Crain's Landing (43 page)

Chloe was good at latching on and I thoroughly enjoyed nursing her. Grant informed her the first time I did this he was only loaning her my nipples. He wanted them back when she had her first birthday.

Part of me felt bad for Tiffany. She was a woman who had set her sights on a man who simply didn’t want her. She had played the game she knew and had lost in the end.

I looked into the angelic face of my new daughter and knew I would be responsible for teaching her how to act in society. How to be kind and gentle. How to use your talents to help others and not for some twisted game. To look beyond people’s faults and find the good hidden within. And when the day came, help her choose the man who would care for her heart.

First, we would have to hide all of Grandpa’s guns so daddy wouldn’t get any ideas. We had time for all of that, though. We would enjoy our family and watch each of them grow.

“WHEN I WAS A LITTLE
girl, I sat atop my grandfather's shoulders and watched as my mother graduated from this same college. I’ve been told I clapped and blew kisses to her as she walked across this very stage.” Several people in the crowd awed, as I paused in my speech.

“Like many of you, this day brings a mixture of emotions and expectations. Maybe you're asking yourself, where do I go from here?”

My dad's smile caught my attention the second I stepped up to the podium. Mom never kept from me the fact Dad wasn’t my biological father. She told me where I could find him if I wanted to. But Grant had been my daddy for as long as I could remember. He was there for all the major events I had growing up, so I never sought out the man I knew as Holden.

“I’ve learned in my time here at Cornell, you can’t progress further in life, if you keep living in the past.”

Beside Dad sat my younger sister, Chloe, who had just completed her sophomore year at Carolina State. She, like Daddy and Pawpaw, planned to become a physician. Chloe and I fought the most growing up, always competing against one another. Beside her sat our little brother, Gavin. Well, little in age only as he stood over six and a half feet tall, no clue how much he weighed. Mom always said he was the pleasant surprise daddy gave her. Chloe and I called him something else entirely, as he was always in our stuff. Gavin was currently being looked at by several college football scouts.

“To follow your dreams, because only you can make them a reality.”

My love of watching the horses that came up to our back property gave me my first look at what would become my passion. Mr. Johnson fell ill the summer before my tenth birthday. Pawpaw did everything he could to make him better.

While he was in the hospital, Daddy and I would make sure the horses were fed and cared for. He showed me how to run a tractor to mow the massive lawn Mr. Johnson had. A few years later. Mr. Johnson got sick again, only this time, he had to hire some help for the farm.

That was the summer I met Will. I was still at the age where boys were disgusting. Will came from a poor family and many of the folks in town looked down on them. Not my daddy, he told all of us not to judge people, no matter what they did. Will worked hard that summer and for years after. When Mr. Johnson passed away the year before I graduated high school, Will was surprised to learn that Mr. Johnson willed him the farm. Daddy came into my bedroom the first day of summer vacation, said Will had asked permission to see me socially. Daddy reminded me to keep myself focused; not let a young man such as Will change my plans for the future.

At first he would just come over and sit in the yard near the pool with me. Sometimes, we would walk along the fence and look at the horses. Will was amazing with them; he even managed to get some of the wild ones saddle broke. When he found out how much I loved being around them, he took me out riding. It was then I knew I had to do something involving horses and the farm.

“To learn from the people around you, making the world a better place to be.”

Savannah sat beside Nana Carolyn; her smile even bigger than Daddy’s. We had been thick as thieves growing up, always at one or the other’s house. Savannah wanted to get a job after school and so she went to the diner to see if Ms. Connie needed any help.

Savannah fell in love with making the southern style foods Ms. Connie served. It wasn’t long before Savannah was making all of the desserts sold in the diner. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, as she served customers her creations she had made, was worth the time we lost. One year after Ms. Connie shared all of her secrets with Savannah, she died peacefully in her sleep. I held my best friend and cousin tightly as they lowered Ms. Connie’s coffin into the ground. Yet the diner opened for business the very next morning. Savannah said Ms. Connie would be upset if her customers couldn’t get a slice of her famous pecan pie, my daddy included.

“To always walk in a positive light, like a beacon for others to follow.”

Ms. Brittney and Mr. Dustin broke up after he announced he wanted to move to Florida. Ms. Brittney said Crain’s Landing would always be her home, so he left without her. Three months later she was shopping in Charleston when she took a wrong turn, ending up in a not so savory part of town. When she couldn’t figure out how to get back on the interstate, she panicked, calling the one person she had come to trust.

Dustin had answered the phone and, knowing the area as he did, directed her back home safely. It bothered him so much, he jumped in his car and drove back to Crain’s Landing. He arrived at her and Ms. Janice’s house in the wee hours of the morning, begging her to take him back. They married six months later.

“To live each and every day as if it were your last.”

Uncle Morgan sat in the row behind my parents. His arm wrapped around Aunt Lily. Shortly after Savannah went to work in the diner, the Dallas Cowboys called him to offer him a spot on their special teams. He flew down there and while they were negotiating his contract, he had to see the team doctor for a physical. They found a lump on his testicles and sent him back to South Carolina to have it checked out more. Aunt Lily went to every specialist appointment he consulted with—one after the other shrugging their shoulders as to how to properly treat it. Finally, Daddy called a friend of his who lived in London and specialized in this area of the body. Uncle Morgan told the family if this was his last day on Earth he was glad he was born into our family. Daddy’s friend did a biopsy in another area, where the other specialist said it wasn’t necessary. He found the source of the lump, removed it, and it came back from the lab as non-cancerous.

“Our professors have shared with us their wealth of knowledge. Now we need to go forward and see what we can do with what we have learned.”

Ms. Ashley and Mr. Drew sent me a very nice card along with an apology for not being able to come. Mr. Drew had wanted to make certain his family would always be taken care of, so he looked around and opened a second shop in a town north of Charleston. Ms. Ashley still worked with my momma at the library. She said she loved having her kids within a few blocks of her.

After Momma gave birth to Gavin, Ms. Ashley found out she was expecting again. Eight months later, she gave birth to twin boys. They were cute as can be. I questioned if the oldest, Colton, might have the slightest crush on me. Chance was the youngest, named after his grandfather, who, sadly, recently passed away, the reason they weren’t able to join us today.

Drew thanked his father everyday for giving him the skills he needed to provide for his boys. All three of them worked in the shop with him, gaining the same skills so they could take care of themselves and their future families.

The most important lessons I learned, I didn’t read in any book or hear from any lecture, but by watching the people around me going about their daily lives.

From my mother, I learned to be strong, independent, and accept only the best that you deserve. She worked hard to make sure I had everything I needed. I always remembered this, especially when I was having a tough day.

From my Nana, unconditional love and caring for others; even if they didn’t deserve to be. Always remain a lady, even when you wanted to be a rebel.

Emily Merchant showed me how ignorance wasn’t always bliss. For years everyone in town knew about her husband's extra marital affairs. However, it wasn’t until the day the new Sheriff came knocking at her door that her life changed, in more ways than one.

Sheriff Dailey had a warrant for Dwight’s arrest. Apparently, he had become less choosy when it came to the women he flirted with. The father of a thirteen-year-old girl came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. Cell phone recordings and photographs confirmed what the father alleged.

Not a single soul in town would take his calls for help in getting bonded out of jail. Three months later, he was sentenced to five years behind bars and served a crisp set of divorce papers. Emily continued to run her flower shop by herself, just as she had before Dwight was sent away. The difference this time? A handsome young man, who called on her faithfully, brought her lunch in the middle of the day, and kissed her with a passion that curled her toes.

Mason Dailey, the same Sheriff who arrested her now ex-husband, stood before the congregation of the Baptist church and asked the entire town for her hand. They now had two children, a miracle in itself as Emily could never get pregnant before. Guess true love could perform miracles. At least that was what Grandpa Reid always said.

Pawpaw Crain showed me how a little bit of laughter could be better than the most potent medicine available. To stand up for yourself and anyone beside you, if you felt they were being wronged.

From my daddy, I learned that blood might be thicker than water, but the heart knew no barrier. I might not share his DNA, but I held his love, compassion, and determination. Maybe even a little of his persistence.

I’d heard the story of how he chased after my mother for weeks upon weeks; read the letters he sent to her a million times. The music box still sat on her nightstand, the tiny note still pressed inside the lid. Pawpaw wasn’t lying to my mom when he said Crain men were persistent.

Gavin had his eyes set on a girl new to the area. She told him she didn’t date jocks because they only wanted one thing. He told me he’d had more fun seeing her face as he worked to prove her wrong. She finally broke down after the homecoming game when he told her if they won the game against a team they had never beaten, she would have to go out with him. He rallied his team together and went into the game with a mission, they won, 14-0. Sarah was a shy, yet pretty girl, who had my baby brother completely wrapped around her little finger.

With a toss of my graduation cap, I was officially finished with school. The feeling of finally being done was one of the best of my life. I turned to walk off the stage, being careful not to trip. Mom told me her fears of it happening just last night.

Suddenly, the crowd which had roared with applause only a few minutes ago, again became excited by something. I stopped my descent and looked up to see what was going on. There, in the aisle separating the rows of chairs, was Will, one knee bent, resting on the grass, while his hand was extended in my direction. The sun glistened off the contents inside. I didn’t need to hear the question to know what he was asking. I also didn’t hesitate, as I nodded my head rapidly.

Will was my future, the love of my life. He was everything my parents hoped for me in a partner. My hand shook as he placed the ring on my finger, yet I knew everything was going to be all right. I had a family who loved me, a place to call home, and a life with the man I loved.

Everything I could possibly need awaited me in a tiny town with gossiping ladies and men who couldn’t get enough of watching pretty girls. Sweet tea and fire flies, as the sun bid us a good night. I would never want to live anywhere else, other than Crain’s Landing.

The End, at least for now.

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Cayce Poponea, Romance Author