by Janice Hanna
“Now, you children keep that room clean while I’m gone,” Rena said. “I want to make a good first impression on Sadie.”
“Unlike the first impression they made on you when you arrived a couple of months ago?” Carolina gave her a wink.
Rena chuckled. “Exactly. Promise me you won’t leave them alone for a minute while I’m gone. I’d hate to see them play some sort of prank on Sadie. She’s the dearest thing in the world and the last person who deserves to be the brunt of a joke.”
“I promise.” Carolina nodded toward the children. “Did you hear that, all of you? We’re going to treat our company with the utmost respect.”
The girls looked their way and smiled, but the boys had taken to wrestling on the new Persian rug. Rena took her winter coat from the coatrack, slipped it on, and buttoned it up, readying herself for the trek outside. She glanced out the window, wondering what was keeping Gene. After a moment she looked back at Carolina.
“Thanks so much for keeping an eye on everything while I’ve gone to fetch Sadie. I’m so excited to bring her here.” She looked around the room with a sigh. “I’m just tickled pink that the furniture arrived before she did. Really livens up the place, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s wonderful. But if she’s half the decorator you say she is, she’ll take what we have and whip it into something extra-special,” Carolina said. “Besides, she’s family. She’ll feel at home no matter what the place looks like.”
“True.” Rena threw her arms around Carolina’s neck in an impromptu embrace. “And you’re like family to me too, Carolina. I want you to know that. I’m so grateful for all you’ve done since I arrived.”
“You blessed girl. I’ve loved every minute.” Carolina gave her a tight squeeze. “Now, how are you getting to the station? Surely you’re not walking.”
“No, Gene is going to be along shortly to pick me up.”
A now-familiar feeling of contentment settled over her as she spoke Gene’s name. In the week since receiving his letter, she had begun to entertain thoughts of courting him. All in due season, of course. And speaking of seasons, Christmas was nearly upon them! Why, in just a couple of weeks they would celebrate together.
“Gene, eh?” Carolina smiled. “Well, isn’t that nice.”
“Yes.” Rena did her best not to sigh aloud, though her level of contentment grew daily. She’d fallen in love—with Daisy, with the children, and possibly with the sheriff. Not that she knew what love felt like, exactly, but she did have some idea.
Strange, that he’d never acknowledged the letter he’d sent. One of these days she would work up the courage to broach the subject. Today she had other things on her mind.
Gene’s car pulled up a few minutes before noon. Rena stepped out onto the porch and gave a little wave. Her happiness dissipated as Charlie stepped out of the car to meet her.
“Sorry,” he said. “Not exactly who you were looking for, I’m sure. But Gene’s up to his eyeballs in paperwork and couldn’t get away. Do you mind?”
“Mind?” She offered what she hoped would look like a convincing smile. “Of course not. I’m happy for the ride. Thank you for coming to fetch me.”
“Of course.” Charlie chattered all the way to the depot, filling her in on the goings-on in town. Turned out Mrs. Hannigan had a ruptured appendix, Joe the barber was thinking of taking a trip to Texas, and Old Man Tucker had his eye on Molly Harris.
That last bit of news made Rena nervous. In fact, everything about Molly made her nervous. She did her best to squelch any concerns, however. This was a day for celebration, after all. Sadie would arrive on the 12:45 train and spend four glorious weeks in Daisy. Oh, Rena could hardly wait!
Charlie pulled up to the station and turned off the car. He came around to open the door for Rena and she emerged, giving a little shiver.
“I hope we don’t have to wait long.”
“Nah. The twelve forty-five is never late.” Charlie wiped the snow off of the bench outside the depot and gestured for her to sit. She eased her way down, her teeth now chattering.
The train arrived right on schedule, whistle blowing and steam billowing into the air in white clusters. Seconds later, Sadie emerged in a lavender chiffon dress.
“Aunt Rena!” She offered a joyous wave and then came bolting toward her just as she’d done hundreds, if not thousands, of times before. Rena’s heart danced for joy. She wrapped Sadie in her arms and the two began to squeal in much the same way Lilly and Callie might have, if they’d been separated for any length of time.
“Oh, I’ve dreamed of this day for months.” Rena reached to touch Sadie’s face. “And here you are, you beautiful girl! But where’s your coat?”
“Coat?” Sadie laughed. “When I left Gulfport, temperatures were in the seventies.” She shivered. “Never even thought about it, to be perfectly honest. Guess I will now.”
“Allow me, miss.” From beside them, Charlie slipped off his coat and draped it around Sadie’s shoulders. She gave him an admiring look.
For a moment, no one said anything. Then Charlie cleared his throat. Rena noticed the look of interest in his eyes and quickly made introductions.
Charlie’s gaze lingered on Sadie’s blond hair and beautiful face before saying something about the weather. Then the poor fellow fumbled all over himself as he attempted to fetch her bags. This, of course, got Sadie tickled. She reached out to help him, and when she did, their hands met. Rena looked on in amusement as the two gazed at each other, neither saying a word.
If their how-do-you-do was any indication, this was going to be a very special Christmas visit. Very special, indeed.
Gene looked up from his work as he heard the door open. Rena brushed through the open doorway. Behind her came an unfamiliar young woman. The stranger appeared to be dressed in—what was that, Charlie’s coat? Charlie stepped inside behind the ladies, his cheeks blazing red. Odd. Had he caught a chill, perhaps? He didn’t look like himself at all.
“Gene.” Rena took several steps in his direction, the smile on her face so engaging that he found himself captivated. “We’re headed back to the children’s home, but I wanted to stop by so that you could meet Sadie.”
She stepped aside, and the young woman came into full view. She was a beautiful blond with bright blue eyes and a smattering of freckles on her nose.
“How do you do,” she said with a nod, her Southern accent shining through loud and clear.
Gene extended his hand. “Gene Wyatt.”
“Gene, meet my niece, Sadie.” Rena’s face beamed. “She’s here at last. I’ve told her all about the town, of course. She’s read every letter. But she wanted to see it all for herself. Every square inch. This is our first stop.”
“Of all the places in Daisy you could have gone, you came to the jail first?” Gene grinned. “Well, I’m honored.”
“Oh, we simply had to.” Sadie removed Charlie’s coat, revealing a fancy purple dress underneath. “For weeks I’ve heard of little else but this jail. I hear you’re wanting to redecorate.” She rubbed her hands together then looked around. “My, we have a lot to do. Well, at least I’ve got several weeks.”
Gene groaned. So that’s what this was all about. His mother was up to tricks again. “Well, I suppose you could…I mean…”
Rena and Sadie lit into a lively conversation about drapes and paint colors, and he did his best to act interested. Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any trouble paying attention. No, his gaze was riveted to the beautiful Sadie, who carried on with great animation.
“We must shop for fabrics.” Sadie clasped her hands together. “No better time than the present. Is there an adequate fabric selection at the general store?”
“There is.” Rena nodded. “Though the weather has surely limited recent deliveries. Shall we take a peek since we’re in town anyway? I’m sure Carolina won’t mind if we take a bit longer, if it’s related to the work she’s commissioned me to do.”
&nbs
p; “Mm-hmm.” Sadie turned, now standing nose-to-nose with Charlie, whose face glowed brighter than the taillights on Gene’s car. “Well, you seem to be the helpful sort. Would you mind escorting us?”
“M–mind?” Charlie shook his head and offered her his arm.
Gene looked on, fascinated. Rena glanced at him and gave a gentle smile. “I don’t suppose you would have time to slip away for a few minutes, would you?”
“Slip away?” He looked down at the mounds of paperwork on his desk and wondered if he dared.
“It’s nearly Christmas, after all.” Her voice had a melodic lilt to it, one he suddenly couldn’t resist. Darned if he knew what had come over the woman in recent weeks. Still, he couldn’t shake the idea that spending a few minutes with her—even looking at fabrics—would be far more pleasant than plowing through paperwork.
The happy foursome ventured out into the cold, making the walk to the general store. Sadie chattered on about fabrics and such, but Gene didn’t pay her much mind. His thoughts were affixed to Rena, who seemed to be wearing her hair differently today.
They arrived at the store just in time for Mr. Hannigan to greet them with hot chocolate and a cheerful “Merry Christmas.”
“Ooh, I love Daisy already.” Sadie took a mug of chocolate, a contented look on her face.
The ladies went to work at once, looking at the fabrics. Gene milled about a careful distance away. He knew nothing about fabrics and such. A few moments later, Molly Harris entered the store dressed in a heavy winter coat. She grumbled about the weather and claimed her rheumatism was giving her fits.
The cantankerous woman paused in front of Sadie and crossed her arms. “What have we here? More do-gooders?”
Gene watched as Rena faced Molly and offered a strained smile. “Molly, this is my niece, Sadie, from Gulfport. She’s visiting for the holidays.”
“Hmph.” Molly scrutinized Sadie’s dress then began to spew her usual venom. “Just like your aunt, no doubt. You plan to flip everything upside down with your so-called goodness like she’s done?” Molly gestured to Rena, whose eyes widened.
“My goodness?” Sadie looked perplexed. “What do you mean?”
“Do-gooders, all of you. You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” Molly pushed her way through the ladies and headed to the canned goods.
Gene wanted to interject his thoughts but didn’t dare. Rena was a do-gooder, no doubt about it, but not in the way that Molly was implying. She genuinely cared for the children and had their best interests at heart.
Charlie cleared his throat and offered Sadie his arm. “What do you say we look at fabrics another day? I daresay a cold wind just blew through. Likely it’s much warmer outside.”
“Indeed.” Sadie took his proffered arm, her lips curling up in a delightful smile. “I’m sure there’s much more to see, anyway.” She gazed at him, her eyelashes now fluttering.
“Oh yes.” He cleared his throat. “Much more.”
The two stared at one another, clearly seeing all they cared to at the moment. Gene looked on, unsure of what held him more spellbound—Sadie’s relaxed attitude toward Molly Harris or Charlie’s apparent infatuation with the Southern belle on his arm.
On the other hand, perhaps neither held him captive like Rena now did. The emotion pouring out of her eyes clued him in to the fact that Molly’s words had stung. Well, then, he would be the salve on the wound.
Offering her his arm, he said, “Ladies, your carriage awaits.”
Heads high, they all marched through the door.
Rena did her best to brush off the pain caused by Molly’s sharp words back at the general store. She wanted Sadie’s visit to be perfect. Nothing would get in the way of that. Gene—God bless him—seemed to pick up on her concerns. He closed up shop at the jail and drove them all back to the children’s home, where the boys and girls greeted Sadie in their usual boisterous way. Thank goodness they didn’t pull any pranks, though they delighted in telling the story of how they’d greeted Rena on her first day.
Sadie responded with laughter and smiles, which only served to endear her to the children. Before long, she was telling all sorts of stories about Rena, stories that brought Rena a bit of embarrassment in front of Gene.
They enjoyed a wonderful dinner together, followed by Sadie’s favorite dessert, cherry pie. Afterward, the children followed on Sadie’s heels as she made her way into the parlor, Charlie still following at a comfortable distance. Gene offered to help Rena clear the dishes from the table, as always. She enjoyed their playful banter as they worked and wondered if he might sneak in a word or two about his feelings toward her. He did not, but she felt—on at least one occasion—that he would have, if not for his mother’s occasional presence.
Once the table was cleared, Gene offered to help his mother in the kitchen so that Rena could spend time with her niece. She thanked him and made her way to the parlor, following the sound of the children’s laughter. Once there, she found all of the girls marching across the parlor with books on their heads.
“What have we here?”
“She’s teaching us to be real ladies, Miss Rena!” Josephine’s book slid off and landed on the floor with a thump. “Ladies like her.”
“And what about me?” Rena asked. “What am I?”
“A lady too, of course.” Callie smiled.
“Ooh, but Miss Sadie is young and pretty and such a fine lady and…” Josephine clamped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, Miss Rena. I didn’t mean to be rude. You’re very pretty too, of course.”
“No offense taken. Sadie is lovely, isn’t she? I’ve thought so from the time she was a little girl.” Rena paused and signaled for the children to draw near. She sat on the sofa and slipped her arm around Lilly’s shoulders. “When Sadie was little, I would teach her the same things she’s now teaching you. Manners, posture, sewing…oh, we had such fun.”
“That’s right,” Sadie said. “Aunt Rena taught me how to set the table, how to speak to adults, and how to fix my hair. I learned so much from her.”
“Why didn’t your mama teach you?” Lilly asked. “Is she dead like my mama?”
Sadie paused, deep tenderness in her expression. “No, honey. My mama lives in Mississippi.”
“Then why didn’t she teach you those things?” Callie asked. “I mean, that’s what mamas do, right?”
“Sometimes mamas are too busy,” Sadie explained. “My mother was in charge of several committees—at the church, the women’s society, the missions society.… Why, it’s because of women like my mama that this children’s home exists. She wanted to make sure you were cared for.”
“But not you?” Lilly asked, her eyes wide with innocence. “She didn’t care about teaching you to cook and sew and other lady-stuff?”
Sadie sighed and shifted her gaze to Charlie, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her from the moment she started talking.
“She did teach me quite a few of those things. I was just saying that Aunt Rena was a big part of my life too. My point is that sometimes the Lord uses other folks—besides our mamas, I mean—to teach us what we need to learn.”
“Is that why He brought you here, Miss Rena?” Callie asked. “So you can be like a mama to us?”
“That’s right.” Rena felt an inexplicable joy fill her heart.
“And you too, Miss Sadie?” Josephine asked.
“Why, I suppose so. Though I’ll be leaving in a few weeks to go back to college.” She paused and the girls sighed. “But let’s not worry about that just yet. Let’s enjoy the time we have together, all right?”
“Yes.” Rena rose as she heard the teakettle whistling from the kitchen. “And let’s start right now, with tea. Carolina’s been kind enough to prepare it. Sadie, would you like to show the girls what I taught you about serving tea and cookies to guests?”
“Who are our guests?” Josephine asked.
“Ooh, I know!” Sadie rose and called for the boys to join them. By the time Rena ret
urned from the kitchen with the tea tray and cookies, the boys were seated around the dining table once again, all smiles.
Rena leaned over to whisper her thoughts into Sadie’s ear. “You’ve come just in time. How can I ever thank you?”
Her niece swung around, a mischievous look on her face. “I can think of one way,” she whispered in response.
“Name it.”
Sadie’s lips curled up, revealing her dimples. She nodded toward the young deputy and whispered, “Invite Charlie to Christmas dinner?”
Rena looked back and forth between them, suddenly very aware that sparks were flying. She could only hope neither would get burned.
Chapter Nineteen
TIPS FOR DEALING WITH UNRULY YOUNG’UNS—My Christmas memories are fuzzy from the age of fourteen on. I’m pretty sure I blocked out many of them after the death of my parents. That’s why I feel so strongly about giving the children of Daisy the best Christmas ever, because I know the pain of facing the holidays without a mother or father. They deserve a carefree holiday filled with good cheer and wonderful gifts. My tip for dealing with unruly children during the holidays? Share the real reason for the holiday and give them memories that will last forever.
—Rena Jewel, Director of the Atoka County Children’s Home
The final days before Christmas were spent decorating the house, visiting with Sadie, preparing food, wrapping presents, and sewing outfits for the children. Many times Rena would sew well into the night with Sadie at her side, pinning and pressing the various dresses or slacks. They giggled and talked until exhaustion set in. Then they tumbled into bed, slept a few hours, rose…and started the whole thing over again. All in preparation for the big day: Christmas.
A host of gifts arrived the week before Christmas—many from the missions organization, but a handful from some old friends Rena hadn’t thought about in a while: the trio of sisters from the train. Along with a substantial monetary gift, they sent toys in abundance and a note saying that they were praying for the children and thinking often of Rena. Rena responded with a lengthy letter, updating them on the goings-on around Daisy. She left out the part about Molly, of course. And the mayor. Thank goodness, neither had presented much of a problem since that awful day at the general store when Sadie first arrived.