Lily

by Greenwood, Leigh

  "I have to make sure everything is prepared properly," Tyler objected. "This is my brother's wedding, and half of San Francisco society will be here. Everything's got to be perfect."

  "If your chefs can't manage a reception by themselves after all this time, you need to fire them. I repeat, you're not to go near that kitchen. And don't think you can sneak by on me. I intend to set the children to watch you."

  "They're only three and four."

  "Perfect ages. They haven't yet learned they're supposed to lie for their father. You're incorrigible, Tyler. Sometimes I think I want to go back to that mountain cabin and be snowed in all winter. If you ever had to choose between your kitchen and me, I'd be raising those children on my own."

  Tyler grabbed his wife as she turned away from him, turned her around, and engulfed her in his embrace. "It wouldn't be an easy decision, but I'd give up cooking for you."

  "Well, I wouldn't want you to do anything like that," Daisy said, returning her husband's embrace. "You'd probably waste away to nothing."

  Tyler nuzzled his wife's neck. "Not if I was too busy to think about the kitchens."

  Daisy giggled. "Not now, Tyler. The children will be here in half an hour."

  "Can you think of a better way to spend the time?"

  Daisy couldn't.

  * * * * *

  "But she can't want us all to be in the wedding," Madison said. "That'll be six of us."

  "She knows exactly how many brothers Zac has. What's more, she wants all of her sisters-in-law to walk down the aisle as well."

  "Good lord. It'll be a mob. Nobody will see the bride."

  "They'll see Lily," Fern assured him. "We'll be in blue. She'll be in white."

  "Well, since it's the last time, I guess I can stand it."

  "Brace yourself. That's not all. She wants Zac's nieces to be flower girls."

  Madison let out a hoot. "Elizabeth might do just fine, but George's twins and Monty's Susan will turn it into a circus."

  "No they won't, not if I have anything to say about it."

  Madison knew that was no idle threat. After dealing with five sons each day, four girls ought to be a snap. Well, maybe not a snap. There was nothing about George's twins or Monty's daughter that was easy. Beautiful they were. Terrors they were as well.

  "She wants the boys to carry her train."

  "My God. Does she know how many male Randolphs there are?"

  "Precisely. She wants William Henry and Jordy to be ring bearers."

  "This is going to be a nightmare. I just hope we all live through it."

  "You will."

  "Maybe we should move back to Denver."

  "How about Kansas?"

  "And have you revert to wearing pants and that abominable sheepskin vest! Never. I'm keeping you where you have to wear a dress to look presentable."

  "Good. I'm not planning to move from this house until they have to carry me through the door," Fern declared.

  "How about me carrying you upstairs?"

  "I can walk, thank you."

  "But it's much more fun if I carry you."

  Fern didn't walk.

  * * * * *

  George was working over his accounts when a scream from Rose sent him racing to her sitting room. When he reached the doorway, she was standing in the middle of the room, holding a letter in her hands.

  "Did anyone die?" George asked.

  "Zac is getting married," Rose said, "for the second time to the same woman."

  "What?" George had never known what to expect from Zac, but this was beyond the limit.

  "He got married in a private ceremony, but now he wants a proper wedding," Rose explained. "He wants us to stand up with him. He wants the children to be in the wedding, too."

  "All of them?"

  "William Henry is to be a ring bearer, and the girls are to be flower girls."

  "The twins are a little bit old for that, don't you think?"

  "Fourteen's not too old. I'll have to telegraph the school to make arrangements to send them to San Francisco at once. Thank goodness William Henry hasn't started West Point yet. I doubt they'd let him off. He can travel with Jeff."

  "He might prefer to come on his own. He is big enough, you know."

  "Accept it, George. My children will never be old enough."

  A little girl of eight years came running into the room. "Mama, was that you screaming?" she asked.

  "I wasn't screaming. I was just surprised."

  "She was screaming," George said, grabbing his youngest daughter from behind and giving her a hug and kiss.

  "You're going to be in a wedding," Rose said. "Would you like that?"

  "Whose wedding?"

  "Your Uncle Zac's, if we can believe his letter."

  "Who'd marry him?"

  "See what you've done?" George accused.

  "A very nice young woman," Rose told her youngest child. "And you're never to repeat a word I've said on pain of being trampled by a million longhorns."

  "Papa said we don't raise longhorns any more. He says they don't have enough beef. We raise Herefords."

  "All cows are the same to me," Rose said, dismissing such an unimportant distinction. She paused. "I can hardly believe it's been nineteen years since I came to this ranch. I can still remember Zac peeping though the door that first horrible day. He was such a darling little boy." She turned to her husband. "Do you remember how proud he was when he got his first pair of chaps?"

  "But Uncle Zac hates cows," Elizabeth reminded her mother.

  "He didn't then. He couldn't wait to ride with his brothers. Anything to be grownup."

  "But you said Uncle Zac never grew up."

  George laughed delightedly. "She's got you there."

  Rose was nettled. "Sometimes he still acts like it. Now we've got to go to San Antonio immediately. Both of us need new clothes. Fern says it's going to be the biggest wedding of the year. I can't imagine how she got Zac to agree to it."

  * * * * *

  "At least I'm not pregnant," Laurel said as she supervised the packing for her family.

  "Would that mean we could stay home?" Hen asked as he kissed the back of his wife's neck.

  "No, and stop that. You're setting a terrible example for the boys."

  "On the contrary, I'm setting a good example. I want them to know exactly how to go about it."

  "There are certain things that don't need practice. You certainly learned fast enough."

  "But practice is more fun."

  Laurel took her husband's hands and put them behind her back. "It's up to you to make sure Adam and Jordy understand they've got to behave properly while they're in San Francisco. I'll be mortified if they show up at the wedding wearing spurs and boots."

  "I still think it would be better to leave them here."

  "I agree, but Lily wants them in the wedding. Apparently she's hoping this will help heal the breach between Zac and the rest of the family."

  "It won't."

  "Well, I'm going to do my best to help her," Laurel said. "I still believe one of those Blackthornes would have killed you if Zac hadn't shown up in that ridiculous dress."

  A nurse came out of the house carrying a little girl in her arms. Three boys ages six, five, and two followed close behind.

  "You sure you won't need more help?" Hen asked.

  "Helen and I can handle the children. You just take care of Jordy and Adam."

  "I think you've got the easier job."

  "I know I have. You sure it's a good idea to let them ride?"

  "The only way you'll get them to behave for that long is wear them out first."

  * * * * *

  "How soon before we get there, daddy?" A four-year-old girl with flame-red hair looked up at her father. "We've been on this train an awfully long time."

  "We'll get there tomorrow," Monty said to his daughter.

  "I want to go home."

  "We've only just left."

  "I don't like trains."

 
"It's a lot better than going by horseback," her mother said. "Trains don't get tired like horses or have to be fed and watered."

  "I still don't like trains."

  "Don't talk so loud. You'll wake your sister."

  Monty could never get enough of the sight of his wife holding either of their daughters. It was still a miracle to him that these energetic creatures were his children, that he had been part of creating anything so vital, so beautiful. They had their mother's red hair and his blue eyes. They were perfect, and he loved them so much at times it was almost painful.

  "Are we going to stay in Uncle Tyler's hotel?" Susan asked.

  "Yes," her mother replied. "And you're not to run up and down the halls."

  "Will Sandy and Carter be there?"

  "Yes. All of your cousins are coming."

  "They'll run up and down the halls."

  "Fine. Let your Aunt Fern worry about them. Just don't let me catch you running after them."

  Susan considered that for a moment. "That doesn't seem fair."

  "You're going to be in your Uncle Zac's wedding. It's very important that you be on your best behavior."

  "Is Helena going to be in the wedding?" she asked, looking at the year-old child asleep in Iris's arms.

  "No. She's too little."

  "What am I going to do?"

  "You're going to be a flower girl. You'll wear a pretty dress and spread rose petals all over everywhere."

  "I can't believe he's going to have all these children in the wedding," Monty said. "It'll be a zoo."

  "It'll be worth it just to see the woman who finally managed to put her brand on the last free Randolph." Iris looked at her husband, grinned then turned to her daughter. "Of course, it won't be half as hard as catching your father. I tried to hook him with a herd of cows, but he wouldn't bite. I had to chase him all the way from Texas to Wyoming."

  "Is that a long way?" Susan asked.

  "It seemed like it then."

  * * * * *

  "You go to the desk and make sure our rooms are ready," Violet said to Jeff.

  "You'll need help with the children."

  "I can handle the children just fine. It's seeing about the rooms and the baggage I can't handle."

  "You should have told me you were expecting before we left. I'm sure Zac would have understood."

  "You should have assumed I was pregnant," Violet said with a laugh. "It seems I have been from the moment I married you. I think it was easier being a housemother. At least I didn't get them until they were at least ten."

  "We still don't have to come."

  "Of course we do. I wouldn't have missed this even if I were due the day of the wedding. This is your last brother. Aren't you curious about the bride?"

  "I guess I am. I remember that child from her visit several summers ago," Jeff said. "It never occurred to me then she would be the one to marry Zac. He treated her exactly like a younger sister. Here, hold Tom's hand while I help the girls down."

  "Look, Mama," her son said, pointing up at the covered roof that seemed hundreds of feet in the air.

  "I'd better not," Violet said after only a glance. "It'll make me dizzy. Does your brother always have to build such extravagant hotels?" she asked Jeff.

  "I didn't think anything could top the one he built in Denver, but this certainly does."

  "Can I go with Papa?" Tom asked.

  "That's right. You men run off and leave us women to struggle along as best we can."

  "Men don't take care of babies," Tom said.

  "Now I wonder where he learned that," Violet said, eyeing her husband.

  "William Henry told me," Tom announced. "He said babies was women's work."

  "You're off the hook this time," Violet said to her visibly relieved husband, "but you wait until I see William Henry. I'll teach him to poison my child's mind."

  "I think we'd better go see about the rooms before you say anything else," Jeff said to his son. "You sure you don't need help?"

  "Catherine's asleep, and Dorothy's nodding. I just need to be able to put them to bed soon. I want them well rested before the wedding rehearsal."

  * * * * *

  "Why have you been getting drunk?" Zac asked Dodie.

  She had just entered his office. She had closed the door, but hadn't had time to sit down.

  "If you called me here to talk about my drinking, I'm walking right back out that door."

  "I didn't, but it's something I need to know."

  Dodie didn't move. "You tell me what you want. If I think it's any of your business, I'll tell you why I got drunk."

  "You going to sit down?"

  "Should I?”

  "Yeah."

  Dodie settled herself in a deep chair. "Aren't you going to offer me a brandy?"

  "I was hoping you wouldn't want one."

  "I don't get drunk on brandy, Zac. Just whiskey."

  Zac and Dodie locked gazes.

  Maybe he was making a mistake. Maybe Dodie was the wrong person. He didn't know why she had fallen apart, but he couldn't afford to take the chance she would do it again. Too much would be riding on her shoulders.

  "Do you want a brandy?" he asked.

  "No, but it was nice of you to ask." She flashed a brilliantly insincere smile. "Now, what was so important that you actually got yourself out of bed before noon?"

  Zac walked in front of his desk and perched on the corner. "I'm making some changes in the way I live," he said. "Getting up before noon is only the beginning."

  "It's about time," Dodie said. "Now if you can just get yourself to bed before dawn."

  "I plan to do that as well. But as you can guess, that leaves no one to look after the saloon."

  "Don't look at me. I'm not staying up all night for any man, especially so he can go to bed with another woman, even if it is his wife."

  "It's important the saloon keeps going. There'd be a lot of people out of a job if it closed. Think of all the girls who'd still be on the street."

  Dodie got to her feet. "You're not going to rope me into going to work again for you by making me feel guilty, Zac Randolph. I don't ask anybody to take care of me, and I'm not taking care of anybody."

  "I'm not asking you to take care of anybody, just keep the saloon open and running."

  "No." Dodie started to the door.

  "Would you do it if it was your place?"

  Dodie stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned around. "Explain what you mean by your place."

  "It's one of the changes I'm making. I'm getting out of the gambling business."

  "You're doing this because of Lily?"

  "I have to. It's no kind of life with one of us awake while the other is sleeping. She doesn't belong in a place like this. As long as I own it, there'll be no way to keep her out."

  "Damn! You really must be crazy about her after all."

  "I guess you could say I'm not as clever as I thought, but I finally realized Lily couldn't shape her life to fit mine. She would try -- Lord knows we saw plenty evidence of that -- but it's not right, and I know it."

  "You can't know how relieved I am to hear you say that. I've been feeling guilty over insisting you marry her. I was certain you were in love with her but would never see it unless somebody gave you a push."

  "Well, you gave me a push all right. It took a little getting used to, but now I'm happy you did it. Now about that drinking."

  "I guess it is important," Dodie said, looking away. She started fiddling with a small statuette on the table next to the sofa. She kept her back to Zac.

  Dodie walked over to the window and looked out at the bay. "I could handle your not loving me as long as there wasn't anybody else. I even thought I could handle it when I saw you falling for Lily. But I was wrong.

  "I didn't realize that until after you got married. That's why I quit. I couldn't work around you with you married to someone else. That's why I started drinking again. I had stopped when you asked me to watch the saloon while you went lookin
g for Windy." She turned around to face him. "I realized when you were willing to take three days off to go look for Windy Dumbarton, you really did love her."

  She looked at the floor. "That was the final hammer blow to my hopes that maybe . . . somehow . . . Anyway, it was rougher than I thought. I got drunk again, but only that one night."

  She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "I'm over it, finally. I haven't had a drop since. It hasn't been easy, but I can finally say I'm happy for you. I hope you have the best of everything."

  He didn't know what to say now anymore than when Dodie first told him she loved him. He wondered how many times he'd done or said something to hurt her. They were beyond counting he was certain.

  He crossed the room and took Dodie's hands in his. He held them tight. "I'd have been very proud to have you for my wife."

  "Except for the fact that you didn't love me."

  "I'm not worthy of you, Dodie."

  "Don't give me that." She jerked her hands, but he wouldn't let go. "That's what every man says when he's trying to wiggle out of something, hoping he can get the hell out before you start crying."

  "Well I do mean it. I'm not worthy of you or Lily."

  "You're damned right," Dodie said, her eyes gleaming with moisture. "But handsome bastards like you are always getting things they don't deserve."

  Zac kissed her on the cheek. "You've been the greatest friend I ever had. I couldn't have run this place without you."

  "Oh, Hell! You know how much a woman hates it when a man says he wants them to be friends."

  "I'm sorry, but there's nothing else I can do. I love you dearly, but not--"

  "I know, you love me like a friend."

  "Yes."

  Dodie wiped her eyes. "Well, I guess that's something. Now before I start to cry, you'd better tell me how you expect me to finance buying this saloon. Knowing your liking for sharp deals, I don't expect you to give it to me."

  * * * * *

  Zac peeped out into the church and grimaced. He wondered if it was possible to cancel a wedding after the organ had started playing. The Randolph side of the church was packed with the cream of San Francisco society. Daisy and Fern had really put themselves out to make certain everybody of importance was here.

  It was the bride's side that worried him. It was filled to bursting with nearly every man who had set foot inside the Little Corner of Heaven since Lily arrived. And the girls and the staff. Lily had invited everybody.