Ashley Merrick - India: Bride of Indiana (American Mail-Order Bride 19) (9 page)

T
he next few
days passed uneventfully. Things were almost the way they used to be between Richard and India, though there was still an undercurrent of tension that India sensed every now and then, when Richard glanced her way with one of his impossible to read expressions and she would wonder what he was thinking.

Finally Wednesday rolled around, and India first stopped by the church to run her idea by Pastor Jonathan. As expected, he approved wholeheartedly and said he expected that she would be able to easily recruit additional volunteers from the parish if she needed them. With his approval, she then met Laura at Brannigan’s, a half hour ahead of their meeting time. They walked in together and India somewhat nervously asked Alfred, the host at the front desk, if Mr. Brannigan was available to meet with them briefly. He was an older gentleman and India recognized him from their prior women’s group meetings. He went off to check and came back a few minutes later.

“He can see you in your meeting room, if you want to go in there,” Alfred said as he resumed his post behind the front desk.

They headed into their usual meeting room. Sammy ran off to the corner to play with the toys there while Laura and India joined Ray Brannigan at a side table. They sat across from him, and he leaned forward and rested his head in his hands.

“What can I help you ladies with today?” he asked with a curious gleam in his eye.

India took a deep breath and then told him what she had in mind.

“I was thinking about what you said the other night at the hotel event,” she began.

“What did I say?” he asked.

“You were telling Richard what a shame it was that you often have to throw out so much food. I have an idea. If you are open to it, that might put some of that food to good use.”

“I’m all ears.” He leaned forward and looked intrigued.

“What if we collected any food that you were going to throw out? Nothing rotten, of course, but food that you aren’t able to sell in the restaurant. Day-old bread, vegetables that are going soft, meat that is still good to eat but not good enough for you to serve your customers. What if we took that food and gave it to people who needed it, who were going through a tough time and who are hungry. There are people struggling in our community and this could be a bridge of sorts to help them through those tough times. The times that are worse than usual, but that are almost always temporary.”

“That is a commendable idea, but how would you do it? Where and when?” he asked.

“We have the where, the the when is up to you. Pastor Jonathan has agreed to let us use the church basement. In addition to the food that you give us, we were thinking that we could also take in donations from parishioners. We could have a storage room of dry good that people have donated as well, and even shoes and clothes for children that people are willing to pass on.”

“I’d be happy to help you with that. It will be a help to me, too. It really kills me to throw good food out.”

“We’re going to talk to the women’s group about this today and see if they’d like to get involved,” Laura added.

“What if they say no?” Ray asked, his concern evident.

India smiled. “We’re doing this with or without the support of the women’s group.”

“Fantastic.”

“What days are best for you?” India asked. “We thought we might check with a few other places too, and start with a general pickup of items maybe two or three times a week?”

“Mondays and Fridays seem to be the days. I toss out what’s left from the weekend on Monday and on Friday I’m clearing out the week and getting ready for the weekend.”

India looked at Laura. “All right. We’ll start with Monday and Friday pickups and maybe have the pantry open in the early afternoon for a few hours. Maybe twelve or one to about three. Then I can collect Julia after school.”

“That sounds like a good plan. You ready to start this coming Friday or Monday?” he asked.

“Maybe we should do Monday. Then we can have the pastor make the announcement at church on Sunday.”

“Good luck, ladies. I’m happy to be a part of this. I’d better head upstairs now or your group won’t have their lunch on time.” He grinned and stood to leave.

“Thank you, Mr. Brannigan. We’re excited to work with you on this.”

“Please, call me Ray. After all, we’re business partners now.”

* * *

After he left, Laura turned to India and said, “Well, that went well. Don’t you think?”

“Yes. I’d expected and hoped that he would like this idea. Now we just have to present it to the women’s group. Something tells me they might not be as easy to convince.”

“I think most of them will be,” Laura said. “Olivia is the unpredictable one. Just the fact that it’s your idea might be enough to make her difficult. But, like you said, we don’t need her or the women’s group to make this happen.”

“True. But it would be a lot easier if we had their involvement. We could take turns picking up food and scheduling weekly shifts. Spread the work around so everyone feels involved and no one is taking too much on.” India was hopeful that the women’s group would like her idea.

After everyone arrived and they’d had their meal, Olivia called the meeting to order.

“So, I am pleased to announce that we have more than met our fundraising goal from our recent event. In fact, we quadrupled it, in large part due to the Blake Wagon Company’s very generous donation. Now we need to think about our next venture. Does anyone have any suggestions?” The room was quiet while everyone looked around, waiting for someone to speak up.

“Doesn’t anyone have an idea for us to focus on next?” Olivia asked again.

India raised her hand and Olivia looked surprised.

“It seems as though our newest member has something to say. India, could you please stand up and present your idea to the group?”

India stood and her legs felt wobbly. It was one thing to present her idea one on one with Ray Brannigan, but quite another entirely to present it to a roomful of people, all of whom were staring at her expectantly. She took a deep break and then in a sometimes-shaky voice, she told them about her idea.

“And I thought we could call it the South Bend Food Pantry,” she finished.

The room was silent and then Olivia spoke, with an irritated edge to her voice. “Don’t you mean the Women’s Group Food Pantry?” she challenged her.

India’s nervousness disappeared as her temper flared. “No. This is bigger than the women’s group. The church is donating the space, Brannigan’s Restaurant and others are donating the food. Volunteers will be donating their time. This is a community effort and the name should reflect that.”

Olivia pursed her lips, her displeasure evident.

“Well, it’s a commendable idea, but I don’t know if the women’s group can approve this. We have to consider all ideas and if we do decide to go forward, we will have to decide who will be in charge. If it’s me, we’ll have to change the days. Fridays and Mondays are not convenient for me.”

India couldn’t believe the nerve of this woman. She smiled sweetly at the group, which was fascinated by the interchange between the two women. “I don’t think you understand. This is my project. I am running it with Laura’s help and any other volunteers that wish to get involved. I am not seeking the women’s group’s approval. I am merely informing you all of what we are going to do and letting you know that we’d welcome your involvement in any way, whether it’s donations, or volunteering to pick up food or work a shift in the pantry. Thank you, everyone, for listening. If you’d like to get involved, please see me after the meeting.”

Someone started to clap and India realized in shock that it was Kay, Richard’s mother. India sat down as Kay stood up and addressed the group. “This is the first I’ve heard of this project, but I just have to say how proud I am of India and Laura for wanting to do this. India, from now on, all my leftover rolls will go home with you for the pantry.” India smiled at that. But Kay wasn’t done yet. “And Olivia, I believe we still need to decide how to allocate the funds that we raised the other evening. I’d like to propose that we earmark a third of that money to go towards the pantry. I imagine they could use those funds to stock the shelves with dry goods and other items.” There was another round of applause, indicating unanimous approval for Kay’s suggestion, which India deeply appreciated.

Olivia knew when she was defeated. “Yes, I suppose we could do that,” she agreed meekly and then sat down to drink her coffee.

After the meeting, Kay came up to India and gave her a hug. “I meant what I said in there. This is a wonderful idea, and I couldn’t be more proud of the two of you.” She looked at India and added, “I know I was a little cold to you at first, and I apologize for that. Olivia’s mother is one of my best friends and I think we just both always had this fantasy that one day Richard and Olivia would marry. We never stopped to consider how ill-suited they are for each other. It’s clear to me that the two of you love each other very much, and it warms my heart to see it. All I’ve ever wanted was for my children to be happy and I’m thrilled that he has found that with you.”

“Thank you,” India said. She was stunned at what his mother had said. Could everyone but Richard see that they were in love? And if it was that clear to others, maybe it was time for her to show him that they were meant to be together as husband and wife.

R
ichard rubbed
a special salve into the scars along his chest and face and then took a long look in the mirror. He was standing in the washroom downstairs and had just taken a bath, dried off and was now half dressed. His scars weren’t as bad as they used to be. They were softer now and as the doctor had said they would, they had faded quite a bit since the fire. He was lean and in good shape otherwise. If he was being truthful, he’d admit that when India saw his scars she had gasped in surprise, but she hadn’t seemed at all repulsed and she hadn’t been afraid to touch him. It was his reaction to her touch that had terrified him. He’d realized finally in that moment that he loved her and the thought had confused and overwhelmed him. It wasn’t rational, but just the possibility that she would reject him was too much to consider, so he rejected her first. And he saw the hurt on her face and the confusion. He also knew that she’d shown her true feelings to him, that it wasn’t just the alcohol or getting caught up in the moment.

He hadn’t slept well since the night of the event and the next morning when he went for a long walk in the fields before church, it was to go see Amy. To sit by her gravestone and talk to her and to seek her blessing that it would be all right to move on. He would love her always and cherish the life that they’d had together, but he wanted to take a big step forward into a new life with India, if she would have him.

He’d planned to talk to her that evening, but when they came home from dinner at his parents’, she hadn’t quite seemed herself. She’d been distant and preoccupied since. He also sensed that she was excited about something that had nothing to do with him and it unnerved him a bit. Was she still thinking about Smith Jones? It didn’t seem likely, but he was so unsure of her state of mind that he decided to hold off on talking to her until the time was right.

I
ndia was stirring
a pot of meatballs and rich tomato sauce when Richard walked through the door.

“Something smells really good,” he said with appreciation. He took off his coat and then came into the kitchen to peer into the pot that she was stirring.

“What is that?” he asked.

“It’s my grandmother’s recipe. Spaghetti and meatballs in red sauce with green peppers and onions.”

“I don’t think I’ve had spaghetti before. What is it?” he asked.

“It’s long, skinny pasta, like noodles that are popular in New England. I found a box of dried pasta at the mercantile. One of these days, I’ll make her fresh ravioli recipe, too.”

“What else do I smell? Garlic?” Richard sniffed the air trying to place the smell.

India chuckled. “It’s garlic bread. I crushed garlic with butter, spread it on a loaf of bread and it’s toasting in the oven now. It should be ready in just a few minutes if you want to wash up quickly.”

“I’ll do that. I’m starving.”

Five minutes later, they were all gathered around the kitchen table. The spaghetti and meatballs were a big hit, especially with the children.

“Can you make this again tomorrow?” Sammy asked.

“We’ll have leftovers tomorrow, so the answer is yes,” India said with a smile.

“Oh, I have some news,” Julia said excitedly.

“What is it, honey?” Richard asked.

“You know my friend Tommy Haskell? Well, Santa’s going to come to his house after all.”

“That’s wonderful news,” India said.

“His mother told him that Santa wrote her a note saying there was a mistake and he was going to fix their roof and bring them toys. He already sent someone to fix the roof. Isn’t that great?”

She glanced at Richard who smiled at his daughter and said, “That is the best news.”

India decided to share her news as well, now that it was official.

“I have some happy news to share as well. We’re going to build a food pantry at the church. Pastor Jonathan has donated the basement space and Ray Brannigan and some others are going to donate food. We’ll be open twice a week for a few hours in the afternoon, starting on Monday.”

“So, that’s what you’ve been up to this week?” Richard said with an expression that she couldn’t read. “I thought you seemed preoccupied.”

“I didn’t want to say anything until it was official. I knew that Pastor Jonathan would likely agree, but I wasn’t as sure about Ray Brannigan, though I was hopeful, after what he’d told us at the hotel event.”

“About how he hates throwing all that food away?” Richard asked.

India nodded. “Your mother likes the idea, too. She said she’s going to regularly donate her extra rolls.”

“She did? That’s great. I’m really proud of you.”

“It’s not just me, Laura’s helping, too. Lots of people want to help.”

“I’m proud of the both of you, then.”

“You do plenty as well. You’re one of the most generous people I’ve ever known,” India said proudly.

Richard chuckled. “It’s easy to be generous when you have a lot to give.”

India shot him a stern look. “I bet if I asked your mother she would disagree with that. I suspect you’ve always been one to give even when you didn’t have extra.”

Richard didn’t disagree with that. “Well, you can always give your time,” he said. “That’s something everyone can do, and it’s often more valuable than money. Without volunteers, there would be no one to deliver the food or work the shifts to give it to the people who come in.”

“Can we help, too?” Julia asked.

India thought about that for a moment. “Sure, you both can help if you like. We’ll need people to put things on shelves and help us get organized. I bet you’d both be good at that.”

“Good! I can help, too,” Sammy said, and then asked, “Can I have another meatball?”