The Christmas Journey (17 page)

R
y straightened his shirt cuff and slipped on his jacket. There was only a slight twinge in his arm to remind him of his injury. Before long he’d be good as new.

He glanced out the window and smiled. It was a beautiful, clear Sunday morning and he and Viola were going to attend church services with the Wylie family.

Josie took Sundays off, which meant she’d be free all day. It was time to move on to the next stage of his plan. Her quick defense of him yesterday, coupled with her obvious affection for Viola, gave him hope that she would at least be open to his proposal. He just needed to lay a bit more groundwork.

Because she was a sensible sort of woman, he figured she wouldn’t be swayed by fanciful, romantic notions. Which was fine by him. Keep it businesslike, that was the ticket, perhaps stress how much Viola needed her, and how she had all the qualities he wanted in a partner. He could even offer to take her on a trip from time to time to satisfy that itch she had to see the world.

Once downstairs, he found most of the family assembled in the dining room. Viola sat swinging her legs as she and Audrey exchanged whispers.

A quick head to toe glance confirmed she was neatly dressed and ready for church, for which he had Mrs. Collins to thank. Getting her ready would be his job soon, just one of the many responsibilities that made him break out in cold sweats at night.

He had to convince Josie to accept his offer. If not—

He glanced up as a door down the hall opened, and all other thoughts fled before the vision that greeted him.

Josie was wearing a dress.

What a difference it made in her appearance—one he definitely approved of. Gone were the baggy overalls and work boots. Instead she wore a soft blue dress that fit just as a dress ought to, and showed off her surprisingly trim waist. Sensible but feminine shoes peeked beneath the hem of her skirt and her normally ragged braid had been tamed into a soft coronet, with a few loose tendrils framing her face. He wanted to protest when she placed a bonnet on her head, hiding most of her hair.

“What’s the matter?” Josie stopped in front of him, tying the ribbon under her chin with a bit more force than seemed necessary. “You didn’t think I wore overalls
all
the time, did you?”

Ry blinked, trying to clear his suddenly jumbled thoughts. “No. Of course not. I just…I mean, you look very nice today.”

His compliment—or was it the stammering delivery—earned him an irritated sniff as she moved toward the dining room.

“Sorry to keep everyone waiting. We’d best get going if we don’t want to be late.” With that pronouncement, Josie turned and headed for the entryway. Ry barely had time to step ahead of her and open the door.

She walked past him with a swish of skirts, and he was left standing there while the others trooped out after her. And he still didn’t know what he’d done to earn him that reaction.

Uncle Grover brought up the rear and he gave Ry a sympathetic smile. “I fear the workings of a woman’s mind will
forever be a mystery to us menfolk, son. Don’t try to understand it. Better men than you have made the attempt and failed.”

Ry smiled at the sage advice. As they joined the others, he remembered Mrs. Plunkett’s attempts to flirt with his would-be mentor. Was Uncle Grover as oblivious to her advances as he appeared?

“Look, Cora Beth,” Danny called out, “the sun is shining and it’s not cold at all.” He gave her a hopeful look. “Doesn’t it feel like picnic weather?”

Before she could answer, Audrey took up the plea. “Oh please? Can we? I want to show Viola our special place.”

Cora Beth turned to Josie. “What do you think?”

“I think we ought to take advantage of this weather while we can.” Josie’s gaze remained focused straight ahead. “December’s almost here.”

“Very well.” Cora Beth smiled at the waiting children. “A picnic it is.”

Danny let out a
whoop
as Pippa and Lottie clapped.

Audrey nudged shoulders with Viola. “Just you wait,” she said. “Our picnics are the bestest ever.”

Ry had planned to lend an arm to Josie on the short walk to church, but somehow he found himself beside Cora Beth, as Josie linked arms with Uncle Grover and walked ahead.

He had no choice but to offer his arm to Cora Beth. “I want to thank you, ma’am, for all you’re doing to make Viola feel comfortable here.”

“No need for thanks.” Cora Beth’s smile was warm and sincere. “She’s a sweet girl and she’s good company for Audrey.”

“For such different children, they do seem to get along well.”

Cora Beth gave him a sideways look. “Don’t you know it’s the differences that add just the right glue to bind a friendship?”

Ry found his gaze wondering to Josie. “Guess I never thought of it quite that way.”

“It’s true. Take me and my Philip. I’m a fussbudget, pure and simple. Like to have things nice and tidy and I like taking care of folks. Philip, on the other hand, was a relaxed, take things as they come person. Not lazy, mind you, not by a long shot, just not too concerned about having things just so. Still, we suited well together.” She sighed. “I did love that man.”

Something caught her eye and she shifted immediately into mother-hen mode. “Philippa Louise, however did you get dirt on your sleeve? Come here and let me see if I can brush it off.”

The little group paused while Cora Beth attacked the offending smudge. As they waited, Ry noticed a large building sitting off in a nearby field. Not a house, not a barn. It looked more like a warehouse.

“What’s that over there?” He directed his question to Josie.

She followed his glance. “That’s Knotty Pine’s Town Hall.”

“Town Hall? It’s mighty big for a town this size.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

He was relieved to hear she no longer sounded testy. Whatever had set her off this morning seemed forgotten.

“That land it’s sitting on was owned by Mrs. Nora Stansberry,” she continued. “Her husband died when she was quite young. Then her only child died in a swimming accident a few years later.”

“Must have been terrible for her.” Ry glanced at Viola, feeling the weight of that tragedy with new insight.

“Yes, it was. But Mrs. Stansberry didn’t let it sour her. She was one of the most pleasant, generous women I ever knew. Anyway, when she passed away six years ago, she didn’t have any family to leave her estate to. So she willed her land to the town, to be used for some purpose that would benefit the whole community.”

“So y’all built a town hall.”

“Yep. Took us a half dozen town meetings spread out over a couple of months to decide. But once we decided, everyone pitched in. We had a barn raising to construct it and the ladies went to work decorating it while the men built the furniture.”

“So what do you use it for?”

She shrugged. “We hold town meetings there, of course, but it’s also used for dances, holiday celebrations, school plays. Seems like there’s something going on here all the time. It’s been a real blessing to this town. That’s where we’ll have our Thanksgiving Celebration.” She waved a hand in an inclusive gesture. “We use it for other things too. Last year, when the Helmon’s home was struck by lightning, the family lived here until they could rebuild.”

“Impressive.”

Cora Beth signaled they were ready to move on and this time Ry was able to secure a spot beside Josie.

They reached the church just as the service was about to start and had to move quickly to take their seats. Once again, Ry found himself outmaneuvered without quite knowing how it happened. One minute he was ready to slide into the pew beside Josie and the next he had four little girls between the two of them and Cora Beth on his right.

Josie had orchestrated this, he was certain of it.

The question was, why? Had he read her wrong after all?

Jo pulled out the picnic blanket and gave it a shake. It felt good to be in her everyday clothes again. Though she had to admit, it hadn’t been altogether unpleasant to see Ry’s reaction to her being all gussied up.

It would have been a mite nicer, though, if he hadn’t acted so all-fired surprised about it. Not that she should give a fig for
his reaction when she was supposed to be doing her ever-loving best to get him to notice her sister.

But there had been a moment when his eyes lingered on her, a moment that set moths to dancing in her stomach…

Lost in that thought, she was startled when Ry grabbed the other end of the blanket. “Thanks, but I can take care of this,” she announced. “Why don’t you help Cora Beth with the basket?”

He held on to the cloth. “Danny’s taking care of that.”

Continuing to refuse his help would be silly, so she nodded and let him help her spread the square of cloth out on the ground.

“So, this is a family tradition, is it?” he asked.

“Yep. Goes all the way back to when my parents were courting.” Jo anchored her two corners with fist-sized rocks while Ry did the same. “Pa proposed to Ma in this very meadow, under that tree over yonder. After they got hitched, they started coming here regular for picnics every Sunday, weather permitting.”

“Sounds as if your parents were romantics.”

Was he poking fun at them? A quick look at his expression satisfied her that it had been a simple observation. “My parents were very much in love.”

“Well, that’s one thing we have in common.”

Her head shot up and her pulse kicked up a notch. What did he mean?

He stared straight into her eyes. “My parents were very much in love, too.”

Of course. Jo stooped down, smoothing the blanket and hiding her face, which felt uncomfortably warm at the moment.

Uncle Grover wandered over just then and she could have hugged him for providing a distraction.

“Come along, my boy, you must see the millipedes I found near that fallen log. One of them is nearly five inches long.”

Ry raised a brow. “Five inches, you say? That’s something worth seeing.”

They headed toward the site of the momentous find. “Of course,” she heard Uncle Grover explain, “millipedes are not really insects, but I still find them fascinating creatures.”

She saw Ry’s nod and heard him ask a question about what millipedes fed on before they moved out of range.

With Ry gone, she sat back on her heels and took herself in hand. She had to push harder to get him and Cora Beth together if she ever wanted to see New York harbor and all those other places on her map. For Viola’s sake too—that sweet little girl needed mothering.

By the time Ry and Uncle Grover returned, the meal was spread out and ready to enjoy, and Jo had herself back under control. Cora Beth asked Ry to say the blessing, and he did so after only the slightest hesitation.

Once the meal was over, Jo popped up and volunteered to keep an eye on the girls. “I thought we’d check out those persimmon trees over at the edge of the tree line. Mr. Lassiter, you don’t mind helping Cora Beth clean up, do you?”

Cora Beth immediately protested. “That’s not necessary. I can handle this on my own.”

Ry, predictably, did the gentlemanly thing. “But you prepared this feast, Mrs. Collins,” he argued. “It wouldn’t be right for you to have to clean up after it, as well.”

Jo strolled away with the girls, confident that having the two of them working side by side would set them on the road to a deeper attraction.

She returned forty minutes later to find Cora Beth knitting, Uncle Grover napping and Ry and Danny nowhere to be seen.

Her sister looked up with a smile. “Hello, girls. Any luck?”

“There’s lots of fruit,” Jo answered, “but none ripe enough
to pick.” She took another look around. “Where’s Danny and Mr. Lassiter?”

“Oh, they wandered off about twenty minutes ago. Danny wanted to show him Fist Rock.”

Jo plopped down next to her sister and hugged her knees in exasperation. All her planning seemed to have been in vain. But at least they’d had twenty minutes or so together. Maybe that had been enough to sow a few seeds of interest.

And it was hard to be angry with Ry. He was a good man, in the truest sense of that word. He allowed Uncle Grover his dignity. He got along well with the children. He was scrupulous in repaying even the smallest of debts. And he obviously had the means to support a large family.

He’d make a great husband for Cora Beth, no doubt about it. Her sister would easily adapt to life in his world, in fact would flourish in such a setting.

But Viola was the real key. Cora Beth had a soft spot for children and would be both willing and happy to add Viola to her brood. And of course Mr. Lassiter would welcome having someone as loving and capable as Cora Beth to help him raise his ward.

The plan was perfect.

So why didn’t she feel as enthusiastic as she had earlier?

Jo gave herself a mental shake. She had to remember the prize she was aiming toward—her freedom. This was still her best shot.

Jo clicked her tongue as she gave the reins a flick. Somehow, despite her best efforts to arrange things otherwise, Ry sat on the front seat of the buckboard beside her.