“Why?” Ruth wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.
“There’s a dance at the Grange Hall next Friday,” Minnie replied.
“A dance?” Ruth did not dance. “I couldn’t.”
“Dances are the perfect place to meet men and get to know them,” Jen insisted. “There are lots of people around, so it’s not at all risky.”
That might be the case for Ruth’s sisters. Every one of them danced beautifully, even Jen. Of course! Jen. Ruth’s clumsiness could provide just the excuse to bring Sam and Jen together.
“I’ll go if you go,” Ruth said.
Jen paused. She seldom attended dances. Minnie was the one who loved them. “Me?”
“Yes. All of us. If we’re going to do this, then it has to be all of us.”
Minnie agreed right away. Jen looked uncomfortable but made the sacrifice. Now all Ruth would have to do was get Sam and Jen together on the dance floor. Her job would go easier if they’d already had a chance to talk. The hubbub following the church service might not be the ideal time. She needed another venue.
The Highbottom family walked past the shop carrying a heavy basket. The children raced ahead, eager to get to their destination. Judging from the blanket Mrs. Highbottom carried and the basket in her husband’s hands, they were headed for the park. Perfect.
Ruth gave her sisters an encouraging smile. “Tomorrow would be a good day for a picnic, don’t you think?”
“A picnic? Why?” Jen stared at Ruth as if she had lost her mind, but then her lips slowly curved back into a grin. “You invited Sam, didn’t you?”
“Not yet. But I will at church.”
“He’s coming to church with us?”
“I hope he is. He said he would try to attend.”
“Perfect.” Jen set down the pincushion. “You can ask him to the dance then.”
“Ask him?” Ruth’s plan had just backfired. “I can’t do that.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be right beside you, won’t we?” Jen glanced at Minnie, who nodded.
“A woman does not ask a man to a dance.”
“Then suggest it. Talk about it, leave him the opportunity to invite you.” Jen leaned forward and rolled the pincushion between her hands. “Don’t worry. Sam likes you. He’ll take the bait.”
Panic coiled around Ruth’s rib cage and squeezed tight. Ask a man to a dance? How? She’d stammer and blush. What if he said no? What if he laughed? What if he confirmed what she’d heard for years, that she was too plain to ever attract a man? Her only hope was a humble man who valued the inner woman more than superficial beauty. Certainly not one who was dashing and wealthy. Once Sam met Jen, he’d see that she was the better catch. But to get the two of them together, Ruth had to play along with Jen for a little while.
She breathed deeply to steady her voice. “All right, but you can’t focus all your energy on me.” She hid her shaking hands in her lap. “If one of us is going to marry a wealthy man—” she hated how that sounded “—then all three of us have to try.”
Minnie grasped what she was saying at once. “Ruth’s right. I’ll try for Reggie, and Ruth can try for Sam. Who are you going for, Jen?”
That caught the confident planner off guard. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll start looking.” She pulled her crumpled list out of her pocket. “Maybe I’ll begin at the top of the list and work my way down.”
“That’s no way to find a husband,” Ruth pointed out. “Maybe you should see who strikes your fancy—and who fancies you.”
“That’s what I’m doing.” Jen slid the pincushion to the center of the table. “The way I see it, to find a husband, you first have to decide who you want. There might be as many choices as pins in this cushion, but one of them is the right one.” She plucked out a pin. “So you try them one at a time until you find that man.”
“We’ll help you,” Minnie added. “We’ll all help each other. Right, Jen?”
Her sister nodded.
Ruth was still skeptical. “How?”
“We will solemnly promise to do all in our power to help each other win our chosen husband,” Jen said. “We’ll promote her to him. We’ll find ways to bring the two together. We’ll do whatever it takes. Agreed?”
Jen and Minnie shook on it and looked to Ruth. This promise had so many holes that it was bound to fail, but Ruth had to agree to it. If Jen were the right woman for Sam, as Ruth suspected, then the only chance she had of bringing them together was this plan. Once they discovered how suited they were to each other and fell in love, marriage would follow. And Jen was right. That marriage could solve all their problems. Sam had already demonstrated a measure of generosity and compassion. With Jen’s tireless prompting, Sam would surely help Daddy get the treatment he needed.
So Ruth placed her hand atop theirs to seal the pact.
* * *
Sam didn’t bother to sit at his desk. He picked up the telephone receiver and listened as his father got straight to the point. “I want you to look into a property that’s coming on the market. It’ll be offered at a good price—an excellent price.” Sam held the receiver a few inches away from his ear. Father’s booming voice carried across the room. Harry always joked that they didn’t need telephones and telegraphs. Father could be heard for miles without technological assistance. “If this deal works out, it’ll go a long way toward paying for your mistake.”
As usual, Father jabbed at Sam’s decision to open a store in Pearlman. In Father’s eyes, the store had already failed, and when the opening proved his point, he’d hold it over Sam for the rest of his life. No matter what it took, Sam would ensure this store not only opened strong but also thrived for years to come. That meant getting every detail right, including one broken display case. Maybe this crazy property purchase could buy him a little time.
When his father paused for a breath, Sam pulled the mouthpiece close and cut short the directive. “When am I supposed to do this? I’m spending every waking hour getting the store ready. If you send me out of town, we’ll have to delay the grand opening.”
Father cackled. “I’m not sending you anywhere, boy. You won’t have to leave your precious town to look it over. The property’s right next door.”
“Next door.” Sam got a sinking feeling as he calculated whose property that must be. Since the store was located on a corner, that could mean only two locations, and one was a house across the alley.
“Right next door.” Static crackled the line but it didn’t obliterate Father’s words. “Why didn’t you tell me we’re opening up next to a dress shop?”
Chapter Four
Sunday dawned still and sunny, one of those lazy summer days that inspired picnics, fishing and rowing on the pond. The latter was out, since Ruth’s family owned no rowboat, but, if Sam accepted their invitation to a picnic, she might be able to persuade him to dip a line in the river. Jen loved to fish. It was the perfect opportunity for romance to flower.
But first Sam had to show up for the church service so she could invite him.
“How long do we have to wait?” Minnie fussed with her hair in the dress-shop window. “The service is going to start soon.”
“I know.” Ruth bit her lip and glanced left and right to see if Sam were coming. “I told him to meet us here.”
Jen grinned. “You like him.”
“He’s simply a nice gentleman.”
The church bells rang. A rooster might as well have crowed, for like the apostle Peter, Ruth had denied the undeniable. She did like Sam. Seeing him with another woman had hurt more than it should.
“A nice gentleman,” Jen mimicked, and then both she and Minnie burst into giggles.
“Hush!” Ruth hissed as she glanced left and right again.
He wasn’t coming. All those nerves had been spent on
nothing.
“We’d better go.” She blinked back the disappointment.
Jen hugged Ruth around the shoulders. “I’m sorry. Something must have come up. We can still have a picnic. I’ll pack the basket.”
That promise would be forgotten as soon as they returned home, but Ruth accepted the offer with a squeeze of gratitude. “Let’s hurry. The bells have stopped.”
“Wait!” Jen pulled her to a stop. “Here he comes. Ruthie, he’s perfect for you. So tall and distinguished, like a congressman or company president. Look at that suit! It must have cost a fortune.”
Sure enough, Sam had rounded the corner and was headed their way, his fedora at a jaunty angle and an ease in his step that made Ruth’s stomach flutter. No moving-picture actor could look finer or cause such a rush of emotion. He’d hounded her thoughts since they met. She hoped he couldn’t see it in her eyes. She ducked her head and pressed a gloved hand to her abdomen to still her nerves.
“And the way he’s smiling at you,” Jen continued, apparently unaware how far her voice carried. “If you ask me, he’s already in love.”
“Jen!” Ruth twisted the handle of her bag in consternation.
Surely he’d heard Jen and was just as mortified as Ruth. Yet his gait never slowed and his smile never wavered.
“Fine morning, ladies.” He tipped his hat.
Ruth couldn’t breathe, least of all say anything. Maybe he hadn’t heard Jen after all.
“Yes, it is, Mister...” Jen paused dramatically. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”
Ruth wanted to shrink into the boxwood shrub between the dress shop and the old carriage factory, but there was no escaping this encounter, especially since she was the one who’d suggested it.
“Sam,” she hissed at Jen. “I told you his name is Sam.” She mustered a weak smile for him. “Forgive my sister’s poor manners.”
Sam grinned at each of them in turn, ending with Jen. “Nothing to forgive. We haven’t met yet. Mr. Roth, but you can call me Sam.”
Roth. Nearly the same as Ruth. Ruth Roth. It sounded ridiculous. On the other hand, Jen Roth had a nice ring to it, confirming those two were meant for each other. Even Jen’s despised full name, Genevieve, sounded good.
Sam extended a hand, which Jen pumped vigorously. Considering the way he winced, she’d probably gripped him with her usual enthusiasm.
“I’m Jen, and you already met Ruth. That’s our little sister, Minnie.”
Minnie grimaced. “Jen makes me sound like a baby. I graduated from high school last month.”
If Sam’s head was spinning at being surrounded by three women, he never let on. He congratulated Minnie on the accomplishment and turned to Ruth. “Am I late? I heard church bells.”
Jen shot Ruth a look that translated “church bells” into “wedding bells.”
Ruth tried to ignore her sister. “If we hurry, we’ll arrive before the opening hymn.”
He extended an arm to her, and a little thrill bubbled up Ruth’s throat. Even though she wanted him for Jen, she warmed to the fact that he’d chosen to escort her over her younger sisters. It must be because she was the oldest. Of course. Good manners dictated he escort the oldest sister. That was all. If she hadn’t been here, he could have escorted Jen. That could be a problem at the picnic. She hoped Sam liked to fish so she could send the two of them off together.
“Well,” Jen said, “we don’t have all day. Let’s get going.” She grabbed Minnie’s arm and the pair took off in the lead.
Ruth hesitated. She didn’t want him to think she held any affection for him when he needed to fall in love with Jen. So she kept her hands on her bag and began walking after her sisters. “So glad you could join us, Mr. Roth.”
Sam frowned before matching her stride. For half a block, silence reigned between them. She looked at the storefronts. He apparently felt no compunction to talk. She fidgeted with the handle of her bag. He whistled an unfamiliar tune.
He was the first to speak. “No repercussions?”
“Of what?”
“Mrs. Vanderloo was pleased with the gowns in the catalogs?”
“Oh. Yes.” Ruth couldn’t tell him how humiliating yesterday’s encounter had been. Without Sam’s calming presence, the woman had again threatened to withdraw all business until Ruth threw in a third gown at no charge. How she would pay for that in addition to the other two was beyond imagining, but, as Mrs. Simmons always said, God would provide. Somehow.
“Good.” His tone softened and deepened. “Why don’t you show me her selections after church?”
Ruth fixed her gaze on her sisters’ backs, afraid to look at him. Sam needed to fall for Jen, not her. Definitely not her. In the end, she would only disappoint a man like Sam Roth. Jen was right that he must come from money. His good suit was even more finely tailored than the one he’d worn Friday. The linen appeared to be mixed with silk. Silk. Goodness! Never in all her life would she be able to afford a silk garment. The closest she’d ever get to silk was smoothing her hands over the fabric she fashioned into a client’s gown.
“I can stop by the shop,” he added, “or your home, if the catalogs are there.”
Ruth reined in her wandering thoughts. Sam had presented exactly the opportunity she needed to get him together with Jen. All she had to do was act. No hesitation this time. Once he fell for Jen, she’d be relieved of this terrible emotional roller coaster. “We are planning a picnic this afternoon. In the park. Why don’t you join us?”
“Your whole family will be there?” He sounded skeptical, as if he feared she was trying to trap him.
She rushed to reassure him. “Yes, my sisters and I.”
He grinned. “Sounds nice.”
She took that as acceptance, and her stomach settled back in place. “Shall we say two o’clock? Near the pavilion?”
“Two o’clock.”
They’d reached the church steps at the same time as Ruth’s oldest sister, Beatrice, and her two children. Upon spotting Sam, four-year-old Tillie planted her hand firmly in her mouth while the two-year-old boy did his best to tug away from his mother’s grasp.
“Ruth,” Beattie gasped, “I’m so glad to see you. Would you be willing to take Tillie? Little Branford is testing my patience this morning.”
Naturally, Ruth agreed. Watching Tillie meant she would have to sit in the Kensington pew. That would leave Sam with Jen and Minnie.
Jen apparently figured that out at the same time. “But you have to sit with us,” she hissed, tilting her head toward Sam.
“You’ll be fine.” Ruth smiled at her sister’s panic. “It’s only for an hour or so.”
Jen’s frown deepened as she watched Beattie attempt to calm her son. “Where’s Blake?”
Beatrice’s shoulders stiffened at the same moment that Ruth’s stomach tightened. She could guess. He’d doubtless visited the speakeasy again last night.
Beatrice, her back to them, murmured, “He’s not feeling well.”
Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe he should see Doc Stevens.”
“It’s not serious.” But Beattie’s shoulders drooped, and Ruth ached for her sister. In such a small town, people had a tendency to think they knew what was going on and offer unsolicited advice. Ruth suspected this was not the first time her sister had heard such comments, but it couldn’t be welcome coming from family.
“Hurry,” Ruth urged in order to break this train of thought. “The opening hymn is starting.”
Naturally little Branford chose that moment to voice an earsplitting shriek of displeasure. Through the open door, Ruth saw the people in the last pew turn to see who was making such a fuss. Mrs. Grattan frowned until she spotted Sam. Then her displeasure turned into avid interest.
Sam didn’t appear to notice. He swooped to Beatrice’
s rescue and knelt before the unhappy little boy. “Good morning, Master Kensington. What seems to be the trouble?” His calm, respectful tone quieted little Branford at once.
The boy, nose running and hair mussed, stared at Sam.
“Could you show me where to sit?” Sam held out his hand.
Branford took it, still wide-eyed.
Ruth had to admire Sam’s calm in the midst of the storm. By giving the little boy a solemn duty, he’d distracted Branford and elevated him at the same time. She smiled her gratitude.
“Thank you, sir.” Beatrice looked from Sam to Ruth and back again.
She looked so worried that Ruth realized her sister had no idea who Sam was. “This is Mr. Roth. He’s a salesman and new to town. We met Friday, and he proved most helpful with a little problem I encountered. He agreed to join us at church today.”
Beatrice’s concern eased. “You are quite the rescuing knight, Mr. Roth. Thank you again.”
Sam bowed slightly. “Glad to be of assistance.”
The hymn had entered the third verse. “We should find our seats,” Ruth said. “Mr. Roth, you can join Jen and Minnie.”
Sam tapped the little boy’s hand, still firmly holding on to his. “I believe this young man has a duty to perform first. He agreed to show me to my seat.”
“Please join us, Mr. Roth.” Beatrice looked so relieved to have Sam’s assistance that Ruth couldn’t very well drag him away from her. “You already know Ruth, and little Branford seems to have taken a liking to you. It would be a big help.”
“Then how could I refuse?”
Ruth tried hard to swallow as Sam showered her with one of his oh-so-charming smiles. As if released from indenture, Jen and Minnie scurried to their regular pew, leaving Ruth with Beatrice, the children...and Sam. Her perfect plan had failed.
* * *
Sam heard little of the sermon with Ruth and a squirming toddler nearby. When he wasn’t prying the boy from under the pew or blocking him from shooting out into the aisle, Sam peeked at the fair beauty beside him. More than once he spotted a delightful flush on her cheeks.
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