The Secret Bliss of Calliope Ipswich (26 page)

But it had been real. Hours later as Calliope lay in her bed tossing and turning for want of being in Rowdy’s arms again—of being in his arms forever—she knew their time in the grassy expanse between her home and the woods beyond was real. The lingering sensation of his mouth melded with hers proved it to her over and over again
, and it was now another secret bliss Calliope Ipswich owned. A secret that she shared with Rowdy Gates.

“Oh, these invitations are beautiful!” Dora Montrose exclaimed. “Amoretta certainly does have lovely penmanship.”

“Yes, she does,” Evangeline confirmed. “I’m so glad she was willing to write out all the invitations.”

Calliope handed the Gardeners’ invitation to Blanche’s mother, Judith. “We thought we’d hand them out right away. Most people in town already know we’re having the event, but we want everyone to have their pretty invitation as soon as possible.” She offered the Ackermans’ invitation to Ellen. “After all, they’re so wonderful, and Amoretta worked very hard. They’re meant to be enjoyed as well as to invite.”

“Oh
, this is gonna be so much fun!” Ellen exclaimed, accepting the Ackermans’ invitation as Calliope handed it to her. She glanced around the barn for a moment, adding, “And the barn will be simply transformed by the time we’re all finished decorating it.”

“Yes,” Josephine Chesterfield agreed. “I can already imagine
. And Mr. Longfellow did such a wonderful job buildin’ the stage platform.” Josephine exhaled a sigh of satisfaction as she then looked to Calliope and Evangeline and said, “Thank you girls so much! I was so worried when we first moved here—that we wouldn’t be happy for some reason or other. But you Ipswich girls…” She paused, glancing to everyone in the barn in turn. “All of you, you’ve all been so welcomin’ and so willin’ to include us in everything. Thank you all so very much.”

“We’re just ever so glad your family moved to
Meadowlark Lake, Mrs. Chesterfield,” Calliope assured the woman. “We would never have been able to cast the Tom Thumb wedding so perfectly if your family hadn’t moved here and provided so many character parts and help. You see? You were
meant
to be our friends!”

Calliope glanced around the inside of the Ackermans
’ barn. For a moment, she stood rather awed at how many people were so willing to help with putting on the Tom Thumb wedding performance—from all the women who had sewn and were still sewing so many dresses and suits to Mr. Longfellow, who was putting the finishing touches on the stage. It was so wonderful to see so many citizens of Meadowlark Lark working together and enjoying each other’s company. She figured that even if the performance itself didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped it would, there was no doubt the people would enjoy it—and that those who had prepared it would be delighted with the end result.

Glancing down to the stack of invitations she still held in her hands, Calliope smiled as she saw
Mister Rowdy Gates
elegantly written across the envelope at the top of her pile. Just the sight of his name caused her arms and legs to ripple with marvelous, tingling goose bumps.

Closing her eyes a moment, she allowed herself to bathe in the reverie of the thrilling bliss Rowdy had whisked her away to the night before. Had she known he would be so overjoyed about knowing she had been to the mill that day to see him, that he would’ve kissed her the way he did, she would’ve told him long before!

“Calliope?”

It was Shay’s little voice of inquiry that finally drew Calliope’s attention back to the moment at hand in the Ackermans
’ barn.

“Yes, darling?” she asked, smiling down at her sweet sister.

“Well, now that I’m not allowed to take Molly for a walk all by myself,” Shay began. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, “You know, because of what Daddy told us about the Morrison brothers?”

“Yes, darling
. I know,” Calliope whispered in return. She glanced around to make certain no one had overheard what Shay had said. She knew the sheriff had asked all the men in town to attend a meeting that evening so that he could inform them of the concerns regarding the outlaws, but she didn’t want any of the ladies or children nearby to hear Shay and begin to panic.

“Well, would you walk with me to Mr. Gates
’s house after supper, so that I can put some fresh flowers on his dog’s grave today?” Shay asked. “I figured you could bring along Mr. Gates’s invitation and deliver it to him then—so we get both of them important things done.”

Calliope smiled. She could see the worry in Shay’s eyes, and she didn’t want the precious angel to have to give up all her adventures just because some mangy outlaws may or may not ride through town one day.

“Of course I’ll go with you, Shay Shay,” Calliope assured her. “And I do need to get Mr. Gates’s invitation to him. So you were very smart to think of it.”

Shay sighed with satisfaction and renewed hope. “Thank you, Calliope,” she said. “I feel much better now. And besides, Molly was so worried that she wouldn’t get her walk today! Now I can settle her right down.”

“Yes, you can,” Calliope giggled. “Now, you run on and play with the other children, and no more worries. We’ll make sure Mr. Gates’s dog has fresh flowers as often as we can, all right?”

“All right,” Shay agreed. She hugged Calliope a moment
and then ran off to join the other children, who were playing with a litter of new puppies that the Ackermans’ were keeping in the barn until the wedding.

Calliope smiled with contentment. Leave it to Shay to give her an excuse to see Rowdy later in the day. And she couldn’t wait to see him again! Oh, she knew thi
s meeting, for Shay to put flowers on Dodger’s grave and Calliope to deliver Rowdy’s invitation, would be nothing akin their meeting out in the grassy expanse the night before. But it didn’t matter. Any opportunity to see Rowdy—to simply gaze upon his handsome face and hear his low, alluring voice—was a blessing in itself.

And now that she had seeing Rowdy later to look forward to, Calliope returned her attention to helping with finishing up anything and everything that still needed to be taken care of before the Tom Thumb
wedding performance in three weeks’ time.

*

“Afternoon, Judge,” Rowdy said as he stepped into the courthouse.

Lawson Ipswich looked up
, smiled, and nodded to Rowdy in greeting. “Good afternoon, Rowdy. What brings you into the courthouse today?” Naturally, Lawson already knew exactly what had led Rowdy to the courthouse—and that was Calliope.

“Well, I was wonderin’ if I could have a few minutes of your time
to talk over a couple of things with you, Judge,” Rowdy answered.

“Of course,” Lawson said. He nodded toward a seat at the table
at which he was sitting. He’d been working on some documents but pushed them aside as Rowdy took a seat across from him. “Now, what is it you’d like to discuss?”

Rowdy cleared his throat nervously
, and Lawson fought the urge to smile with amused understanding.

“Well, Judge, first of all, I was wantin’ to ask your permission to be Miss Calliope’s escort to this weddin’ play the ladies in town are puttin’ together,” Rowdy began. “I’m a good man, Judge
. I promise you that. I have only honorable intentions toward Calliope.”

Lawson smiled. “Do you have more intentions toward Calliope than just this one occasion of being her escort, Rowdy?”

Rowdy cleared his throat again. “Bein’ that you asked the question, I’ll answer it. Yes, I do. I was hopin’ to somehow manage to acquire your permission to court Calliope, officially. I realize that Fox Montrose recently asked for your permission as well…and that you denied him.”

“I did,” Lawson nodded. “And do you know why I denied him
?”

Rowdy nodded. “Again, I’ll answer honestly, Judge
. Yes, I do. Calliope asked you to refuse Fox your permission. Young Shay let it slip when she was talkin’ to me one day.”

Lawson chuckled. His sweet Shay tried so very hard to keep secrets yet often failed miserably. It was something Lawson adored about his youngest daughter.

“That would be correct, Rowdy,” Lawson affirmed. “And in like manner, Calliope herself asked me to grant you permission to escort her to the Tom Thumb wedding, and I told her I would. And so you have that. You may indeed escort Calliope to the event to be held at the Ackermans’ barn.” Lawson paused, however, studying Rowdy a moment. “But I will admit to you, Rowdy, that Calliope didn’t say anything to me about you asking me to court her.”

Rowdy frowned, seeming concerned. “Well, I asked her if it was all right if I came to you about that, and she said that it was.
”

Lawson’s smile broadened. “Good man!” he complimented
. “Good man, Rowdy. That is evidence to me that you care more for Calliope’s wants and wishes than you do mine. And I like that. That’s what I wanted to hear. So yes, Rowdy, I’d be happy and proud to have you pay court to Calliope. You’re a good man, and I trust you.”

Lawson saw the relief wash over Rowdy like a summer rain. “Thank you, Judge Ipswich,” Rowdy said. “And I want you to know that I can take good care of Calliope…if one day she will have me for her husband. I own the gristmill
, and I have other means of financial stability as well.”

“I’m sure you do, Rowdy,” Lawson said. “I know what a hard worker you are…what an honorable businessman you are. But my concern is Calliope’s happiness as far as her being loved and respected the way she deserves.”

“Oh, you have no need to be concerned about that, Judge, I assure you,” Rowdy said.

Lawson smiled. “Well then, do you want to just make this our one and only meeting concerning Calliope’s future with you? What end result do you hope for by courting my daughter, Rowdy
?”

Rowdy’s face brightened. “Well, to marry her one day, of course…if she’ll have me.”

Lawson nodded. There rose a pinching pain in his heart—the same pain that had accompanied him the day he’d given Brake McClendon permission to marry Amoretta. One of his little girls was not so little anymore and would be leaving her father’s home and protection soon. It was a bittersweet feeling: a gladness that Calliope would be so thoroughly loved by Rowdy, an excitement for her in knowing she would be starting her own family soon. Yet it was also a sense of overwhelming sadness, for another one of his little girls would be leaving him.

“Then if she’ll have you, Rowdy,” Lawson began, “
you may have her. You may propose to Calliope when you and she both feel the time is right.”

Rowdy sighed with satisfaction, and Lawson fancied for a moment there rose a bit of excess moisture in his eyes.

“Thank you, Judge,” Rowdy said. “I know how much you love, care for, and protect your family, and I can only imagine how difficult it must be to see your three oldest daughters grown and beginnin’ to leave the nest. So I take a great deal of pride in ownin’ your confidence.” He paused a moment, seemed to inhale a deep breath of courage, and said, “And that’s why I’d like to tell you the whole of it, Judge—the whole story of how I so easily recognized Arness Morrison’s horse and of what happened when the Morrison brothers tried to kill me.”

Lawson frowned, though he didn’t feel any less confident in Rowdy
’s being the man who most deserved and would most love Calliope.

“Very well, Rowdy,” he said. “Go ahead and tell me everything and anything you think I need to know.”

Rowdy nodded. “I did tell Calliope some of the tale, Judge, and I mean to tell her the rest the next time I have the chance. But for now, I do want you to hear it all.”

“All right,” Lawson said. “I’m listening.”

*

Some time later, Lawson shook Rowdy’s hand and watched the young man walk out of the courthouse. Truth be told, he was somewhat stunned. How could anyone endure what Rowdy Gates had endured? A man who could weather the kind of horrors Rowdy Gates had, survive
, and then rise up strong was a man to be admired indeed.

Exhaling a sigh of disbelief mingled with admiration and awe, Lawson Ipswich returned to the papers he’d been working on before Rowdy arrived.

“Well, one thing cannot be denied,” he mumbled to himself. “My daughters certainly do not settle their hearts on men of mediocrity.”

*

“Thank you for comin’ with me, Calliope,” Shay chirped as she and Calliope meandered toward Rowdy Gates’s house. “Molly really needed her walk today.”

Calliope giggled as she looked over at the cat
, who so patiently endured a leash for the sake of loving the little girl who owned her.

“Oh, I can see that,” Calliope said. “But what do you say we let Molly off the leash for the walk home? She might feel like running a bit or chasing a mouse or something, as well as having had her walk.”

Shay nodded and looked down to Molly. “Would you like that, Molly, hmmm?” she asked the uniquely tolerant marmalade cat. The cat meowed as if in answer to Shay’s question, and Shay said, “Okay, Molly. You can run off and play while I’m gettin’ Dodger’s flowers today.”

Being that the
y were nearly to Rowdy’s house, Shay stopped, removing Molly’s leash, and lovingly stroking her several times. “Now you have fun, Molly. But be careful all the same. I wouldn’t want you to be the one who run into them outlaws while you’re out by yourself, all right?”