If the Shoe Fits (35 page)

Even without his jacket and his bow tie hanging loose around his neck, he still looked every bit as handsome as he had at the gala. He combed his dark hair from his face with both hands and tilted his head slightly.

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

“Come on, Jules.”

“No,”
she said, and she popped up to her feet and rushed toward him.

She put her hands on his shoulders, turned him around, and pushed as hard as she could until he stood on the porch looking back at her. It wasn’t until then that she noticed her shoe in his hand.

“Julianne, this can’t wait anymore. I have to tell you—”

“There’s nothing you can tell me tonight, Will. Go home.”

One corner of his mouth quivered and turned upward before he dropped to one knee like some ridiculous, disheveled prince at the end of one of those obnoxious fairy tales that had caused so much trouble for her.

Will extended the shoe toward her. “Fair Julianne!” he exclaimed in his most noble voice. “I’ve traveled a great distance to reach you, and to tell you that
I love you
. I’ve always loved you. And I want you to know—”

“Oh, hush,” she muttered, and she turned around and slammed the door between them.

The echo of the thrown dead bolt stayed with Will all through the night. Julianne had slammed the front door, locked it, and shut off the porch light, all with him still on one knee declaring his undying love. He didn’t know how long he’d stayed there, but when he finally got up, he left her shoe on the mat outside the door and skulked away.

Suzanne had been right; they
really were
morons, both of them.

She hadn’t shown up for church that morning, and Beth Rudd told him she’d called early to ask her to cover the David and Goliath lesson in Sunday school. Will had been so preoccupied with her absence that he couldn’t even faintly remember the topic of the pastor’s message.

As he pulled his car up to the stables, he noticed Alec standing there with a young woman. When she turned around and smiled at him, Will recognized Alison waving the horse brush at him.

“I thought you were camping at Natural Bridge this weekend,” he said as he climbed out from behind the wheel and grabbed his saddlebag.

“I was. I got home this morning, and Alec invited me over to meet his new filly.”

He hadn’t seen that sort of light in Alison’s eye when they dated. Come to think of it, he’d never seen it in Alec’s. They were actually a pretty fair match-up.

“How was the gala?” she asked him, and his expression wilted. “That bad?”

“It was the Murphy’s Law of evenings.”

“Everything that can go wrong,” Alec said, nodding, “will go wrong.”

“You got it.”

“Did Julianne win the award?”

“No. She did not.”

Alison and Alec exchanged glances before Alec smacked Will’s arm. “Sorry.”

“Was she terribly disappointed?” Alison asked.

“With everything else that went wrong last night,” he answered, “I think losing out on the award was the last thing on her mind. Although I wouldn’t know, really, because she’s no longer speaking to me.”

“Oh.” Alison cringed. “Well, maybe a good ride will cheer you up?”

“Let’s hope.”

He headed toward the stable, and then he stopped in his tracks. “Hey,” he said to them. “I’m glad you two are giving it a go.”

Alison sauntered over and pecked his cheek. “Thanks, Will.”

Julianne noted that Will’s car wasn’t in the driveway, so when she didn’t find her mother at home, she felt safe wandering across the lawn to check with Davis. Sure enough, the two of them sat at the kitchen table with a pitcher of iced tea and a plate of butter cookies.

“There she is!” Davis exclaimed when he peered through the back door.

“I knew I’d find my mom here,” she said with a smile as she slipped in and sat down next to Amanda. “I just wanted to drop by and thank you for last night. I really appreciated you sticking around and making me feel better.”

“That’s what mothers do.”

Julianne winced as her eyes met Davis’s. “I guess you heard about last night.”

“I heard plenty,” he replied.

“Well, I hope you won’t think less of me, Davis. I lost my mind.”

“Which part has you losing your mind?” he asked directly. “The part where you offered to pay the louse, or the part where Will wrote the check?”

Julianne’s pulse began to pound. “Will paid him?”

“He did.”

She fished into her purse and produced her checkbook. “I’ll leave him a check then. That was … really … unexpected of him!”

“I guess that’s not all that was unexpected last night.”

The minute their eyes met again, tears plummeted down Julianne’s face. “Are you two really moving to Lexington, Davis?” she asked. “When was Will going to tell me?”

“What!” her mom exclaimed with a gasp. “No one’s moving
anywhere
, Davis Hanes! I suwanee! What, you’re going to just up and leave me? What would I do without you?”

“You might find a dancing partner who could give you the life you deserve,” he replied.

Julianne looked on as her mother’s eyes misted with emotion. “You old coot. I don’t need a dancing partner. I just—” She lowered her head and whispered, “I just need you.”

“You’re crazy, woman,” Davis said. “More crazy’n your daughter.”

“Hey!” Julianne interjected. “How did this get turned around on me? Let’s hit rewind because I thought I’d never see the day when you two
finally
admitted you have feelings for one another, and you were getting very close there for a second.”

“Julianna Margaret!” her mother exclaimed.

“Well, for crying out loud, Mom. You and Davis have been like an old married couple for years now, except for that patch of grass between the two houses.”

“Look who’s talking about this!” Davis cackled. “Julianne, you don’t know a confession of feelings when it’s right there on its knee in front of you.”

“What?”

“Will had other things to tell you before we decided about Lexington,” he said, leaning forward and locking Julianne’s eyes with his. “And I hear you didn’t have much to say when he finally did.”

She scratched her temple as she said, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“That boy’s been screwing up his courage for twenty years, Julianne. And he finally manages to tell you his feelings, and you shut the door in his face.”

“He …
What?
… What are you talking about?” Amanda asked.

Davis tapped his fist lightly on the tabletop before turning to Amanda and shaking his head. “Will got on one knee and declared his love for your daughter last night.”

“He what?!” Her mother smacked Julianne’s arm. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“There’s nothing to tell. He wasn’t declaring his forever love, Davis. He was mocking me.”

“Will wouldn’t do that,” Amanda said. “Tsk, Julianne.”

“Well, he did.”

“Are you really that daft, girl?” Davis asked.

She frowned at Davis. “I am not daft.”

“Well, honey,” her mother cut in. “You aren’t exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to love.”

“The girl is thick as two short planks!” Davis exclaimed.

“Davis!” Julianne said as she hopped to her feet. “You’re hurting my feelings.”

“Everyone in southern Ohio has known what you can’t seem to figure out, dumplin’. My boy is silly with love for you. He wasn’t mockin’. He was confessin’.”

Julianne looked from Davis to her mother and back again. “Confessing …
What
?”

“Oh, honey. God put him in your life long ago. Will has loved you since before you shaved your legs for the first time,” Amanda said with a smile.

“What?”

“You gonna stand there askin’
What
? Or are you going to get in your car and go find him?”

“I … I don’t know where … Are you sure about this?”

Davis thumped his fist on the table again and leaned back into his chair with a groan. “He went ridin,’” he told her. “Over at the Ross place.” When Julianne just stood there, frozen to the linoleum kitchen floor, her thoughts all logjammed together, Davis clapped his hands in front of her. “Get on the stick!”

Julianne turned to Amanda, her brain twisted like a question mark. “Mom?”

“Do you love him, honey?”

“I … I … don’t know. He’s …
Will!
”

“That’s close enough,” Davis snapped. “Go on.”

One more smile from her mother, and Julianne reeled into action and ran for the door. Before it closed behind her, she heard Davis pipe up. “Now, why don’t you tell me more about how you can’t live without me.”

Julianne hadn’t heard her mother actually giggle in … maybe ever. But giggle she did before adding, “You old coot.”

Julianne hadn’t
been to Alec’s place in years.

She made a wrong turn off McKelvey Road twice before she finally got it right, and a cloud of dirt rose in her wake as she made it to the property and headed toward the stables.

She saw Alec as she climbed out of her car, and the long-ago scent of horses and stables tackled her before she reached him.

“Julianne?” he called out with a laugh, and he jogged toward her. “I haven’t seen you in ages! You look great.”

“Good to see you, Alec,” she said, and they exchanged a hug.

“You looking for Will?”

“Is he still here?”

“Yeah,” he said with a sideways nod. “Riding up on the ridge.”

“Ohh. Any idea how long he’s—” Julianne tripped all over her words when she noticed the woman heading toward them. “Is th—that …
Alison
?”

“Hi, Julianne,” she said. “Great to see you again. You must be looking for Will.”

“O-oh, so I guess you’re here … with … him.”

“Oh!” The light dawned quickly and Alison grinned at her. “No! I’m not here with Will. I’m here … with Alec.”

Julianne’s thoughts muddled again, and her legs felt like mush.

“Alison and I are … friends,” Alec explained.

“You are? Does Will know?”

“Of course. Here, let me saddle a horse for you,” Alec offered. “You can ride up to the ridge and talk to him.”

“Oh! Oh, no! No!” Julianne began wringing her hands, and her feet unexpectedly transported her two steps backward. “I don’t ride horses. I don’t … No!”

Alison moved next to her and placed an arm around her shoulder. “Will told me you’re like the Animal Whisperer. You can certainly master a horse.”

“No!” And she flew back another couple of steps.

“Why don’t you put a saddle on Eeyore,” she suggested to Alec. Turning back to Julianne, she explained, “Eeyore is a very slow-moving, older horse. You’ll do fine.”

“No! No. Please.”

Alec jogged off toward the stable, and Alison faced Julianne with a serious expression.

“Will told us that the two of you had a falling-out, and I think he’s pretty torn up about it. You came over here to go after him, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then climb up on that horse and follow the trail to the top of the ridge. That’s where you’ll find him.” When Julianne just stood there, shell-shocked, Alison shook her gently. “You can do this.”

Alec led a saddled gray horse toward her and plopped a step stool to the ground. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll help you up.”