Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas (12 page)

“Well, yes, of course. But I rather thought that would be a good thing,” Belinda teased.

“I haven’t yet made up my mind about a great many things,” Marta said, brushing her hands against her skirt. “Particularly, whether I will stay or go. But I cannot marry Mr. Lott. And I’m counting on you to tell him that. I cannot be persuaded to do it myself.”

Belinda sighed.
If I must, I must.
She had, after all, stirred up this hornet’s nest. She would have to be the one to deal with any resulting stings. Still, there would be the issue of the money for Marta’s train ticket. Myles had paid for it, in good faith. How would they rectify this situation?

Marta fussed with her collar then turned Belinda’s way. “Don’t fret about the way this turned out. Honestly, I’m trusting the Lord to bring the right man into my life, if indeed that is His plan. I have to wonder if I put the cart ahead of the horse by placing that advertisement in the first place. A good friend talked me into it, but I must admit, I was hesitant. Even more so now that I see how it turned out.” Her lips curled down as she sighed. “Perhaps I can find work as a tutor while here in Poetry.”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea,” Belinda said. “My twin brothers are in need of tutoring with their higher mathematics. And the two Donaldson girls have had a terrible time with spelling. Yes, I think this will work nicely.” She wanted to add, “And perhaps, in doing so, you will learn to like Myles Lott,” but refrained. Still, she would continue to pray in that direction.

Marta offered a smile then joined the others. Minutes later, the women crossed the street to have lunch at Stanzas. Belinda went back to work inside the store and helped Greta and Aunt Hilde move one of the heavier shelves. They were barely halfway into their work when the reverend arrived, looking pale and a bit unnerved. “Belinda, might I have a moment of your time?”

She looked up from the shelf with an apologetic look and he quickly slid into place, moving it for her.

“Thank you so much,” she said. “Now, what can I do for you?”

He gestured to the side of the room and she walked alongside him, away from her aunt and cousin.

“First, let me say that Bucky and Katie Sue have decided to get married at once,” Reverend Billingsley explained with a smile. “This Sunday, in fact.”

“Marvelous!” A rush of joy filled her heart as she thought about their pending wedding. One out of four matches. Not great odds, but at least they weren’t
all
dismal failures.

“Externally, they are as different as night and day,” the reverend continued, clearly oblivious to her thoughts. “He’s so tall and slender, and she’s so...anyway, they are quite the opposite, one from the other. And yet they are happily matched.” The reverend’s smile quickly faded. “I wish I could say the same about my relationship with Sarah Jo. She is rather...”

“Rough around the edges?”

“To say the least.” He grinned. “Not that I’m opposed to rough around the edges. I rather think I might enjoy the challenge, so long as the woman was the one God had chosen for me. It’s just that she’s quite the opposite of what I envision Him sending my way. I need a woman who is steady. Reliable. Not given to...” He shook his head then gave her a sheepish look.

“It’s all right, Reverend. I understand completely. And if you want me to refund your money...”

“No no no.” He put up a hand to stop her from continuing with that train of thought. “I am not saying that. I have never been one to give up. I will give this my best shot. I just wanted you to know what I’m up against so you can add your prayers to mine.”

“I think it’s fairly clear to all of us what you’re up against.” Belinda gave him a wink. “So I will be praying. I promise.”

“Indeed. So shall I.” He took a few steps toward the door then turned back. “Did you hear that she wants to open an opera house? An opera house!”

“Yes.” Belinda nodded. “Are you opposed to the idea?”

“Well...” He paused then shrugged. “I suppose not, in theory. I would imagine folks might come from Wills Point, Royce City, and Terrell. Not sure they’ll venture all the way from Dallas. But it should bring in some revenue, to be sure.” He shook his head. “I somehow imagined that Sarah Jo would put her piano-playing skills to work in the church, not in a theatrical environment.” He shrugged. “Of course, if I marry her, the church will be
become
a theatrical environment, will it not?” With a sigh, he turned back toward the door.

Belinda tried to return to her work at the register while Greta went to work arranging shelves. However, she found herself distracted, both by Marta’s unhappiness and the reverend’s uncertainty. For the first time, she paused to consider the fact that she had actually caused this dilemma. “It’s my doing.”

“What’s your doing, honey?” Aunt Hilde asked, approaching the register.

“Oh, I, uh...” Belinda sighed. “I think maybe I’ve jumped the gun, to use one of Papa’s expressions.”

“Gotten ahead of the Lord, you mean?”

“Maybe.” She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know. I prayed before sending out those letters. And I know Peter prayed as he wrote the poems. He told me as much. But I never once thought about what might happen if the people weren’t happy with my choices.”

“You are a girl who arranges things,” Aunt Hilde said with a nod. “That’s sure and certain. But arranging lives is a bit more difficult than placing jars on the shelves in the store.”

“Georg said as much, though not in those exact words.” Belinda paused to think about all this. “I do like to arrange things, but I’m only human. I’m going to make mistakes.”

“Those letters you sent out to the potential brides...” Aunt Hilde’s brow wrinkled. “Do you tell the women that you will cover the cost of their train tickets home if things don’t work out?”

“Yes.”

“Then leave it in the Lord’s hands, child.” Her aunt patted her hand. “These women made the decision to come of their own accord. They were not manipulated, merely presented with an opportunity. I daresay most were wise enough to figure out ahead of time that things might not work to their best advantage, but they were willing to take that risk. And I can’t help but think the Lord has had a hand in all of it. Bringing them here, I mean. It’s not up to you to shoot Cupid’s arrow into anyone’s heart. You simply act as a mediator.”

“True.” Belinda threw her arms around her aunt’s neck. “Oh, thank you, Aunt Hilde. You always have such a way of making me feel better.”

“I think we’re more alike than we admit,” Aunt Hilde whispered. “I’ve often been accused of being an arranger, myself.” She gave Belinda a wink. “Oh, and by the way...Samuel Bromstead was in the store earlier today. Want to guess who was with him?”

“Really?” Belinda grinned. “The widow Hanson?”

“Yes, and he and Ella looked quite happy to be together. So you see, my dear, many of your instincts are right. Just be careful how you apply them. Otherwise it will be two steps forward, one step back.”

“Yes, ma’am. I understand. I will move cautiously.”

Over the next couple of hours, Belinda did her best to focus on the customers. Still, she couldn’t help but think about how all of this might end. In many ways, this whole thing felt like a train barreling down the track. Where it landed was anyone’s guess.

Georg spent all afternoon getting the menfolk spiffed up. His shop had never been so full. Turned out every single fellow in town had his eye on one or more of the women who’d arrived last week. And not necessarily the men who were supposed to be interested in them.

He couldn’t help but laugh as he thought about the woeful mismatches. Poor Myles Lott. Everyone in town had already figured out that Marta Schuller didn’t exactly have eyes for him. But what a sad dilemma, to face rejection from your bride-to-be in such a public fashion. Myles had shuffled into the barbershop for a few moments early this morning. After taking a look at the crowd of men, he’d left immediately. Surely he knew that a good many of these rowdy fellas now had their eye on his intended.

The situation with Reverend Billingsley and Sarah Jo Cummings was as humorous as Myles’s story was sad. All morning long the menfolk had speculated about that one, and the chatter continued as Georg worked through the afternoon.

“I think the reverend will feel compelled to marry Sarah Jo, even if he doesn’t want to,” Charlie Grundy said, as he settled down into a chair for a haircut.

“But how could a man marry a woman he didn’t love?” Old Man Miller asked. “It’s not fair—to either party.”

“Indeed.” The word slipped out of Georg’s mouth, but he realized just how close he’d come to doing that very thing. He didn’t love Corabelle, and yet he’d nearly offered her a ring. Oh, how he thanked the Lord that he hadn’t made that mistake. In so many ways, he felt liberated by his decision not to look for a wife.

Still, there was some fun to looking, as evidenced by these men and the enthusiastic expressions on their faces.

“I think the reverend’s caught between a rock and a hard place,” Peter said, walking in the door.

Georg turned to smile at his good friend. He’d never quite figured out why Peter Conrad spent so much time at the barbershop. The man’s beard hung to his chest, and his hair—what was left of it—he wore long behind his back. Quite different from the other men in town, for sure, but no one dared question it. No, everyone loved Peter far too much to quibble about his looks. Or lack thereof.

Peter took a seat and then pulled out a scrap of paper and began to scribble something on it. Another of his many poems, no doubt. He seemed to come up with at least one a day, if not more. With so many incoming brides, his verses were mostly romantic in nature these days.

“That Sarah Jo’s a mighty strong woman,” Peter continued, looking up from his work. “Probably too strong to be the reverend’s wife. She’d be calling all the shots.”

“Wearing the pants in the family, that’s for sure,” Charlie added.

“I don’t think we need to be speculating about who is or isn’t suited for someone else,” Georg said, trying to focus on his work. “That is the Lord’s doing. We are merely...observers.”

“Might be,” Charlie said with a shrug. “But you can’t tell me you haven’t played a role in this, too.”

“Me? Well, I—” Georg looked at the roomful of men, stunned. “What are you getting at, Charlie? Speak your mind and make it plain.”

“Belinda told me weeks ago that you were the one to match up Sarah Jo and the reverend. That you found the advertisement and made the suggestion.”

His heart suddenly felt like a lead weight. “Oh, I—I suppose I did. But I was just...” Just what? Playing along with Belinda in something that had felt like a game at the time. Sure, on paper Sarah Jo Cummings had seemed perfect for Reverend Billingsley. But things weren’t always as they appeared on paper, now were they?

Unfortunately not. And—also unfortunately—this was no game. It was very real. And now a very real Sarah Jo Cummings resided at the hotel, courting every man in town...except the reverend.

“What do you think of Bucky and Katie Sue’s upcoming wedding?” Charlie asked.

Georg stopped trimming Charlie’s hair to think about that. Seemed like a lot of folks were making impulsive decisions without taking the time to think—and pray—things through. Still, how could he fault a man like Bucky Williams for wanting to marry a girl with a smile like Katie Sue’s? The young woman had won the hearts of nearly everyone she’d met. Why, the joy of the Lord shone through in everything she did. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that?

“Cat got your tongue, Georg?” Peter asked with a laugh.

“Sorry.” He startled back to attention. “Just preoccupied today.”

“So am I,” Charlie responded. “Gotta head over to Terrell to pick up a ring for a certain young women named Prissy.”

“Really?” Georg asked, as he began to trim Charlie’s unruly locks. “You’re going to ask her to marry you? Don’t you think you should wait awhile?”

“I’ll give it another few days,” Charlie said. “Got to clean up a few things first. She seems like the kind of woman who likes things tidy. And my house, well...let’s just say it needs a woman’s touch.”

“Everything about you needs a woman’s touch, Charlie.” Peter erupted in laughter. “But I daresay this will shake out the cobwebs.”

“Speak for yourself,” Charlie said as he turned to examine himself in the mirror. “I am a man transformed. Just watch and see.”

“Mm-hmm.” Peter reached for a newspaper, slapped it open, and grew silent.

Georg paused, trying to think of a way to join the conversation. Prissy was definitely the sort to like things tidy. Looked like she had a lot of work on her hands, whipping both Charlie Grundy and his house into shape.

Still, as Georg stared at the man with shorter hair and a clean-shaven face, he had to admit...the possibilities were there. And stranger things had happened, after all.

At once, he thought of Belinda. How she planned to change the town by bringing in these women. With all the trouble brewing between Sarah Jo and the reverend...and with the obvious ill feelings between Marta and Myles...there was sure to be a mess to clean up.

Might take a lot of elbow grease on Belinda’s part to clean things up. He couldn’t help but think she was up to the task.