Yes, this was the dress she’d wear to marry Tully. Violet was so glad the special women in her life were here to witness this Clear Creek bridal ritual with her.
“This is it!” Violet exclaimed as she met her mother’s eyes in the mirror. Her mother smiled back and nodded.
Violet felt overflowing love for her mother. If Faye hadn’t run to her Uncle Isaac when Violet was a baby, none of this life as Violet knew it, nor these wonderful women would have been her future. Yes, she owed so much to her mother, including the wedding of her dreams.
Edna tapped her cane twice on the floor. “We got the dress, now let’s move over to the hotel to discuss the party. I’m in need of a cup of tea, and a sample of wedding cake.”
The poignant mood changed to a joyous one as everyone laughed at Edna’s remark. Violet bent her knees again so Mary could remove the veil. The dress fit perfectly and didn’t need to be altered. Eight days from today she’d put on the gown again and walk down the aisle to Tully for the second time. But this would be the wedding date they’d remember because they’d be married in their community church by Tully’s father, in front of all their family and friends.
***
“You still carrying stuff upstairs?” Nolan called from the back door of the café.
“Yep. Two more crates. Trouble is, I only have so much table, counter, and floor space to stack the boxes. I have no clue where Violet plans to store all the stuff Faye brought into town, or in what order, so I’m just hauling it upstairs,” Tully answered as he walked toward Nolan, ready for a glass of water or cup of coffee if Nolan would offer it to him.
“I unloaded the wagon first to get the horses over to the livery for water. They pulled a load into town.”
“I saw the group of women arrive an hour ago. What were they up to?” Nolan asked.
“Wedding planning. Dress, reception, cake…” Tully shrugged his shoulders. Luckily he was just in charge of the wagon.
“I noticed Violet wasn’t wearing a ring yesterday. Saving it for the church vows?” Nolan asked as he nodded to Tully to follow him into the kitchen. It was the slow time before the early supper crowd, and Nolan usually took a break about now.
Tully helped himself to a glass from the cupboard and poured water from a pitcher into the glass. He drank the water in a few gulps, refilled the glass, and leaned against the counter facing Nolan.
“Yeah. I looked at wedding rings at the mercantile, but all they had was plain bands. I want something different for Violet. Fergus said Iris had a Montgomery Ward catalog and it had a jewelry section. Thought I’d head over to their studio after I finish moving my mother-in-law’s ‘gifts,’” Tully answered, thinking of all the items Faye had packed.
Violet was going to be thrilled going through the boxes. And Tully was happy they were saving money with some of the thoughtful items Faye had passed on to them.
“Uh, did you happen to notice my Grandma’s ring on her right hand,” Nolan spoke low, apparently not wanting anyone walking into the café to hear him.
“Yeah. I did. Your grandma said Gramps had it custom-made for their sixtieth wedding anniversary.” It was a delicate silver ring with a sapphire setting. Edna told him that was her favorite stone.
“I might not be able to afford a stone in the ring, but the band was unique by itself. What catalog did he order it from?”
“No catalog, but locally made. Few people know this, but Kiowa Jones does silverwork besides blacksmithing.”
“Huh. Tate told me about Kiowa’s side profession too, but I hadn’t thought to ask him about making a wedding band.”
Tully stood up, refreshed from the drink, and ready to finish this first job. Next, he’d talk to Kiowa about fashioning a wedding ring for Violet. He’d love to surprise her during the ceremony with something unique.
“Thanks for the water and the advice, Nolan. Need help with breakfast?” Tully hated to ask since Violet was with him now, but he’d help his friend if he needed it.
“Not unless you and Violet need breakfast. I bet Faye packed you everything from a skillet to eggs,” Nolan grinned.
“If she didn’t give us coffee beans and a grinder though, we might be in need of coffee and wander in later,” Tully answered with a chuckle as he opened the screen door and backed out of the kitchen.
Only twenty steps and he was back to the base of their apartment steps. Life sure turned around in a few days, and all because he was back home.
Chapter 15
"Oh, I see them!" Violet said excitedly and waved at her grandparents. Tully stood beside her as they, and Violet's family, waited on the depot platform for her Tucker family to depart the train car. Her grandmother waved out the window before standing to leave the train.
"It's been a few years since I've seen your Tucker elders," Tully said as they watched her family move down the aisle toward the exit door.
"It was last summer for me, almost a year ago."
Her grandmother Nancy stepped off the steps first, all smiles as she waved toward Violet's family. In her early seventies, she was trim and fit, even though she'd had ten children, and now dozens of grandchildren. Even though Violet wasn't her grandchild by blood, Nancy had always considered her as one.
Grandma Nancy waited for her sister-in-law, Ruth, to descend the steps, and then linked her arm with the other woman’s to help her walk toward Violet's family.
Ruth had aged since Violet saw her last summer. Her hair was now all gray, her gait was stilted, her look confused. Violet studied her this time, now knowing this woman was her grandmother. It broke her heart that Ruth couldn't recognize her own daughter, Faye, but at least there was still physical contact.
"Hello, Sweetheart! I'm so happy we could be here for your wedding!" Grandma Nancy gathered Violet in for a tight hug, before releasing her and turning to Tully.
"And here's your groom, now a preacher! Hello, Tully. We were so thrilled to hear you'd be part of our family. And to think we practically watched you grow up on our visits to Clear Creek."
Violet watched Tully’s ever-so-slight grimace before he turned his charm on to her grandmother.
As Tully and her grandmother talked, Violet watched Ruth approach Faye. The woman always touched her mother's face, as if trying to remember her by her features. Violet's mother talked to Ruth in a calm, soothing manner, reintroducing herself as Rusty's wife. How had her mother handled doing that for twenty years?
Grandpa Simon and Uncle Edwin joined the family as everyone hugged and talked, happy to see each other again.
Violet was caught up in conversation with her grandparents and was surprised when Ruth slipped in between them to stand in front of her. Her grandparents stepped back, used to Ruth's bouts of concentration.
"Your sisters are on the train," Ruth said as she traced Violet's jaw with two fingers. Violet cupped her hand over Ruth's and pulled it down to hold it.
"No, Aunt Ruth, my brothers are here," she turned and pointed to Luther and Anton talking to Uncle Edwin.
"I saw two young women on the train, your sisters," Ruth insisted, raising her other hand to smooth a wisp of Violet's hair behind her right ear.
Violet's breath hitched when Ruth's words made sense.
"Tully," Violet whispered, "did you invite the Chaney's to our wedding?"
Tully's eyes widened when he thought of the implication and shook his head.
Surely Ruth was confused, but yet she had incredible clarity at other times. Violet's eyes shot to the last of the embarking passengers, alert to Ruth's announcement.
"Tully! How could you invite them!" Violet hissed as she watched her half-sisters, Alice and Emma, descend the steps. At ages seventeen and fifteen, they were spitting images of herself. And right behind them was their parents, Bonnie and Richard Chaney.
Tully gawked at her family and shook his head. "I swear, Violet, I did not invite them."
"You must have said something to them when we visited them on our way home."
Violet was upset with her parents when they sent her to school because she didn't want to go. Out of spite and curiosity, Violet stopped in Kansas City to look up her birth father's dry good's store. Her mother had told her about Richard Chaney, and Violet always wondered what he looked like.
His wife, Bonnie, was working at the store counter when Violet went inside to spy on the owner. Noticing Violet's resemblance to her own daughters, Bonnie had called Richard to the front of the store as he'd been working in the back room. He had recognized her and welcomed her into his family with open arms. Over the past two years, Violet had written and visited the Chaney's several times, the last being when she and Tully traveled home two weeks ago.
Violet shot a look at her mother and saw the exact moment it dawned on Faye who this family was. She prayed Rusty didn't see the longing in Faye's eyes as she viewed her past.
Violet rushed to her mother's side, grasping her mother's shoulders and turning them away from the family walking toward them.
"I'm so, so sorry, Mama! I didn't know Tully invited them! I should have told you I'd met the Chaney's, but I was scared that would hurt you and Papa, so I didn’t tell you. I only wanted to see what Richard looked like, but then I met the family—" Violet quickly confessed.
"I can't believe he's here," her mother interrupted. "This same thing happened for my own wedding almost twenty years ago. Richard walked off the train the moment I met my in-laws."
"W-what are you talking about, Mama?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Tully move forward to stop the Chaney's before they walked up to Violet.
"Richard brought another man, George Ogden, who thought he was your father, to come to claim you. It was the day before our wedding. But Richard took one look at you and said you were the image of his deceased daughter, Violet. You had no resemblance to Ogden, so they left, and I've never seen him again until now."
Faye gave out a long sigh. “His daughters match you perfectly…with his looks.”
Violet felt dreadful. Was her mother wishing these girls were her daughters too…and Richard her husband instead of Rusty?
How could Tully ruin this for her parents?
Rusty had been talking to Grandpa Simon but looked toward the Chaney’s when his father pointed toward them. Her father straightened to his full height and purposefully strode to the other group.
Oh no! Did her father remember when Richard had been here years ago too?
“Papa! Papa, wait!” Violet cried as she rushed to his side. How could she ever apologize enough for hurting him so badly? She only wanted to see her birth father, but Rusty had always been her father, raising her from the time she was an infant.
She was going to tell Tully their wedding was off and tear up the first certificate for what he just did to her parents. How could he? Did he think this was a funny prank, just as he’d done to get Rollie to marry them? Violet wanted to haul off and slug him in the jaw!
Tully turned to Violet as she rushed forward, his palms up defending himself. “Violet, I swear I didn’t invite them to our wedding.”
“That’s good because there isn’t going to be another wedding between us! You can take off for Wyoming right now,” Violet hissed, trying to wipe the tears off her cheeks at the same time.
“Violet, calm down,” Rusty put his arm around her tense shoulders. “I invited the Chaney’s to your wedding, not Tully.”
Violet’s posture dropped in shock, and she looked up at her father in confusion.
“Why? How…do you know them?” And do you know I know them?
“We’ve sent Richard a few photos of you over the years since he was kind enough to let us raise you. He wrote when you visited his family the first time two years ago, wondering if we knew you had done so.
“We waited for you to say something, but you didn’t, thinking it would hurt us.”
“And it did. I’m so sorry, Papa.” Violet chortled because her throat was clogged with tears now.
The Chaney family stood there, probably not knowing what to say or do with her outburst.
Someone gently placed a handkerchief in her hand, and Violet turned to see it was her mother, now standing beside her.
“It’s all right, Violet. I knew they were coming, but it…took me a minute to get over the shock of seeing your sisters. You three are as much alike as the Brenner triplets.”
Then her mother stepped forward to greet the family.
“Hello, thank you for coming. We thought this was a way for us all to meet and clear the air so to speak for Violet.”
Richard held out his right hand to shake Faye’s while keeping his other hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Thank you for inviting us, Faye and Rusty,” Richard said acknowledging both her parents.
“This is my wife, Bonnie, and our daughters, Alice and Emma.”
Violet stood in shock as the two groups met. Her two families, unknown to each other before now, were meeting for the first time.
How brave her mother was to tell her in-laws now about Violet’s father and family. Grandpa and Grandma Tucker were visibly shocked, but cordially greeted Violet’s other family.
“Violet, we also brought my mother, Eugenia, who you haven’t met yet. She lives in Illinois but just arrived the day before to spend a month with us,” Richard said, pulling an older woman to his side.
“Ma, this is your granddaughter, Violet,” Richard said merely.
Violet gained another link to her past in that instant, and it was as if Violet was seeing herself in the mirror fifty years from now. The resemblance between them was striking.
Violet felt a hand on her shoulder, and she knew it was Tully’s. She reached up to put her hand over his and looked back at him.
“I’m sorry,” Violet whispered.
“No need, Violet. You just got a shock, and I was closest to hit,” Tully said, but he pulled his hand off her shoulder and stepped back.
“Shall we gather your luggage and move over to the hotel now? You can all freshen up in your rooms, then we can visit over lunch,” Rusty talked to the crowd.
“Mama, are you all right?” Violet asked her mother when the two faced each other again.
“Yes, I am. It was time the Tuckers knew the rest of my past, and I’m anxious to get to know Bonnie and her girls. I think you three girls need to go over to Fergus’ photography studio today and have your portrait taken together.
“I still can’t believe how much you three look alike,” Faye chuckled. “I can’t wait until your aunt Sarah meets them. But I hope you get along better than Sarah, and I did when we first met. Oh, we were spitting cats at times until Cate straightened us out.”
“Really…I didn’t know that about you and Aunt Sarah. I’ve always enjoyed visiting with Alice and Emma,” Violet answered back, wiping the last of her drying tears off her cheeks.
“That’s good, and please continue to keep contact with them. They are your family too, just like the Tuckers.”
“Thank you, Mama, for inviting them. You really know how to make a ‘vow renewal’ special,” Violet smiled when calling her wedding by what her mother called it.
“I knew Tully was the man for you. I thought it best to say renewal instead of wedding to keep Rusty from interfering. It was so sweet of him wanting to buy me a house, but I didn’t want it, and Rusty shouldn’t have pulled that stunt.
“That’s a lesson for you, Mrs. Violet Reagan. Always talk to your husband about everything, good or bad. And I suspect he needs your attention now that you found out your father, not Tully, invited the Chaney’s. Right?”
Faye nodded her head toward Tully, who had left the group to talk to his brother, Angus, who was unloading a luggage cart on the depot.
“Yes, Mama. I deeply hurt him, thinking his inviting the Chaney’s was another of his pranks gone wrong.”
“Ouch. You need to talk to Tully while we get our guests settled in at the hotel. Go over to Tully and apologize. I put too much planning and work into this
‘vow renewal’ for him to back out of this wedding now.”
***
Tully knew Violet was walking toward him and Angus, but he ignored her. He wanted to know her mood before putting his foot in his mouth and making the situation worse.
It hurt that Violet thought he’d invited the Chaney’s to the wedding without consulting her first. It had never dawned on him to do that, especially knowing Violet hadn’t told her folks about her visiting the Chaney’s. He had told her when they visited them last time that she needed to tell her parents. Lies have a way of backfiring on a person.
And the first person she’d blamed for the mess was him.
“Hello, Angus,” Violet greeted her brother-in-law and looked sideways at Tully. “My…father’s family from Kansas City is here for our wedding tomorrow.”
“That’s nice. I’ll look forward to talking to them at the reception,” Angus said but looked at Tully while saying it. After Tully confessing to his older brother what had happened, Angus was probably surprised there would be a wedding to attend.
“I was just asking Angus about the train times heading west,” Tully said to test Violet. “Am I still supposed to be on the next train heading out of town?”
Violet covered her face with her hands, then opened them enough she could peak through them at Tully. “I’m so sorry for saying that, Tully. I jumped to conclusions, and I shouldn’t have. You suggested I tell my parents about my visits to Kansas City…and I didn’t. You were right. I was wrong.
“Please forgive me?” Violet asked sweetly as she leaned against his shoulder, apparently confident he would do so.
“We’ve already said our vows, Mrs. Reagan. Yes, I forgive you. Remember the ‘for better, for worse’ part? This was just a tiny test of what might be in our future.”
“Amen to that. You’ll have much worse things than a five-minute misunderstanding to test your marriage in the next sixty years,” Angus said since he was still standing there.
“Violet, I can honestly say you’re married to an honorable man. Please have faith that he’ll always do his best for you and your future children.” Angus’s words filled his heart with humbleness and pride.
Grooms with Honor Series, Books 10-12 Page 14