Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas (18 page)

“I daresay, married life will suit me just fine,” the reverend said. “And did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“I’m starting a Sunday school for the children.” Marta smiled broadly. “We will meet before service every Sunday. I’ll teach Bible stories and memory verses and so on.”

“Isn’t that wonderful?” the good reverend said, beaming ear to ear. “Marta can put her teaching skills to work, and the church’s children will benefit as a result.”

“Yes, and that way I can have my weekdays free so that we can spend every minute together.” Marta leaned over and placed her head against her husband’s. “I’m so excited about the days ahead.”

“As am I.” Her husband gave her a little squeeze and then looked at Georg. “So, what do you think of the transformation of our little town, Georg? It’s something to see, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.” He looked to his left just as Sarah Jo handed a glass of lemonade to Peter Conrad. “It is something to see all right.”

“The Lord moves in mysterious ways, that’s all I’ve got to say.” The pastor’s voice drifted off as he and Marta moved on to greet the rest of the congregation.

Georg had no trouble believing that the Lord moved in mysterious ways. He did have to wonder, however, if the Lord took his marching orders from Belinda Bauer. He glanced across the church lawn, finding her engaged in conversation with John Ogilvie and Doc Klein. Preparing them for their new brides, more than likely.

She turned and caught Georg’s eye and gave him a little wave. Seconds later, she drew near with a smile on her face. “God’s in His heaven; all’s right with the world.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Oh, I’m just saying everything is going well. According to plan. Both of those men are happy as larks that their new brides arrive tomorrow. I’ve never seen John so excited about anything.”

“I see.” Georg wanted to say more. Wanted to say that he wasn’t as happy with his situation, but he didn’t. No, something about seeing the relaxed smile on Belinda’s face put his heart at ease, if only for the moment. Incoming bride or not.

Belinda began to tell him about Katie Sue’s plan to open a bakery, and Georg found himself, as always, falling into easy conversation with her. At one point she paused and gazed into his eyes. For a moment, time stood still. Georg could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Then, just as quickly, Belinda dove back into the story.

She could have been talking about the moon, for all he cared. All that mattered was standing here, listening to the sound of her voice and sensing her closeness. For tomorrow, once Adeline arrived, all of that would change.

How it would change, he had no idea. Still, he couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t be for the better.

Early Monday morning, the train brought yet another bride—the lovely Rebecca Morgan from Virginia. Doc Klein, less stoic than usual, sat tall and straight in the wagon beside Belinda, the sunlight reflecting off the bald spot on the top of his head. The tips of his ears were red in anticipation. Looked like the forty-something bachelor was nervous. Not that Belinda blamed him. This had to be nerve-wracking. It turned out, Rebecca—who looked to be in her late thirties—was tall and slender with a comely physique. Her style of dress was plain but practical. Her shoes, sensible. She greeted them with a warm smile, but Belinda could sense her nervous anticipation, as well.

Doc Klein scrambled into action, fetching her bags and loading them into the wagon. As he did so, he managed to keep a lively conversation going.

From the moment Rebecca met Doc face-to-face, Belinda sensed at once that these two were a bona fide match. They talked about medicine and medical procedures all the way back to Poetry, continuing as Belinda dropped them off at the restaurant. In fact, Belinda couldn’t remember ever hearing so much chatter about surgical instruments, boil lancing, and the like. Not exactly the stuff romantic unions were known for, but the two clearly had a lot in common. More than any couple she’d ever met, in fact.

She barely had time to contemplate this fact, however, because John Ogilvie’s bride was set to arrive at the station at one o’clock on the dot. Adeline would arrive less than an hour later on a train from Boston.

Belinda headed back to Terrell with the wagon, this time taking Greta along for the ride. They were thrilled to find Cassie Bly an intelligent young woman with great zeal for life. Surely she would find John Ogilvie her perfect complement. Belinda hoped so, anyway. The two would meet in a few hours. Right now, they had to stay at the depot to wait for Adeline’s train.

As they waited, the three women gabbed about all sorts of things, primarily Cassie’s plans for the future. It turned out she had a lot of them.

“I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl,” Cassie said. “Folks have always brought their mending to me, and every woman in our town who ever wanted a wedding dress came to me, as well. I’ve been gifted with a needle and thread for as long as I can remember, and I love coming up with patterns. Folks say I’m quite creative, though I consider myself calculated, not free-spirited.”

“Well, sewing is a fine occupation,” Greta said. “You will surely have your hands full with making wedding dresses in Poetry.”

“Oh, I hope so! I’m planning to open my own dress shop someday,” Cassie announced. “What do you think of that idea?”

“Dress shop?” Belinda paused, offering up a smile. “Sounds lovely.” Corabelle would find it a wonderful idea, no doubt. In fact, she would probably insist that the shop go into the empty lot next to Sonnets and Bonnets. Belinda could just picture the women in Poetry scurrying in and out. Surely Sarah Jo would love the idea. She would probably commission Cassie to make her seven new dresses, each in a different color to match her new hats.

“I think our town is growing by leaps and bounds and can use a dress shop,” Greta responded. “We’ve got a new hat shop. Just opened, in fact.”

“Perfect!” Cassie looked as happy as a lark.

Belinda wanted to join in the conversation but found herself distracted. She knew that Adeline was due to arrive anytime now. For whatever reason, whenever she thought of the woman she’d brought to marry Georg, her heart felt as heavy as lead. Perhaps—oh, joy!—perhaps this would be an ill-fated match. Maybe Adeline had a houseful of rambunctious, ill-mannered children. Perhaps she was ugly. Maybe her nose was long or her ankles heavy. Perhaps her waist was thick or her eyes too close together.

Yes, the more Belinda thought about it, the more she envisioned the young woman to be quite ugly indeed. Hadn’t Sarah Jo said as much? Didn’t she mention that women who placed advertisements were prone to exaggeration where their looks were concerned? And, knowing Georg, he would never agree to a passel of children. She simply couldn’t imagine it.

Now in a more relaxed frame of mind, Belinda waited for the train to arrive. It came on time, the grinding of brakes nearly deafening them. Belinda, Greta, and Cassie drew near to watch the passengers disembark.

“Looks pretty crowded,” Greta observed. “I hope we can figure out which one she is.”

Belinda looked about but couldn’t see anyone who matched the description of the woman in the advertisement.
Maybe she missed the train. Or changed her mind.

Finally a young woman exited the car, gingerly taking a couple of steps down and forward. She held a parasol in one hand, which she opened as soon as she stepped out into the sunlight. Belinda’s breath caught in her throat. She had never seen such a beautiful woman in all of her life.

The exquisite blond was like something from a catalog. Her perfectly trim waistline was pinched tight in a dress unlike anything Belinda had ever laid eyes on. Oh, how the bright blue fabric brought out the color in her big blue eyes. Why, oh why, did she have to have eyes the color of bluebonnets? On top of that disaster, the woman didn’t have a freckle or blemish on her ivory cheeks. No, everything about her—from the top of her coiffed hair to the tips of her delicate button-up shoes—was the very picture of perfection.

Belinda groaned inwardly, plastered on a smile, and greeted the woman with the most pleasant voice possible under the circumstances. “Adeline! Welcome.”

“Oh, I’m so thrilled to be here.” The woman flashed a smile so genuine and heartfelt that Belinda at once realized her charm. She reached for Belinda’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You must be Belinda Bauer.”

“The very one.”

“Oh, Belinda, I’m so glad to be here.” Adeline’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve waited and prayed for this day for such a long time now. You know, I had no idea what kind of a man would answer my advertisement. Oh, but the Lord knew! And isn’t it fascinating to think that He has known all our lives who we would marry and where we would live? It thrills my heart to know I can trust Him so!”

“Yes, well...” Belinda tried to think of something to say, but could not.

Thankfully Greta interrupted, making introductions for her and Cassie. Within minutes they were all acquainted, and by the time the porter loaded Adeline’s bags onto the wagon, they shared an easy and pleasant conversation.

Belinda made the drive to Poetry in silence. Greta made up for it from her seat in the back, so no one seemed any the wiser. Still, as Belinda peeked out of the corners of her eyes at Adeline, who sat beside her on the front seat, she couldn’t help but think she’d made a huge mistake by bringing her here. Something about all of this just felt wrong.

“Belinda, how can I thank you?” Adeline said. “You have been such an answer to prayer. You found my advertisement, wrote to me...and all because you sensed the Lord’s leading. I’m forever in your debt.”

“Yes, well...” Belinda sighed.

“And I can hardly wait to meet Georg.” Adeline sighed. “I even dreamed about him last night.”

“You did?” Belinda found that quite ironic, in light of the fact that she’d dreamed about him, as well.

“Yes.” Adeline’s expression shifted to one of pure excitement. “I dreamed about the house we will one day live in. It was quite lovely, with two bedrooms and indoor plumbing. I made little curtains to hang in the windows, and Georg built our furniture with his own hands.”

Greta laughed at that one. “I can hardly imagine Georg building furniture. Still, I feel sure you will one day have a home just like the one you described, especially if Georg falls head over heels for you, like I know he will.”

“Don’t be so sure, Greta,” Belinda interjected, her heart now thumping madly. “I have it on good authority that Georg enjoys living at home with his parents. It is somewhat likely he will stay close to his mother after he weds.”

“Oh?” Adeline shifted nervously. “Well, that would be one possibility, of course, though it would be nice to have a place of our own.” She paused for a moment and appeared to be deep in thought. “Still, I must admit, the idea of having a mother and father nearby sounds divine, too.” Dabbing at her eyes, she whispered, “I lost my parents a year ago.”

“Oh, Adeline, how awful. I’m so sorry.” Belinda hardly knew what to say next. Suddenly she felt like giving herself a good swift kick.

“I have a younger sister,” Adeline continued. “She’s twelve. If Georg and I marry, she will come to live with us, of course. That is why I worded the advertisement as I did. If I ended up with the wrong man—say, a fellow who didn’t love children—it would be problematic. My sister depends on me for everything, you see.”

Aha. So there are children involved. Or at least one child.
Belinda pondered this fact, realizing that she had neglected to mention to Georg that Adeline wanted a man ready for a family. Would that be a problem? Belinda sighed as the truth registered. Surely, if he fell for this lovely young woman, he would take in her sister, as well. Why, Georg was the kindest man in the world. He would bend over backward to accommodate, especially if he genuinely cared about the person in need.

Still, the idea of him caring for Adeline caused Belinda’s heart to twist. This new revelation both frightened and thrilled her, though she couldn’t decide which emotion to entertain first.

Cassie, who’d been quiet till now, interjected her thoughts on the matter. “I say if the man doesn’t tend to the needs of both you and your sister, you should give up on the idea of matrimony immediately. Don’t waste your time on someone who doesn’t appreciate and sympathize with your situation.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Adeline said, looking a bit defeated. “Though I would hope to convince him over time, should the need arise. And my sister is quite easy to live with. Very compliant.”

Cassie continued. “Still, make sure before you agree to marry him. Men these days are quite modern in their thinking, at least the men I know. They understand that a woman’s needs are different than they were, say, a hundred years ago. So, if Georg is the man intended for you, you will know it beyond a shadow of a doubt, because his thoughts will correspond with yours. That’s not to say you will agree on every detail, but in general you will be compatible on issues such as children and the like.”

Adeline smiled. “What a sensible way to look at things. Our thoughts will correspond. I like that image. You’ve given me a lot to think about, Cassie. Thank you for that. I will pray about this and get the Lord’s perspective on it. He will show me what to do, should any problems arise.” She shifted her gaze to the blue skies overhead, sighing. “Oh, but what a perfect place to contemplate life’s greater mysteries. You have such lovely weather here. I can’t believe it’s this warm in September.”