She stood carefully and threw open the drapes, wincing at the bright midday sun. She took off the towel and padded into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and took a shower. She knew she had missed the tour bus that was taking the guests sightseeing. Why didn’t someone come get me? Then she looked at her finger and remembered.
Meera found her phone on the floor. It had died overnight, but she plugged it in and it came alive. She had five texts from Lily, two from Gloria, one from Rose and three from Billy John, all telling her Jolene was back.
She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. Jake deserved to be happy. Didn’t he? She had made her bed, and it was time to sleep in it. She deleted all the messages. There was one from Priya asking her to call when she woke up.
She walked into the closet and flipped through her clothes. What did one wear when one’s life was falling apart?
She put on jeans and a T-shirt, clothes she normally reserved for when she was alone in her bedroom. Today she didn’t care; she just needed to be comfortable.
Time to face the music.
She made her way downstairs and was pleasantly surprised to find her father alone in the dining room, sitting down to lunch.
“Meera, just the person I was hoping to see. Come sit.”
She pulled out a chair next to him. The cook had set the table for twelve people.
He slid a plate toward her and spooned some vegetable curry and rice from his plate onto hers. She shook her head, but he ignored her.
“You need to eat.”
She picked up a fork and put some food in her mouth. She couldn’t taste it. She swallowed with difficulty and sipped from a glass of water.
“Priya and Raj talked to me last night.”
Meera looked up in alarm. What have they told you?
“They overheard the fight you had with your mother.”
Meera swallowed painfully.
He put his hand on Meera’s. “First off, they told everyone at the party last night that you were feeling faint and had to lie down. Your mother smoothed it over with the guests. No harm done.”
“You must be so disappointed in me.” Her voice was raw.
“Meera, listen to me. You are my daughter, always have been and always will be. I won’t justify your mother’s behavior. She’s always been a selfish woman and there’s nothing I can do about it. But you are my daughter. I picked you because—”
“Because you thought I wanted to be a doctor?”
“No, my child. I picked you because I felt a connection to you. The moment I laid eyes on you, I felt this link between us, like maybe you were my daughter from a previous life and I’d been reborn to be your father again. You are my child, end of story.”
She sobbed loudly, unable to control her emotions. Her father stood and held her tightly.
“Meera, you need to understand that you will never please your mother. And no matter what you do, you will never disappointment me.”
Her heart contracted painfully.
“Even if I go back to America and give up your practice?”
He laughed. “The practice will be yours whether you want it or not. I will run it until I’m old and decrepit, then you can sell it. It’s my dream to see you take it over, but it’s my sincere wish that you be happy. And wherever happiness is for you, that’s where you should go.”
“Have you and Mother been happy?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve always taught me that marriage should be logical, that you should be with someone who supports and complements you.”
He shook his head and laughed. “Your mother taught you that.” He glanced at his plate and took a few bites of food. “I think you should marry someone you love. I’ve enjoyed the life I built with your mother, but it’s been a lonely one. We’ve mostly stayed out of each other’s way. I can’t say I’ve been unhappy with Neela, but the only true joy in my life has been you.”
Meera’s heart overflowed with love for her father.
He pushed her plate forward. “Eat—you’re going to need some energy today.”
She smiled and dug in, savoring the tingle of spices on her tongue. They enjoyed their meal quietly.
When she was done, Meera knew with clarity what she was going to do.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
MEERA SLAMMED ON the brakes just past the town square. The road was blocked with orange cones. No sooner had she stopped than half the town descended on her rental car.
She stepped out, frowning.
Gloria reached her first. Meera braced herself, but Gloria hugged her tight. “I knew you’d be back! I just knew it.”
She was followed by Rose, Dr. Harper, Mr. and Mrs. Cregg and a dozen others. Meera stood in shock.
“Oh, don’t look like that. My cousin Sean works the car rental counter at the airport, so I asked him to let us know when you returned. He called a couple of hours ago.”
Meera laughed. “I’m so glad to be back.”
Rose smiled kindly at her. “Welcome home.”
“Do you know what’s been going on here?”
Rose squeezed Meera’s arm. “You’d best go to the ranch and talk to Jake yourself, dear. It’s not our place to tell you.”
Meera bit her lip and nodded, telling herself to expect the worst. She had come back for Jake, but she had also come back for a different life. One where she made her own decisions, one where her patients and neighbors were family. She drove as fast as she dared to the ranch. When she arrived, she noticed the rusted cattle gate with the tricky lock was gone, replaced by a new wrought iron entryway.
She stared at it. There was an old-fashioned bell beside the gate, a small replica of the larger one in town. She hesitated, then rang it.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
Meera let Kelly envelop her in a hug. “Jake’s in the old calf barn.” Since when was it old? Kelly opened the gate, and Meera ran to the barn, this time in flat-heeled sandals.
And there he was. Same white T-shirt. Same dusty jeans and cowboy hat. She wanted to jump into his arms, but she contained herself.
“I don’t mean to disturb you, but do you have a room to let?”
He froze, then turned slowly.
Their eyes locked. His green eyes blazed with a mix of sorrow, disbelief and something else.
He shook his head.
“I don’t have a room to rent anymore.”
Her heart dropped like a lead balloon. He opened the stall door and stepped up to her. He was standing close, too close. She took a deep breath and let his scent wash over her.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She yelped in surprise.
“I have a room to share, on a permanent basis this time.”
She let out her breath and lifted her face so he could kiss her.
She returned the kiss with all she had.
When they finally came up for air, he picked her up and twirled her. She held on to him as tightly as she could. “It’s about time you came home.”
She smiled at him. “I love you, Jake, more than I could ever imagine.”
“Come on, I have something to show you.”
“Wait, what about Jolene?”
He frowned. “What about her?”
“The entire town was texting to let me know she moved back in.”
“Is that why you came back?”
She shook her head. “I came back despite that.”
He laughed. “She’s been helping me with some horses for the dude ranch.”
“Dude ranch?”
He grinned.
“Why, you...” She punched him playfully.
“I wanted you to come back
for me, Meera.”
She nodded. “I did come back for you. And for us.”
“The hands knew there was nothing between me and Jolene—I half suspect the town did that to get you back here.”
She giggled. “I’ve missed Hell’s Bells.”
“Where’re your bags?”
She shrugged and pointed to her bag. Inside she had the wedding dress Lily had made her. “This is all I need. Everything else is already here.”
He took her hand and pulled her toward the cottage. Her nerves tingled; she felt positively giddy. He opened the door, and her heart stopped. The living room was transformed to look as though they were staring at the Taj Mahal. Huge sections of poster print hung on the walls. The furniture was draped in Indian saris.
Tears shimmered in her eyes. “It’s the greatest monument to love.”
He nodded.
He dropped to his knee, reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.
“Meera Malhotra, I want us to make a plan tonight, that ten years from now, we’ll tell our children exactly how we lived these past weeks without each other and how we vowed never to do it again. Will you marry me?”
She stared at him and then the ring. It was a simple platinum ring encrusted with small diamonds. It was beautiful.
“How long have you been planning this?”
“I’ve been putting this room together since the day you left. I had faith, Meera. I had faith in you and faith in us. I knew we’d find a way back to each other eventually.”
Her face was wet. She dropped to her knees in front of him.
“Oh, Jake, yes, I will marry you and I will have your children and tell them how treacherous the last few weeks were for me.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.
He kissed her sweetly, promising with his soul the love of a lifetime.
When they finally broke their embrace, they were both laughing and she linked her hands with his. “I do have some conditions, though.”
A shadow crossed his face.
“I mean requests, not conditions. I’ll marry you whether you agree or not,” she quickly amended.
He relaxed. “Well, you’ll be happy to know all the animals on the dude ranch are strictly for entertainment purposes—they aren’t being raised to kill.”
She squealed and hugged him. “Oh, Jake, you’ve saved both our karmas.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not saying I agree with you—it was a business decision. Didn’t make sense to keep up all that cattle.”
“I’ll take it. So just a few other things...” She held up her fingers to tick them off.
“You can of course eat meat, but I ask that we share at least one vegetarian dinner a week.”
“I’ll do you one better. I won’t eat meat when we’re together. I’m not giving it up, but I don’t need to eat it in front of you.”
She smiled.
“Second, I’m not giving up my research, so I’ll have to go to London once a month for about a week and Raj is going to continue being my business partner.”
Jake frowned. “I’m not sure I like that, especially the bit about Raj.”
She started to protest, but he held up his hands in surrender. “I can live with it. In fact, I’ll come with you, see the real Queen of England.”
“You mean it? You can leave the ranch for that long to come with me every month?”
“I’m making Kelly the ranch manager and giving her a share of the profits so she can buy health insurance and I can get away once in a while. And while we’re at it, I want us to see the world, maybe the real Taj Mahal for our honeymoon.”
Meera hugged him. “That’s a great idea. I love you, Jake.”
“Any more conditions? I don’t want to wait another day to make you my wife.”
She scrunched her nose. “That’s just the thing...can we wait until next week to get married?”
He shook his head. “No way. That’s not doable. You know the town’s already settin’ up the square. They’re expecting me to ride into town with you any minute.”
She laughed. “I don’t doubt it, but my father would like to give me away, and I need some time to get him here.”
Jake nodded. “I would like to meet him, ask for your hand in marriage.” He paused. “How’s Raj?”
She shrugged. “He didn’t take it well, but he’s my friend and he could tell I was in bad shape. We made a deal that I wouldn’t give up on our research together and he would stay behind and cancel the wedding, face our hundreds of guests.”
“He took a bullet for you.”
She nodded. “He loves me in his own way, but I don’t think he’s ever had our kind of love. It was hard for him to understand, just like it was hard for me to accept it. But he’s a good man and a good friend.”
“What changed your mind? That day on the phone, I was sure you were gonna go through with the wedding and I’d be waiting years for you to come to your senses.”
She slapped him teasingly on the arm.
“How were you sure I’d ever come back?”
He gazed at her warmly. “Because I know you, Meera, and I know what we have. I could feel you in here.” He tapped his chest. “I could feel you even thousands of miles away, and I knew that if I felt it, you did, too, and eventually you wouldn’t be able to ignore it anymore.”
She nodded. “You were right about me not making my own choices. I’ve been buried under this debt I feel I owe my parents.”
“Have you found a way to dig yourself out?”
She sighed. “No, but I’ve figured out how to peek above the surface and let myself think more clearly about what I want, rather than what I’ve been told I want.”
He pulled her into his arms.
“We can do this together, Meera. We really can.”
She felt his chest against her and squeezed him back.
“Come on, let me show you the rest of the cottage. I made us a new kitchen.”
* * *
“WATCH THE CURLING IRON—we can’t burn down the cottage.”
Meera smiled affectionately at Priya and Lily as they fussed about her.
“Now, Meera, I know you’re a doctor and everything, but there are a few things I need to tell you about what to expect on your weddin’ night.” Meera smiled at Mrs. Cregg as Priya and Lily burst into giggles.
“Let her do it, it’ll keep you laughing all day,” Lily whispered in Meera’s ear.
Meera nodded seriously at Mrs. Cregg. “That would be helpful,” she said loudly. The ladies who had come to help get Meera dressed gathered in.
“Well, first, make sure you use the bathroom before you get started. It can get very...” A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.
Priya giggled and stood up to answer it. “Wait until I come back.”
Meera heard voices in the hallway and her pulse sped up. It can’t be! She walked out of her room and gasped. Her mother stood there with her father and Raj in tow. She hadn’t spoken to her mother since the night of the engagement; she was only expecting Pitaji today. She knew her father had talked to her mother. For once in his life, he had stood up to her. That’s why she hadn’t called Meera every ten seconds or exploded when the wedding was canceled.
Her mother stood in the tiny living room, holding a neatly folded red-and-white sari. “Meera, I can’t take back the words I said, but I’ve come to offer you this—it’s my mother’s sari, the one I wore at my wedding. It would mean a lot to me if you would wear it today.”
She studied the white gown Meera was already wearing, the one Lily had made her. Lily touched her arm. “Maybe you can wear that to the wedding ceremony and then change into this gown for the dancing?”
Meera took in her mother’s outstret
ched arms and pleading eyes. Her father had joined his hands together in a silent request.
Meera gave her mother a small smile and took the sari. “No matter how you feel about me, you’re the only mother I’ve ever had, and for that, I will love you forever.”
Meera’s father stepped between them and pulled Meera and Neela into an embrace.
“Okay, enough of this mushiness, we need to get Meera dressed.” Priya shooed the men out of the room.
They unwrapped the sari. The blouse that went underneath was too big on Meera. “I can fix that in a jiffy.” Mrs. Cregg snatched the blouse from Neela, who stared at her in shock. The older woman was back in five minutes and it fit perfectly.
“You know, I have a Sienna Simone that could use your touch,” Neela said laughingly.
Her mother helped Meera wrap the sari, then opened her purse to give her a simple gold necklace, far less ostentatious than the jewelry her mother had planned for Meera to wear at the wedding to Raj. “My parents were not that wealthy, and this is what I wore when I was married. I have been quite happy with my life, and I wish the same for you, Meera.”
Meera gave her mother a hug, and this time Neela let Meera hold her tightly.
When she was ready, Neela unwrapped a red chunni, which went over Meera’s head. Meera studied her reflection. This is how I pictured myself on my wedding day.
“Let’s go—it’s time.”
Meera had no idea what to expect; the town had insisted on throwing the wedding. She figured it would be similar to what they had done for Lily. The horse-drawn carriage awaited her, this time driven by Joe. She gave him a grateful smile and asked Priya and Lily to squeeze in with her.
She gasped when she got her first look at the town square. The gazebo had been transformed into a traditional mandap. A pandit was tending a small fire. Flowers decorated the gazebo, and chairs had been set up for the guests. Meera’s eyes filled with tears.
“How...?”
“We know how to use the internet.” Lily chuckled. “We figured if you could throw us an American barbecue, we could throw you an Indian wedding.”
She searched for Jake.
“He’ll be coming the traditional way,” Priya said mysteriously.
First Comes Marriage Page 24