The Construction of Cheer

by Liz Isaacson

  “No squealing,” Sammy reminded her.

  “Four times,” Etta said.

  “Make him work for it,” Oakley said.

  “You’re worth it,” Montana added last, and then Cactus was back, a very terrified Oliver holding his cowboy hat in his hands like a shield as he faced the entire Glover clan.

  “This lad is looking for Aurora?” Cactus said, and everyone’s gazes flew to her.

  “Take a bite of your cake,” Oakley hissed. “Wait. Slow. Like you couldn’t care less that he’s here.”

  Aurora did what Oakley said, a tiny smile appearing on her lips as she put the fork full of lemon cake in her mouth.

  “Oh, she’s good,” Sammy said, glee streaming from her face.

  “Good luck, baby,” Montana said.

  “Remember the make-up kiss,” Etta hissed as Aurora stood.

  She crossed the kitchen in silence, but Bear stepped in front of her. “You’re okay with him?”

  “Yeah,” Aurora said. “I think so.”

  “If you’re not, you come get me, okay? Bishop had to go next door for a minute.” He turned and glared at Oliver, and Montana almost burst out laughing.

  “I’ll keep an eye on ‘em,” Cactus said, glaring at Oliver like he’d just done the worst thing a person could do by showing up here.

  “Thanks, Cactus,” Aurora said. She shook her hair over her shoulders and straightened to her full height. “Hello, Oliver.”

  “Hoo, boy, we’ll say a prayer for you,” someone called, and Montana did burst into giggles then. Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one, and she watched as Aurora left with Oliver.

  “I don’t know how I’m going to survive the next four years,” she said, slumping back into her chair. “The drama is crazy.”

  “He’s an adorable boy,” Oakley said. “No wonder she wanted to squeal.”

  “That’s gonna be a good make-up kiss.”

  “Etta,” Ida said. “Enough with the make-up kissing.” She glared at her and exchanged a glance with Montana that said, I swear, she has no tact.

  They shared a secret smile, and Montana utilized all of her willpower to stay in her seat so she wouldn’t go spy on her daughter and the most amazing boyfriend ever.

  “Oliver,” Montana said. “Grab that basket of rolls, would you?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He did as Montana asked, and she smiled at him. He’d been treating Aurora like a queen since they’d made up, over a month ago now. He’d been over to the house several times, and Aurora had nothing but good things to say about him.

  He’d turned sixteen, and he’d passed his driving test. He’d been on the honor roll for the first term at school, and by all accounts, Oliver Osburn was a fine, upstanding young man.

  “Ollie,” Lois said. “We need that honey butter, baby. Can you get it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said again, returning to the kitchen in True Blue, where Bishop still remained. Ollie came back with the honey butter and put it near Lois. “There you go.”

  “Thank you, baby. Now, sit down right here and tell me how your daddy’s doin’ with his animation.”

  Ollie smiled at her and took the seat she told him to. Aurora sat next to him, a smile on her face as she listened to him talk about Tripp Walker’s work.

  Montana adjusted all the napkins, which Aurora had folded into fanned turkey tails, sat down, and looked toward the kitchen. “What is he doing in there?” she muttered. Everything was finished and ready. The turkey was hot, as were the mashed potatoes. Bishop shouldn’t have anything left to do.

  No one else seemed to mind or even notice that the table in front of them could barely hold all the food, and yet they weren’t eating. Montana finally got up and went into the kitchen. One step through the door, she said, “Bishop, what are—?”

  The kitchen was empty.

  He’d been in there, though, five minutes ago when she’d brought out the salad and asked Oliver to grab the rolls.

  She walked over to the fridge and looked behind the door. “Bishop?”

  “Mom,” Aurora called, and Montana swept the kitchen one more time, just to make sure that Bishop was indeed, not there.

  “Coming,” she said as she walked toward the door. “Have you guys seen…Bishop.”

  Bishop stood across the hall now, wearing the same thing she saw him in on the Sabbath. Dark slacks, with a light blue shirt that pulled slightly across his shoulders. The tie around his neck was loose and not done up all the way, the top button open at the throat.

  He looked up, his dark cowboy hat no longer obscuring his face. The belt buckle at his waist added the right amount of bling, and it went with the steel-toed cowboy boots on his feet.

  “Oh, my,” she whispered. She couldn’t even look over to the table they’d set up for their intimate family dinner. Two days ago, she’d gathered here for the huge Glover Thanksgiving dinner, but she’d wanted something more intimate for Aurora to invite Ollie to, and she wanted more one-on-one time with Bishop’s mother.

  “Can you come over here for a minute?” Bishop asked, but Montana couldn’t get her feet to move.

  “Mom,” Aurora said. “Go on.”

  “Yeah,” Aunt Jackie said. “Get over there, darling.”

  Oliver appeared in front of her. “I’ll help you.” He linked his arm through Montana’s and walked her across the hall to Bishop, who tipped his hat at Ollie.

  “Thanks, son.”

  “Sure thing.” Oliver’s boots clicked against the hard floor on his way back to the table, but Montana couldn’t look away from Bishop.

  “Montana,” he said. “I remember the moment you came into my life. I’d barely eaten breakfast, and I wasn’t even all the way dressed.”

  She grinned at him, because she remembered that moment clearly as well.

  He picked up a pink rose from the barrel beside him. “I remember the moment you said you’d go out with me.” He added a second rose to his hands. “I remember when you let me meet your daughter. I remember when you introduced me to your aunt and uncle.” He added a flower to the growing bouquet in his hand with every statement.

  “I remember the moment I knew I was in love with you. I’m a bit of a dreamer, and though I knew you didn’t love me—yet—I started thinking about our life together. I know it’s not always going to be rainbows and sunshine, but I only know that because Mother keeps telling me it won’t be.” He kicked a smile in his mother’s direction.

  He held a bundle of roses now, and he tied a ribbon around them with a smile. Then he dropped to both knees and held the flowers up to her. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

  “Wait,” Aurora said as Montana took the flowers and breathed in their heady scent. “You skipped ahead.”

  “I did?”

  “Yes.” She came running over. “You were supposed to say a line about being my dad. You don’t even have the ring.”

  “Oh, right.” Bishop looked up at her, his face turning a ruddy shade of red.

  “What were you going to do? Tie a ribbon around her finger?” Aurora shook her head. “You were supposed to call me over and say—”

  “I got it,” Bishop said. “Do I have to stand up again?”

  “I would,” Aurora hissed.

  Montana couldn’t stop smiling, and she watched as Aurora held out her hand and Bishop used it to stand. He brushed his pants off and said, “I remember when I thought about what it would be like to be Aurora’s father. I’m terrified of that, but I’m going to do my best.”

  “You’ll do great, Bishop,” Aurora said in an overly theatrical voice, moving to stand beside him.

  “Oh, this is bad,” Montana said, giggling. She could see the handoff of the ring box easily, as Aurora almost dropped it trying to slide it into Bishop’s hand, which he held behind his leg.

  “Did I miss anything else?” he whispered.

  “No, you’re good,” Aurora murmured.

  “I don’t have the flowers anymore.”

  �
��Improvise.”

  Montana started to laugh, her joy filling her over and over again. “Yes,” she said among her giggles. “My answer is yes.” She closed the distance between Bishop and Aurora and together, they made a three-way hug. “I love you guys.”

  “I love you too,” Bishop said.

  “I love you three,” Aurora said. “Bishop, put the ring on her finger.”

  “Oh, right.”

  Aurora stepped out of the way as Bishop opened the box and showed Montana the ring. “Bishop, it’s beautiful.”

  “Aunt Jackie helped me,” he said, sliding the ring onto her finger. She admired it as Bishop added, “I really messed that up. You’re not going to tell everyone about it, are you?”

  “I’m going to tell absolutely everyone,” Montana said, smiling up at him. “It was perfect, Bishop. You’re wonderful.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Kiss me, cowboy.”

  He did, and Montana kissed him—her fiancé—right on back.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “It has to cure for another couple of days,” Bishop said, his arm slung around Montana’s waist. The wind kicked up, blowing around the powdery snow that had been on the ground for a couple of days.

  He turned away from the newly poured foundation of their house and closed his eyes. “We’re probably going to start out behind,” he said.

  “That’s construction in the winter,” Montana said. “Don’t worry about it, baby. It’ll cure, and we’ll frame it. It’s going to be a great house.”

  “I know, because you designed it.” Bishop had worked with her on the plans, and he was pleased with the final drawings. They’d have plenty of room for dogs and teenagers, babies and construction tools. He wanted to put a paddock on the side too, so he could have horses the way Cactus did.

  “What did you get Aurora for Christmas?” she asked.

  Bishop opened his mouth to answer, only cutting himself off at the last moment. “Nice try. It’s a surprise, and I’m not telling anyone. She’s going to love it.”

  “It was expensive, wasn’t it?”

  “It’s needed,” he said. They were going to live forty minutes from the high school, and Aurora would need a car to get there and back. He’d been teaching her to drive around the ranch and the road leading up to it. She was great on the highway too.

  Montana’s design for the library had just been approved, and she’d be splitting her time between their house up here and the library in town.

  Bishop wanted to make her life as easy as possible, and if Aurora could get to school and back by herself, that would make everything easier.

  “Come on,” Montana said. “Your mother is waiting inside.” She turned, and he went with her. They entered True Blue from the back, coming in near the bathrooms. Pretty music played through the speakers, and Bishop frowned, his curiosity increasing.

  “What’s happening?”

  He went to the doorway that led into the big hall only to find Mother there, as he expected. He did not expect to find Ward, Judge, and Cactus there, all of them listening to Mother and then taking turns dancing with her.

  “What in the world?” he asked.

  “She’s teaching them to dance,” Montana said.

  The music cut out, and Bishop quickly ducked behind the wall. “Shh,” he said, pulling Montana against him. They started to laugh together, both of them keeping as quiet as possible. Bishop felt like his chest was going to burst, but he didn’t dare make a sound.

  Low voices reached his ears, and then they moved away. When Bishop couldn’t hold it in any longer, he laughed out loud. “They were learning to dance,” he said through the chuckles.

  “Bishop?” Mother asked, and he went around the corner. “Come look at this layout.”

  “Sure.” Bishop led a still-giggling Montana over to his mother, who had a book open on the counter outside the kitchen.

  “The aisle goes from the back to the front,” Mother said. “Did you want the stage? It was hard to see the bride and groom at both weddings earlier this year.”

  Bishop looked at Montana. “Do you want the stage?”

  “I think so,” Montana said, still looking at the book. “I want a wide aisle. I want Aurora on one side, and Uncle Bob on the other.”

  “That’s fine,” Mother said. “You said you won’t have much family?”

  “No,” Montana said. “My aunt and uncle. Maybe a couple of friends. Former clients. That kind of thing.”

  “You’re going to invite everyone, aren’t you?” Bishop asked.

  “I’m going to invite them, yes,” she said. “But I don’t think they’ll come, and honestly, Bishop, I don’t want them there. It’ll just stress me out.”

  “We’ll aim for less stress on your wedding day,” Mother said. “I’d love to do the flowers for you two. Do you have a date in mind?”

  Bishop looked at Montana, and Montana looked at Bishop.

  “I want to wait until the house is done,” she said. “We won’t have anywhere to live if we don’t have the house done.”

  “April?” Bishop guessed. “It shouldn’t take that long. I won’t be working on five different projects this winter. Just the house.” It wasn’t even Christmas yet, and they’d broken ground and poured the foundation already. Plus, if there was a date set, he’d have plenty of motivation to get the house finished.

  “April third is a Saturday,” Mother said. “Or the tenth. If we go to the tenth, the bluebonnets will be in bloom. Those would be lovely in this barn.”

  “Let’s do April tenth, then,” Montana said. “Does that work, Bishop?”

  “Bear’s baby is due the end of February, so this won’t interfere with that,” Bishop mused. “There will be plenty of people to look after Aurora while we’re on a honeymoon, even though school won’t be out yet.”

  “My aunt and uncle have already agreed to have her come there.”

  “I don’t see why April tenth won’t work,” Bishop said. “Let’s schedule that, Mother.”

  “Perfect,” she said. “You’re doing the ceremony, dinner, and dancing, right?”

  “Yes,” Bishop said. “You’re just doing the venue, Mother. And the flowers. We’ll take care of everything else, okay?”

  “Okay,” Mother said. “If you need any help, let me know.” She closed her book, smiled at them, and left True Blue.

  “My mother has always wanted to be a wedding planner,” Bishop said. “I think she’s been inspired by Penny Walker, and she just wants to help.”

  “I don’t care if she plans the whole thing,” Montana said.

  “Really?” Bishop asked.

  “Bishop, do I seem like the type of woman that worries about her wedding?”

  “I suppose not. What about your first wedding? What was that like?”

  Montana cleared her throat. “We, uh, went to City Hall.”

  “You’re kidding,” he said.

  “I’m not.”

  “We’re not doing that,” he said. “You must have some idea of what you want.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I want you in a fancy black suit. Or a tuxedo. I want to wear a white dress with a long train. I want to wear flowers in my hair, and I want you and all of your brothers and cousins in cowboy hats. I want Etta and Ida and all the girls in the wedding party too. I want the music to be loud, and the food good, and I want to be a Glover more than anything.”

  Bishop listened to her talk, and he loved her a little bit more with every word she spoke. “Do you want me to cook?”

  “At our own wedding? No,” she said. “We’ll hire. What about Holly Ann?”

  “Oh, uh, I don’t know about that,” Bishop said. “Maybe, I guess. She and Ace are sort of on-again, off-again, and I guess she flipped things off a while ago, and he’s trying to figure out what to do about it.”

  “I don’t understand her,” Montana said. “She really seemed to like him. How do you just turn that off?”

  “I don’t know,” Bishop said.
“He’s stopped talking about her, and I don’t make him talk about stuff he doesn’t want to.”

  “Fair enough.” Montana tugged on his arm. “Come on, cowboy. Show me your dance moves. Maybe you’ll need to join your mother’s dancing lessons.”

  “I’m a good dancer,” Bishop said, taking her easily into his arms. “My mother already taught me to dance. I had this girl in high school I really wanted to impress, and she and Daddy demonstrated for me in the kitchen, night after night.”

  “Who was the girl?” Montana asked, grinning up at him.

  “Her name was Cheryl, and she was gorgeous. All this blonde hair—I’m a sucker for blondes—and a beautiful pair of blue eyes. She ran track, and she had long legs, and wow.”

  “Okay,” Montana said, chuckling. “Is that what you said to Bear when you told him about me? She’s got all this blonde hair and these pretty blue eyes. But she’s kind of short, and a little heavy, but wow.”

  “You are not short or heavy,” he said, looking down at her in surprise.

  “I’m not a runner,” she said. “Or even close to a size zero.”

  “I think you’re gorgeous,” he said. “And I did from the very first moment I laid eyes on you.” He swayed with her, grinning as he spun her out, and then brought her back into the safety of his arms.

  “You are a good dancer, Bishop,” she said.

  “Thank you, love,” he said. He pressed his cheek to hers and whispered, “I got Aurora a very sensible little truck that will get her up to the ranch and back to school. Good gas mileage. Low miles.”

  “I knew you’d gotten her a car.” Montana snuggled right into his chest.

  “You’re not mad?”

  “I’m not mad,” she said. “I’ve accepted that you buy things to show me that you love me, and that you want my life to be easier.”

  “I—well, I can’t argue, I guess.”

  “You’re a sweet, sweet man,” Montana said. “I love you, Bishop.” She touched her mouth to his, and Bishop leaned forward, wanting more. But she pulled away.

  “Hmm,” he said. “That was a terrible kiss.”

  “That’s because it wasn’t a kiss,” she teased. “I was just experimenting to see if I’d want to kiss you every day for the rest of my life.”