Trailblazer

by Anna Schmidt

  Nick nodded. Right about now, he’d do whatever it took to get his mind off things he clearly could not control.

  * * *

  Grace stood before the floor-length mirror. Emma knelt at her feet, a row of straight pins clenched between her lips. Lily circled her, a frown drawing her usually laughing mouth down at the corners. Grace’s mother stood to one side, one hand resting on her cheek as she slowly shook her head.

  “It just doesn’t look like a wedding gown,” she observed.

  “That’s because it’s a tablecloth, Mama,” Grace said. “Lily, I love that you’re so inventive, but a tablecloth?”

  “It’s lace, and it’s white,” Lily replied. “Well, almost—a few minor stains no one will see.”

  “How you ever persuaded Jake to let you have this—much less cut it up for a gown—is beyond me,” Emma muttered. “Turn,” she ordered.

  “Jake pulled it from the discard bin. It was his idea to use it for your wedding dress. Aside from the stains, there are some tears, and you know the Harvey rule—nothing but the best, so no mending the linens. Discard and replace.”

  “What would any of us do without that man?” Grace said as she followed Emma’s instructions and turned. “On the other hand, I could always wear what I wore when Nick and I married the first time,” she pleaded.

  “No. You can wear that for the trip to the ranch,” Lily replied flatly, and then she smiled. “I’ve got it.” She nudged Emma aside as she began removing the pins, allowing the fabric to fall in a heap around Grace’s feet.

  “Lily, the clock is ticking,” Emma reminded her.

  “Or I could wear this lovely jacket Bonnie loaned me and a plain navy skirt,” Grace said, continuing to offer suggestions. The jacket was made of a cream-colored heavy cotton faille fabric with a high neck and long sleeves, each finished off with lace trim.

  Lily ignored her, examining the tablecloth, turning it this way and that. Then she gave a yelp of victory, found the center point, and placed it against Grace’s waist. “Hold that right there,” she instructed. “Emma, take this end while I take the other.”

  As if Emma had seen Lily’s vision, the two women drew the fabric tight and began pinning the fabric onto Grace’s corset to fashion it into a skirt that fit Grace’s slim waist and fell straight to the tops of her shoes. The scalloped edges of the fabric accented the hem. In back, they arranged the fabric into a cascade of ruffles—not quite a train, but certainly elegant beyond anything Grace had ever imagined. They held the faille jacket for Grace to slip into and helped button the front.

  “Ta-da!” Lily stood back and admired the result.

  “You have missed your calling, Lily,” Mary Rogers said. “It’s beautiful. Perfect.”

  Lily stepped back and admired her work. “Let’s get it sewn up,” Emma said and set to work.

  “I’ll be right back,” Lily announced.

  She was gone long enough for Emma and Grace’s mother to stitch the draped tablecloth into a beautiful trained skirt. As Grace tried on the garment for one final fitting, Lily burst back into the room, clutching a package. “The finishing touch,” she announced as she tore the wrapping away and shook out the most delicate white lace mantilla Grace had ever seen.

  “Lily, where on earth…?”

  “I have my sources,” she said mysteriously. “Now turn around.”

  When tears sparkled in her mother’s eyes, Grace knew that Lily and Emma had been right to insist she needed a proper wedding. Slowly, she turned to face the mirror and gasped. “Oh, Lily, I look so…”

  “Bridal?” Emma offered.

  “Lovely,” Grace’s mother whispered.

  There was a light tap on the door, and Bonnie stepped inside. “Oh my,” she said when she saw Grace.

  “Is everything ready?” Lily asked, glancing at the clock.

  Bonnie nodded. “The musicians are here, as are the guests. Nick’s friend the judge just put on his robe.”

  “I’ll get my hat,” Mary Rogers said, her voice trembling with excitement.

  After she and Bonnie left the room, Emma and Lily did one last check to be sure everything about Grace was perfect. “Thank you both,” she murmured. “I am so blessed that I sat down with the two of you that night.”

  Tears welled in the eyes of all three Harvey Girls as they hugged each other.

  “Come on, Lily,” Emma said. “Grace, wait here, and we’ll come get you when we’re sure Nick is in place.”

  After they left, Grace couldn’t resist taking one more look in the mirror. A moment later, the door opened, and Bonnie, dressed in her uniform, smiled. “Ready?”

  “I…”

  Outside the door, all the Harvey Girls, including Polly, had lined up at the double doors leading into the dining room, all in perfectly pressed uniforms. Jake ushered Grace’s mother to her place, and then her father—seated in a wheelchair with Aidan pushing—emerged from the guest room.

  “Papa?”

  “You didn’t think I’d miss a chance to give away my daughter, did you?” he said. “Aidan, if you please, let’s get these young people married—again.”

  Bonnie handed Grace a small nosegay of flowers and then nodded to Lily, who led the Harvey Girls down the makeshift aisle. Grace took hold of her father’s hand, keeping pace as Aidan slowly wheeled him into the dining room. He paused in the doorway, waiting until all the girls had taken their places.

  And that’s when Grace saw Nick. He had slicked back his hair, and Grace smiled as she thought what fun it was going to be to muss it up again once they were alone. But her smile faded when she realized that Nick was scowling, digging his forefinger between his neck and collar.

  When his gaze locked on hers, his features softened, and slowly—like a desert sunrise—he gave her that smile that had set her heart fluttering that first day on the train. They’d have their fair share of challenges to be sure, but they would face them with a love that had already proven to be indestructible.

  She’d left home seeking the opportunity to help her family with the hope of finding some adventure in the bargain. Little did she ever imagine that in becoming a Harvey Girl, she would find both and a good deal more—dear friends she would cherish for all her days and, best of all, the love of her life.

  Order Anna Schmidt’s next book in the

  Cowboys & Harvey Girls series

  Renegade

  On sale June 2019

  Author’s Note

  The hotels named in this story are fictional, although they are written in the spirit of a Harvey establishment. While Fred Harvey and his sons eventually became famous for their hotels and restaurants and even guided tours that helped the West become a major destination for travelers, it was his eating houses along the Santa Fe Railway that started it all. Thanks to George H. Foster and Peter C. Weiglin, many of the recipes for the dishes made famous by the Harvey Company have been preserved in The Harvey House Cookbook (Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1992). With the publisher’s permission, here are three of those delicious recipes.

  Peaches au Gratin

  George Burnickel, Chef, California Limited

  • Peaches

  • Sugar

  • Butter

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • Bread crumbs

  • 3 tablespoons drawn butter

  • 3 tablespoons whipping cream

  This dish can be made from either canned or fresh peaches; if the latter are to be used, they must be cut into halves and stewed with plenty of sugar and a small quantity of water. Thickly butter a baking dish; drain the peaches from the syrup; lay them in the dish (cut side down) and strew over them plenty of grated bread crumbs. Mix with the syrup two teaspoonfuls of lemon juice and pour over the peaches; strew more bread crumbs over the top and baste them with a few tablespoonfuls of drawn butter. Put the dish in a hot
oven and bake until lightly browned over the top. Serve with whipped cream.

  Fred Harvey Coffee

  The secrets of good coffee are that it be:

  • Made strong enough

  • Served hot enough

  • Brewed correctly

  • Always freshly made

  • Made from good coffee

  • Drip coffee

  Use one rounded tablespoon of regular grind to each six-ounce cup of fresh boiling water. Scald your coffeepot with boiling water. Put the coffee in the coffee basket; replace in pot and cover with water container. Slowly pour boiling water into it. Keep warm while coffee drips through, then remove upper sections, stir, cover pot, and serve.

  Harvey Girl Special Little Thin Orange Pancakes

  Henry Stovall, St. Louis Union Station, Missouri

  • 1 cup pancake mix

  • 1 cup orange juice

  • ¼ cup diced orange sections and juice (½ orange)

  • 1 teaspoon grated orange peel (½ orange)

  Combine all ingredients. Bake small pancakes on hot griddle, using one tablespoon batter for each pancake. Serve with maple syrup, honey, or jelly. Serves twelve; three (2¾-inch diameter) pancakes per serving.

  About the Author

  Award-winning author Anna Schmidt resides in Wisconsin. She delights in creating stories where her characters must wrestle with the challenges of their times. Critics have consistently praised Schmidt for her ability to seamlessly integrate actual events with her fictional characters to produce strong tales of hope and love in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Visit her at joschmidtauthor.com.

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