Robin's Reward (Bonita Creek Trilogy Book 1) (26 page)

“Good luck, Robin.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Sheriff. We all appreciate your efforts.”

“You’re welcome. I hope the next time we meet it’s under better circumstances.”

“Me too. Thanks.”

The officer turned around and jogged back to his cruiser while Robin continued walking to the library. When she arrived at her office she called Jeff and told him everything she’d learned from the sheriff.

“When are you going to rescue Miss Praise?” Jeff asked.

“I’m going to call Pastor White right now and set something up—hopefully for this evening.”

“I’m relieved that this is over. I was dreading not having the old girl around the cottage after we got married.”

“Jeff Clarke. Who knew you were such a softy when it came to my cat?” Robin laughed.

“Well, she kind of grew on me. I got used to finding cat hair on my shoes and socks and pants after every visit to your house. Keep me posted.”

“I will.”

“Love you,” Jeff said.

“And I love you,” Robin replied.

~*~

That evening Pastor White and Robin drove down to a ranch in Ukiah to pick up Miss Praise. When they arrived, Miss Praise was dozing in a basket on the front porch—just like at her true home. The cat roused herself, and when she saw Robin approaching, she meowed and jumped from her basket. Worried that the old tabby would be skittish, Robin hesitated before climbing the steps of the porch. Miss Praise flicked her tail into the air and pranced around for a moment before sashaying over to Robin to wind her way through Robin’s ankles.

Robin reached down to gather the cat into her arms and whispered, “I’ve missed you, you sweet old thing,” and was rewarded with the sound of a comforting purr.

~*~

A few days later Robin approved Penny’s sketches of her wedding ensemble. Then Penny began the time-consuming task of making the patterns. Following the pattern making, a muslin mockup of the dress and jacket were assembled for Robin’s first fitting. At the fitting, Penny refined the pattern’s style and fit. When she was certain the bride was pleased with the look and feel of the outfit, she began working on the raw silk version.

Penny had allowed herself about nine months to complete the dress and jacket for the June thirtieth wedding date. Since she was entrusted to design and sew her own maid of honor’s dress along with Jorie’s bridesmaid’s dress, Penny was forced to adhere to a strict timeline. Being organized and disciplined by nature, she set aside plenty of time for the completion of her projects. She allowed for a cushion of extra time before the deadline should adjustments and alterations to the designs become necessary. Leaving details undone until the last minute was a stressful proposition Penny chose to avoid at all costs.

The wedding plans were in full swing by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. Robin, Penny, and Jorie had enjoyed spending time together working on the wedding plans. They’d been virtually inseparable as teenagers, and this renewed tradition of working together on a project had been fun. In their busy lives, time passed by quickly. Instead of being a full seven months in the future, Robin’s wedding day felt like it was just around the corner.

Chapter 31

It was Thanksgiving week, and Jeff was due to arrive at the Santa Rosa Airport
Wednesday afternoon—typically the busiest travel day of the year at the nation’s airports. Robin was so excited the night before her fiancé’s arrival she barely slept. She woke up at four o’clock and bounded out of bed. She went on a baking blitz making Jeff’s favorite muffins, cookies, and breads to keep her mind occupied.

The flight was on time. Robin took a photo of her weary fiancé as he exited the departure gate. His eyes lit up when he spotted her. He dropped his carry-on bag and jogged over to rush into her arms. “I’m going to kiss you silly when we get somewhere more private,” Jeff said.

“I’m glad you’re back with me. I’ve missed you.”

He lowered his voice and said, “You can show me just how much you’ve missed me later.”

A delightful shiver ran down her spine as she was reminded once again of how blessed she was to have this man in her life.

“Let’s head home so you can have something to eat and rest awhile before you have to check in at your motel.”

“I’m not staying at the motel this time. The Whites invited me to stay at their house for the weekend, and I’ve accepted their offer. It’ll be more fun than being in a lonely motel room when I’m not with you and Miss Praise. How is the queen of the cottage doing these days?”

“Everything seems to be back to normal, thank goodness. I bought her a new basket, a couple of new toys, and loads of catnip. I’ve basically spoiled her rotten after her ordeal. She loves all the attention.”

“I don’t blame her.”

“What? You like catnip?”

“No, I love getting personal attention from you, too.”

“Got it. Attention, yes. Catnip, no.” They laughed.

Robin brought him up to date on the wedding plans while he shared some of the more humorous happenings at his job.

“My parents are looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you into our family.”

“I’m excited, too,” Robin said.

“Doug is charged up to be the best man and already requested the week before the wedding off from work so he can make his first trip out to the West Coast.”

“What are our plans for tomorrow?” He reached across the seat to snag Robin’s hand in his.

“I thought we’d have our own traditional Thanksgiving feast for two at my cottage tomorrow around noon. In the early evening we’ll head over to the Thanksgiving Dinner and Program at the church. It’s a fun tradition I’ve enjoyed each year since I returned home. Our church family is looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Do both meals involve turkey and all the trimmings? I mean, I like turkey and all, but twice in one day is a little much, even for a big eater like me.”

“Have I ever mistreated you in the area of filling up your stomach?”

“Well, no.”

“Then don’t worry about it. You’ll always be well-fed and well-cared for by me for the next few decades at least.”

~*~

Miss Praise wasn’t around when they arrived at the cottage an hour or so later.

“I was hoping to see the feline queen tonight,” Jeff said.

“She’s around here somewhere. She’s probably just making you suffer because you’ve been gone for a couple of months.”

After a light dinner, the couple moved to the living room to relax before Robin delivered an exhausted Jeff and his sparse luggage to the White’s home near the church.

Jeff dozed in his chair while Robin told him about the decorations for the reception. He felt a gentle weight on his lap, and he automatically reached for the furry body that had settled there. He opened his eyes when the vibration from Miss Praise’s purring startled him awake.

“Seems like all is forgiven,” Robin said.

Jeff hugged the tabby and said, “I missed you, too, Miss Praise. Glad you made it home safely.”

“You look wiped out, Jeff. Want me to take you over to the White’s now? We can talk more tomorrow.”

“I
am
wiped out. Being on Central time has my internal clock all out of whack.”

“Then let’s go.”

Robin drove the short distance to the pastor’s home. Jeff unloaded his luggage from the trunk and they strolled up the path to the front door. After being greeted by Pastor White and Marian, Robin returned to her cottage. Jeff promised to walk over to her house mid-morning on Thanksgiving Day. He wanted to run on the Bonita Creek Trail to stretch out his stiff muscles after being cramped up on an airplane and car for hours on Wednesday.

~*~

Thanksgiving morning was cloudy and cold. The marine layer drifting in from the coast blanketed the small mountain town of Bonita Creek like a heavy fleece cloak and made it difficult for anyone there to feel cheerful about the weather. Jeff arrived at the cottage right on time, and they both acted as if they hadn’t even seen each other the day before. They were engaged in a rather long kiss when the kitchen timer chimed. They broke apart as if they’d been caught by a chaperone at a high school prom.

“Soup’s on,” she sang out.

After a delicious meal of homemade chicken noodle soup, pot roast, roasted potatoes with carrots and steamed garden vegetables, they sat in the living room sofa with hot mugs of herbal tea.

“Would you like to watch some football and relax? Usually there are several games on in the afternoon,” Robin said.

“No, I’m not interested in looking at football players right now.” His twinkling eyes were focused on his fiancée’s facial features, particularly her lips.

“Do you want to play a game or work on a puzzle or listen to some music?”

“No, thank you,” he grinned crookedly as he leaned in for another kiss.

When he pulled back, she studied him. “You’ve got the look again. The look that tells me we need to discuss something important. Am I right?”

“Yes, and before you ask—no, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I wasn’t going to ask this time. I’ve been working on my confidence and trust issues regarding your devotion to me and commitment to our relationship. I think I’m finally able to get rid of my negative baggage.”

“What a relief to hear.”

“So, feel free to speak your mind.”

“It’s great to hear about your trusting me. You’ll never have reason to doubt the depth of my feelings for you. As proof of my devotion and commitment to our upcoming marriage, I want to make a proposition.”

As he stared into the emerald centers of his bride-to-be’s lovely brown eyes he could feel her love wrapping around his heart once again. He’d thought about this for a long time before deciding to mention it to Robin.

“I don’t want to wait another seven months to marry you. Instead, I’d like our wedding to be in March.” The words tumbled out of his mouth with such ease even he was surprised.

Robin caught her breath and flew into his arms.

“Yes. I’ll marry you in March. I love the month of March! This is the best news I’ve heard since the day you proposed.”

He spoke into her ear, “Can you make things happen so soon? I mean with your dress and the girls’ dresses and the decorations and food and all those wedding details I can’t even begin to imagine?”

“Not a problem.”

“Obviously, we won’t be having your dream wedding at the Dahlia Garden during the end of winter/beginning of spring since it’ll be the heavy rainfall season at the coast.”

“We’ll have our wedding at the church with a reception in the social hall there immediately following the ceremony. We can make it a morning wedding—eleven o’clock—so we can serve lunch to our guests. This will be perfect. I’ve always wanted to have a springtime wedding.”

“Uh, excuse me. Is there a reason you didn’t share this little morsel with me before? Why were we waiting until the end of next June to get married if you wanted a springtime wedding?”

Her face and neck flushed to a deep scarlet before she spoke. “I was being cautious about not rushing into another marriage. I wanted to give us time to get to know each other before taking such a huge step.” She hung her head in shame. “I didn’t want to fail as a wife again.”

He placed his hands gently under her jaw and raised her head with tenderness.

“You don’t need to be ashamed of being cautious, but you don’t need to worry about failing as a wife. I love you so much. You’re all I’ve ever dreamed of in a wife and best friend and so much more.”

He kissed her, making sure the kiss conveyed his feelings clearly.

“You’ll make a beautiful springtime bride. You know what they say about the robin being the harbinger of spring?”

They both chuckled lightly. After the couple sat in silence for a few moments, she sat straight up.

“What about your job contract? I thought you had to work until the last day of March to fulfill your contract with Mr. Brownstein.”

He told her his boss had mentioned the contract provided an exiting employee could either have his unused vacation and sick leave in dollars or in actual days off from work. By taking the days off, Jeff could move to Bonita Creek the first week in March. He could enjoy the wedding preparations and then have time after the ceremony to take a honeymoon trip before launching his new business in Bonita Creek on April first.

“What’s really great about the whole deal is Mr. Brownstein said he figured out how much income I’ve generated for his business over the past few years, and he’s going to pay me a percentage of it in cash. It’ll be a combined bonus and severance package. It figures out to be about three months’ worth of my normal salary.”

“That’s generous,” Robin said.

“Yes, it is. It’s surprising how kind he’s been about my leaving the firm and all. The severance money will give us a little cushion so I can get my business started without having to worry about covering the immediate startup costs with revenue from my new clients. It gives me a chance to relax a little and enjoy the wedding, our honeymoon, Easter, and being a newlywed.”

“Just think, in less than four months we’ll be husband and wife.”

“You’re not heartbroken about the Dahlia Garden wedding plans being cancelled? Because if you truly want the Dahlia Garden wedding, I’ll manage to wait three extra months to marry you—I don’t know how I’ll manage, but I’ll figure out something.”

Robin smiled happily. “No, I’m not heartbroken. Maybe someday Penny or Jorie or even our own daughter will have her wedding there.”

~*~

“Are we going to announce our change of wedding plans at the church feast this evening?” Jeff asked as they were leaving for the church.

“I’d like a chance to talk to Pastor White, Penny, and Jorie first before making a formal announcement to everyone else. Is it all right with you?”

“As you wish, my love.” He kissed her nose. “Let’s gather your pies and head over to the church now. I want to get a good parking spot in case it’s raining when we leave tonight.”

“This has been the best Thanksgiving Day I can ever remember.”

~*~

The church parking lot was a flurry of activity when they arrived a few minutes later. Children swarmed around their parents and grandparents while men and women juggled covered casserole dishes, trays of cookies and cupcakes, bowls of salads, and baskets filled with breads and rolls. Thanksgiving greetings were passed from family to family as they trooped into the church’s social hall.

The hall had been transformed into an autumn wonderland by the ladies of the church auxiliary. Attractive groupings of pumpkins, squash, and gourds decorated the tablecloth-adorned serving and eating tables. It was the church’s tradition to allow the children to sit at tables set up specifically for certain age groups with a teen volunteer chaperoning each table. The children were welcome to sit with their parents; however, most of them enjoyed the freedom and independence of sitting with their friends.

The adult tables were set with dinnerware and silverware belonging to the church, while the children’s tables hosted colorful paper products and plastic flatware as a concession to safety and convenience. Bouquets of brightly colored mums from Robin’s and other members’ gardens placed in large glass canning jars served as centerpieces on the adult tables.