Love Finds You in Daisy, Oklahoma (33 page)

Gene stopped when he saw Rena. He couldn’t help but smile. In spite of the tears…in spite of the messy hair standing atop her head…in spite of the red nose and disheveled clothing…she was the prettiest thing he had ever seen. And he would tell her so, no matter how goofy the words might sound coming out of his mouth. No, they wouldn’t match up to whatever she’d read in those letters, but he would give it his best shot.

Gene stood alongside the others at the entrance to her room, a sense of longing overtaking him.

“Rena, please come downstairs so we can talk.”

“No.” She shook her head, tears flowing. “I can’t.”

“I need to talk to you. Alone. Please.”

“No. Don’t you see?” She turned away, dabbing at her eyes. “I can’t. I’m…humiliated.”

“Humiliated? Why?”

She turned back toward him and shoved the letters in his direction. “Because I was convinced you had written these notes to me. That’s the only reason I…I…” Tears erupted. “Oh, please tell me you haven’t read the letter that was left on your desk.”

“I read every word.”

At this point, Reuben and Virginia eased their way out of the room. Sadie nudged Henry out, and Josephine followed. The others drifted away, out into the hallway, leaving the two of them alone to talk. He would have to remember to thank them later.

Rena sat down on the edge of the bed. “I was just responding to the letters you…I mean, the letters I thought you… Oh, never mind!”

“Do I dare ask what they said? These letters the children wrote on my behalf, I mean. I heard they were really beautiful.”

“Here.” She reached inside her notebook and pulled out several pages of crisp, white stationery. “Read them for yourself. I plan to toss them in the fireplace. I would have burned them already, only, I just found out they were forged.”

He picked up the letters from the floor and opened them one by one. They were beautifully written and expressed every emotion he now felt, probably better than he could have expressed them himself.

“So the letter you left on my desk was in response to these so-called love letters?”

She waited a moment to offer a nod. “Yes,” she whispered. “And I beg of you to give it back. It is irrelevant now. If you have any mercy on me, you will forget it was ever written.”

At this, his heart twisted. “I can only hope you are speaking out of embarrassment and not from your heart.”

She looked his way, her brow wrinkled. “W–what?”

“Rena…” He drew near and reached for her hand. “I’ve been the biggest fool on the planet.”

She did not respond, so he figured she must agree with him.

“The children got it right,” he whispered.

“Th–they did?”

“Every word.” He lifted the letters and smiled. “I have felt all of these things for some time now but didn’t have the courage to tell you. Never could’ve put it in such pretty words, though.”

“R–really?”

“Really. Truly.” He put the letters down on the dresser and pulled her to a standing position. Sliding an arm around her tiny waist, he pulled her close. Her breath was warm against his cheek, but she did not try to pull away, for which he was thankful.

His heart really went to town now. “I might not be the best with words,” Gene whispered, “but I do know how to tell a woman when I care about her.” He drew her closer still and planted tiny kisses along her hairline. She relaxed in his arms, her face now tilted up to his. Gene ran his fingertip along her cheek and gazed into those beautiful eyes.

“Oh, Gene.” She buried her face against his shoulder and trembled.

He lifted her chin once more and pressed his lips against hers. Her arms gently wrapped around his neck, and she returned his kiss with such passion that it sent a little shiver down his spine.

Never in all his born days would he have expected Miss Rena Jewel, director of the Atoka County Children’s Home, to have this sort of emotion buried beneath the surface. Not that he was complaining, of course. Oh no. A second kiss convinced him that she was definitely capable of composing a good love story—and a believable one, at that.

Outside the door, the children took to cheering. He didn’t mind. Let them cheer all they wanted. He would go on celebrating right here, with his arms around the finest woman in Atoka County.

T
IPS FOR
D
EALING WITH
U
NRULY
Y
OUNG
’
UNS
—
Folks in Daisy often claim that I’m too softhearted to be a reporter. They say I should cover the hard-hitting stories. That’s just not my style. Give me a local heartfelt piece any day. That’s one reason I’m so keen on supporting the town’s children. Speaking of which, the men of Daisy, led by our own Sheriff Gene Wyatt, will rally together this coming Saturday morning at ten o’clock to begin renovations on the children’s home so the boys and girls will have a safe place to live. We hope you will join us for fun, fellowship, and great food, which the ladies have promised to provide.

—Jonathan Brewer, Reporter

The cold days of winter gave way to the warmer days of spring. Rena found herself in a state of heavenly bliss…most of the time. Every now and again reality would stare her in the face—usually in the form of Molly Harris, who still had some biting things to say about the children. And in spite of his campaign for reelection, Mayor Albright hadn’t quite given up on his idea to shut down the children’s home. Still, Rena felt sure these people would not prevail. With Gene’s hand in hers, she could conquer any foe.

Not that she wanted to consider Molly or the mayor her foe. No, indeed. For, the more she got to know Molly in particular, the more she saw a woman much like herself, one who had never experienced life to the fullest. Perhaps with a bit of love she could be won over.

In late March, just ten short weeks after Rena and Gene’s first kiss, the weather had warmed enough to begin serious renovations on the children’s home. She watched as the man she loved gathered his troops—Charlie, Jonathan, Joe, and even Old Man Tucker, the latter agreeing to the task with a sour expression on his face. They arrived on a Saturday morning, ready to work. The task of the day? Start on the exterior of the home, pulling down all rotting boards and shutters. Rena looked on, her heart so full she could hardly stand it.

Sadie watched too, though she shifted back and forth from the children’s home to the little house she and Charlie had purchased just down the street. These past few weeks had brought about additional changes in her life too. Turned out she and Charlie were expecting. She’d sprouted tears of joy when Doc Moseley gave her the news, and she had easily shifted into her mommy-to-be role. Except for the nausea, of course. It kept her inside more often than not these days.

But not today. Today she stood side by side with Rena, Jenny, and Carolina, looking on as the men labored away. Off in the distance the children played on the overgrown lot next to the home. The boys joined in a rousing game of baseball, and the girls squealed with glee every time one of the boys got a hit. Josephine, in particular, seemed smitten with the game. The youngster had joined in like one of the boys.

Rena paused to watch the game a little more closely, and Carolina joined her.

“Those boys are something else.” Rena nodded toward the overgrown lot.

“Especially Tree.” Carolina pointed as he made a hit that went long across the field. “See there? He’s really good. Might make the major leagues someday.”

“I can’t imagine a major-league player with a name like Tree.” Rena laughed. “Never have quite figured out where that name came from, anyway.”

Carolina chuckled. “The boys told me awhile back. They said that he was a stubborn little thing as a baby. Wouldn’t move when his mama told him to move, so she called him Tree. Said his roots were planted deep.”

“Roots planted deep,” Rena echoed the words. She grabbed Carolina’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I like that. May all our roots run deep.”

“Roots of stubbornness…or something else?” Carolina grinned.

“Maybe a little of that too,” Rena said. “But I meant our spiritual roots. May we all be like trees, planted by the waters. Immovable.”

“A lovely thought.” Carolina turned back to watch Tree, who ran the bases—if one could call them that—and landed safely at home. “I’ll never think of the boy’s name in the same light again.”

“Amen,” Rena whispered. She kept a watchful eye on the overgrown field as Josephine took her turn at bat. For whatever reason, watching the little girl brought the happiest feeling of the day. How lovely, to see her enjoying life once more. That same motherly feeling swept over Rena as she watched Josephine hit the ball and run to first base. Oh, how precious, to truly love a child in such a way. Had she ever known such love?

Off in the distance Gene gave her a wave, and she realized she
had
known such a love. How very, very full her heart felt today. She prayed this feeling would last forever.

Rena and Sadie went inside around eleven to make sandwiches and lemonade while Carolina and Jenny kept a watchful eye on the children. By the time they carried the food outside to the picnic table at eleven thirty, one of the little girls had disappeared on them. Lilly.

“I don’t know how she got away from us,” Carolina said. “I just turned my back for a moment to talk with Gene about something.”

Thank goodness, the youngster showed up moments later. She approached with a rosy color in her cheeks and extended her hand, revealing a beautiful daisy. “Miss Rena, I brung you a present.”

“Brought
you a present,” Rena corrected as she took the flower in hand.

“Brought you a present.” Lilly giggled. “Only, I didn’t exactly bring it. I plucked it up from the ground.”

Rena’s curiosity got the better of her. She didn’t want to scold but felt sure the child had been up to mischief. “Lilly, where did that flower come from?” Daisies didn’t grow in the wild, did they? Surely not. She placed her hand on the little girl’s shoulder. “Where did you run off to? You had us scared.”

Lilly never had a chance to answer. From around the side of the house, Molly Harris came huffing their way, her face red and her lips pursed. She pointed at Lilly, and her eyes narrowed into slits. “I knew it! I chased that devilish child all the way from my house. She stole that flower from my greenhouse.”

This, of course, caused the other ladies—Carolina, Jenny, and Sadie—to draw near. Likely they thought they would have to come out swinging. Rena had a feeling she could handle this one on her own, though. With the Lord’s help, of course.

A lone tear rolled down Lilly’s cheek as she looked on. “I…I know. But it was so pretty, and I knew Miss Rena would like it. She’s always talking about daisies, and I thought…” The child’s words faded away and her tears now fell in earnest.

Rena knelt down to Lilly’s level. “It is pretty, and you’re right…I do love daisies. But it belongs to Miss Harris. We don’t go onto other people’s properties and take things that don’t belong to us.”

“This isn’t the first time,” Molly said with a frown. “I’ve taken to growing flowers in the greenhouse because these awful children ravaged my garden last summer. They’ve wreaked havoc on my flowers and my nerves. I expect them to stay away this season. Do I make myself clear?”

Abundantly.

“I’m so awfully sorry.” Rena rose and faced the older woman. “I can assure you, Lilly won’t do this again. She was swayed by the beauty of your gerbera daisies. You’ve got lovely flowers, Molly. I’ve never seen such beauties. However do you get them to bloom so early in the season?”

The woman’s expression softened. A little. “Well.” A pause followed. “As I said, I grow them in the greenhouse. Daisies bloom year-around indoors. If I can keep the pests away.” She glared at Lilly, who—thank goodness—simply smiled in response.

“Well, they’re magnificent. That’s all I have to say on the subject.” Rena reached out and took Molly by the hand. “I do hope you will try to see this through Lilly’s eyes. She saw something of beauty, and it captivated her. One can hardly blame a child for being swayed by such a lovely flower as this.”

“Hmph.”

“She did the wrong thing by taking it, but she’s learned her lesson.”

Rena turned to the child, who offered a firm nod. “I have. Oh, I have, Miss Molly. I won’t mess with your flowers again, even though they’re the prettiest in the county.” The youngster spoke in earnest, each word punctuated with emotion.

Something that almost looked like a smile turned up the edges of Molly’s lips. “The prettiest in the county, eh?”

“Oh, yes.” Callie drew near and joined in the conversation. “You know how Mrs. Hannigan likes to gloat about her daisies? Well, they’re nice, but they don’t hold a candle to yours.”

Molly rolled her eyes. “I’m sick to death of Katie Hannigan bragging about those gerberas of hers.”

“We used to steal Mrs. Hannigan’s daisies,” Callie continued. “But they’re hardly worth stealing.”

This brought an unexpected smile to Molly’s face. For a moment, anyway. “I do hope you’re not saying you’ve made the permanent switch to my place,” she said after a bit of a pause.