“Do you have time to show me how to make your rose or lavender soap, Mrs. Montgomery? It has the most wonderful fragrance.” Memphis bit her lip.
“What a wonderful idea.” Carol placed her hand over her heart. “I would love to help with that.”
“Since the men don’t care for the scented soap, I have quite a few left from my last batch.” Mrs. Montgomery nodded towards Carol and Memphis. “After Christmas, when our activities slow down, I’ll show you both how to make soap.”
“Sounds like we’ve got the children’s home project figured out.” John-Mark reached for another roll from the breadbasket. “Mike, Mo and I already have quite a bit of wood split to deliver.”
“Andrew’s and Annie’s friends, the Millers and the Johnsons have already asked if they can go along with us to pick out Christmas trees.” John-Mark nodded. “We won’t be able to cut any trees for a few more weeks.”
“By the time we get our gifts ready to ship to Tennessee, it will be time to start on the baking.” Mrs. Montgomery’s dimples appeared.
“Let’s not forget about the children’s nativity play.” Mike squeezed Memphis’s hand. “Maggie is in charge of the children’s portion of the Christmas Eve service. If she hasn’t asked you yet, she will.”
“She already asked me.” Annie motioned at her chest with her thumb. “She wanted me to be the innkeeper again, but I said no.”
“You said no?” Carol’s eyebrows pulled together.
Annie’s mouth drew up into a smile. “I told her I wanted to be a shepherd this year.”
Andrew groaned. “You can’t be a shepherd. You’re a girl.”
“Grandpa, does it say girls can’t be shepherds in the Bible?” Annie’s lips pursed together.
Memphis straightened and she felt Mike’s shoulders shake with laughter.
“No, Annie, not that I’m aware of.” Mr. Montgomery leaned forward. “Although shepherds spent a lot of time outdoors in rough elements. If I were a shepherd during the time of our Lord, I would have encouraged my family to help take care of the flock, whether they were boys or girls.”
“What about wolves, lions and bears? How could a little girl scare them off?” Andrew crossed his arms.
“You raise a good point, young man.” Mr. Montgomery nodded. “We would never leave another shepherd alone to handle such a big job by themselves. We would work together to achieve the goal. Just like we work together to put Christmas in action.”
Memphis let out a deep breath and glanced up at Mike. He gave her a wink and whispered, “She hasn’t stumped him yet.”
Chapter 20
“Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then.
It is something to think of, and gives her a sort of distinction among her companions.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Memphis ran her hand along the wooden crate filled with two dozen infant-sized rag dolls dressed in caps and gowns of soft flannel. The women in Carol’s quilting group had embroidered their faces, which gave them each a unique look. There would be more than enough for all the young girls and would provide extra for any added throughout the year.
Annie placed her nose against the flour sack containing soaps wrapped in lace-edged handkerchiefs for the older girls. She inhaled and sighed. “Grandma Tennessee put in lots of princess soap.”
Memphis nodded. “Let’s place your package next to the dollies with our letters. When Mrs. Shelby opens this crate, she’ll welcome the sweet aroma.”
Andrew added brown paper packaging filled with hand-carved animals, tops, whistles and cup-and-ball toys. He grinned while Mike hammered the smaller crate closed. His blond eyelashes blinked rapidly. “I wish I could be there when they see their gifts.”
Mike rubbed his chin. “Mrs. Shelby or Memphis’s friends will let us know what the children think of their presents.”
“My friends, Daisy and Magnolia Mae, will send word.” Memphis offered a watery smile. “I’m glad you and Annie thought of my friends at the orphanage.”
Andrew puffed out his chest. “Glad to do it.”
Mike ruffled Andrew’s hair. “Let’s pay for shipping and get this over to the baggage handler. Your aunts have an appointment at the dress shop and I need to get back to the livery.”
***
Memphis and Mike strolled along the boardwalk behind Maggie, Carol, Andrew and Annie. Memphis took in a deep breath of the crisp air. Mike tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. “It’s been a hectic two weeks getting the gifts ready to ship.”
“It’s been a lot of fun. Even so, I’m a bit relieved to have everything complete and on its way as well.” Memphis stared into his eyes. Dancing flecks of amber, gold and green sparkled in the morning sun.
The group paused in front of the general store. “I’ll only be a minute. I need to post a letter,” Carol called.
“I’m going to check on the…mail too.” Maggie grinned.
“No rush, I’ll wait here with the children.” Memphis waved.
“What’s that about? Are they really posting a letter?” Mike spoke softly in her ear.
“Yes.” Memphis guided Mike to the opposite side of the window. The children's attention turned to the glass jars filled with peppermint sticks, jellybeans, rock candy, licorice and lemon drops. She inclined her head toward Mike and whispered. “She’s checking to see if a special someone’s gift has arrived.”
Mike nodded his understanding. Memphis stepped closer and studied the tin sign advertising pipes and tobacco products. “Carol was correct about how often the store owner changes the display.” Shaving soaps and accessories were positioned strategically at the front. She motioned with her thumb towards an advertisement and read aloud, “What He Wants for Christmas.”
“That’s not what I want for Christmas.” Mike’s voice rumbled in his chest.
“No?” Memphis lifted her chin. “What would you like Santa to bring you instead?”
“I was fortunate this year and received a package early.”
“A package?” Memphis lifted one eyebrow.
“Maybe delivery is a better word.” He stepped closer to Memphis, the heat from his chest warming her back. “After months of begging, she finally agreed to my proposal and came all the way from Tennessee.”
“Goodness, what a long way. Do I know her?” She shivered.
Mike repositioned her shawl around her shoulders. “You might.” He spoke softly in her ear. “She’s kind of sassy and gets most anything she wants.”
“You don’t say?” She tapped her finger on her lips.
“It’s true. She has a slow southern drawl that keeps me from thinking straight. Whatever she wants, I say yes to.”
“She sounds scandalous. You say she’s already been…delivered?” Memphis offered a slow smile.
Mike clasped her fingers. The rough pad of his thumb made comforting circles on her knuckles. “Yes, ma’am. I’m a fortunate man because she’s agreed to marry me on Christmas day.” He kissed her hand. “In just two weeks, I’ll be the happiest man alive.”
“In light of this announcement, I think it best we end our relationship.” Memphis gave a mock scowl and wagged her finger. “And you, sir, are a scoundrel for not being honest about our relationship.”
Maggie rounded the corner carrying a large parcel, followed by Carol and Annie. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Maggie’s eyes were wide.
“Here, let me get that.” Mike reached for the package, then nodded toward his sister’s midriff. “Hasn’t your husband told you not to pick up heavy things?”
“It looks heavier than it is.” Maggie glanced between Memphis and her brother. “Pardon me. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
He tipped his hat, then called to Annie and Andrew. “I’ll drop the kids by the house. You ladies take your time at the dress shop. I need to get back to the livery to meet a man who’s interested in purchasing one of my stallions. John-Mark will be by to pick you up in about an hou
r and a half.”
A gust of wind ruffled the women’s skirts. Memphis shook her head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the strength of these winds.”
Another gust blew the hood of Annie’s cape from her head. Carol repositioned her sister’s cloak and rewrapped the scarf around her brother’s neck. “Let’s get out of this weather. Go with Uncle Mike and wait at Grandma’s until we get back. We won’t be long.”
Andrew reached for his younger sister’s arm. “Come on, Annie.”
Annie held up one finger. With wide blue eyes, she placed her hand in front of her mouth and spoke to her sister. “Good thinking. I’ll ask Grandpa about a lucky feather. Looks like Uncle Mike’s going to need it.”
Memphis anchored her hat with her hand and braced herself against the wind. She strode behind Maggie and Carol toward Lois’s dress shop next door. Her mouth twitched at the sight of Annie waving from the wagon, her cheeks pink from the wind. Why does she think Mike needs a lucky feather?
Chapter 21
"I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine."
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
The bell’s tinkle from the dress shop’s door, along with a gust of wind, heralded Memphis’s and the women’s arrival.
Lois rounded the corner. Her bright smile welcomed them. “Come in and warm up. The temperature is dropping quickly.” Lois gathered their wraps. “Would you care for coffee? I just put on a pot.”
“That would be lovely. Thank you.” Maggie nodded. “Do you need any help?”
“No.” Lois waved her hand toward a marble-top bistro table and several chairs. “Please make yourself comfortable. I’m going to add a bit of wood to the stove.”
While Maggie and Carol took a seat, Memphis browsed the shop’s displays. She admired a fashionable dress in peacock blue hanging on a hook, apparently awaiting the return of its owner for a final fitting.
Lois’s face appeared from her makeshift kitchen. “Memphis, there are some men’s fashion plates on the table. I found a pattern of a single-breasted waistcoat matching the description of what you want Mike to wear at the wedding.”
Memphis spun on her heel and made her way toward the table. Her eyebrows narrowed at the grim lines on Carol’s and Maggie’s faces.
Maggie reached for her hand. The similarity between the siblings' acts of comfort with a squeeze of the hand wasn’t lost on Memphis. What in the world is this about?
“First, let me say I haven’t seen Mike so happy in a long time. You and he are meant for each other.” Maggie gave her hand another squeeze.
“We couldn’t help but overhear part of a conversation.” Carol cleared her throat. “Simply put, Maggie and I would like to give you a bit more background about how we took part in finding Mike a match.” Carol straightened her shoulders. “If you wouldn’t mind, please hear us out first. We are partially to blame for a tiny deception.”
“A deception?” Memphis glanced between the pale face of Carol to the flushed cheeks of Maggie.
Carol twisted her wedding ring. “When Mrs. Montgomery first brought the idea up to Mike, he wasn’t convinced he should participate. In fact, he was dead set against it.”
“I felt similarly.” Memphis let out a breath of relief.
“You did?” Maggie’s mouth fell open.
“Yes, Mike and I discussed our reservations in our letters to one another.” Memphis offered a half-smile.
“How wonderful.” Maggie stammered. “Not about your reservations. It’s good you discussed your feelings with each other.”
Carol leaned forward. “The most wonderful part without knowing each other’s preference, we each picked you.”
Maggie's shoulders slumped. “I want to admit my part of the meddling.”
“Meddling?” Memphis studied the puckering in Maggie’s forehead.
“You know how our family members live in each other’s pockets. I found the letter from Mrs. Shelby, and although Mike was wary, I thought he’d already agreed to participate. I was the one who brought it up at the dinner table.” Maggie swallowed.
“I’m not surprised or angered by your revelation. I discussed the situation with my roommates and shared parts of Mike’s letters with them throughout our correspondence.” Memphis shifted from one foot to the other. “Tell me what is worrying you.”
“It’s about the application and questionnaire.” Maggie placed her hand on her forehead. “Moses filled it out.”
“What?” Memphis clenched her fists. “Are you telling me Moses took a clue from Longfellow’s poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish? The letters I received from Mike were not his own?”
Maggie shook her head vigorously. “Not at all. Moses isn’t one to put pen to paper, even though he filled out the questionnaire.”
Memphis leaned back in her chair. “Without Mike’s knowledge?”
“Mike was there.” Maggie nodded. “We all were.”
The rich aroma of coffee filled the room. Lois entered carrying a tray with four cups filled with the warm brew. “My goodness, you look somber. What did I miss?”
“My future sisters-in-law gave me a fright.” Memphis shook her head and laughed. “They are confessing, but I don’t understand their concern.”
“I’ll just come out and tell you.” Maggie cringed. “Moses took it upon himself to change Mike’s answers on the application.” She blew out a breath. “For example, Mike’s answer for favorite book was Moby Dick.”
Memphis’s eyes widened. “I thought Pride and Prejudice was a strange answer coming from a man.”
Maggie grimaced. “Mike was intrigued when he read your letter. It was me who suggested he read the book and not tell you right away about the mishap. I borrowed the novel from my mother-in-law.”
Carol poured cream into the cups. “Mr. Montgomery suggested we read it together. As penance, he insisted Moses be the one to read it out loud to the group.”
Memphis placed her hand over her mouth and giggled. “I did something similar and read it to my roommates in the evening. I would never have selected the book on my own but found I enjoyed it immensely.”
Carol rubbed her expanding midriff. “You’re not angry?”
“No. I do wish Mike told me this himself.” Memphis raised one eyebrow. “What other changes did Moses make?”
“It’s not that Moses changed all his answers. Mike was teasing him and well, it’s too late to change the upholstery fabric.” Maggie shook her head. “I won't be able to sleep at night if I don’t say something before you pick out the material for the curtains.”
Memphis studied the swatches of varying shades of red-yellow, apricot, peach and burnt orange. She fingered the soft velvet in a deep ginger.
Lois gasped. “His favorite color isn’t orange, is it?
Memphis felt her face burn red. “Even if it’s not, I have a feeling Mr. Montgomery will grow quite accustomed to the color over the next twenty years or so.”
Lois placed her hand over her mouth and giggled. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not funny. You put a lot of work into reworking your parlor furniture, but I insist you pick out another selection of fabric. It will be my wedding present to you and Mike.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t.” Memphis removed a swatch of material from her pocket. The golden-brown background was rich, and while the varying shades of red and orange were dominant, the background also contained deep green and blue. “It’s true. I picked the pattern to please Mike. But the sofa and chairs turned out beautifully. I’m not disappointed at all.”
“You’re not?” Maggie’s voice cracked.
Memphis grinned at Lois. “These two have been avoiding the house since the feather washing. The only thing left to do is to close up the last seam.”
Lois clapped her hands together. “I haven’t been by the house since you finished the stuffed cushions. I’d love to see them.”
“First, we should pick another complementary shade for the curtains.” Memphis’s
mouth curved into a smile. “I’ll use these samples for Mike to choose for the vest he’ll wear on our wedding day. Maybe this will draw him out enough to admit what his favorite color actually is.”
Carol laid her hand over her stomach. “My guess is, Mike is so smitten his favorite color is now orange.” Her melodious laugh was contagious and everyone joined in.
Memphis reached for a discarded swatch in bold paisley. “Before I left Tennessee, Mrs. Shelby told me a strange story about her husband’s deception over potato salad.” She wagged her finger at the group. “I may have an idea to convince Mike to confess. Not a word to anyone, until I say truce, deal?”
Chapter 22
I am excessively diverted. ”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
A shrill whistle caught Mike’s attention. He paused at the gate to his front yard and stiffened at the sight of his brother, John-Mark, making long strides from his home next door. “I’m glad I caught you before you went into the house.”
“What’s wrong? Is it Carol?” Mike’s voice was rough.
“Everything is fine…nobody is sick or hurt.” Sweat covered his brother's brow. “Or in early labor.”
Mike pushed open the gate. “Follow me into the house and say what you’ve got to say. I’m supposed to meet Memphis in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, I know. Carol and Ma are going to stall her for a few more minutes.” John-Mark gave a sheepish grin.
“Stall her?” Mike watched his brother rub his forehead, then picked at a feather stuck to his sleeve. “Listen, this isn’t terrible news, but it’s going to take me at least another half hour to get things cleaned up.” John-Mark reached for the broom lying against the front railing.
“Get what cleaned up?” Mike’s eyebrows narrowed.
“Ma asked me to drop a crate of canned goods by the house. Carol was lying down at home and Annie and her friend Betsy wanted to tag along. They weren’t out of our sight ten minutes.” John-Mark kicked the broom.
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