang for a week, then we’ll go work on the church for a couple of weeks. It’s a nice place, palm trees everywhere, our own garden and a private pool. Jacuzzi overlooking the ocean. Perfect place for a honeymoon.”

  “But how are you going to arrange it all without her knowing?” Tori shook her head, details zipping through her mind.

  “I’ve got that covered. I told her since she’s so busy handling all the details of the wedding, I’d handle the trip. She’s never seen the airline reservations, so she doesn’t know the real dates. Our contact at the church in Thailand is in on it, so in his emails to us he just moves everything up a week. And I talked to her boss months ago, so he knows she’s going to be gone an extra week, and says he’ll handle the store.”

  “Man, you’ve thought of everything.” Ryan sounded impressed. In fact, Tori was impressed too.

  Ken glanced toward the house. “I hope she doesn’t suspect.”

  If Joan suspected at all, she would have confided to her baby sister, especially since she was so eager for Tori to think well of Ken. “I’m sure she doesn’t.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “Good. Anyway, she thinks all we’re going to do is the building project so she’s going to pack for that. She won’t find out until we get on the plane. But I don’t want her to get over there and not be able to enjoy herself. Do you think you could get a bag together with the things she’ll need for a beach vacation and a few nice dinners out?”

  Tori looked at him suspiciously. “Why me? Both Mom and Allie are here more often than I am. They could get her stuff without her noticing.”

  Ken kicked at the grass. “Allie can’t keep a secret, and your mother is so busy I hated to ask her.”

  The part about Allie was true. She blabbed everything she knew, especially really good stuff like this. But Mom would have b
een happy to do it. Tori suspected his reason had less to do with Mom’s busy schedule and more to do with trying to impress the only member of the family he knew didn’t like him very much.

  Well, if that was the case, it was working. How could she not be impressed with such a romantic gesture?

  “Clothes are my specialty.” She inclined her head. “Okay, I’ll help.”

  “Great!”

  Ryan pointed toward the backyard. “Look what your dog’s doing.”

  Tori turned to see Trigger gnawing at the latch to the chain link fence’s gate. It was an old-fashioned one, with a horseshoe-shaped piece of metal that slid down over a post to hold the gate shut. As they watched, Trigger got hold of the latch and flicked his head upward. In the next instant, he was through the open gate and galloping toward them. Toward her.

  “Ack! Keep that creature away from me.” Heart pounding, she grabbed Ryan by the arm and stepped behind him, angling his body between her and the approaching menace. Unfazed, Trigger bounded in a circle around Ryan, a long string of slime dangling from one corner of his mouth.

  “Trigger, come.” Ken’s stern command went unnoticed.

  Laughing, Ryan thrust an arm back to create a shield and Tori cowered behind him. Ken lunged for Trigger’s collar, but missed when the dog leaped away. Obviously having a great time, Trigger bowed close to the ground, his hind end high in the air, and let out a loud bark, his eyes fixed on Tori.

  Laughter colored Ryan’s voice. “I think he’s after you.”

  “It’s not funny.” Tori watched Ken make another grab, this one successful. She released her grip on Ryan’s arm and willed her heartbeat to return to normal. “Every time that dog sees me, he tries to knock me down. He loves to torment me.”

  “He’s not trying to torment you.” Ken winced as he hauled the gigantic creature toward the backyard. “Honestly, he likes you. He wants to be your friend.”

  “My friends do not drool.” Tori watched as Ken put the dog away. A sting of compassion pricked her as she noticed the creature’s drooping head. It obviously knew it was in trouble.

  “Are you afraid of him?” Ryan asked.

  “Of course not.” She drew herself up, but when Ryan’s stare didn’t waver, she conceded, “Maybe a little. But who wouldn’t be afraid? He’s bigger than I am and every time he sees me he acts like he’s a bowling ball and I’m the head pin.”

  “Dogs are smart. He probably knows you don’t like him and he’s trying to win you over.”

  Not unlike his owner, in fact. Tori scowled. “I’d rather he just keep his distance.”

  But she felt a tiny bit sorry for the creature. Trigger sat quietly as Ken scolded, staring mournfully at her through the chain link.

  She turned her back on them. “Are you ready to go?”

  Ryan nodded and called, “See you later, Ken.”

  “Okay. And thanks, Tori.”

  She waved and walked beside Ryan to the car, mentally listing the things Joan would need on the surprise portion of her honeymoon. Maybe Allie was right. Maybe Ken wasn’t a bad choice for Joan after all. A guy who went to such lengths to surprise his bride with a romantic honeymoon couldn’t be all bad.

  15

  Ryan drove past The Hub Coffee House and glanced at the location of the disastrous first meeting between Tori and members of his family. He’d sat the boys down yesterday after working with Walt on the house, and threatened their lives if they misbehaved today. Their promises to make a good impression seemed genuine, and they were eager to present her with a gift to make up for the coffee fiasco. Mom had seemed a little put out with his request for lemon meringue pie instead of cobbler, but she’d agreed without too much of a fuss. Apparently she’d been cleaning the already spotless house for days in anticipation of today’s visit. Pop just shook his head and remained silent, an amused grin on his face.

  “Joan is going to be so surprised,” Tori said. “I’m sure she doesn’t have a clue that Ken has anything planned at all.”

  Ryan drove with one hand at the top of the wheel, the other resting casually on the armrest between them. “He’s a pretty amazing guy.”

  “Mm hmm.”

  Something in her tone pricked his attention. He cast a quick sideways glance at her. “You don’t like him much, do you?”

  “Oh, it’s not that,” she said quickly. Then her head tilted slightly. “Well, okay. He wouldn’t have been my first choice for Joan.”

  “Why not? Ken’s a great guy.”

  “I’m sure he is.” The pause stretched out before she continued. “Frankly, he’s a little too religious for my tastes.”

  That took him by surprise. He raised his eyebrows. “He’s no more religious than Joan.”

  “Ah, but that’s a recent occurrence.” She kept her eyes forward, watching through the window as they passed the last of the buildings in Danville. “Until Ken, Joan wasn’t ultra-religious either. He’s changed her. In fact, my whole family has changed since he showed up, spouting prayers with every other breath.”

  Bitterness edged her voice. Ryan hadn’t realized she felt that way. Ken’s openness about his beliefs was one of the things Ryan admired deeply.

  “I don’t think of Ken as religious so much as . . .” He cocked his head and searched for a word. “Genuine. His faith isn’t just something he gives lip service to. He lives it. It’s part of who he is. I wish I was more like him in that respect.”

  Ryan shifted in his seat and stared at the road ahead of them. In the past year, Ryan had been watching Ken closely, trying to emulate the care he showed for the needy boys they played ball with every week. He’d even started reading a short daily devotional Ken recommended. How could anyone not admire a man who walked the talk as openly as Ken did?

  Tori straightened in the seat and changed the subject. “I want to see where you live. Can we drive by?”

  “We already passed it.” Thank goodness. After seeing her apartment complex, she’d think he lived in a dump. “Besides, it’s not much to look at. Just a couple of rooms up over a dentist’s office.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Down near the hospital, on the second floor above Dr. Patrick’s office.”

  “I know just where that is. He was my dentist.” She flashed a smile full of white teeth at him.

  The sun shone overhead, a great day for a trip out to the country. Tori fell silent, her head turned toward the window as she watched the countryside speed by outside the car. They glided over the country roads Ryan had driven all his life, even back before he was old enough to drive legally, when Walt used to let him drive the old junker to school so he could sleep in the backseat a few extra minutes. If Mom had ever caught them, Ryan figured he’d still be grounded today.

  A gigantic metal mailbox, the sides crumpled and rusted from years of teenagers playing mailbox baseball, stood sentry at the entrance to the farm. Ryan had urged Pop to replace the old thing, but Pop said it was no use; every year a new set of boys started driving and set out to prove their daring by hanging out of a speeding car swinging a baseball bat. A new one would act as a beacon, drawing them to a shiny target. Ryan figured he was probably right.

  “Is this it?” Tori leaned forward to look through the windshield as they turned onto the packed dirt driveway carved through the center of a thick stand of trees that served as a three-season privacy screen.

  “This is it. The next driveway down that way,” Ryan pointed, “leads to my brother’s farm.”

  “Where you’re helping him build a house.”

  “That’s right. We can head over there after a while, if you want to see it.”

  Her eyes sparkled with interest. “I’d like that.”

  The house sat back a quarter of a mile from the road, behind a field of neatly planted rows of tobacco. The treeline fringed the property on both sides, though only thinly between Pop’s farm and Walt’s. Ryan pointed out a glimpse of his brother’s trailer, just visible at the far end of the field.
/>   “So your father is a tobacco farmer?”

  Ryan cocked his head. “Not so much anymore. He still has these two front fields, but he’s switched mostly to cattle, along with some other livestock. The tobacco industry isn’t what it was when he was growing up. Pop was smart enough to see the decline coming and started branching out to try new things when I was a kid. By the time I became a teenager, the livestock was bringing in more than the tobacco.”

  “I’d think raising animals would be a lot better than tobacco.”

  He screwed his face up into a mock scowl. “That’s because you’ve never had to crawl out of bed at four in the morning to help milk the cows before school.”

  Her eyes widened. “Don’t they have machines for that?”

  “Yeah, but they don’t run themselves.” He laughed. “And my dad believed in teaching his kids the hands-on approach.”

  Ryan parked in the grassy area in front of the picket fence that surrounded the small area of yard Mom had claimed as hers. A rainbow of flowers bloomed in glorious display in neatly weeded beds all over the place. Nestled among the blossoms were concrete statues of fairies or angels or birdbaths, and a variety of other objects that struck Mom’s eye over the years. In one corner a herd of butterflies rested atop spindly spikes, their opalescent plastic wings shining with reflected sunlight. Ryan opened Tori’s door and led her to the gate, watching her eyes sweep the yard as they walked up to the gate.

  “How pretty,” she remarked. “Gram would love this yard.”

  Something stirred the tall ornamental grass in a flower bed on the right. In the next instant, a streak of white and black bounded into view.

  “Shep, Mom’ll skin you alive if she catches you rolling in her flowers,” Ryan told the dog as it raced toward them.

  Beside him, Tori stiffened for a moment as the animal approached. “Is he friendly?”

  “Shep? Oh, yeah.” Ryan dropped to his haunches and rubbed the dog’s shaggy neck fur with vigor. “He’s a little high strung, but he’s a good old dog. Aren’t you, boy?”

  Tori leaned over and held her hand out for Shep to sniff, and the animal obliged. When he accepted her with a brief lick, her tension left and she petted his head. “Now, see, this dog is a perfectly acceptable size. Nothing remotely horse-like about him. What kind is he?”