Lone Star Bride, page 22
“Just take this one in back and put it on,” Alexis ordered her, “and I’ll find a new dress for me while we’re at it.”
Ellen took the gown from Alexis’s arms and carried it carefully to the back storeroom, where the storekeeper’s wife sighed her approval.
“I’d like something in blue,” Alexis said to the man behind the counter. “It’ll have to be really high-waisted and full in front.”
“Maybe this one would fit,” the shop keeper said, lifting a pretty blue-flowered dress from the shelf. “Would you like to try it on?”
“I can pretty much tell from here that it’ll do just fine,” Alexis said, running her hand over the fine fabric. And then she looked up as Ellen came back into the store from her makeshift changing room.
“That’s absolutely beautiful,” Alexis said, her voice almost a whisper. She motioned toward the mirror and sent Ellen across the room, watching her closely. “It’s even pretty from the back. There are flowers following the back seams, all the way to the floor.”
“And this veil would be perfect with it,” the shopowner’s wife said. She shook out a filmy veil with embroidered edges and walked up behind Ellen, placing it on her head.
“I really feel like a bride,” Ellen said tearfully. “But if this is too much money, I can sew up a dress.”
“My father said he’s paying for it, and mine, too,” Alexis told her. “Jamie wasn’t real pleased about that, but Daddy said he could still buy his daughter a dress, even if she was a married lady.”
“Why don’t I wrap them up and help you get them out to your buggy, ladies?”
Alexis turned to the woman who’d been preening over their choices, and nodded. “That would be wonderful. We really don’t have time to do justice to the job of sewing up a wedding gown anyway before next week, and this way we’ll be able to spend longer in the kitchen.”
“Well, the whole town’s excited to hear that Chet is finally getting a bride. He’s kinda a favorite of the menfolk. A good man, though I suspect you’ve already found that out for yourself.”
With deft movements, the dresses were folded in tissue and wrapped loosely in brown paper, so as not to crush them. The veil received the same treatment and the two women were ushered to the door, then helped into the buggy by the store owner. He rapped the side of the buggy after handing the reins to Ellen. “Have a good trip home, ladies.”
It turned out to be a busy ride, with food and decorations being discussed. Ellen said she would make a huge pot of mashed potatoes and another of gravy to go along with the pork and beef, and Alexis said she would be responsible for the wedding cake.
“Chet has a real hankering for chocolate, you know,” Ellen said. “Could you make it half and half? I sorta lean toward a white cake myself.”
“We’ll make whatever you like. I’d like you to make some nice boiled icing for it, too.”
“My icing’s a favorite of your daddy’s, too. I suspect we’ll have more cakes coming in anyway. Some of the ladies are a fine hand at desserts.”
“It’ll take a lot of food,” Alexis agreed, “but they’ll have all afternoon and evening to eat it up. And if my memory serves me right, there won’t be a whole lot of leftovers. But probably enough so you won’t have to be cooking for a couple of days.”
The menfolk met the buggy and helped the two women down, then lifted the bulky, wrapped dresses, carrying them to the porch.
“We’ve been talking about Chet moving into the house,” Jamie announced as he relinquished the light bundle into Alexis’s arms.
“Well, we’ve got several empty rooms upstairs. If Ellen wants a bigger one than what she has, they can move her furniture before the wedding. And then Chet can move his things in with hers.”
“Her bed’s too small for the two of us,” Chet said in an undertone.
“How would you know?” James asked from behind him.
“I was the one who moved all that furniture into her room when Ellen came here. And then she had me movin’ it three times before the first week was through. Never saw a woman so persnickety about where a dresser should sit and which corner a bed should be in.”
Ellen laughed. “You did good work, mister. And I’ve only had you change it twice since.”
“Well, once I move in, it’s gonna stay like it is. Only thing is, my stuff will take up half the drawers in that dresser and my britches will be hangin’ on hooks behind the door.”
“Chet!” Ellen almost choked as she spoke his name. “What a way to talk.”
“Well, you’ve got till next Saturday to get it all in order, Chet,” Alexis said quickly.
Hank strolled up behind them. “Old Percy Jenkins is a good hand with a fiddle. I’ll see if he’s free to join us again, and maybe his oldest girl will play the piano for him. We can load it up out of the parlor and haul it to the barn like we did last time somebody got hitched.”
“Daddy!” Alexis turned to Hank and reached for his hand, bringing him into the impromptu gathering. “Wait till you see the dresses we bought. Your trip won’t last past next Saturday, will it?”
“Naw, I’ll only be gone for a day or so, but I’ll be home for the wedding,” he assured her.
And then he glanced at Jamie. “We need to figure out how many steers we want to sell off before winter. I’ve made some estimates and such, but we can talk about it tomorrow.”
They sat in the office that evening, Stephen in their midst, obviously enjoying his place in the company of the menfolk. “It all depends on the price we can get,” Hank said, gathering up his notes and folding them together. “I’m thinking about a hundred-and-fifty head. What do you think, Stephen?”
“Will we have to round up that many while you’re gone? And do we have plenty of feed for the herd for winter?”
“Yes and yes,” Hank said with a grin. “You’ve been payin’ attention, boy. We’ve got a third cutting of hay to handle in a couple of weeks and our loft will be full. We planted acreage in oats this year, so we won’t have to buy any. That alone is a big money saver.”
“Will I be helping with the roundup?” Stephen asked, his eyes shining with excitement. “And with the haying, too?”
“We’re gonna work the socks off you, son,” Hank said. “You’ll be sick of cows by this time next week.”
“Not when I’m learning how to handle them myself.”
“Well, there is that,” Jamie agreed as Alexis and Ellen came to stand in the doorway.
“I don’t want you to ever move, Jamie,” Stephen said quickly. “There’s plenty of room right here for all of us. Don’t you think so, Alexis?”
“For now, anyway,” she murmured. “We’ll need to put off making those kind of plans until we talk to Brace and Sarah.”
“I was hoping they’d be coming back to see us for a longer visit. It’s been a long time since Christmas,” Jamie said quietly.
“Well, we’ll see about that after we have a wedding and I have this baby and we get the hay into the barn. And don’t forget roundup and selling off the steers.”
“And which is gonna come first?” Ellen asked, a knowing expression lighting her eyes.
Alexis shrugged. “Hard to tell. I’ve never had a baby before, but I’m sure I’ll know when the time comes. Now, let’s get supper on the table,” she said to Ellen.
“I’m going to mess everything up.” Alexis wailed the words even as she did her best to ignore the pain that had seized her back during the night, and was now refusing to release its grip on tender muscles.
“The wedding is at three,” Ellen said soothingly, “and you’ve got till late tonight before this baby arrives, I’d say.” She eyed Alexis closely, and only a faint bit of worry made itself known on her smiling face. “You sit yourself down there and peel those cucumbers and clean the onions while I mix up the dressing for the chickens.”
Ever unflappable, the woman had not become flustered even though the wedding they prepared for was her own. “All we need to do is get the chickens in the oven. Chet said he’d rather have it fried, but I’d end up in my wedding dress, getting all splattered with grease if I did it his way.”
She snatched up an onion from those Alexis was peeling and chopped it into her bowl of stuffing. “We’ll help with cutting up the meat that’s going around on those spits when the men tell us it’s done, and that won’t be too long, I’ll bet. Maybe some of the neighbor ladies will be here by then to bring in their dishes and lend a hand. Mrs. Sloan always makes her hand-cut noodles and they’ll be dandy in a pot of beef and gravy when I get some drippings from those steers they’re cookin’ out back.”
For some reason, the thought of all that food wasn’t sitting well with Alexis and she only nodded and bent her head over the bowl of cucumbers she was peeling and slicing. The fresh smell of the vegetable soothed her stomach a bit and she inhaled the summery aroma deeply.
“You all right, honey?” From behind her, Jamie’s voice was a welcome respite and she glanced up at him over her shoulder. His look of concern brought tears to her eyes and she brushed them away, lest they overflow. Immediately, he crouched beside her chair and one hand spread warmth and comfort across her swollen belly.
“I’m fine,” she said, searching for a cheerful tone, hoping the lie would sustain her for a few hours. The thought of gaining more than her share of attention in the midst of Ellen’s wedding was not to be heard of, but her backache was not getting any better.
“We’re running a tight race, James Webster,” Ellen said. “Between me and Alexis, we’re gonna have a wedding today and a baby before midnight. I’m just hoping she’ll still be on her feet long enough to stand up next to me to witness the event.”
Jamie nodded, his look of concern deepening. “Well, I’d say it’s a good thing the doctor and his wife are coming for the big event. He may come in right handy before the day is over.”
“You two are a couple of worrywarts,” Alexis said tartly. “I’ll be fine and the wedding will be lovely. And I’m certainly planning to stand up with you, Ellen.” She smiled then at Jamie. “And you, Mr. Webster, can sit beside me while we have us a baby.”
“You’re sure?” he asked breathlessly.
“No. I’ve never done this before, but that’s what it feels like to me.”
From the porch, Stephen made his presence known. “Can I go to my aunt Minna’s house and tell her to come right away? I wasn’t trying to snoop, but I heard what you said, Alexis, and I wanted you to know I’m ready to go if you need her now.”
“I suspect she’ll be here within the hour anyway,” Ellen said. “She told me she’d head this way early and help with the kitchen work.”
“Besides, you’ve done your share of riding this week,” Jamie told the boy. “Herding those steers and helping get them into one place was a big job. And working at cutting the hay was enough for a grown man to do, let alone a young’un like you. You’ve done your share and more to help.”
Stephen stood on the other side of the door and preened a little. “Everybody has to pitch in. That’s what Chet told me, and he said I did all right.”
“Well, he was right on the button that time.” Alexis smiled her approval at the boy. “And if Minna isn’t here within the hour, I’ll send you out to find her. But to tell the truth, I probably won’t need her for a long time yet. So long as the doctor is here, she doesn’t need to do the whole thing, just lend a hand and be here for me.”
“Minna will be glad to have Doc here,” Ellen said. “Nobody in their right mind would argue about having the old fella around for a birthing. He’s delivered half the town as it is.”
“Well, hold on, sweetheart,” Jamie said, his mouth close to Alexis’s ear. “Let’s see to the wedding and then we’ll take you up to bed.”
Within the hour, as if she’d known her presence was needed, Minna showed up, her husband beside her on the wagon seat, the four children behind them spiffed up in their Sunday best.
“This here is Ralph,” Minna said, nudging her husband into sweeping his hat from his head as he climbed from the wagon, his hand outstretched to James. His dark eyes, crinkled at the corners with sun-squints, took James’s measure.
“You’re the new boss man, I hear,” Ralph said. “I’ve always been kinda partial to Hank, but with things all in an uproar after the old man died, I could see why the boy needed someone here to watch over things for him.”
“Welcome to the Double C,” James said. “Haven’t seen you around before, but we’ve enjoyed having Minna and the young’uns here.”
Ralph leaned against the farm wagon. “I helped in a couple of roundups here, a few years back. Hands were hard to come by for a couple of years and Hank hired me on for a couple of months.”
“I remember you,” Alexis said, stepping out onto the back porch. “You let me try out your stallion, and told me I was a first-rate rider. That made my day.”
“Ma’am.” Ralph nodded politely and smiled at Alexis. “You surely impressed me. I told your pa you was a whiz with those animals. You still helping with the training?”
“I’m working with them whenever I can, just not as much as I’d like,” Alexis told him. Her face glowed as she spoke with Ralph, and Jamie watched closely. Next to himself, horses were the love of her life, he realized, not for the first time. He’d been fortunate to find a woman who shared his liking for life on a ranch, who had the God-given talents of a born horsewoman and the ambition it would take to make a success of their own place when the time came to move along.
Yet, he knew it would be difficult for Alexis to leave her home, the place where she’d spent her growing up years, where she’d fallen in love and become a woman. And unless they were all mighty mistaken, where she would become a mother for the first time.
Today.
Chapter Fourteen
The wedding was perfect, according to the kitchenful of ladies from town and the neighboring farms. The bride was beautiful. “The groom was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” said one of the women, and at that Ellen blushed like the new bride she was. They were all up to their elbows in food, ready to carry it out to the yard where the menfolk and children waited.
Not willing to be left out of her own kitchen, Ellen had joined the female crew, and directed proceedings with instructions that demonstrated her long-term knowledge of such things. No stranger to feeding a yard full of men, she shooed the ladies to the back door, each of them with both hands full of food, and finally took her place beside Chet as the minister blessed the food.
His words also included phrases about the sanctity of marriage and asked the Almighty’s hand to be upon the bride and groom. After Ellen dried her eyes on Chet’s big handkerchief, she announced that everyone should take a plate and help themselves to the bounty before them.
Chet’s chicken was a big hit, along with dressing and mashed potatoes. Even though the dozen or so birds weren’t fried, he gave every appearance of enjoying each bite. The beef and pork from the pit were soon cut into serving pieces and dished up with the noodles and gravy Ellen had readied. Crocks of shredded cabbage, dressed with homemade sauce made from cream and vinegar and a good portion of sugar were well-received, as were the rest of the vegetables served in large bowls.
The ladies had outdone themselves, Alexis decided, and whispering in Ellen’s ear, she told her it was the best wedding feast she’d ever seen. Ellen blushed a bit and Chet wore a big grin, as if he were well aware of the gem he’d claimed today for his own.
Settled later beneath a tree on a quilt, Alexis watched as Jamie approached with two plates. “I hope you didn’t fix too much for me,” she said, accepting the overflowing dish he handed her. And then she laughed aloud. “You put all your favorites on my plate, didn’t you? You knew I’d never eat all this and you’d just be able to eat seconds off my plate.”
“You are a smart woman, Mrs. Webster,” he said, diving into his own food. “Your pa sure does know how to barbeque beef and pork. I’ll have to take some lessons for when our own kids get married and we’re planning their weddings.”
“And how many do you plan on marrying off, Mr. Webster?” she asked, lifting a bite of baked chicken on her fork.
“At least four or five. I figure you’ll want a girl when this one turns out to be a boy, and then you’ll want another boy for this one to grow up with. Brothers are a good thing, you know, sweetheart.”
“Well, we’ll see. Right now I’m feeling miserable and ready to deliver this load in my lap.”
“We won’t have any more for a couple of years, honey,” he told her, his brow furrowing as he bent his gaze on her belly. “I know you’ve been uncomfortable lately, and I don’t know how you do it. Up every morning and bustling around that kitchen with Ellen, and doing the ironing and keeping track of the horses and all.”
“Well, I’ll have you know that this has been the happiest time of my life, Mr. Webster. Carrying your child has been a blessing. I just can’t wait to get my hands on her.”
“What does Ellen say? Does she think you’ll have a girl?”
Alexis shook her head. “She’s determined it should be a son for you.” She stiffened and held her breath for a long minute. “And unless I’m mistaken, that was a labor pain I just had.”
“You ready to go to bed?” Jamie asked her, obviously ready to carry her to the house.
“Not on your life. I’m going to dance at this wedding and then I’ll present you with a baby.”
“Dance?” Jamie looked dubious as he spoke the single word. “I can’t see you doing the jig tonight, sweetheart.”
“Then you’d better tell the fiddler to play a couple of slow songs for us,” she said. “Because I’m planning on dancing at Ellen’s wedding party. And now, I think I’d better stop eating. I’ve about had enough, and I heard somewhere that a woman in labor shouldn’t eat a lot.”
Jamie took her plate from her and Alexis glared at him, her fork still held upright in one hand. “I could have had a couple more bites of that pork. I just meant I shouldn’t eat too much, and I’ve been sitting here talking and not doing justice to my food.”
