A Chance at Love (34 page)

Jake set the letter aside. Admittedly, he didn't know how to feel. On one level he was angry that he had to learn about the upcoming birth of his child from a complete stranger, but on another level, Jake wanted to turn cartwheels and shout with joy. A child! Their child! He could only wonder what was going through her mind. Was she ashamed, elated, angry? He would have no way of knowing until he talked with her. And talk with her, he would. Jake took out some paper so he could write back to this mysterious Madison Nance. Jake couldn't wait to see the look on Loreli's face when he showed up at her front door.

 

Loreli's annual holiday party was always well attended and tonight's affair was no exception. Even though she'd pared at least sixty people from this year's invitation list,
the interior of her house was still packed. Among the guests were the well known, and the unknown. Captains of industry rubbed shoulders with cabbies; dowagers of all races sat together and talked because at Loreli's parties no one cared. There was dancing downstairs in the ballroom, and enough food in the solarium to feed an army. There were strolling musicians and nattily dressed waiters carrying trays topped with fine canapés and tasty appetizers.

Loreli, dressed in her signature gold gown, stood by the food table greeting guests. At her side stood Madison Nance. He'd won the privilege of being her escort tonight by being the highest bidder. Loreli had come up with the idea of auctioning off the escort position a few years ago. The money went to one of her many charities, and her gentleman friends had a ball trying to outbid each other.

As Loreli continued to smile and encourage her guests to sample the food, she told Madison, “I really enjoy throwing this party every year.”

“It shows.”

She grinned. “How about a dance?”

“Sure, why not?”

They made their way through the crush, and headed downstairs to the equally crowded dance floor. They arrived just in time to join in on a slow waltz. Loreli placed her hand in his and Madison led her expertly around the floor. Loreli was just about to ask Madison if he had information on a particular stock she was interested in when someone behind her tapped her on the shoulder. She turned, and as her eyes met Jake's they widened. Recognition filled her with such an overwhelming rush of emotion, she sank to the floor like a stone.

When her eyes opened again, Loreli was lying on the
rose-colored chaise in her bedroom, and Olivia was standing over her with worry lining her brown face. “Just lie still.”

Loreli could now feel the damp cloth on her head. It was clammy so she took it off and handed it to Olivia. “What happened?”

“You fainted.”

“I never faint.”

“Well, you did.”

Then Loreli remembered. Jake! She bolted upright.

Olivia stayed her gently, “Not so fast.”

“Is he really here?”

Olivia smiled. “Appears that way.”

“Is the party still going?”

“Yes, Madison calmed everyone.”

“Good.”

Olivia then asked, “Are you ready to see him now? He's very worried.”

“Where is he?”

“On the other side of the door.”

Loreli rose from the chaise. “I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose.”

Loreli didn't think it fair of him to show up this way. She'd wanted to be prepared and in control of the situation. Instead she'd fainted, something she'd never done before.

Olivia opened the door. “You may come in now, Mr. Reed.”

He entered. His eyes met Loreli's. Neither of them noticed the housekeeper's soundless exit.

Jake forced himself to stay where he was. Seeing Loreli for the first time in months reaffirmed just how much he'd missed her, but there were matters and issues
that had to be discussed before he and she could discuss themselves. “Are you all right? Never knew you to be the fainting type.”

“I'm fine. Just more surprised than I've been in a while, I suppose. Why'd you come?”

“Talk to you about the baby.”

That caught her by surprise. “How'd you find out?”

“Friend of yours wrote to me. Said telling me was the right and proper thing to do.”

Loreli looked away from the emotion she could see in his eyes. “I didn't write you because I didn't want to burden you with a wife you were forced to marry.”

“I appreciate that, but I'm old enough to make decisions for myself, Loreli.”

She winced under his withering tone.

“I want to help raise my child, and I want his mother in bed beside me at night. I want to see her face first thing in the morning, even if I argue with her all day. I want to hold her and love her until death do us part.”

Surprised again, she turned to face him.

“Marry me, Loreli Winters. Not because of the baby but because of how I feel about you.”

Tears ran down Loreli's cheeks.

Jake walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

As they held each other tight, she whispered, “Oh, Jake. I've missed you and the girls so much….”

He touched his lips to the top of her hair, then raised her chin so he could look into her eyes. The kiss he gave her showed how much he'd missed her as well. It was passionate, welcoming, and brimming with love.

When the kiss ended, he looked down into her tear-bright eyes and said, “I'm still waiting for an answer.”

“To what?”

He acted amazed. “I just asked you to marry me, woman!”

She grinned. “The answer is yes.”

“Good.”

He traced her lips with his finger. “Dreamt about this mouth many nights.”

“Just my mouth?” she teased.

“Oh, other parts were there too, believe me,” he teased back.

She leaned up and kissed him. “And I can't wait to show them to you.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Outrageous as ever.”

She smiled. “Well, since you're so hell bent upon making me an honest woman, how about we go downstairs and get married right now?”

“How?”

“There are at least six or seven judges downstairs. We can take our pick.”

Jake held her in the circle of his arms. “You're on. The sooner we become man and wife, the sooner I can sneak you off somewhere and make love to you.”

Loreli moved her body softly against his and said in a sultry, playful voice, “We don't have to sneak off. We can do that right here.”

Jake's blood rushed hot and hard. “To the door, Loreli. Your guests won't be happy if I have you up here for the rest of the night, so march.”

She pouted.

He gave her a tender swat on the butt. “Fast woman.”

 

Downstairs the fast woman and the hog farmer from Kansas were married under the cheering adoration of three hundred of Loreli's closest friends. Sgt. Collins gave her away, and Madison stood up with Jake.

After the congratulations tapered off a bit, Jake said to Loreli, “Do you want to see the girls now?”

She stilled. “Where are they?”

“At a friend's home nearby.”

“They're here in Philadelphia?”

He grinned. “Yes, Mrs. Reed, they are. They're probably asleep, but I don't think they'll mind being awakened.”

Loreli began to cry again. Her hands came to her mouth to hold in all the emotion. “Oh, Jake.”

He had love in his eyes and voice as he said, “Come on. You can cry on the way.”

Loreli stopped Madison on their way out. “I have to leave for a little while. Will you keep an eye on things?”

He nodded. “Sure will.” He winked at Jake and walked off to attend to his hosting duties.

Outside, Loreli pulled her cloak tighter against the cold air. Conveyances of all kinds and classes lined both sides of the street for as far as the eye could see. Her neighbors once complained about all the noise and commotion that went with her annual ball, but since she'd started adding their names to the guest list, all the finger-waving and griping had stopped. “How are we getting to your friend's home?” Loreli asked, shivering a bit. The thin gold dress had not been made for winter nights.

Jake looked up the street. “Here comes the coach now.”

Loreli recognized Madison's coach and coachman at once. “This is nice of Madison to lend you his coach.”

“Yes, it is.”

Jake wondered how long it would take her to figure out that Madison was the author of the letter that brought Jake to Philadelphia. He chuckled inwardly. She was probably going to throw a fit once she did.

The coach stopped in front of Madison's large estate. “Why are we stopping here?” Loreli asked in a puzzled voice.

Jake made his way to the door. “This is where the girls are.”

Then she got it. “Madison was the one, wasn't he?”

Jake smiled. “Yes.”

“That traitor.”

But she couldn't be angry, not now. His actions had brought her and Jake back together. Maybe she'd reward him by naming her child after him if Jake didn't mind.

Jake stood outside in the wind. He had the doorknob in his hand. “You coming or not?” he asked gently.

“Yes,” and she bounded up the steps.

The girls were asleep in an upstairs bedroom. Loreli carefully opened the door so she and Jake could tiptoe in. The sight of their sleeping faces framed in the light from the hall put tears in Loreli's eyes. She felt as if she had turned into the cryingest woman in the world, but she wiped the waterworks away and walked over to the big bed they were sharing. She gave each soft brown cheek a tender caress, then bent to kiss their foreheads lovingly. Behind her, Jake lit a lamp and turned it down very low so that there was just enough illumination to see by. Loreli knelt by the bed, and with eyes filled with awe she watched them sleep. She hadn't had the opportunity to calm their fears after Trevor's act of cowardice, but from now on, she'd be there every time anything or anybody
made them afraid. She stroked Dede's cheek. Loreli could see the chain of the magic locket around her neck. Dede's eyes opened sleepily. When she saw Loreli, she smiled. “I told Uncle Jake you'd come back if he asked you to.”

Loreli pulled her up into her arms and held her close against her heart.

“We missed you so,” Dede whispered.

“I missed you and your sister, too, pumpkin.”

Bebe awakened then, and when she saw Loreli her eyes went wide, and she yelled happily, “Loreli!”

She launched herself at Loreli like an ecstatic kitten and soon they were all rolling around on the bed, laughing and giggling. Loreli couldn't remember being this happy ever. When calm returned, Loreli listened as the girls competed to tell her all that had gone on since they'd last been together.

“I didn't win the Circle Race,” Bebe said. “I came in fifth. De came in third.”

Loreli turned to Dede. “You came in third!”

“Yep. Me and Sapphire.”

“Who's Sapphire.”

“My horse. Uncle Jake bought her for me after you left. She's a real nice horse, Loreli.”

“I'll bet she is.”
Dede came in third!
An amazed Loreli looked to Jake. He simply smiled. “So did Anthony Diggs win again?”

“No, he had to sell his horse,” Bebe answered.

“Why?”

“Aggie said his father got behind on his mortgage,” Bebe told her.

“I see.” Loreli had forgotten all about the greedy Sol Diggs and how she'd brought him down.

“Anthony and his daddy worked for Carrie's daddy during harvest,” Dede added.

Loreli once again swung her amazed eyes to Jake.
Sol Diggs forced to work for Matt Peterson!

“The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Jake replied.

Loreli guessed so.

Loreli let herself enjoy the company of the girls for over an hour, then she made them hop back beneath their quilts. “I'll see you two in the morning, okay?”

Both girls smiled sleepily.

Jake and Loreli gave the girls good-night kisses, then Jake doused the lamp and quietly followed Loreli out into the hall.

As the newlyweds stood in the silence just looking at each other, Loreli knew that if someone had told her she'd fall in love with, and marry, a hog farmer, she would have taken them to court for slander. But now, as he pulled her into his arms and held her against his strong chest, she wanted to proclaim her good fortune to the world. Loreli Winters had a man, a
good
man, and she didn't care who knew it!

A
few years ago, my cousin Michelle Bivens asked if I would do a story with a twist. She wanted an experienced heroine and an inexperienced hero. I found the idea intriguing but at the time there were no heroines in my company of characters able to pull off such a role. Until Loreli. Her appearances in
Topaz
and, more recently,
Always and Forever
won the hearts of many fans. Those appearances also generated a lot of mail asking that she be given a book of her own, and as a result, the story of Jake and Loreli was born. I hope you enjoyed it.

The influence of labor unions, like the Knights of Labor, would continue to rise as the nineteenth century moved into the twentieth century. In 1925, A. Phillip Randolph, the founding president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, began organizing among Pullman's Black porters. The Brotherhood won its first major contract with the Pullman company in 1937, and would go on to become America's strongest and most successful Black
trade union. I learned a lot researching this topic, so if I piqued your interest, here are some of the sources I consulted.

 

A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter
, Patricia and Frederick McKissack, Walker Publishing, New York, 1989.

Beyond Labor's Veil: The Culture of the Knights of Labor
, Robert E. Weir, Pennsylvania State University Press, Pennsylvania, 1996.

Negro Thought in America, 1880–1915: Racial Ideologies in the Age of Booker T. Washington,
August Meir, Ann Arbor, 1963.

“The Negro in the Populist Movement,” Jack Abromowitz,
Journal of Negro History
, Vol. 38, 1953.

 

I'd like to take a moment to thank some people for their help and love. Ava and Gloria are at the top of the list for putting together another outstanding PJ party. Seventy plus participants came from as far north as Minnesota and as far west as San Diego, and we had a great time! Thanks also to the ladies from the Peters Library African American Book Club: Shirley, Petula, Charlotte and Joan for volunteering their time to help the PJ party run smoothly. Next PJ party is scheduled for Spring of 03.

I owe a big big shout-out to Shareeta, Linda, Angie, and Cheryl, of the Minga Suma Book Club in LA for sponsoring my first trip to the Left Coast, and for showing me a banging time. Thanks also to the great folks at Eso Won books for hosting the book signing.

In closing, I want to express my humblest thanks to all the book clubs across the country who've sponsored me
and or my books. The African-American community is, in many ways, a word of mouth community, and you ladies and gents have been talking me up in such marvelous ways that women and men who never read romances in the past are now Beverly Jenkins fans. I appreciate the support. For those fans who've been with me since the beginning, well, you all know how much I love you, so I'll just say, thanks again. I have the greatest fans in the world. Until next time, everybody stay strong and keep reading.

BJ