Be My Guest (19 page)

In addition to the pleasure she took in
running the store efficiently, Aurora found herself enjoying the
day-to-day activities of business in a small town. She attended
Chamber of Commerce meetings, acting in Peggy's behalf, and became
acquainted with many of the other business people in town. Her
outgoing personality made new friends for Raphael's Cards And Gifts
as well as for herself. People she met about town dropped by to
chat with her and usually bought at least a card while in the
store

Aurora adopted Tuesday as her day off, and
Susan and Mattie managed on their own for that one day each week.
On the first of her free Tuesdays--the Tuesday after Peggy's
surgery--Will took her to meet his mother in Lubbock.

Aurora sat in the passenger side of the
large gray Chrysler, brushing off imaginary lint and straightening
her blouse and skirt.

Will took his glance from the road long
enough to smile at her. "Relax, Aurora."

Aurora clasped her hands in her lap. "I know
I'm fidgeting, Will. I don't know why I'm nervous."

He slanted her an appraising glance. "I
don't either. You’re perfect to me."

A faint blush crept into Aurora's cheeks as
the car stopped in front of a group of one-story condominiums in a
nice area of central Lubbock.

Aurora took a deep breath and picked up her
handbag before she exited the car. The walk led to a closed gate
behind which she could see a small but pleasant courtyard. Will
opened the gate and ushered her into the courtyard. As he did so,
the front door opened and a woman resembling Rose Webster stepped
into the open doorway.

As the woman stepped into the sunlight of
the porch, Aurora realized the resemblance to Rose to be only
fleeting and superficial. Bone structure and height might be the
same, but there the resemblance ended. This woman had almost silver
hair, and a merry face that showed years of laugh lines.

"Welcome, Aurora. My, I've heard so much
about you, but you're even prettier than I'd imagined. Come in and
let's get acquainted."

Actually, Aurora hadn't known what sort of
person she expected Will's mother would be, but the bubbly
enthusiasm of this woman came as a definite surprise. "Thank you
for letting me come, Mrs. Harrison."

"Oh, no, no. You must call me Vivian. Now,
I'm forgetting my manners." Vivian took Aurora's arm and led her
into the house. She seemed able to talk without ever pausing for
breath. "Would you like something to drink or a snack before we set
out to see Lubbock?"

"No, thank you, um, Vivian." She wondered
how sisters could resemble one another so closely yet be polar
opposites.

"It's so lucky that you're here to take
charge of Peggy's shop, Aurora. Oh, what a lovely name you have."
She said the name several times, emphasizing different syllables
before continuing. "That shop needed someone to revitalize it. I
hear that you've already improved it. Who knows what you'll be able
to accomplish there in time."

Vivian's reference to time startled Aurora.
Will refused to meet her eyes and instead appeared very busy
peering around his mother's home with a too-innocent air. To
Vivian, she said, "Oh, didn't Will tell you that I'm on my way to
Colorado? I'm only helping Peggy until she's well again."

Vivian smiled and patted Aurora's arm as she
would that of a small child who couldn't understand, "Yes, of
course, dear. Will told me all about that."

Aurora thought it best to change the
subject. "This is a lovely home, uh, Vivian. I can see where Will
got his love of antiques."

If possible, Vivian brightened even more.
"These are mostly things from the family--Will's father's family as
well as mine--so they all have a great deal of sentimental value to
me. Come, let me show you through my little home before we
leave."

Will trailed along as Vivian went into
detail. Each room held something special to the family. Pale gold
with accents of green and brown formed the backdrop for a pump
organ once used by Will's grandmother and hauled by wagon from
Missouri. The front bedroom in dark turquoise and aqua included a
secretary once owned by a great-uncle of Vivian's. Aurora found
herself led gently while Vivian's comments bounced from subject to
subject, with brief pauses to point out various objects in each
room. Never had she heard a person talk so fast with so few pauses
to take a breath. Vivian really was remarkable.

Family photographs lined one wall of the
next room. Aurora examined each of them while Vivian rattled a
description of the event accompanying each one. Several photos of
Will reminded Vivian of his escapades as a young boy, and the
exaggerated tales made Aurora laugh.

"Just wait until your mother shows me your
old photos," he threatened under his breath to Aurora.

"I hardly think the occasion will arise for
that." With a withering glance, Aurora said primly. "It's bad
enough to have my folks asking about you every time I call." She
meant her comment as a reprimand, but instead Will smiled.

He stood behind her, his mouth near her ear.
His voice came very quietly, meant only or her ears. "Oh? You never
told me they ask about me. Tell them I'm looking forward to meeting
them in person." When she rewarded this statement with a glare, he
only smiled.

At one end of the room hung photos of Will
and Nancy, some with Kelly included. Vivian paused in her dialog.
"Nancy was such a sweet girl--everyone loved her. We were all just
crushed when we lost her." She patted Aurora's hand. "I'm so glad
Will has found you now."

Aurora wondered what Will told his mother
and sent a questioning glance his way, apparently unnoticed by
Will, who seemed very busy examining a book he’d picked up from a
table. No one could be as innocent as he appeared. Vivian moved
them on to the next room as if they were small children she herded
on a school field trip.

Vivian's bedroom presented a surprised in
red, white and blue. It included a white and brass bed and antique
dressing table that once belonged to Vivian's grandmother. "I just
love cheerful colors, don't you?" Before Aurora could answer,
Vivian launched into a description of the quilt on the quilt rack
at the foot of the bed. "My great-grandmother began working on that
quilt when she was only twelve. She used the scraps of the family
clothing."

"It's really lovely, but not as, um,
colorful as the rest of the room." Aurora let her hand caress the
old fabrics, soft now with age.

"Well, it may be a little out of place, not
being as cheery as the rest of the room. They all wore mostly drab
clothing then, you see. She had to use bits of cloth left from
their sewing or pieces from clothes that wore out. It was the first
quilt she made by herself. This Ocean Wave pattern is not used much
any more."

Vivian stopped in front of a group of
pictures of a man at varying ages and stood in front of the largest
of the photographs. It must have been made about the time he died,
for he seemed older in that portrait than in any of the other many
photos. Aurora knew this must be Will's father, the resemblance of
father and son were unmistakable.

Vivian touched her finger to her lips and
then to the face on the portrait in front of her. "This is my
Riley, Will's sweet father. What a dear man! I guess you can see
the resemblance to Will. Riley loved ranching so much and excelled
at it. He always made us a nice living."

She gave a conspiratorial chuckle and hugged
Aurora's arm. "Of course, the money from the oil wells didn't hurt
us, but we'd have been just fine without them. Oh, but it near
broke his heart when we had to move into Lubbock." She turned and
laughed. "After we'd been here a while, though, he found he loved
this place too. What fun we had! Oh, I do miss him so."

With a sigh, Vivian turned to lead the way
back down the hall and through the living room to the kitchen area.
From the kitchen, Aurora could see through the small eating area to
a sun room that opened onto a covered patio and a small back yard
area.

"Your home is much larger than it appears
from the street. It really is lovely.”

Will treated his mother with fond tolerance.
He stood patiently with his hands in his pockets. "Are you ready to
go for lunch now, Mother?"

"Oh, of course. Just let me powder my nose
and get my handbag."

The day went well and Aurora truly enjoyed
the company of Vivian. Will tagged tolerantly behind them as the
two women shopped in South Plains Mall. Earlier, Aurora visited the
card shop in the mall to speak with the owner when she first
encountered questions about the Peggy's shop. Now she stopped in to
say hello and express her thanks once again for the friendly advice
she received.

After pie and coffee at a pie shop, the trio
moved across town to the Ranching Heritage Museum on Texas
Technological University campus. The early homes and businesses
relocated to the center amazed Aurora. Vivian knew an anecdote
about each of the buildings or the family that formerly owned them.
Once again, her running commentary kept Aurora entertained.

Will, who doubtless had heard these
anecdotes many times before, interjected an occasional comment. For
the most part, he plodded patiently, seeming pleased that Aurora
found the center interesting. She marveled at the tolerance he
displayed and lack of complaints. Could any man actually be this
patient, this tolerant of the women in his life?

Late that afternoon as they drove on their
way back to Post, Aurora sat with a smile on her face, her mind
reliving the pleasures of the day.

"Well, were you surprised?" Will ask with an
amused grin.

She nodded. Surprised was an understatement,
she thought, but she merely widened her smile for him. "Yes. I
thought she would be more like Rose, you know, sort of reserved and
dignified."

Will laughed. "Then you were definitely very
surprised. Mother always catches people up like a whirlwind.”

"I really like her, Will. I meant every word
when I told her I enjoyed the day. She's a lovely woman." Aurora
considered his mom a minute. "I can see why someone as outgoing as
she is would prefer city living. She just loves being with people,
doesn't she?"

"I hope you didn't misunderstand me when I
told you she preferred the city to the isolation of ranch life. She
never seemed unhappy when I was growing up. In fact, she always
seemed to be happy wherever she found herself."

Thoughtful, she nodded again. "Yes, I think
she is the sort of person who always finds something good in any
situation."

Will searched for the right words. "It's
just that I think she must be happier in a city. It stuck me as
especially evident before Dad died and they had friends around them
every day."

This surprised her. In her mind she pictured
a pale man confined to his bed or a semi-invalid. "He wasn't
bedfast, then?"

Will shook his head. "Dad? No, he just had
to take life easy. They played bridge with friends, or took little
trips, or went out to eat--nothing strenuous, but something every
day. At least, it seemed that way to me."

"It sounds like a nice life." She turned
these new facts over in her mind for a few minutes before she spoke
again. As if thinking aloud, Aurora added, "I would think they'd
miss the quiet and beauty of the ranch, though."

Will smiled to himself and fell silent, but
his heart soared with hope. Darkness shrouded Post when they
arrived at Rose's house. Will lowered the windows and turned off
the ignition, but made no move to leave the car.

Without a word each turned to the other and
they kissed. He cradled her head on his shoulder long after the
kiss ended, as if he could not bear to be parted from her. The
ever-present breeze stirred through honeysuckle and Lebanon cedar,
wafting the scents gently past through the open car windows.

Will seemed lost in thought for a few
minutes. "Nancy loved the smell of honeysuckle. We always meant to
plant some by the patio at the ranch."

The sound of Nancy's name on his lips
startled Aurora. How could he speak of her when he kissed her only
moments before, with his arms embracing her? The love in his voice
as he spoke Nancy's name wrenched at Aurora's heart.

"You've remained very much in love with
her." It wasn't an accusation, just a statement. She said it
simply, but it suddenly meant the earth to her. A terrible sadness
gripped her. Had the time they spent together meant nothing to him?
How can I fight a ghost for his love?

A mixture of sadness and compassion shone in
his eyes. "If you're asking if I still love her, then I have to say
yes. A part of me will always love her."

He cupped her chin with his hand to force
her eyes to meet his. "She was a good woman, a wonderful wife and
mother. She'll always have a part of my heart, but there's plenty
of room left there, Aurora."

He kissed her forehead softly before he
continued. "Nancy played a big part in my life, but she's gone. I
had a hard time facing that. When I met you I realized that life
must move forward--that it could be meaningful again."

Will seemed suddenly restless, impatient. "I
think it's time for us to have a serious talk, Aurora. You've been
here long enough now to know what this area is like. I believe you
know most of the members of my family, and have spent a lot of time
with Kelly and me. These past few weeks, you've met many of my
friends and the townspeople. By now you have a feel of what running
a small business here is like."

"That's true, Will." Aurora waited
expectantly for him to follow up this statement.

"You've spent a lot of time with me here in
town and with Kelly and me at home. I want to know the opinions
you've formed of the area and the people."

"I...I like it here, Will. I like it a lot,
and you know I'm very fond of Kelly...and Rose, and the rest of
your family and friends."