Love Finds You in Daisy, Oklahoma (25 page)

On the second Saturday in December Rena fussed with the house, getting the new furniture pieces in place. The donations weren’t quite what she would have chosen, but she made the best of things.

Overnight, a light snow had fallen, taking her by surprise. Living on the Gulf Coast for so long had scarcely prepared her for the winter wonderland. Thank goodness most of the snow had melted. Otherwise, traveling to town to fetch Sadie would have been difficult. Not that it really mattered just yet. She still had plenty of work to do inside the house before heading to the train depot.

“I think that sofa would look best over here, under the window.” She pointed, and Henry and the other boys moved it to the new location.

“What about this new end table, Miss Rena?” Callie pointed to a beautiful mahogany piece. “What should we do with this?”

Rena glanced around the parlor. “I think it will fit nicely next to the sofa.”

She spent the better part of the next hour shifting and re-shifting pieces and even hung two new pictures on the wall, which Virginia had sent as a special gift. When all was said and done, Rena stepped back and admired their work.

“It’s bee-you-tee-ful!” Josephine let out a squeal and flopped onto the sofa. The other children piled in around her, and before long they were all laughing and talking about the transformations inside the house. Rena couldn’t help but notice the transformations in the children as well, though she never mentioned it.

The hall clocked pealed eleven times. Rena glanced into the hallway mirror and realized she must tidy up before heading to the station. She could never let folks in town see her in such a disheveled state. They already had their doubts about her sanity. If she showed up looking like something the cat dragged in, they would surely make more of it than necessary. She headed upstairs to fuss with her hair and change into a proper winter dress.

At noon, Carolina arrived with Jacob and William at her side. The boys were quarreling, naturally. Nothing new there. Still, they erased their battle lines as soon as they saw the new furniture. Minutes later, they took their seats amid all the other boys and girls in the newly decked-out parlor.

“Now, you children keep that room clean while I’m gone,” Rena said. “I want to make a good first impression on Sadie.”

“Unlike the first impression they made on you when you arrived a couple of months ago?” Carolina gave her a wink.

Rena chuckled. “Exactly. Promise me you won’t leave them alone for a minute while I’m gone. I’d hate to see them play some sort of prank on Sadie. She’s the dearest thing in the world and the last person who deserves to be the brunt of a joke.”

“I promise.” Carolina nodded toward the children. “Did you hear that, all of you? We’re going to treat our company with the utmost respect.”

The girls looked their way and smiled, but the boys had taken to wrestling on the new Persian rug. Rena took her winter coat from the coatrack, slipped it on, and buttoned it up, readying herself for the trek outside. She glanced out the window, wondering what was keeping Gene. After a moment she looked back at Carolina.

“Thanks so much for keeping an eye on everything while I’ve gone to fetch Sadie. I’m so excited to bring her here.” She looked around the room with a sigh. “I’m just tickled pink that the furniture arrived before she did. Really livens up the place, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful. But if she’s half the decorator you say she is, she’ll take what we have and whip it into something extra-special,” Carolina said. “Besides, she’s family. She’ll feel at home no matter what the place looks like.”

“True.” Rena threw her arms around Carolina’s neck in an impromptu embrace. “And you’re like family to me too, Carolina. I want you to know that. I’m so grateful for all you’ve done since I arrived.”

“You blessed girl. I’ve loved every minute.” Carolina gave her a tight squeeze. “Now, how are you getting to the station? Surely you’re not walking.”

“No, Gene is going to be along shortly to pick me up.”

A now-familiar feeling of contentment settled over her as she spoke Gene’s name. In the week since receiving his letter, she had begun to entertain thoughts of courting him. All in due season, of course. And speaking of seasons, Christmas was nearly upon them! Why, in just a couple of weeks they would celebrate together.

“Gene, eh?” Carolina smiled. “Well, isn’t that nice.”

“Yes.” Rena did her best not to sigh aloud, though her level of contentment grew daily. She’d fallen in love—with Daisy, with the children, and possibly with the sheriff. Not that she knew what love felt like, exactly, but she did have some idea.

Strange, that he’d never acknowledged the letter he’d sent. One of these days she would work up the courage to broach the subject. Today she had other things on her mind.

Gene’s car pulled up a few minutes before noon. Rena stepped out onto the porch and gave a little wave. Her happiness dissipated as Charlie stepped out of the car to meet her.

“Sorry,” he said. “Not exactly who you were looking for, I’m sure. But Gene’s up to his eyeballs in paperwork and couldn’t get away. Do you mind?”

“Mind?” She offered what she hoped would look like a convincing smile. “Of course not. I’m happy for the ride. Thank you for coming to fetch me.”

“Of course.” Charlie chattered all the way to the depot, filling her in on the goings-on in town. Turned out Mrs. Hannigan had a ruptured appendix, Joe the barber was thinking of taking a trip to Texas, and Old Man Tucker had his eye on Molly Harris.

That last bit of news made Rena nervous. In fact, everything about Molly made her nervous. She did her best to squelch any concerns, however. This was a day for celebration, after all. Sadie would arrive on the 12:45 train and spend four glorious weeks in Daisy. Oh, Rena could hardly wait!

Charlie pulled up to the station and turned off the car. He came around to open the door for Rena and she emerged, giving a little shiver.

“I hope we don’t have to wait long.”

“Nah. The twelve forty-five is never late.” Charlie wiped the snow off of the bench outside the depot and gestured for her to sit. She eased her way down, her teeth now chattering.

The train arrived right on schedule, whistle blowing and steam billowing into the air in white clusters. Seconds later, Sadie emerged in a lavender chiffon dress.

“Aunt Rena!” She offered a joyous wave and then came bolting toward her just as she’d done hundreds, if not thousands, of times before. Rena’s heart danced for joy. She wrapped Sadie in her arms and the two began to squeal in much the same way Lilly and Callie might have, if they’d been separated for any length of time.

“Oh, I’ve dreamed of this day for months.” Rena reached to touch Sadie’s face. “And here you are, you beautiful girl! But where’s your coat?”

“Coat?” Sadie laughed. “When I left Gulfport, temperatures were in the seventies.” She shivered. “Never even thought about it, to be perfectly honest. Guess I will now.”

“Allow me, miss.” From beside them, Charlie slipped off his coat and draped it around Sadie’s shoulders. She gave him an admiring look.

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Charlie cleared his throat. Rena noticed the look of interest in his eyes and quickly made introductions.

Charlie’s gaze lingered on Sadie’s blond hair and beautiful face before saying something about the weather. Then the poor fellow fumbled all over himself as he attempted to fetch her bags. This, of course, got Sadie tickled. She reached out to help him, and when she did, their hands met. Rena looked on in amusement as the two gazed at each other, neither saying a word.

If their how-do-you-do was any indication, this was going to be a very special Christmas visit. Very special, indeed.

Gene looked up from his work as he heard the door open. Rena brushed through the open doorway. Behind her came an unfamiliar young woman. The stranger appeared to be dressed in—what was that, Charlie’s coat? Charlie stepped inside behind the ladies, his cheeks blazing red. Odd. Had he caught a chill, perhaps? He didn’t look like himself at all.

“Gene.” Rena took several steps in his direction, the smile on her face so engaging that he found himself captivated. “We’re headed back to the children’s home, but I wanted to stop by so that you could meet Sadie.”

She stepped aside, and the young woman came into full view. She was a beautiful blond with bright blue eyes and a smattering of freckles on her nose.

“How do you do,” she said with a nod, her Southern accent shining through loud and clear.

Gene extended his hand. “Gene Wyatt.”

“Gene, meet my niece, Sadie.” Rena’s face beamed. “She’s here at last. I’ve told her all about the town, of course. She’s read every letter. But she wanted to see it all for herself. Every square inch. This is our first stop.”

“Of all the places in Daisy you could have gone, you came to the jail first?” Gene grinned. “Well, I’m honored.”

“Oh, we simply had to.” Sadie removed Charlie’s coat, revealing a fancy purple dress underneath. “For weeks I’ve heard of little else but this jail. I hear you’re wanting to redecorate.” She rubbed her hands together then looked around. “My, we have a lot to do. Well, at least I’ve got several weeks.”

Gene groaned. So that’s what this was all about. His mother was up to tricks again. “Well, I suppose you could…I mean…”

Rena and Sadie lit into a lively conversation about drapes and paint colors, and he did his best to act interested. Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any trouble paying attention. No, his gaze was riveted to the beautiful Sadie, who carried on with great animation.

“We must shop for fabrics.” Sadie clasped her hands together. “No better time than the present. Is there an adequate fabric selection at the general store?”

“There is.” Rena nodded. “Though the weather has surely limited recent deliveries. Shall we take a peek since we’re in town anyway? I’m sure Carolina won’t mind if we take a bit longer, if it’s related to the work she’s commissioned me to do.”

“Mm-hmm.” Sadie turned, now standing nose-to-nose with Charlie, whose face glowed brighter than the taillights on Gene’s car. “Well, you seem to be the helpful sort. Would you mind escorting us?”

“M–mind?” Charlie shook his head and offered her his arm.

Gene looked on, fascinated. Rena glanced at him and gave a gentle smile. “I don’t suppose you would have time to slip away for a few minutes, would you?”

“Slip away?” He looked down at the mounds of paperwork on his desk and wondered if he dared.

“It’s nearly Christmas, after all.” Her voice had a melodic lilt to it, one he suddenly couldn’t resist. Darned if he knew what had come over the woman in recent weeks. Still, he couldn’t shake the idea that spending a few minutes with her—even looking at fabrics—would be far more pleasant than plowing through paperwork.

The happy foursome ventured out into the cold, making the walk to the general store. Sadie chattered on about fabrics and such, but Gene didn’t pay her much mind. His thoughts were affixed to Rena, who seemed to be wearing her hair differently today.

They arrived at the store just in time for Mr. Hannigan to greet them with hot chocolate and a cheerful “Merry Christmas.”

“Ooh, I love Daisy already.” Sadie took a mug of chocolate, a contented look on her face.

The ladies went to work at once, looking at the fabrics. Gene milled about a careful distance away. He knew nothing about fabrics and such. A few moments later, Molly Harris entered the store dressed in a heavy winter coat. She grumbled about the weather and claimed her rheumatism was giving her fits.

The cantankerous woman paused in front of Sadie and crossed her arms. “What have we here? More do-gooders?”

Gene watched as Rena faced Molly and offered a strained smile. “Molly, this is my niece, Sadie, from Gulfport. She’s visiting for the holidays.”

“Hmph.” Molly scrutinized Sadie’s dress then began to spew her usual venom. “Just like your aunt, no doubt. You plan to flip everything upside down with your so-called goodness like she’s done?” Molly gestured to Rena, whose eyes widened.

“My
goodness?”
Sadie looked perplexed. “What do you mean?”

“Do-gooders, all of you. You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” Molly pushed her way through the ladies and headed to the canned goods.

Gene wanted to interject his thoughts but didn’t dare. Rena was a do-gooder, no doubt about it, but not in the way that Molly was implying. She genuinely cared for the children and had their best interests at heart.

Charlie cleared his throat and offered Sadie his arm. “What do you say we look at fabrics another day? I daresay a cold wind just blew through. Likely it’s much warmer outside.”

“Indeed.” Sadie took his proffered arm, her lips curling up in a delightful smile. “I’m sure there’s much more to see, anyway.” She gazed at him, her eyelashes now fluttering.

“Oh yes.” He cleared his throat. “Much more.”

The two stared at one another, clearly seeing all they cared to at the moment. Gene looked on, unsure of what held him more spellbound—Sadie’s relaxed attitude toward Molly Harris or Charlie’s apparent infatuation with the Southern belle on his arm.