Mrs. Hughes regarded her daughter and Zelda bit her lip, thinking that she was going to be denied, but was relieved when her mother let out a laugh. “It took him long enough,” she said, smiling as she looked at her daughter. “I suggest that you ask your father just to be safe, but I see no problem with it. You’re a grown woman and he’s a nice young man. A decent man. As long as you stay within sight of the windows here, I wish you only the best on your picnic together.”
Zelda let out an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you, Mama,” she said. “Do you think Papa will agree with you?”
“Does she think Papa will agree with what?” her father said, coming into the house through the back door and into the kitchen.
She froze and wondered if he really had only heard that much of their conversation. “Um,” she spluttered. For some reason, talking about such things with her father made her doubt herself. He’d never done anything to make her fear him. He really was a doting, loving father. But sometimes his opinions could feel like obstacles. Especially as she got older and yearned to jump over such hurdles. “Mr. Cooke – Junior – has asked me to go on a picnic with him tomorrow afternoon.”
Mr. Hughes looked at his daughter, his lips a thin line which made his expression difficult to read. Zelda raised her eyebrows slightly, willing herself not to break down prematurely. Her father so disliked everything that the Cookes stood for. Yes, he was civil with them now. Yes, he helped them whenever they needed assistance, but nevertheless, that didn’t mean that he wanted his daughter to marry into the enterprising, industrial family from California. Not that Zelda wanted to put the cart before the horse… Tom had asked her to have lunch with him; he hadn’t exactly asked for her hand. She blushed a little as she thought about that, almost too distracted to fully hear her father’s words.
“I can’t say that I approve of this,” he said. “He’s a man whose ideals don’t match mine. But he is a good man, and I suppose there is no harm in your spending time with him.”
Zelda hung her head down, expecting to hear a resounding no. When one didn’t come, she raised her eyes and looked at her father. His expression remained the same, but there was now a slight twinkle in his eyes.
“Oh, Papa!” she cried out, throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much!” She gave his cheek a quick peck before pulling away to look him in the eyes.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said, his eyes still smiling. “Just take things a day at a time, okay? I won’t have my little girl’s feelings hurt over a railway manager.”
Zelda nodded at him, though she continued to smile. “Yes, Papa,” she said.
To even be given this chance was enough for her, for the moment!
Chapter Fifteen
Zelda stood in front of her open wardrobe, trying to choose which dress to wear for far longer than it usually took her. Hattie, Diana, and Pepper were there as well, sitting on her bed behind her and giggling to each other. “I think you really ought to go with the green one,” Hattie suggested for about the twelfth time now. “You really look so good in green.”
“I agree!” Pepper chimed in. “It matches your eyes and accentuates your hair.”
“Oh, what do you know about any of that?” Zelda said teasingly, turning around a smidge to make a face at her youngest sister. “Or, for that matter, what does he care if my dress matches my eyes?”
Diana hopped off of the bed and came towards Zelda’s wardrobe, leafing through the selection of hand-stitched dresses that either Zelda or her mother had made for her. She found one that was white with a dark green floral pattern and matching green ribbons accenting the sleeves and collar. Carefully, she pulled out the dress and held it up against Zelda. “I like this one,” she said. “It’s a bit more casual, and I think it will suit the warm weather the best.”
Zelda smiled at Diana and nodded in agreement. She took the dress from her. “Thank you. I think you’re right.”
The other girls helped Zelda get dressed into the chosen gown, and then they delighted in combing her long, smooth hair. Hattie fashioned a dark green ribbon into Zelda’s hair as a headband.
“You look so lovely,” Diana said, giving her a gentle pat on her upper arm. “I’m so pleased that my brother had the good sense to ask you to a picnic. I shall be thrilled to call you ‘sister.’”
Zelda smiled and blushed, not knowing what to say to that. “You’re too kind,” she said to Diana, as she looked around at her two sisters as well. “All of you are far too kind to me.”
They all hugged each other. Zelda going on a lunch date with Tom was apparently the highlight of Hatti’s and Pepper’s lives, for once she was gone they were only going to have to get back to their chores, even taking on more than usual to make up for the fact that she was gone.
Zelda and her mother worked in the kitchen to prepare another tray of snacks for her picnic with Tom. Along with sandwiches, she also brought out some leftover Johnny cakes that Mrs. Cooke had made. She hoped that he would appreciate this nod to his mother’s cooking.
“I really must get your recipe sometime,” she said to Violet Cooke. “They’re delightful.”
“Oh, and they’re not hard to make,” Mrs. Cooke said, smiling and giving Zelda a friendly pat on her elbow.
Once everything was prepared, Zelda picked up the tray and was about to go outside to meet Tom, but her father stopped her by standing in her way.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked her.
She looked at him, puzzled. “I don’t believe so…”
Mr. Hughes marched into the living room and returned a moment later with a green and blue checkered blanket. He placed it onto Zelda’s shoulder so she could walk with it more easily. “I don’t want you sitting in the grass and getting too dirty,” he said, shyly avoiding her eye contact.
She knew that he was still more than a little uncomfortable with the Cookes, so she gave him a kiss on his cheek to reassure him. “Thank you, Papa. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
With that, she headed out the back door of the farmhouse and made her way to the new home that was being built. Tom had planned to work on it from morning until lunch, so her arrival was his cue to put down his hammer until the next day. He was up on his ladder again, but he smiled and came down as soon as Zelda was in view.
“Hello,” he said, happy to see her. His voice was bright and jovial every time he spoke with her. She took that as a sign that Diana had indeed been correct about the way he felt about her.
“Hi,” Zelda said back. “I brought some treats for our picnic.” She giggled a little, biting her lip in that way that never failed to make Tom smile at her in that adoring way.
Right away, he stepped forward to help her with the blanket and stretched it out on the ground near the front of the house. He then took the tray of food and carefully set it down on the blanket. He offered his hand to her and she carefully sat down, mindful to smooth out her dress and tuck her knees under herself like a proper lady. It was much easier to eat when sitting at tables, but there was something thrilling about sitting on the ground like this with him. It felt more adventurous without being dangerous.
Tom sat down beside her and, together, they each picked up a sandwich and started eating, smiling at each other every few moments. Zelda slipped a lock of hair behind her ear and licked her lips a little bit. Now that she was with him like this, she wasn’t sure what she should do. She’d never been on an outing with a gentleman before.
“It looks like construction is already almost done,” she observed, glancing up at the house. “When do you think your family is going to move in? I’m happy for you all, of course, but I must admit that I’ll miss you…”
Tom looked at her with a strange mix of appreciation and sympathy. “I’m not sure of the plan yet, actually. It depends on a few factors.”
She nodded a little and went back to her sandwich, thinking.
“Are you still enjoying taking care of those animals?” he aske
d her then. He took pleasure in the fact that Zelda cared for the animals on her family’s farm. “I like that you are in charge of that. I like your gentle spirit.”
She blushed slightly. “Thank you… Yes, I think that is the one chore I have that I don’t mind doing. Especially these days, now that Nessie doesn’t seem to hate me so much.” She knew that it had more to do with the fact that she wasn’t afraid of the cow anymore, but she still chose to say the cow had it in for her. It sounded more amusing.
“Oh, I don’t think anyone could ever hate you,” Tom said back.
The birds sang a sweet and joyous song in the branches nearby. Zelda and Tom looked at each other and smiled. “I like this,” she told him. “We should do this more often if our work and our families will allow for it.”
“I agree,” Tom said. “In fact, I fully intend to make this happen as much as possible in the future…” The way he was speaking to her now was a bit perplexing. He had adopted a strange, serious tone. Suddenly, as she was pondering this, he took her hand. Gazing into her eyes, he carefully cleared his throat. “I know that our families are quite different. Your father doesn’t like me or my career. But I can provide for you, Zelda. I will be so good to you… I don’t have much to give right now, but after this railway project, I’m confident that opportunities will come pouring in. And I want to share that with you. Zelda, will you marry me?”
Surprised by this sudden proposal, Zelda dropped her sandwich onto the blanket rather than calmly placing it down onto the tray. She looked into his eyes, lashes fluttering and face growing hot. Her heart was rapidly pounding in her chest and she was glad that she was sitting down for she surely would have swooned otherwise. Gripping his hand, her vision blurred as the tears came flooding into her eyes.
“Oh!” she cried out. “Oh, I can’t believe this is true! Yes! Yes, Tom, I will marry you!” Tears of joy ran down her cheeks.
Tom immediately wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay,” he said, rubbing her back and laughing softly. “I’m so glad! I didn’t mean to make you cry, though.”
“These are happy tears,” she assured him, nestling her head against his strong shoulder. “Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my entire life!”
She pulled back to get a look at her handsome now-fiancé and he gave her a quick kiss on her lips.
“That makes two of us,” he said, smoothing her honey hair off her cheek.
Chapter Sixteen
Upon their return to the farmhouse, neither Zelda nor Tom could keep from smiling. She wanted to immediately run up the stairs and tell her sisters and Diana, but she knew it would be best to tell her parents first. Her mother didn’t seem at all surprised when she learned the news, and even Zelda’s father was not so shocked. He almost seemed relieved.
“I guess, all this time, it wasn’t a house for us that we were building,” Mr. Cooke said with a smirk, patting his son on the back. “We’ve been building your new house this whole time. Now you two can start setting up roots there and make it your own.”
Zelda’s father did look crestfallen at that. “So, you’re not moving out?” he asked.
Mr. Cooke laughed heartily. “We’ll get out of your hair soon enough!” he said. “There’s plenty more supplies where those come from. In fact, I think we have quite a few extras already.”
Mr. Hughes breathed a sigh of relief which only made everyone laugh along with Mr. Cooke.
Tom’s mother gave Zelda a happy, tearful hug. “Welcome to the family!” she said. “You were already like a part of the family, but now it’s time to make it official.”
Hattie, Pepper, and Diana came down the stairs when they heard the commotion. Daniel and Neil joined them.
“We’re going to be married!” Zelda excitedly announced to them. “Oh, it’s so much easier when you’re all together when I tell you things.”
There was more laughter and more hugs from everyone. She had expected such excitement from her sisters and Diana, but she didn’t think that Neil would even feign caring let alone sincerely congratulate her.
“This is wonderful,” he told her, giving her a hug. “I hope Tom’s prepared for living with you.”
“Oh, I think after Christmas I am very much looking forward to it,” Tom said with a wink.
Now that winter had given way into spring, it was going to be a splendid time for wedding planning. Zelda didn’t normally trouble herself with such things as her appearance and decorations, thinking that they ultimately didn’t matter… But weddings were a different matter entirely. Just as she had wanted to look her best for Tom when they went on their little picnic, she wanted to look absolutely beautiful for their wedding. Of course, Tom didn’t just love her because of her appearance, but it never hurt to put in some extra effort every now and again. She wanted their wedding to be a perfect occasion for them to remember for the rest of their lives.
As the weeks of preparations went underway, Violet Cooke took Zelda aside. “I want you to wear my wedding dress,” she told her. “You’ll need to have it taken in some in certain places, but it’s a special dress. It was made by my friends back home. Women who moved out west to start their new lives, like you’re going to.” She smiled sweetly at her. “Though, lucky for you, there won’t be much moving involved.”
Zelda smiled fondly back at her. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” she said. “Tom might get a job somewhere else. And, you know, I wouldn’t mind exploring a bit. I don’t want to live in Ogden forever!”
Mrs. Cooke patted Zelda on the back of her hand. “You might want to let your father know that gently… and in good time. He loves you more than he hates vagabonds. And only just.”
Zelda laughed pleasantly. “We wouldn’t be vagabonds,” she said, amused. “Why, even Papa had to start from nothing when he came out here.”
“But his old ways are changing,” Mrs. Cooke said sagely. “And it’s not so easy for a man to grow accustomed to changes so soon. Just count your lucky stars that he came around to the idea of you marrying Tom and be glad of that for now.”
Zelda thought that it was silly for her father to expect her to want to stay around the tiny Utah town. But then she realized that it had less to do with a dislike of the railways and more to do with the fact that he was going to miss having her around.
Chapter Seventeen
Despite his acrimony towards Mr. Cooke and the conditions which had brought him to the town, Ralph Hughes helped Thomas create a wedding altar for the ages. Rather than getting married in the church, Zelda thought it would be perfect if she married Tom out in the fields where they had really gotten to know each other. The farmhouse’s back yard, essentially.
The day of the wedding arrived and Zelda’s bridesmaids – Diana, Hattie, and Pepper – took her out of the house early to meet Mrs. Cooke and her mother inside the barn. It was untraditional but meaningful for her to get ready for her wedding amongst the animals she cared for. Even Genie the cat decided to show up, though she was just a visitor to the barn ever since she had been allowed to live inside the house. Nessie the ornery cow looked on as the ladies dressed Zelda in Mrs. Cooke’s wedding gown. They styled her hair into loose ringlets and placed a sheer white veil onto her head. The veil had been purchased especially for this occasion, again by Mrs. Cooke. She knew just who to send a request to since she had friends who made wedding items.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” Diana told Zelda, smiling at her.
Zelda looked around at her bridesmaids and her and Tom’s mothers. They were all dressed in their finest dresses as well and she didn’t want them to be counted out. “You all look absolutely gorgeous, too,” she said, smiling tearfully.
They each exchanged a hug with her and then it was time to head outside and meet with Tom at the altar.
Wooden benches were set up in rows on the grass. The tall, oak altar - that had been made by Messrs. Cooke and Hughes – stood at the head of everything, decorated with wildflowers that had been gathered by Ha
ttie and Diana. There was no music, but the songs of the birds would suit the proceedings perfectly.
Pepper, Hattie, and Diana marched slowly down the white-rugged aisle, carrying bouquets of beautiful wildflowers. Pepper, as the youngest, was in front. She dropped a petal every few steps, fulfilling both the role of a bridesmaid and a flower girl. Tom stood at the altar next to the minister, his father and Zelda’s brothers at his side. Zelda’s parents were seated in the front, next to Mrs. Cooke, and they watched as their girls walk by. Both mother of the bride and mother of the groom were in tears, holding white handkerchiefs up to their eyes. Hattie smirked at little as she walked past them. The scene was everything Zelda had always dreamed of for her wedding day.
Once her bridesmaids were up at the altar on the side opposite the men, that was Zelda’s cue to begin her slow walk up the aisle herself. She beamed as she went, feeling almost too happy to cry as she looked up and saw the grinning Tom there. She knew that tears would come soon enough. She was so happy she could burst!
When Zelda was at last at the altar, Tom came towards her and stood at her side. They exchanged glances at each other, still smiling away. Most of all, she looked forward to the first time she would get to hold his hand as his wife.
The minister stepped forward. He smiled at both of them and then gazed out at all of the people in attendance. Townspeople who were friends with Mr. Hughes, other new settlers to the town, railway friends of Thomas and Tom… “Dearly beloved,” he said to all of them. “We are gathered here today to witness and share in the joy and love of these two souls. We’re here to celebrate their union and commitment to each other in the eyes of God and Jesus Christ. As it is written in Psalm 143:8: ‘Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.’”
Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Page 20