by Bree Cariad
The doorbell rang and they could hear Alex Covington talking with Dora’s mom as they walked back down the stairs. “Congratulations, Darcelle. That’s wonderful to hear. Of course, we hate to see you leave, but it’s great to see that smile back on your face.”
“And they invited me to move in here,” Stephanie added as they walked in. His eyes lit up and she hid a smile as he looked rather relieved.
“Did you decide?” Darcelle asked.
“Yes, I’ll move into the first floor bedroom.”
“Oh, lovely. Well, you can move in any time, honey.”
After giving each of them a hug, Stephanie left with Cami’s father, climbing into his truck.
“I think it will be great for you to live back in town,” he said as he started the motor. “Are you ready for that?”
“Yes. I’m spending more time here anyway.”
“Good to hear. Though Camille will probably be disappointed you will no longer be nearby.”
“She’s too busy being a newlywed. She won’t even notice for months.”
The snow was falling pretty hard and the tires crunched on the road as they went along. “Stephanie, you probably realize I wanted to speak to you tonight.”
“I figured there was something,” she admitted. He could have had Jerod and Cami pick her up and take her home.
“Christopher Triton has made a request to court you.”
She heard the words but almost wanted him to repeat them. “Did you just say Chris wants to court me?”
“Yes. He made the appeal at the last town council meeting. How do you feel about it?”
“Confused,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure how he felt about me at all. Wait… appeal?”
“This was his third request,” he admitted. “The first two were categorically denied.”
“Why?” Her breath caught even as she knew it. The council didn’t think she was worth courting. Stephanie was right; they didn’t think of her as a good girl. Her chest tightened as he began to speak.
“He wasn’t ready. We all know you and have watched you grow up into an amazing young lady. We may be a little over-protective of you for what happened to you almost two years ago. His first request was after that first dinner. It was obvious he didn’t take the courting seriously, that he saw it as just dating. So we said no. The second time was after the last dinner. We could tell he understood more and took it seriously, but he had some things he needed to take care of before we would accept his request. Well, he has proven to the council he’s serious. He not only took care of those items, but he has worked hard since he returned to show us how earnestly he takes it and his future role as head of the house. As such, the council is waiting for my word on whether or not to accept the request.”
Stunned, she watched the snow falling around the truck. They turned him down, not because of her, but because of him. And from the sounds of it, he really must like her because he hadn’t taken no for an answer. “What did he need to do?”
“That’s for him to tell you, not us. I just need to know if you’re interested in being courted by him for the next year.”
Smiling softly, she looked over at the man that was probably more her father than the one she used to have. “I like Chris and yes, I would love to be courted by him.”
Looking pleased, Alex Covington nodded. “Good. And I’m glad to hear you will be at Dora’s. I’ve been trying to find a way to get you out of that cabin for months.”
Laughing loudly, she leaned back in her seat. Her whole world was about to change and she was excited.
Drake and his father packed her belongings in the truck over the weekend and three days after being asked, Stephanie was settled in her new bedroom which was as large as the whole cabin had been.
“We can paint it any color you want,” Dora offered as they unpacked her last small box. “I’m so glad you agreed,” she said in relief, sitting down on Stephanie’s daybed which Mr. Covington had insisted she take. His exact phrase went to the tune of “what am I going to do with a daybed?”
“It was perfect timing for me,” Stephanie admitted, hanging her clock on the wall. “Getting around in winter out there isn’t easy and I’ve come to enjoy my time in town. Plus, it’ll be fun living here together.”
“I agree. Though we’ve got to paint the kitchen.”
Snickering, Stephanie collapsed onto the bed next to her. “Yes, that particular green and purple don’t say food to me.”
“Not me either. Once Mom’s gone, we can paint it a nice, sunny yellow or something.”
Stephanie had become so used to living in the middle of nowhere that it was a novelty to wake up the next morning and to know that anywhere she wanted to go in town was just a short walk away. With snow on the ground, her boots crunched as she walked along the street. She had gone back and forth on whether to go out to the café or to curl up in Dora’s house to do her work, but Darcelle was packing and getting ready for her big life-change so Stephanie had elected to get out of the way. It was kind of amazing how much noise went with other people.
The Lava Lamp was busy, doing a brisk business by the time she arrived, but most people seemed to be getting their cups to go so she laid her bag down on one of the corner tables and went to get her latte. Julienne Moore, one of the baristas, smiled as she reached the register. “Hi, Stephanie. What can I get for you today?”
“My regular latte, please. How are you doing?”
“Fine. My eighteenth birthday’s next week. Very excited.”
“Wow, you graduated early.”
Laughing, Julienne nodded as she rang up her purchase. “Yep. I skipped third grade so instead of being older than my whole class by half a year, I was younger.”
“Got your eyes on any of the men?” Stephanie teased as she made her drink.
“One,” Julienne admitted. “He’s relatively new to town but wow, he’s a looker.”
“Well, good luck.” It was easier to be happy for and to enjoy the year Julienne had coming knowing that any day now her own courting banns would be posted.
“Thanks.” Julienne handed over her latte and Stephanie went back to her table, unpacking her drawing pad to continue working on an outfit that had come to her Saturday night. While pants weren’t her norm, the idea for a jacket and slacks ensemble didn’t seem to want to go away and she had kept trying to get it right. So far, it wasn’t quite working for her.
“Morning,” said a nice deep voice that made butterflies erupt in her stomach. Looking up, she beamed at Christopher as he sat down at the table next to hers facing away from her.
“Sitting over there again?” she teased.
He chuckled. “Yes, I have to protect your name, now don’t I?”
Grinning, she took a sip of coffee. “Do we know when…?” She drifted off, but he picked up on it.
“Nope. They seem to enjoy taking their time.”
Looking around to make sure nobody was looking, she asked the question that had been on her mind since last Thursday. “What did you need to do to get the council to think about agreeing?”
He took a moment to go get his coffee and come back to sit down, this time instead of facing away, he sat so that he kind of faced her, though not completely. “I told you to go after your dreams and wasn’t going for my own. They helped me to see that if I expected to lead my own family, that I needed to lead by example. I had to go home and explain to my parents that I was making my life out here now and to talk to a friend of mine who is rather gifted at creating restaurants that make it.”
As he spoke, she sketched and just listened. “I had him come out to Hyacinth to see if there was a possibility of making a go of my own restaurant.”
Startled, she looked up at him. “Is there?”
“He wasn’t impressed,” he admitted with a grimace. “Said I would work too hard for not enough money. That the people here won’t pay what the food was worth. But, he was encouraging on the B&B front.”
“A bed and br
eakfast?”
“Yep. It seems there just aren’t enough rentable rooms in town and he was highly expressive that a well-run B&B would do very well.”
“How exciting. You said you would love to work in one.”
Smiling, he nodded. “Yes, I would love to run the kitchen, but the actual hotelesque part of it isn’t for me. He suggested I take on a partner.”
“That’s scary. I mean, do you know anyone you could trust who would love doing that?”
“As it turns out? I do. My gran. She’s only sixty-eight and a very young sixty-eight. When I told her, she was thrilled. Flew out here against my father and mother’s wishes, I might add, as they think she should be happy living in an old-folks home, dallying the rest of her life away. Gran’s bored stiff and needs a new challenge.”
Christopher’s description of his grandmother made her grin.
“So, we’ve found a place and it will take a good six to eight months to get it ready, but our business application has already been approved and the place we’ve found is in pretty good order, so it looks like we’re ago.”
“Christopher, that’s fantastic.”
He smiled. “I’m a business owner. It’s a scary thing.”
“Still working at the restaurant?”
“Through New Year’s. Then I have enough savings and so does Gran to last us awhile. We’ll be able to live on the property while we work there, which helps.”
“Where is it?”
“About ten minutes north. Right off the highway, in fact. It’s a three-story, Victorian style home.”
Her eyes lit up. “I’ve seen that my entire life. Oh, how wonderful. It was such a shame that the owners were letting it go.”
“And out back there are three buildings. One we’re making into an apartment for Gran and one is another house.” He paused and took a sip of coffee. “I’m going to use that for my home.” His eyes flicked to hers. “And my future wife and children.”
She smiled and nodded, pleased in spite of her logical reasoning that told her to take it all calmly. Before she could reply, his eyes flicked up to the clock on the wall. “I had best be going. I have a full afternoon and evening shift at the restaurant.”
“See you later,” she whispered.
“Yes, you will.”
He left the café and she stared at the drawing in front of her. Without consciously thinking about it, she flipped the page over and started on a new design, this one more of an old-fashioned southern belle look with a modified hoop skirt.
“That was him,” Julienne breathed looking out the window.
Turning her head, Stephanie followed the girl’s gaze where Christopher was getting into a car. “I hear he’s taken,” she said quietly.
“Really? Ah, man! Looks like I’ll have to see who else is available. It’s so much harder this time of year.”
Smiling, Stephanie went back to her drawing.
“Wow, that’s so cute.” Julienne watched as she kept sketching. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” The bell above the door jangled as a new customer walked in and she rushed up to the counter to help them.
On December fifteenth, Stephanie stood with Dora and watched while Darcelle was married to George Leighton in a private ceremony from their home. After all of their signatures were on the legal forms, they had a celebratory dinner, packed the last of her things in George’s trailer and waved as they drove away. Stephanie wrapped an arm around Dora who had tears running down her cheeks.
“I’m glad she’s happy,” she whispered as they walked back inside. “I just wish…”
“Let’s make some cocoa,” Stephanie suggested, understanding what she couldn’t say. Dora just wished she could find her own Mr. Right. They were seated in the living room, sipping their cocoa and listening to the radio when a knock came at the door. Dora leapt to her feet and went to answer it.
“Mr. Covington, what a pleasant surprise. If you’re here to see Mom, she’s on her honeymoon.”
“Thank you, Dora, but actually this gentleman and I are here to see Stephanie. Is she available?”
Stephanie’s heart sped up as she knew what was coming. She hadn’t mentioned the coming courting proposal as it was considered one of the unwritten rules, plus Stephanie had been worried that if she told anyone, that it might not happen.
Dora opened the door wide and Alex Covington and Christopher walked in. “Dora, this is Christopher Triton.”
“I remember,” Dora said, smiling as she shook Christopher’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Triton.”
“You as well, Dora. You look happy.”
“I am.”
Christopher turned and looked at Stephanie and smiled. Dora looked from one to the other and her hands slammed over her mouth with a squeak as Alex Covington pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and began to speak. “Miss Stephanie Anne Knight, we the undersigned have given our permission for you to be courted by Mr. Christopher Bryant Triton for the process of one year, starting on this date and ending no later than one year from today. As a courted female, you are never to be in the presence of another male without Mr. Triton present or a female trusted by him. Your rights from Mr. Triton are as follows...”
As he spoke, Stephanie walked slowly forward until she and Christopher stood staring at one another. The information continued to flow, letting them know what each stage of their courting would entail and what was expected from each one of them as time went on. “If this agreement is entered into willingly, then we the undersigned give our seal of approval.” Mr. Covington read off all the names of the town council and placed the paper next to her on the coffee table. “If you agree to the courting, you need to sign by the X.”
Nodding, Stephanie turned and signed her name, instantly standing up afterward. Christopher looked over at the other man in their midst as though asking an unspoken question. Alex grunted. “Yep. You now have the right.”
Grinning, Chris turned back to her and after taking her hands in his, he kissed her. Except for a couple stolen kisses in elementary school, Stephanie had always dreamed of but never experienced another’s lips on hers. His lips were soft and firm at the same time as they moved against her own. When Alex cleared his throat, Christopher pulled back. “I’ve been wanting to do that for months,” he said with a chuckle making her laugh.
As soon as he released Stephanie’s hands, Dora gave a scream and launched herself forward, jumping up and down. “Congratulations!” she squeaked. “Stephie, I’m so happy for you! After everything you’ve been through.” She paused to grab a tissue. “Oh! You’ll be related to Cami now!”
After the excitement had somewhat abated, Mr. Covington described some of the differences their courtship would go through. “For your first stage, all dates must be in the presence of either Miss Lexington or myself. To protect Miss Knight’s reputation, of course. Everything else goes along with the contract. Stephanie, there is only one stipulation that is yours alone to make,” he said kindly. Turning to him, she waited. “Normally, Mr. Triton would need to ask permission of a girl’s father to propose. In this case, that is not relevant. As such, it is up to you if he needs to ask anyone for permission or if you would just prefer he ask you.”
The answer came without needing to think about it. “You. You’ve always had my best interests at heart, Mr. Covington. So, if you wouldn’t mind…”
“It would be my pleasure,” he replied warmly. “Now, I must be off. My grandson is due at any moment. We got the call an hour ago that they were about to wheel Kathy into the delivery room. I could be a grandpa and I don’t even know it.” As they turned toward the door, his phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. His eyes misted a little and then he turned the screen of his phone in their direction. “Alexander Brandon Covington, III, was born a few minutes ago weighing in at eight pounds, two ounces.”
Both Dora and Stephanie oo’d and ah’d over the squished little face on the screen and after a few congratulations, he left
to go celebrate with his family.
“Wow,” Dora said, shaking her head. “Kathy’s a mommy.” As if realizing there was a third person in the room, she turned and smiled at him. “Would you like some hot cocoa?”
“I’d love some.”
If someone would have asked Stephanie what she expected to talk about the official night of her courting, she would have said it would be about her and her intended. Instead, she and Dora told Christopher funny stories about Xan and Kathy, talked about growing up in Hyacinth, and just reminisced. Every time they paused, he asked a question that brought out even more fun memories. When he left, after giving her a longer kiss, Dora hugged her again.
“He’s a keeper.”
Laughing, Stephanie nodded. “I hope so.”
Chapter 6
How time had a way of speeding by, Stephanie couldn’t figure out, but it did it with such ease. The first three months of their courtship went by quickly. They saw each other daily, and to her relief, Julienne had been thrilled for her when she found out. By the time they had moved onto the fourth stage, she was not only used to following his lead but found it comforting. She did have the tendency to needle him a bit, though, when he assigned her lines for discipline.
“Again?” she moaned toward the end of March as once again he assigned her some for mouthing off at Marjorie earlier that day, though this time it was for more than she had ever written in her life. She glared at the paper he had placed in front of her. He wanted her to write I will not give into rudeness five thousand times.
“We could take care of it another way,” he said firmly, “but you have been reticent about spanking.”
Her heart jumped. Spanking. From the beginning of their relationship, she had been honest about the whole spanking thing. That she wasn’t sure if it was for her and he was willing not to do it if that was what she wanted. But right now, it seemed to her that a spanking might be easier than what he wanted her to write. Her eyes darted to Dora who was trying not to watch them. They were in the kitchen at the table while she was making dinner. “Dora?” she said, clearing her throat.