Love Finds You on Christmas Morning (5 page)

“You haven’t seen me on my good days.”

“Is that a challenge?”

She twisted her mouth to one side, lifted one eyebrow, and slowly moved her head from side to side. “Maybe.”

“Then I’ll take it.”

Lillian wasn’t sure what to say next, so she didn’t even attempt to respond. She went about her end-of-the-evening routine and started for the door.

“Would you mind if I stopped off at your house and visited with your parents?” he asked.

“Can I persuade you otherwise?”

“Not a chance,” he replied.

“Then why bother asking?” She walked outside and didn’t even put up a fuss about getting into his automobile.

When they arrived at her family’s cottage, she turned to face him. “I have no idea what my parents might say or do since they’re not expecting you.”

“Lillian, you never have to make excuses for anyone, including your parents. Besides, they seem like nice people, so I’m sure they’ll be polite even if they don’t want to see me.”

“You are one strange man,” she said as she got out of the automobile.

He caught up with her before she reached the door of her home. “That’s a compliment. I don’t want to be like everyone else—especially with you.”

“Oh, trust me, you’re nothing like anyone else I’ve ever known.”

“Lillian, is that you?” The sound of Mama’s voice rang through the house.

“Yes, Mama, it’s me, and I have company.”

In less than a minute Mama showed herself in the living room, a confused expression on her face until she spotted William. “Hi, Mr. Tronnier. It’s so nice to see you. I apologize for the mess.”

Lillian glanced around and saw that everything was perfectly clean and in place. “Mama, the house looks nice. Mr. Tronnier just wanted to stop by and say hi to you and Daddy.”

“Would you like to stay for supper?” Mama asked.

William didn’t waste a moment before shaking his head. “No, I’m expected at my parents’ home for supper. Besides, I wouldn’t want to pop in unexpectedly and expect a meal. That would be rude.”

“In that case, why don’t you come by tomorrow night?”

Lillian spun around and glared at her mama. She started to make up a reason why he couldn’t, but he was faster to respond. “I would love that. That is, if Lillian doesn’t mind.” He looked down at her.

What could she say? “Of course I don’t mind.”

“Then I’ll be here. Would you like me to bring something?”

Mama wore a false smile as she lifted her chin. “Just yourself, and make sure you come hungry.”

“Don’t go to too much trouble,” he argued without an ounce of conviction in his voice.

“It’s no trouble at all. I haven’t cooked for one of Lillian’s friends in a long time, so it will be my treat.”

Lillian wanted to cringe. Her mother didn’t need to tell him everything.

William felt bad for Lillian. He could tell that her mother had embarrassed her, but she needn’t have felt that way. He was used to his own mom talking too much. It came with the territory.

“I’d best be getting home.” He glanced at Lillian. “Walk me to the door?”

“Sure. The house is small, so we don’t have to walk far.”

They stopped when they reached the door. Mrs. Pickard shot them a glance, smiled again, and disappeared, leaving him alone with Lillian. Lillian, however, wouldn’t look at him, so he took a chance and tilted her chin up. He held his breath until he realized she wasn’t going to resist.

“What are you thinking?”

She lifted one eyebrow. “Do you really want to know?”

William laughed. “You are one feisty woman, Lillian Pickard.”

“And you are one presumptuous man, William Tronnier.”

“Sounds like a very good match to me.”

She stepped back, freeing herself from his touch. “All depends on the perspective.”

“True.” He hesitated before opening the door and taking a step. “Since I’ve officially been invited over tomorrow evening, why don’t I stop by the store and pick you up?”

“I’m surprised you bothered to ask,” she replied. “You always do whatever you please.”

Laughter bubbled from his throat, but he stifled more than a slight chuckle. “This is more fun than I’ve had in many years.”

“So glad I’m able to amuse you.”

“Until tomorrow.” He didn’t budge.

She stood at the door and narrowed her eyes. “Are you planning to leave or just stand there bantering with me?”

William sighed. “I guess that’s a hint.”

Now it was her turn to laugh. He heard her voice as she closed the door. “Good night, Mr. Tronnier.”

All the way home, William rehashed his conversation with Lillian, and he couldn’t stop laughing. Lillian definitely kept him on his toes. All the girls he’d seen in the past were too agreeable and bored him to tears. Lillian didn’t have an agreeable bone in her body, yet she wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, she was quite pleasant. The soft, husky tone to her voice, her fragrance as she breezed past him at the store, and the silky-smooth feel of her skin beneath his calloused fingers brought him an immense amount of pleasure.

She obviously wasn’t a slave to style, yet she had more style than all the other women in town put together. Her long hair that had been coerced into waves defied the current trend of copycat short bobs on the working women he knew. She wore a very subtle shade of lipstick that enhanced her lips without drawing too much attention away from her sparkling eyes.

William pulled up in front of his house and tried to think about something besides Lillian. He didn’t feel like fielding questions he didn’t have answers to—at least not yet. And knowing his family, there would be plenty of questions as soon as he mentioned that he wouldn’t be home for supper tomorrow night.

“What gives with the silly grin?” Mason said as soon as William walked in the door.

“I’ve been invited to dinner with the Pickards tomorrow night.”

Mason whistled. “Can’t stay away from her, can you?”

Amos came around the corner and joined them in the foyer. “Leave him alone, Mason. Can’t you see the man’s in love?”

“Stop it.” William lifted his hands. “Or next time you even look at a woman, it’ll be payback time.”

“Trust me,” Amos said through his laughter. “This is probably the last place I’ll bring any woman I like—at least until I marry her.”

“Who is bringing a woman home?” Mom said as she joined the brothers. She glanced around the room then settled her gaze on William. “Is someone hiding a woman in the house?”

“No, Mom,” Amos said, “we’re just harassing William because he can’t stay away from Lillian Pickard.”

“She must be quite a girl.” Then Mom waved her hand the way she had since they were children. “Go get cleaned up. Supper is almost ready.”

“Speaking of supper, guess who won’t be home for dinner tomorrow night?”

William darted a warning glance in Mason’s direction before speaking for himself. “I’ve been invited to join the Pickards for supper.”

“Well, I hope you accepted,” she said. “It’s time you boys follow in your sisters’ footsteps and start thinking about settling down.”

“Why would we settle down when we have you?” Mason teased.

Mom groaned as she quickly turned toward the kitchen. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Looks like I might have to resort to strong-arm tactics to get you all married off.”

After William and his brothers washed up, they joined their parents in the dining room. One of the household help kept glancing at William as she set the food on the table.

“What are you looking at, Nelda?” he asked.

She cut her gaze over to his mom, who nodded. “I hear you’re sweet on some girl in town.”

“Someone give me a break, please. Is that all anyone around here is talking about anymore?”

“It’s all anyone in Cary is talking about,” Amos said.

“Really?” William had started to pick up his fork, but instead he folded his hands and rested them on the table. “Are you serious?”

“No, of course I’m not serious.” Amos nodded toward Mason. “It’s your turn to say the blessing.”

After they said “Amen,” the conversation about William and Lillian resumed. Pop remained silent until Mason asked why Lillian had to work so hard.

“Why does it matter to you, son?”

Mason’s face turned red, and he lifted his glass of tea.

“People work hard for a variety of reasons. Perhaps she likes having her own money. There’s no better way to have money than to work for it.”

William squirmed. “Let’s change the subject, okay? This one is getting old.”

Mason nodded his agreement and added, “We’ll give you a break now, but don’t think this will be the last of it.”

“Oh, trust me, I realize that.” William lifted his glass of tea. “Cheers.”

Lillian fretted all day about how the evening would go. From the moment she awoke, she thought about what to wear, how to act unfazed, and where she should look when William gave her one of those long, appraising stares. It always unnerved her when he did that, but deep down, she sort of liked the flutters in her tummy.

Still, the question remained, what was going on with William Tronnier? Someone of his stature and position in the community could have his pick from any number of girls who were much better suited. What did he want with her?

She would have enjoyed being courted by William if her life had been different. But the fact remained that her parents depended on her to support them, which meant she’d most likely wind up as an old maid.

An image of Daddy’s older sister popped into Lillian’s head, and she had to stifle a giggle. The woman had a perpetually puckered mouth, looking like she’d sucked on a lemon for too long, and her hair had a gray stripe on either side. She pulled it up into a bun so tight, the skin on both sides of her eyes was stretched. No wonder she never smiled; her face must have hurt. Lillian and her brothers used to laugh at the woman they called Aunt Grim, although her name was really Grace. The one time Lillian’s younger brother slipped up in front of Grace was the first time Lillian had ever seen Daddy so angry that his face turned bright red.

And now here Lillian was facing the same fate as Aunt Grace. Would her nieces and nephews call her “Aunt Grim” or perhaps something worse? She shuddered.

Before Daddy’s accident, Lillian had never doubted she’d eventually find a suitable husband, live in a small but nice house in Cary, and have children. She wasn’t in a hurry because there had been so many options back then. David Hampton was one possibility, but he had a nervous tick that could be rather off-putting. Then there was Mrs. Gooch’s son Maverick, whose stare could make the most confident woman self-conscious. At the time, she thought she’d leave her options open to see if someone better would come along. But that didn’t happen until it was too late.

Lillian closed her eyes as she remembered the night she met William Tronnier. She knew about his family, the successful soybean farmers who’d inherited thousands of acres of land. In spite of their assumed wealth, she’d learned that they were down-to-earth, Godfearing people who treated everyone as their equal.

Mama had been doing a little mending on the side to bring in extra money, and Ina Jordan, the wife of one of Daddy’s former coworkers, had stopped by to pick up her dresses. She’d offhandedly invited the Pickard family to the party she and her husband Merv were throwing the next night. Mama said it was difficult for her and Daddy to get out after dark, but she asked Mrs. Jordan if Lillian could go. Without a blink, Mrs. Jordan said, “Yes, of course, we’d be delighted for Lillian to attend.”

Fortunately, the party was the next night. If it had been further into the future, Lillian would have talked herself out of going. As it was, she barely had time to find a suitable dress and make arrangements to get to the house on the other side of town. Mama had another customer who was attending, and she agreed to stop off for Lillian on the way. Lillian knew the elderly couple had to go out of their way to pick her up, which was why Mama wouldn’t take money for the mending she’d worked so hard on.

When Lillian arrived at the party, she instantly felt out of place and very dowdy. She was the only woman her age with hair past her shoulders. Most of the women wore stylish bobs, and those who’d kept their hair long had it professionally coiffed. As if that weren’t enough to set her apart, her dress was ridiculously out-of-date.

Lillian would have turned around and run the several miles home, but before she had the chance to take a step back, William Tronnier had taken hold of her elbow and guided her across the room. The rest of the night was like a dream. Sometimes it still didn’t seem real. William had turned his full attention on her and engaged her in the type of conversation she only imagined people having.

“Lillian! What’s taking you so long? If you don’t get a move on, you’ll be late for work.” Mama stood at her doorway shaking her head. “Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m feeling just fine.” Lillian ran her fingers through her hair and fluffed the ends. “Just getting a late start.”

“Don’t lose track of time. Good thing I made biscuits and sausage for breakfast. You can eat that on the way to work.”

“I’m not hungry, Mama, but thanks.”

Mama’s expression softened. “Are you nervous about tonight?”

Lillian started to pretend she’d forgotten about William coming over, but that would be pointless. Mama would know. “A little.”

“Don’t be. He seems like a nice man, and I feel obligated to pay him back for all those rides he’s been giving you. Just don’t let yourself fall in love, or you’ll wind up getting hurt.”

Lillian forced a laugh. “Fall in love? I don’t even know him all that well, so that should be the least of your worries.”

“Good girl. Now get moving so you can keep that job of yours. We can’t afford for you to lose it.”

The reminder wasn’t necessary, but it did get Lillian’s thoughts back on track. She didn’t need to be daydreaming about having company for supper or reminiscing about the night she met William. Her job was to bring money home so her parents wouldn’t wind up in the poorhouse.