Small Town Girl (6 page)

“He wanted to, but you know he can’t even sing hymns. Not without making people hold their ears. He said Evie didn’t want any sour notes at her wedding and that included his. Besides—”

Kate didn’t let her finish. “Besides you want to sing. You always want to sing.”

“If you’ll sing with me.” Lorena’s face lit up with excitement.

“You don’t need me.” Kate was sorry for her words even before that worried look slipped into Lorena’s eyes. Ever since Kate had graduated from high school last spring, Lorena had been nervous about Kate moving away. She never
said anything, but Kate knew. Lorena did need her. Another reason Kate couldn’t very well leave Rosey Corner no matter how suffocating it felt at times.

Lorena squeezed Kate’s hand tighter and her lip trembled as she said, “Please.”

“Okay.” Kate gave in with a little sigh. “Let’s go sing a love song to Evie.”

Lorena squealed and jumped up and down. “Evie won’t be the only one listening.”

“I know.” Kate blew out a long breath. “That’s what I’m worried about. Carl’s already thinking things he shouldn’t think.” As she followed Lorena toward the shady side yard where people were clustered around Evie and Mike, she sneaked a look toward Carl. He’d been waylaid by a couple of men who were laughing and clapping him on the back. It appeared the whole town had turned into marriage brokers.

Lorena looked back over her shoulder at Kate. “I wasn’t talking about Carl. I was talking about Tanner.”

“Don’t you be falling in love on me, Lorena,” Kate said with a laugh. “Not with the likes of Jay Tanner.”

“He’s cute.” Lorena grinned. “But you don’t call somebody you’re sweet on Birdie.”

“Oh really. What do you call them?”

“Katie.” Lorena giggled. “He thinks you’re pretty. He told me.”

Kate groaned. “We need to have a talk, young lady. And soon.”

T
he little sister had a great voice for a kid. The song seemed to almost flow out of her without effort. Kate sang along with her, harmonizing but letting the kid have the spotlight. Mike was smiling at his bride, mouthing the words along with the kid. Enjoying himself.

Jay didn’t think the bride was all that tickled with the whole production. She had a smile, but not an easy one. Unless Jay missed his guess, Mike was in for some rough sledding in the years ahead. This one didn’t look to be an easy one to please. Irritated even by her sisters singing her a song. One Mike had requested of Birdie. Jay heard him.

Oh well, he’d learn. Or maybe she would. Mike could be pretty determined in his own way about some things. Jay had been on the receiving end of some of that determination at times. Back when they were in school, Mike was always after him to figure out what he believed. “A man has to know what’s true. What matters. He can’t just drift. Not without being in danger of some rocky landings.”

Jay couldn’t argue the truth of Mike’s words. He’d known a few of those rocky landings, while Mike’s landings had all been clean and easy. Now he was a married man. A preacher. Loved by one and all in this little Rosey Corner. Jay was
beginning to feel like he’d fallen into a happily-ever-after fairy tale, and he was one of those faceless movie extras in the background, dancing to the music.

His mouth twisted up into an amused smile. A happy extra wasn’t bad. He might as well enjoy the song like everybody else. At least listening to it. It took more than fruit punch to loosen his tongue enough to try belting out a song. Others around him weren’t so hesitant as a few of the boys began picking up the sweetheart chorus line. Here and there, a girl was blushing while a guy pushed the words straight toward her.

The other sister, the one between Kate and Birdie, was getting a good dose of sweetheart singing from her pimply-faced boyfriend. Those two were so awkwardly in love it almost hurt to look at them. Too innocent. Too trusting. Something Jay didn’t remember ever being. Not that he wanted to visit those feelings. Innocent and trusting opened a man up to getting blindsided by trouble. Better to peer on down the road with a jaded eye and be ready for whatever was barreling toward him.

Across from Jay, that tall, skinny farm boy, Carl something, had an idiot grin as his buddies pushed him forward. The man must have found something to spike his punch, because he started practically shouting out the sweetheart words toward Kate. She didn’t give him the first glance, but she heard him plain enough. The color was rising in her cheeks. Not because she was pleased, if Jay knew anything about girls.

He’d seen plenty of both kinds of blushes—the pleased ones and the better-get-out-of-the-way ones. That older guy, Graham, appeared to be right about poor old Carl. The man was speeding his love train down a track with the bridge out. Nothing but unhappiness in store for him.

Thinking that didn’t make Jay a bit unhappy. Maybe he would hang around Rosey Corner. Get his bearings. Stay
ahead of the draft notices for a month or two if he was lucky. Graham and his old flea-bitten dog might make interesting companions for a few weeks. Till winter moved in anyway. A little honest outdoor labor. He could slap paint on a house. Help the man out and put a jingle of coin in his own pocket and gas in his car. All good things.

His eyes drifted back to Kate. Another good thing. A girl on the rebound was sometimes ready for a good time. He wasn’t Mike, but he wasn’t that hayseed Carl either.

She and the little sister got to the end of the song amidst cheers and laughter. Mike put his arm around his bride and brushed her cheek with his lips before he turned to the friends around them. “We’ve said the vows. We’ve eaten the cake and sung the song. Done all we need to do except for the honeymoon.”

The guys let out a few whistles, and the bride and a good number of the girls colored up and ducked their heads. Not Kate. She was looking at Mike like she just now was noticing that he was a guy the same as the rest of them instead of whatever unreal fantasy she’d been carrying around in her head. Girls, they always wanted men to be heroes instead of regular guys.

The bride gave Mike a playful shove. “Give me a minute to change into my traveling clothes. I can’t ride to Louisville in this.” She held up the lacy skirt of her wedding dress.

Her sisters surrounded her at once and separated her from Mike to escort her toward the house.

“Don’t take too long, darling,” Mike called after her. “I’ll be waiting.”

More whistles and catcalls. Pastor Mike was going to have to do some preaching on lustful thinking to calm these boys down. Jay had never heard Mike actually preach behind a pulpit. That might be an experience if he was still here next Sunday. His buddy preaching the Word, solemn like, and
officially trying to save Jay’s soul. Mike had a way of believing anything was possible. He’d told Jay that once. That with the good Lord’s help, all things were possible.

Jay didn’t doubt it. What he doubted was the good Lord sending any help his way. That was all right. Jay had made it on his own so far. He’d keep making it on his own.

The bride must have been readier to head out to her honeymoon than Jay had thought. He figured it would take her an hour to change and say her goodbyes, but she was back out the door in half that time with the sisters trailing after her. Guess a girl could be eager to start married life the same as a guy. Her parents came out to watch from the porch.

The mother brushed away a few tears and the father put his arm around her to pull her close to his side. Old, steady love. New, fresh love. Kisses and hugs all around. Slaps on the back for Mike. Shouts of good wishes as Mike handed his new wife up into his car like she was some kind of fragile treasure.

Maybe she was. For Mike. Each man had to find his own treasure. When he was ready. Jay wasn’t ready. Not by a long shot.

Mike shut the car door, but then instead of crawling in the other side, he came over to Jay. “You can’t know how much I appreciate you coming to stand up with me, Jay.”

“You didn’t think I would?” Jay said.

“I knew you would.” Mike didn’t let any doubt show, but Jay figured he’d not been all that sure. He’d probably had a backup plan to ask that Carl or maybe the bride’s father to stand in if Jay didn’t show up. Mike grinned now. “Not as sure about the suit.”

“Only for you, buddy.” Jay grinned as he pushed Mike away from him toward the car. “Your bride awaits.” He peered past Mike toward the woman in the car. “A tad impatiently or I miss my guess.”

Mike glanced over his shoulder and laughed. “Patience is not her strong suit. But loving me is.” He grabbed Jay’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t be such a stranger. Let me know where you are when you get settled again.”

Jay could have told him that he might be settled right here in Rosey Corner when Mike came back after his honeymoon, but he didn’t. Let him find out for himself. That way Jay wouldn’t be tied to any words if he decided to move on down the road. Free and loose was the way to be. He was sure of that, even if his gut did twist with a bit of lonesome longing when he watched Mike climbing into the car and calling out to his friends. His family. Laughing. Happy.

Jay ignored the feeling. He had the offer of a bed with an old hound dog. Things could be worse. He’d go hunt up Graham Lindell. If he couldn’t find the old guy, he could find the blacksmith shop. That would be easy enough. But first he’d tell Kate goodbye. Or Birdie, if Kate turned an unfriendly eye his way. She wouldn’t stay unfriendly forever. He’d heard that promise in her laugh while they were running down the road with the kid.

The party was breaking up. Once the couple of note was gone, the farmers started remembering the cows waiting to be milked. Mothers were gathering up their kids. Even the young people seemed to have lost the sparkle that had been shooting between them all earlier. Jay didn’t have to search for Kate. She drew his eye. He saw her when she slipped away from her friends to disappear around the side of the house.

He pushed away from the tree he’d been leaning against and followed her. He found her staring at the pump on top of a well in the backyard. Like she needed water but didn’t know how the thing worked.

“Hey there,” he said softly. “Everything all right?”

She looked up at him and pushed a smile out on her face. “Everything’s great. I just came out to get some water.”

Jay looked around. “Be hard to carry it in without a bucket.”

She clucked her tongue and gave her head a little shake. “I knew I was forgetting something.” Then she grinned a little sheepishly.

He went over and sat down on the concrete base around the pump. “You want to talk about it?”

“About what? Forgetting the bucket?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“About what’s on your mind that made you forget the bucket.” Jay patted the rock beside him. “Nice comfy seat here. Not much give to it, but I think it’ll hold us up.”

She sat down beside him. “I can see why Lorena likes you.”

“Why’s that? Because I call her Birdie?”

“No, I’m amazed she lets you get away with that. Her given name is very important to her.” Kate looked over at him. “No, because you know how to make people smile.”

“It’s a learned art,” Jay said.

“Did you learn it from Mike?” She turned her eyes away from him and looked sorry she’d asked that as soon as the words were out of her mouth. “I mean, Mike had people here smiling in church from his first sermon. Our preacher before that—actually my own grandfather—he didn’t believe much in smiling anywhere. Especially in God’s house. Church was serious business with him.”

“I’ve learned a lot from Mike. He’s been better than a brother to me, but his smiles and mine are probably some different. Especially his preacher smiles. Me, I just try to level out some bumpy roads with a smile now and then.”

“You on a bumpy road right now?” She held up her hand before he could say anything. “You don’t have to answer that. I shouldn’t be so nosy.”

Jay let out a short laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Fact is, I’m most always on a bumpy road. How about you? Your roads all smooth and straight?”

“Everybody thinks so.”

“What do you think?”

She sighed and didn’t answer. Instead she scooted a little to the side and stared at the pump. The handle looked well oiled from many hands pumping it to bring the water up from the deep. Spots of rust were proof the pump had been there a long time. Jay was getting ready to fish around for something else to say when she finally spoke, but she didn’t answer his question.

“My grandfather Merritt used to take a bath here every morning. Right here at this pump. No matter the weather, winter or summer. Said a man shouldn’t give in to the elements.” She reached up and ran her fingers down the pump handle.

“So what happened to him? Did he take pneumonia and kick the bucket?” Then thinking about what he’d said, he rushed on. “I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful to the dead.” There were some things a man shouldn’t joke about. Especially to a girl.

She reached over and touched his arm lightly. “It’s okay. He’s not dead. Still going strong as far as we know. Maybe taking cold-water baths same as always. Just not at this pump any longer. He left Rosey Corner about five years ago.” She looked back at the pump.

“Left here?”

“Yeah, surprised us too. Just up and drove away one day without saying boo to any of us. Well, he left a note. Told Mama to run the store and Aunt Hattie to live here in his house. Giving orders even as he put Rosey Corner in his rearview mirror.”

“Where’d he go?”

“Oregon.”

Jay whistled softly. “Must have got a real case of the wanderlust.”

“Have you ever been to Oregon?” She looked back at him.

“Haven’t wandered that far yet. Been to Tennessee. South Carolina. Ohio. Thinking about Illinois next. They say the Great Lakes are something to see. I’ll get out to the West sooner or later though. A lot to see out that way too.”

“How does it feel to just pick up and leave home?”

“You gotta have a home before you can leave one.” He ran his hand over the concrete beside him as if he needed to smooth it down. “So that’s not something I’ve had to worry about. I’ve been pretty much on my own a long time.”

“No family?”

“None that give me any thought.” He had family. A sister and three half brothers, last he’d heard, but it had been years since he’d seen his sister and he’d never seen the brothers.

“But family’s important.” Her shoulders slumped and she stared down at her hands.

“You missing your grandfather? Were the two of you close?”

“I wouldn’t say that. Nobody was really close to Grandfather Merritt. At least not here. I don’t know about out there. He got married again, so maybe.”

“Then what’s making you so blue, Miss Merritt? You wishing you were the bride instead of your sister?”

“Oh no. I wouldn’t steal Evie’s happiness. Not for anything.” She glanced up at him with a genuine look of denial, but then she let her eyes drop back down to her lap. “It’s just that nothing will ever be the same again with her married. I guess I’m missing her already. She’s irritating and bossy and drives me crazy, but she’s my sister. And now she won’t be living at home anymore.”