She licked her lips. “That sounds good. I love fried chicken.”
There was an awkward pause; then Dwaine lowered his head and his lips sought hers. The kiss was gentle and soft, lasting only a few seconds, but it took Sheila’s breath away. Things were happening too fast, and her world was tilting precariously.
“Good night. See you tomorrow,” Dwaine murmured before she had a chance to say anything. He hobbled down the steps, leaving Sheila with a racing heart and a head full of tangled emotions as she shut the door.
She’d been caught up in the enjoyment of the evening and had let him kiss her. “I’ve got to call a halt to this before one of us gets hurt,” she mumbled at her reflection in the mirror. “Even though I enjoy Dwaine’s company and believe he’s a true Christian, a long-distance relationship will never work. I’ll tell him in the morning that I’d rather not take a drive to the country.”
Somewhere in the distance an annoying bell kept ringing. Pulling herself from the haze of sleep, Sheila slapped her hand on the clock by the antique bed in Grandma’s guest room. “It can’t be time to get up. It seems like I just went to bed.”
The ringing continued, and she finally realized it was the phone and not her alarm. She grabbed for the receiver. “Hello.”
“Hi, Sheila, it’s Dwaine. When you didn’t show up at nine this morning, I started to worry. Are you okay?”
Sheila stifled a yawn and rolled out of bed. “I’m fine.” She glanced at the clock and cringed when she realized it was almost ten o’clock. “Sorry, guess I overslept and must have forgotten to set the alarm.”
“That’s okay, but I’ve got some news to share when you get here.”
“Can’t you tell me now? I’m curious.” Sheila stretched and reached for her fuzzy pink robe.
“I stayed up last night reading some doll collectors’ magazine I recently bought, and I think I may have found your missing doll.”
She flopped onto the bed, draping the robe across her legs. “Really? What makes you think it’s the one?”
“It fits the description you gave me, and there’s some writing on the doll’s cloth body. Could be your name, Sheila.”
She sucked in her breath. Maybe the trip to Casper hasn’t been a waste of time after all. Her conscience pricked her. How could I even think such a thing? Grandma’s here, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with her—Dwaine, too, for that matter.
“Sheila, are you still there?”
“Yes, yes. You really think you’ve found my grandma’s doll?”
“There’s no way to be sure until you take a look at the magazine.” There was a brief pause, and Sheila thought she heard the bell above the door of Dwaine’s store jingle. “A customer just walked in, so I’d better go,” he said. “If you can come over as soon as possible, we’ll have time to check out the doll information before we go for our drive.”
Sheila clutched the folds in her robe. “About our picnic date—”
“Gotta go. See you soon, Sheila.”
For the next hour, when Dwaine wasn’t waiting on customers, he watched the door, anxious for Sheila to arrive. He was There was a click, and the telephone went dead. Sheila blew out her breath and placed the phone back on the table. Even though she was a bit put out with Dwaine for hanging up so abruptly, she felt a sense of elation over the possibility that he might have actually found Grandma’s doll.
For the next hour, when Dwaine wasn’t waiting on customers, he watched the door, anxious for Sheila to arrive. He was excited to show her the information about the Bye-Lo doll in the magazine he’d found, but more than that, he looked forward to seeing Sheila again. After their date last night, he was convinced he wanted to begin a relationship with her.
Dwaine snapped the cash register drawer shut and shook his head. This is ridiculous. I can’t be falling for someone who lives three states away. Would Sheila be willing to relocate? I don’t think I could live in California.
The bell above the door jingled as one customer left the store and another entered. It was Sheila, wearing a pair of blue jeans with a matching jacket. “Have you got time to show me that doll magazine?” she asked.
“Sure. There’s a lull between customers, so come on back.” Dwaine motioned for Sheila to follow him over to his desk in one corner of the room. He leaned his crutches against the side of the desk and took a seat. She sat in the straight-backed oak chair nearby.
Dwaine pointed to the magazine. “Here’s the Bye-Lo that caught my attention. Don’t you think she looks like your grandmother’s old doll?”
Sheila jumped out of her chair and leaned over his shoulder. “That does look like her, but I can’t be sure. I wish the writing on the doll’s stomach was clearer.”
Dwaine stared at the picture. “Guess I’d better contact the person who placed this ad and ask what the writing says.”
“It might be good to find out how much they’re asking for the doll, too.” Sheila blew out her breath, and he shivered as it tickled his neck.
“I want that doll really bad, but if it’s going to cost too much, I may have to pass.”
“After all the searching we’ve done, you can’t walk away if this is your grandmother’s doll. I’m sure we can work something out.”
“I’m serious, Dwaine. Besides paying for the doll, I’ll have to cover the cost of your services.”
He swiveled his chair, bumping heads with her in the process. “Ouch!”
“I’m so sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her, and she fell into his lap.
Sheila let out a gasp, but he covered her mouth with his before she could protest. His lips were soft, warm, and inviting. She responded by threading her fingers through the back of his hair.
Dwaine wished the kiss could have gone on forever, but the spell was broken when another customer entered the store.
Sheila jerked her head back and jumped up. Her face was the shade of a ripe Red Delicious apple.
“I–I’d better get to work. I’ve got a lot more cleaning to do in the back room.” She stumbled away from Dwaine.
“We’ll stop work at noon so we can take our drive to the country with a picnic lunch,” he called after her.
“I’ve changed my mind and decided not to go.”
The door to the storage room clicked shut before Dwaine could say anything more. He turned to the elderly woman who had entered the shop and forced a smile. “May I help you, ma’am?”
CHAPTER 9
Sheila paced back and forth, from the living room window of Grandma’s old house to the couch, still covered by a sheet. She’d left The Older the Better almost two hours ago and hadn’t heard a word from Dwaine. He’d said he would call her tonight if he heard from the doll collector.
Of course, she reasoned, it might take days for him to get a reply about the doll. But I’ll be leaving soon, and then what?
The phone rang in the kitchen, and Sheila rushed out of the room to get it. “Dwaine?” she asked breathlessly into the receiver.
“No, it’s Grandma.”
“Oh, hi.” Sheila stared out the back window into the neighbor’s yard. A young couple with a baby was getting into their car. Her heart took a nosedive. Would she ever fall in love, get married, and have children? “Sheila, did you hear what I said?”
She jerked her gaze away from the window. “What was that, Grandma?”
“I asked if you would like to have supper at my place tonight with Dwaine.”
“Thanks for the invite, but I’m not in the mood to eat with the group at the retirement center.”
“I wasn’t planning to eat downstairs,” Grandma said.
“You weren’t?”
“No. I hoped to try out a recipe I found in a magazine, and I wanted to cook it for someone besides myself.”
Sheila laughed. “You’re needing a guinea pig, huh?”
“Actually, I’d prefer to have two guinea pigs.”
Sheila groaned. “Grandma, you’re not trying to play matchmaker, are yo
u?”
Grandma cleared her throat and gave a polite little cough. “Of course not, dear. What would give you that idea?”
Sheila thought about telling Grandma how she and Dwaine had made a date for this afternoon and how she’d changed her mind about going. If she invited Dwaine to join her for supper at Grandma’s, it would be like sending him mixed signals.
“Sheila, please don’t say no. You’ll be leaving next week, and I’d like to spend as much time with you as possible before you go.” Grandma’s tone was kind of pathetic, and Sheila figured she would feel guilty for days if she turned down the invitation.
Sheila shifted the phone from one ear to the other. “Okay, I’ll come, but let’s make it just the two of us. I’m sure Dwaine is busy.”
“No, he’s not. I already invited him.”
Sheila flopped into the closest chair at the table. “You asked him first?”
There was a pause. “I was afraid you might refuse.”
“Dwaine and I aren’t right for each other. So you may as well give up your matchmaker plans.”
Grandma chuckled. “Who are you trying to convince, sweet girl? Me or yourself?”
“I live in California, and Dwaine lives here in Wyoming. A long-distance relationship would never work.”
“One of you could move.”
“My job is there, and his is here.”
“Have you prayed about this?”
Sheila hated to admit it, but she hadn’t. It wasn’t like her not to pray about a situation she knew only the Lord could resolve.
Grandma clucked her tongue. “Your silence tells me you probably haven’t taken this matter to God. Am I right?” “Yes, Grandma, you’re right.”
“I think you’re making excuses and should give the situation serious thought, as well as a lot of prayer. Jobs are to be had in every town, you know.”
Sheila drew in a deep breath and released it with a moan. “I’ll admit, I am attracted to Dwaine, but I don’t know why, because we’re as different as east is from west.”
“How so?”
“For one thing, I’m a neat freak; I’m always organizing.”
“I can’t argue with that. The last time you dropped by, you organized my kitchen cupboards so well I couldn’t find anything for two days.”
“According to Dwaine, his shop was a mess when he bought it, but to tell you the truth, I’m not sure he is much better about organization than the previous owner,” Sheila said, ignoring her grandmother’s teasing comment. “That receipt for your old doll is probably someplace in his shop, and we can’t unearth it because of all the clutter.”
“I would think with your ability to organize, you’d have found the doll or a receipt if it was still there.”
“I’ve checked everywhere I could think of, and so has Dwaine.”
“I’m sorry you came all this way to get one of my attic treasures, and now you’ll be going home empty-handed.”
“I guess the doll’s not really that important, and I do have Grandpa’s Bible.” As the words slipped off her tongue, Sheila knew she hadn’t really meant them. Would she be okay going home without the Bye-Lo baby? Could she return to California and never think of Dwaine Woods again? Would his kisses be locked away in her heart forever?
“Sure wish you’d consider taking something else from the attic,” Grandma said. “I could come over to the old house tomorrow and help check things out.”
Sheila shook her head, although she didn’t know why; Grandma couldn’t see the action. “Actually, Dwaine might have another lead on the doll.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say so before?”
“He found a Bye-Lo baby advertised in a doll collectors’ magazine, and it looks like your old doll. There’s even some writing on the cloth body, but it could be another false lead.”
“Writing? Why would there be writing on the doll?”
Sheila’s face heated with embarrassment. She’d been only eight years old when she wrote her name on the doll’s stomach, but she’d never told Grandma what she’d done.
“I—uh—am sorry to say that I wrote my name on Bye-Lo’s tummy when I was a little girl.”
“Whatever for?”
“Because I wanted her to be mine someday, and I hoped maybe …” Sheila’s voice trailed off. “Oh, I see.”
“It was a stupid, childish thing to do, and I’m sorry, Grandma.”
“Apology accepted.” Grandma chuckled. “Who knows, your name might be the very thing that helps you know for sure if it’s my doll or not.”
“That’s why I’m hoping the person who placed the ad responds to Dwaine’s phone call soon.”
“While you’re waiting to hear, won’t you join me and Dwaine for supper this evening?”
Sheila nearly choked. “He said yes?”
“Sure did. Now how ‘bout you, dear? Will you come, too?”
Sheila felt like she was backed into a corner, but she didn’t want to disappoint Grandma. “What time should I be there?”
“Six o’clock. Dwaine will pick you up at a quarter to.”
“You arranged that as well?” Sheila’s voice rose a notch. “What else are grandmas for?” Grandma giggled like a young girl. “See you tonight, and wear something pretty.” Sheila lifted her gaze toward the ceiling. “Sure, Grandma.”
At a quarter to six, Dwaine arrived at Lydia Dunmore’s stately old house to pick up Sheila. His ankle felt somewhat better, so he’d left his crutches at home. He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but it swung open before his knuckles connected with the wood.
“I saw you through the peephole,” Sheila said before he could voice the question.
“Ah, so you were waiting for me.” He chuckled, and she blushed.
“I’ll grab my sweater and then we can go.” Sheila disappeared into the living room and returned with a fuzzy blue sweater. Instead of blue jeans and a sweatshirt, like she’d had on today, she was dressed in a pale blue dress that touched her ankles.
“I felt bad when you didn’t want to drive to the country this afternoon,” Dwaine said as they headed down the steps side by side.
She halted when they came to the sidewalk and turned to face him. “I didn’t think it was a good idea for us to go on another date.”
He opened his mouth to comment, but she cut him off.
“For that matter, I don’t think tonight is such a good idea, either, but I’m doing it for Grandma.”
A wave of disappointment shot through Dwaine, and he cringed. “Am I that hard to take?”
She shook her head. “Except for our completely opposite ways of doing things, I find you attractive and fun to be with.”
“I enjoy your company, too; so what’s the problem?”
Sheila held up one finger. “I live in California, and you live here. Not an ideal situation for dating, wouldn’t you say?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure we can work something out.”
She lifted her chin and stared at him. “Are you willing to relocate?”
“I moved from Montana to Wyoming because I like it here. I also like my antique store, and I think in time I’ll make a fairly decent living because of it.”
“And I have a great job in Fresno,” she countered.
Dwaine opened the car door for Sheila, glad he didn’t have to share the confines of his compact car with anyone else. He needed this chance to speak with Sheila alone before they headed to her grandmother’s retirement center.
When he climbed into the driver’s seat and clicked his door shut, Dwaine leaned toward her. “Sheila, I thought we had something going between us, and after that kiss the other night—”
She pulled away. “Can we please change the subject?” “What do you want to talk about?” “How about my grandmother’s doll? Did you hear from the person who placed the ad in that doll magazine?”
He shook his head. “Nope. They haven’t returned my call or sent any e-mails.”
Her eyes clouded with
obvious disappointment. “Oh.”
Dwaine wanted to pull her into his arms and offer reassurance, but he figured a hug wouldn’t be appreciated, and he could tell she didn’t want to talk about their relationship. “If I don’t hear something by tomorrow, I’ll call again,” he promised.
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“This lemon chicken is delicious,” Sheila said as she smiled across the table at Grandma.
Dwaine smacked his lips. “I second that, and to prove it, I’ll have another piece.” He stabbed a chicken leg with his fork and plopped it onto his plate.
“Sheila says you may have found my old doll,” Grandma said.
He swallowed the meat he’d put in his mouth before answering. “It’s a collector who buys and sells antique dolls.”
“I understand there’s some writing on the doll’s body.”
He nodded. “That’s how it was stated in the description; only it didn’t say what the writing said.”
“I can’t believe that Sheila doing something as naughty as writing her name on a doll could prove to be helpful years later.” Grandma chuckled behind her napkin. “Sheila always was possessive of the doll. I never knew how much until she confessed she’d written her name on its stomach.”
Dwaine laughed and shoveled another bite of meat into his mouth.
Sheila gritted her teeth. The way these two are carrying on,
you’d think I wasn’t even in the room.
“Sheila dear, you haven’t said more than a few words since we sat down.” Grandma wagged her finger.
“I’ve—uh—been eating.”
“She did say she likes your chicken,” Dwaine said.
“If you don’t mind, I prefer to speak for myself.” Sheila’s voice sounded harsh, and Grandma and Dwaine looked at her like she’d taken leave of her senses.
“Are you upset about something?” Grandma asked.
Of course Sheila was upset. She’d taken a week’s vacation to look for a doll Grandma had apparently sold and no one could find. Then she’d asked her boss for another two weeks so she could continue to search for the doll while helping Dwaine at his shop because he’d sprained his ankle on her account. To make matters worse, every lead they’d had so far had turned up nothing. Unless the magazine ad brought forth helpful information, it was likely Sheila would return to California without her attic treasure. Her final frustration came from falling for a guy who lived hundreds of miles from her.
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