A Lady's Choice (3 page)

Loud amens rang throughout the congregation as Alex took his seat. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw him glance in her direction, but she didn't turn her face. She stared straight ahead, feigning interest in what Brother Hughes said as he opened his Bible.

She hoped the look on her face disguised how upsetting the announcement of Alex's plans had been to her. So he was going to Memphis while she would be stuck in Richland Creek. The minute the thought popped into her head, she regretted it. She glanced at her mother's pale face, and her heart constricted. She should be happy for Alex. Maybe she'd get a chance to tell him later.

The sermon seemed to go on forever, and Sarah's aching body reacted to the hard, wooden pew. It was all she could do to sit still. After what seemed an eternity, Sarah realized the droning words of the preacher had halted. She sprang to her feet and joined the congregation to sing a closing hymn.

When the song ended, a deacon stepped forward. “All the tables have been set up outside. But before we have our closing prayer, I've been asked to make an announcement. Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Weston are having a party in Miss Clara's garden behind the store next Friday night to welcome his sister and niece to the community. All of you are invited to come and get to know them better.”

Sarah glanced at her mother in surprise. She hadn't heard of this before. Her mother smiled, patted her hand, and leaned closer. “Isn't that nice of Charlie and Clara?”

Outside after the prayer, Sarah rushed to Uncle Charlie's buggy and retrieved the basket of food they'd brought from home. She looked around for her mother and saw her already seated in a chair by one of the tables.

Aunt Clara's curls bobbed up and down as she hurried to take the basket from Sarah's hands. “Let's get this on the table so we can serve the men and children. Then we'll fix our plates.”

Men first? How many times had she heard that in her life? With a sigh, Sarah followed Aunt Clara and took a place next to her beside the table as the men lined up and began to fill their plates. She'd just placed a piece of fried chicken on a little boy's plate when she looked up to see Alex Taylor facing her from the other side. The look in his dark eyes made her stomach clench. “Hello, Sarah. I'm glad you came today.”

Sarah gulped and busied herself with the food. “Thank you, Alex. Would you like some fried chicken?”

“Yes, I would. Did you fry it?”

The friendly tone of his voice relaxed her, and Sarah laughed aloud at the thought of her mother sitting at the kitchen table giving her step-by-step instructions on how to fry chicken. “Let's just say it was a joint effort. My mother has always been the cook in our family, but I'm learning.”

Alex smiled and moved along the table. Sarah watched him go, and the warm glow she felt watching him troubled her. She gave her head a shake to clear her thinking.

Aunt Clara's voice interrupted her thoughts. “I think all the men and children have been served. I'll help your mama with her food. You get yours and go enjoy eating with the young people.”

Sarah glanced around to find someone near her age, but they looked like they'd already formed small groups across the area. Maybe she could find a spot where she could be alone. She followed her mother and Aunt Clara to the other end of the table, picked up a plate, and began to fill it with food. Her mother chatted with Clara and didn't notice when Sarah moved to the shade of a tree some distance from the group.

She studied the grass underneath the tree, balanced her plate in one hand, and attempted to sit without staining her dress. A familiar voice sliced through her thoughts. “Do you mind if I join you?” Alex stood over her with a plate of food.

She willed her heart to quit racing. “I suppose it'll be all right.”

Alex eased down on the soft grass beside her. “I saw you were alone, and I thought this might be a good time for us to get better acquainted and for me to apologize again for yesterday. I shouldn't have followed you to the pump, and I shouldn't have spoken to you like I did. I'm really sorry, and I hope you'll forgive me.”

His gaze didn't waver from her. She realized he'd offered a sincere apology, and she smiled. “If you'll forgive my unfriendly attitude. I reacted out of surprise because I was caught in such an unflattering position.”

Alex grinned. “From what I saw, it wasn't unflattering at all. In fact I thought it was rather attractive.” His eyes twinkled, and he arched his eyebrows. “Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I don't want you angry with me again.”

A laugh rattled in her throat. “Now you're teasing me.” His amused expression disappeared and was replaced with an intense stare. She reached for her fork, but her fingers trembled. “And embarrassing me.”

He blinked and shook his head. “I'm sorry.” He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “Now back to my apology. Let me assure you, if you'll forgive me, I promise never to mention the incident at the pump to you or anyone else ever again.”

The teasing look had returned, and she smiled. “All right. I forgive you.”

Alex took a deep breath. “Good. Now that's out of the way, and we can get on with getting to know each other better. Tell me all about yourself.”

She shoved a bite of ham into her mouth and chewed to gain some time before answering. His dark eyes watched her intently. “There's really not much to know. I've lived in Memphis all my life. My father died two years ago right after I finished high school. Last month I received my two-year teaching certificate from the West Tennessee Normal School in Memphis. I was supposed to teach this fall at the private girls' school in Memphis where I attended, but instead I've come here with my mother.”

“Ellen told me your father passed away. What did he die from?”

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “He fell from the window of his fifth-floor office to the street below.”

Alex's mouth gaped open. “He fell? How did that happen?”

She wiggled her nose and tried to keep the tears from filling her eyes. “We don't know. It had to be some kind of terrible accident.”

His eyes mirrored the sadness that filled her every time she thought about her father's death. “Oh Sarah…”

“But the worst thing is the police thought it was suicide.” She paused a moment. For some reason it was important to her that Alex not believe her father had killed himself. “But I know that's not true. He had no reason to kill himself.”

Alex reached over and squeezed her hand. “I'm sorry I brought up such a painful subject. I can't imagine how hard this has been for you and your mother.”

He released her, but the brief contact they'd shared sent a tingle of pleasure up her arm. “Yes, it has. I don't think my mother will ever recover. She and my father were so close.”

“Is that why the two of you came back here?”

Sarah picked up a piece of corn bread but didn't put it in her mouth. She'd dreaded the time someone would ask her this question, and she'd tried to come up with an answer that might satisfy. “At this point in her life, my mother needs to be near family. I came with her, but I doubt if I'll stay here forever.” She glanced at him. “Now tell me about you.”

Alex stretched his legs out in front of him and set his plate on his knees. “There's really not much to tell. Ellen probably told you yesterday that she raised me after my mother died. My roots go deep here. I love the farm, and you won't find better people anywhere. When I first went to Nashville, I was so homesick I almost ran away and came home. I knew Ellen would take a hickory stick to me and tell me to get myself back to school.”

Sarah set her plate in her lap and picked up her cup. “And now you're glad you stayed.”

A slight frown wrinkled Alex's brow , and he looked down at his plate. “I am, but I worry about leaving Ellen when I start my job in the fall. It was different when I was in school. I still thought of this as home, but I know that's going to change when I start my new life in Memphis.”

From his troubled look, Sarah realized something he was thinking pained him. Perhaps she should change the subject. “I enjoyed sitting with Ellen yesterday. You have a wonderful sister. Do you have other family members?”

Alex shook his head. “There's just Ellen and me. Our pa died about ten years ago. Ellen's always been there for me. Before Pa died, he made me promise I would always take care of her. I intend to do that.”

His dedication to his sister reminded her of how she felt about taking care of her mother. “That's very admirable of you.” She paused before saying more. “It seems we have a lot in common. I feel a responsibility to take care of my mother.”

“I know your mother must appreciate that.”

Sarah swallowed the food she was chewing and glanced back at Alex. “I saw a young boy in your wagon yesterday. Is he related to you?”

Alex shook his head. “No, his name's Augie Hooten. His folks were tenant farmers close to where we live. About ten years ago, after Augie's mother died, his pa just took off one day without saying a word. I found Augie by himself a few days later. He was hungry and scared. I brought him home with me, and he's lived with us ever since. He's a big help on the farm.”

Sarah smiled at the memory of how the boy had looked at Alex. “I could tell he has a big case of hero worship where you're concerned. Now I know why.”

“I wouldn't say that. We just get along fine.” They ate in silence for a few minutes before Alex looked back at her. “Sarah, I'd like to get to know you better. Would you mind if I called on you?”

She hesitated before she answered. She liked Alex, but she didn't want to run the risk of getting to like him too much. After all, he would only be here for a few months, and then he'd be off to start a new life. She, on the other hand, had no idea how long she would be in Richland Creek. It would probably be better if she said no, but the truth was she didn't want to. “Mama and I would love to have you visit anytime. When will you be leaving for Memphis?”

“The last of August. I'm going to begin work at the law firm the first of September.”

“I know you're excited. Memphis is a great place to live. What law firm are you joining?”

“Buckley, Anderson, and Pike. They have offices down on Front Street.”

Sarah's eyes grew wide, and the fork she held clattered to her plate. “You're joining James Buckley's law firm?”

Alex smiled. “Yeah. Can you imagine a boy like me who grew up on the farm getting a chance to work in one of the best firms in Memphis?” He glanced at her, and his smile faded. “You look shocked. Is there something wrong?”

Sarah blinked and took a deep breath. “No, it's just that…”

He leaned closer. “What?”

“Well,” she cleared her throat. “I guess it startled me because I've read so much about Mr. Buckley in the paper. He's one of the biggest opponents of suffrage in the city. I hear he's done a lot to influence legislators to oppose it too.”

Alex shrugged. “I don't know much about that. I'm fortunate to land a position there.”

Sarah scooted closer. “But if you work with anti-suffragists, won't they expect you to support whatever they do?”

“I guess so. I never really thought about it because I haven't given suffrage a whole lot of thought.”

Sarah's eyes narrowed. “And why not? It's one of the biggest issues of the day, and you've been in law school. Didn't you study about what's going on in the world while you were there?”

His face flushed, and he frowned. “Of course I did, but I didn't see how it affected me. I can already vote.”

Sarah jumped to her feet, and the plate sitting in her lap clattered to the ground. She clenched her fists at her sides. “Of course you can. You're a man. But what about Ellen? Did you ever stop to think how she might feel?”

Alex pushed to his feet and held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, there. You're getting a little emotional, aren't you? I can tell you have strong feelings on the subject, but you won't find any women around here who do. And that includes my sister. So why don't we drop this conversation and call a truce? It's too pretty a day to spend it angry.”

His words produced a feeling as if someone had poured ice water over her head. She'd promised Mama not to mention suffrage while she was here. Now she'd just attacked the one person she wanted to get to know better.

She inhaled and swallowed hard. “I'm sorry, Alex. I shouldn't have gotten so upset. You're right. It is a beautiful day, and I don't want to ruin it for you.”

Without speaking, he picked up her plate from the ground and stacked it on top of his. They remained silent as they walked back toward the group around the tables. He set their plates with the others and turned to her. “I think we're going to get up a ball game. They're going to have music inside the church. Do you want to sit with Ellen and watch, or are you going back inside?”

Before she could answer, Ellen's voice cut through her thoughts. “Well, I've been wonderin' where you two young'uns went. I thought I was gonna have to send out searchers so we could have a pitcher for the ball game. They're ready to start, Alex. Get yourself on over there. I'll take care of Sarah.”

The muscle in Alex's jaw twitched as he looked toward the field where the men prepared for the game. He sighed and turned to Sarah. “I'd better go. Maybe I'll see you later.”

Sarah nodded. “Maybe.”

Ellen shoved her brother in the direction of the waiting men. “Get yourself out there. They're waitin' for you.” Ellen watched Alex hurry across the field before she faced Sarah. “Alex looked upset. Did something happen?”

“Not really. We just had a friendly disagreement.” Sarah paused a moment, unsure whether she should pose the question on the tip of her tongue. “Ellen, have you ever given any thought to the fact that you can't vote?”