Love Finds You on Christmas Morning (17 page)

The drive was mostly silent, with a few comments from Mama about how pretty the countryside was this time of year. A combination of excitement and trepidation welled in Lillian’s chest.

After they arrived at the farm, William helped all of them out of the automobile. That was when Lillian noticed the tin in Mama’s hands. She nodded toward it and gave Mama a questioning look.

“You don’t think I’d come here empty-handed, do you? I’m bringing shortbread.”

Mrs. Tronnier greeted them at the door, took Mama by the arm, and led her through the house. Everyone else followed.

“Where’s that sewing room I’ve heard about?” Mama asked.

“Would you like to see it?” Mrs. Tronnier said. “Nelda said it will be a few minutes before it’s time to eat.”

Lillian started to follow them, but William gently guided her to the parlor. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Mr. Tronnier and William’s brothers were chatting with Daddy. This whole situation seemed very cozy and…well, odd.

“I don’t understand all this,” Lillian said when they were alone.

William laughed. “You will soon.” His expression softened to one of tenderness. “I just want you to know how much you mean to me, Lillian.”

The warmth in his eyes melted her heart. “Thank you for making my parents so happy. It’s such a sweet thing to do.”

“Are you happy?” he asked.

She looked into his eyes and nodded. He lowered his head and dropped a soft kiss on her lips. Her tummy fluttered.

“Let’s go check out the dining room. Mom pulled out all the stops for today’s brunch. You should have seen her running around this morning, making sure everything was just right.”

As they stood at the door of the dining room, Lillian stared in disbelief. The chairs had been covered in all white, with gold-colored bows tied at the backs. An immense green bowl filled with gold-and-red balls graced the center of the table that had been covered with layers of white-and-gold fabric. Gold-rimmed fine china was flanked by sparkling crystal and gold-dipped silverware.

“Your mother did all this for us?”

“Yes,” William said. “She wanted to make a good impression.”

Lillian had never seen anything so beautiful in real life. She glanced up at William. “Mama will love this.”

“I hope so.” William kissed the top of Lillian’s head and led her away from the dining room. “Let’s go see what’s taking everyone so long.”

Mama and Mrs. Tronnier were coming down the stairs, chattering as though they’d known each other for years. Daddy and Mr. Tronnier were deep in conversation in the foyer. Lillian had never seen either of her parents so engaged with others before.

“Amazing they get along so well, isn’t it?” William said.

Lillian was speechless. She could only nod.

Nelda came out of the kitchen and gestured to Mrs. Tronnier, who announced, “Brunch will be served soon. Let’s everyone have a seat in the dining room.”

Mama made all the right sounds when she saw the decorations. Mrs. Tronnier showed everyone where to sit.

As if on cue, Nelda and a couple of teenage children began serving the meal. Occasionally, Lillian stole a glance at her parents and was amazed by how comfortable they both seemed. As the conversation continued, she realized how familiar the two sets of parents were with each other—particularly Daddy and Mr. Tronnier. The discussion turned to business, and that was when she realized they’d been planning something for a while. They’d finished the last of the meal when Daddy commented on the farm’s balance sheet.

“What is going on here?” she whispered to William.

“Just a second.” William tapped his water glass to get everyone’s attention. “I think it’s time to make an announcement. Pop, would you do the honors?”

Mr. Tronnier looked around the table as he spoke then settled his gaze on Lillian. “We’ve recently decided to increase the size of our livestock holdings and variety of crops. The only thing that made it difficult was the lack of manpower—particularly on the business side. My sons and I are in agreement that we need someone to do the ordering and keep up with the accounting. When I learned about your father’s acute business mind, I decided to offer him a job handling the office affairs of the Tronnier farm.” He paused and winked at Lillian. “My son is happy about this because it means he has an excuse to see his sweetheart.”

Lillian’s instant joy for Daddy quickly faded when she considered how far the farm was from town. “Daddy, how are you planning to get here everyday?”

Daddy started to speak, but William held up his hands. “That was one of the first things we thought of. My brothers and I are working on a cottage for your parents.”

Lillian sat back in her chair. What did all this mean? She still had her job at Joachim’s. William had said the cottage was for her parents, so where did that leave her?

Before she had a chance to ask those questions, William blurted, “I might like to marry Lillian one of these days, and if she says yes, we’ll be nearby in our own house.”

Mrs. Tronnier narrowed her gaze at her son. “William, that’s not the way—”

Her husband interrupted her. “Didn’t you pay any attention to what I told you, son?”

The room started to swirl with all the voices blaring. Daddy’s stare held her attention. “Lillian, are you going to follow your heart this time, or do you plan on remaining stubborn and be a nuisance to your mama and me for the rest of our lives?”

Everyone burst out in laughter. Lillian even thought the situation was funny, so she giggled.

“Well?” Daddy said. “We’re waiting.”

“Um…I don’t know…maybe…” She looked at William and smiled. Her face flamed.

Silence momentarily filled the room; then William’s brothers broke into nervous laughter—until their mother gave them a look. Mama’s grin was wider than Lillian ever remembered.

William stood and cleared his throat. “Since we’re finished, why don’t we take a tour of the property so we can show off the houses we’ve been working on?”

Everyone got up and went to get their coats. Mr. Tronnier led the way, with Daddy limping along behind him. Mama and Mrs. Tronnier followed, still chatting like old friends. William took Lillian by the hand and gestured for his brothers to go ahead of them.

They walked over toward a clearing of trees on the edge of the back lawn. William pointed to a shell of a cottage that appeared to be quite a bit larger than the house the Pickards rented in town. “We’ll finish the cottage first so you can move right in,” William explained. “Pop hired a few extra workers to complete the construction, so it shouldn’t be too much longer. Mom wants Mrs. Pickard to help decorate it since she’s the one who’ll be living there.”

Lillian saw that Mama had misty eyes and a broad smile. A lump formed in her throat.

Daddy nodded. “I think it’s a good idea to be close to my work.”

Mr. Tronnier explained that William would go into town to pick him up until the cottage was ready for them to move in to. “We need you to start right after the New Year begins.”

Everyone began talking again. William tugged at Lillian and whispered, “I want to show you something.”

This whole thing felt like a dream to Lillian. She followed William as he practically ran to a slightly smaller version of the main house.

“What do you think?” He pointed to the house.

“It’s beautiful. Is this yours?”

Instead of answering her question, he pulled her toward the house. “Let’s go inside. I want to show you around.”

They walked through the door and into the foyer. He led her along, pointing out the rooms as they went. Lillian was amazed by the organization of the downstairs with the library and casual gathering room on one side of the hallway and the parlor and dining room on the other. The kitchen spanned the entire back of the house, with the cooking station on one end and a large eating area on the other.

“There are four bedrooms upstairs,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how many we’d need, so I decided to start with four.” His hand began to shake. “Lillian…”

She turned to face him, and her breath caught in her throat. The combination of tenderness and longing in his expression grabbed her heart and squeezed.

William continued holding onto her hand as he slowly lowered to one knee. “I love you with all my heart, Lillian, and I want this to be our home.” He shifted a bit and reached into his pocket then spread out her left hand. “If you will accept this ring, I’ll be the happiest man in the world.”

“But I thought…” She stared at the solitaire diamond ring. “Are you—?”

“I’m asking you to be my wife—to share the rest of our lives together.”

Lillian held his gaze for a couple of seconds then nodded. “Yes, William, I will marry you.”

He closed his eyes and smiled before placing the ring on her finger. Then he jumped up, flung his arms around her, and swung her in a circle. “You have just made me one very happy man.”

Lillian held out her left hand and stared at the sparkling diamond. “This is beautiful, William. Thank you so much.”

William chuckled. “You might not be thanking me after I tell you what you need to do next.”

She frowned at him. “I have to do something?”

With a nod, he replied, “Yes, now you need to get to work decorating this place. I can build a house, but you don’t want to let me loose with the décor.”

Lillian laughed. “I’ll be glad to.”

“C’mon, let’s go let everyone know you said yes.”

As soon as they reached the porch, William lifted her hand and announced, “She said yes!”

Everyone cheered. Lillian looked out over the people standing before her, and she had no doubt that the Lord had blessed her with a family filled with people who would always be there for her and William.

2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions:

1  Mix the flour and cornstarch in a medium bowl.

2  In a large bowl, mix softened butter with sugar and vanilla (optional) until creamy.

3  Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar.

4  Press the mixture into an 8x8-inch cake pan. (See below if you are making cookies.)

5  Bake in a 325-degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

6  Cool slightly but cut into 2-inch squares while still warm.

Directions for cookies:

1  Follow steps 1–3 in the directions above.

2  Use a teaspoon to scoop the batter, roll it into balls, and flatten each one on a cookie sheet.

3  Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until brown around the edges.

4  Cool before removing from the pan.

Debby Mayne grew up in a military family, which meant moving every few years throughout her childhood. She has worked as managing editor of a national health magazine, a product information writer for a TV retailer, a creative writing instructor, and a copyeditor and proofreader for several book publishers. Debby currently enjoys writing Christian fiction, which allows her the freedom to tell stories without restraining her convictions. She has published more than thirty books and novellas, including
Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida,
and approximately four hundred short stories and articles. She was a contributing author to the popular devotional for busy women,
Be Still…and Let Your Nail Polish Dry,
and she and Trish Perry both contributed to the follow-up devotional,
Delight Yourself in the Lord…Even on Bad Hair Days.

Debby and her husband, Wally, have two adult daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. They make their home on Florida’s west coast with their cat, Misty.

Read more about Debby at
www.debbymayne.com.

BY TRISH PERRY

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
E
PHESIANS
2:22
NIV