A July Bride

by Beth Wiseman

  “Hey, Dalton,” she said. “If you’re looking for my brother, he’s with Dad at the fairgrounds.”

  Dalton sauntered up to her. Her brother’s friend was possibly the best-looking man she’d ever laid eyes on, and Alyssa had spent her first seventeen years on earth adoring him from afar. Until Brendan. Even now, the man could make her pulse quicken. He’d always been way out of her league, though. In high school he’d dated every cheerleader until he’d finally latched on to Pamela Herring. Gorgeous Pamela Herring. They’d even kept dating when Pam went away to school in Houston.

  But gorgeous Pamela, apparently, had dumped Dalton sometime in the spring—and by text message. Alyssa remembered thinking that was really cold. And who would dump Dalton Landreth in the first place?

  “I wasn’t looking for Alex.” Dalton smiled. “But I’m glad I ran into you. I was going to call you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me next Saturday.”

  “Uh, I . . . uh . . .” Despite everything with Brendan, it felt like a betrayal to even consider a date with another man.

  “Just dinner.” Dalton took a step closer. “We can see how it goes. I know we’re both coming out of something, but . . .” He shrugged. “I’d really like to take you out.”

  Alyssa wanted to say yes. And that was confusing. Shouldn’t she still be mourning the demise of her relationship with Brendan? But then she remembered. “Oh, I can’t. The whole family promised my dad we’d go to Monument Hill next Saturday for Texas Heroes Day. You know, they’re having the battle reenactment, and I think the county judge will be there, and the high school band, and . . .” She paused. “It goes on all weekend, but I think we’re leaving the house around one on Saturday. It usually runs into the early evening. Anyway, I can’t miss it.”

  “Well, maybe we could go there together and get dinner afterward.”

  Hmm. Here they were, both single for the first time since junior high. She thought for a few moments. Why not?

  “Yes. I’d like that,” she said. Maybe Dalton Landreth was exactly what she needed to put Brendan out of her mind. Maybe even for good.

  Dalton walked along the sidewalk of the town square toward the bank. Twice he’d turned back to sneak another look at Alyssa before she got into her car. Finally, a real date with her. So many times he’d had dinner with Alex, Alyssa, and their parents, and in the past few years it had been torture to watch Alyssa leave to go meet Brendan Myers later in the evening.

  Everyone had been devastated the day Brendan left Alyssa at the altar. Everyone but Dalton. And he planned to give it everything he had to win her over.

  He glanced at his watch and realized he only had ten minutes before the bank closed. He picked up his pace and hurried into the building, glad to see that Sherry was working today. He placed his paycheck and deposit slip on the counter and wondered if Sherry knew about the dab of ketchup on her chin. He smiled as he touched his own chin. “You’ve got, uh . . .”

  She quickly swiped at the ketchup with her hand. “Well, that’s what I get for inhaling my food.” She logged Dalton’s deposit and handed him the receipt. “I don’t usually take a lunch on Saturdays since we close at one, but this small person inside of me was hungry.” She pointed to her tummy and smiled. “So I grabbed a quick bite with Alyssa.”

  “How’s she doing?” Dalton knew Sherry was Alyssa’s best friend. “Do you think she’s over Brendan yet?”

  Sherry was quiet as she finished the transaction, then said, “She’ll never be over Brendan. I don’t care what she says.” She shook her head as she handed him a receipt. “And Brendan is certainly going to extremes to try to win her back.”

  Dalton had already heard about Brendan’s tactics to win Alyssa back. He was a good guy, but he’d had his chance. “Well, I’m going to hope you’re wrong about her never being over the guy, because I’m taking her to Monument Hill next Saturday and then to dinner afterwards.”

  Sherry’s eyes widened. “Really? She didn’t mention that at lunch.”

  “I just asked. And she said yes.”

  “Huh. I didn’t know you had an interest in Alyssa.”

  Dalton smiled. “I’ve always had an interest in Alyssa. The timing just hasn’t ever been right.”

  Sherry grunted. “I’m not sure the timing is good right now either.” She smiled. “Sorry to tell you that, Dalton, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up where Alyssa is concerned.”

  “It’s just one date. No big deal.” He tried to sound casual, even though his hopes were definitely up. It was unforgivable what Brendan had done to Alyssa, and Dalton wanted to help her get over it. He grinned at Sherry. “Aren’t you due like any day now?”

  Sherry scrunched her face into a scowl. “Dalton Landreth, I know I’m huge, but that is not something a lady wants to hear. I have a few more weeks.”

  “I—I didn’t mean anything by it. I think you look very pretty. Glowing.” Everyone loved Sherry, and Dalton didn’t think there was a happier couple than her and Monroe.

  She rolled her eyes and huffed. “If I hear that word one more time—glowing—I might puke. And Lord knows I’ve done enough of that throughout this pregnancy.” She put her hands on the counter and leaned forward—as much as she could with her rounded belly. “Pregnant women don’t glow. We vomit and waddle. And in case Monroe hasn’t mentioned it, we get a wee bit mean at times too.”

  “Now, Sherry. I can’t imagine you being mean.”

  “Oh, don’t give me that. You’ve known me all my life.” She waved a hand. “Now go. Prosper. Have a great weekend—or whatever. I need to start getting this place shut down so I can go home and go to bed.” She rolled her eyes again. “That’s also what pregnant women do. When we’re not eating, we sleep.”

  Dalton chuckled before he left the bank, a little bounce in his step. He couldn’t wait until next Saturday. He glanced behind him as he walked out the main entrance and saw Sherry on the phone. Dalton figured she was calling Alyssa to get the scoop. By next Saturday everyone in town would know Dalton was taking Alyssa out.

  Alyssa put the rolls on the table, then sat down when her mother did. Her brother Alex said the blessing, then her father started talking about the reenactment the following Saturday.

  “I heard that two of the local radio stations will be covering it—and Fox News might even be there.” Dad scooped a generous helping of greens onto his plate. Mom shook her head. “I still don’t understand the allure of these reenactments. All you grown men getting dressed up and pretending to shoot each other.” She grinned. “Returning to your childhoods perhaps? Like playing cowboys and Indians?”

  “There won’t be any Indians, Corrine. It’s a tribute to the men who died during the Dawson Massacre and the Mier Expedition in 1842.” Dad turned to Alyssa. “You’re coming, right?”

  Alyssa nodded as she swallowed a bite of roast. “And I have a date.”

  All eyes shot in her direction.

  “With who?” Alex halted his fork midway to his mouth.

  “Dalton Landreth.”

  Her mother actually clapped her hands together. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

  Alyssa’s father gave a nod of approval also, but Alex just stared at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. For either one of you.”

  “Well, it’s not your choice to make,” Alyssa told her brother. “And he’s your friend. Why isn’t it a good idea?”

  “Uh, well, I don’t think it takes a brain surgeon to figure that out. You’re suffering from a broken heart over Brendan, and I don’t think Dalton’s over Pam yet.” He pointed his fork at Alyssa. “Someone’s gonna get hurt.”

  “Alex, it’s just one date. I think everyone should be glad that I’m trying to move on. It doesn’t mean that Dalton and I will be anything more than friends.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Alex shook his head as he stabbed at a piece of meat.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Alyssa mumbled under her b
reath.

  “That’s enough. You’re both too old for that kind of bickering.” Mom smiled at Alyssa. “Family supports family, no matter what. And if you want to go out with Dalton, do it.”

  Dad pushed back his chair. “Apparently that talk I had with Brendan last week didn’t do a lick of good—more flowers arrived for you this morning.” He pointed to the living room. “I put them with the others. Looks like a funeral parlor in there.”

  The mention of Brendan’s name still brought a lump to Alyssa’s throat. “Maybe he’ll give up once he hears I’m going out with Dalton.”

  Sherry had called her the minute Dalton left the bank this morning, singing Dalton’s praises as if Alyssa didn’t already know how great he was. She wondered if Brendan would be at Monument Hill next Saturday. Maybe it would do him good to see her out with someone else.

  Especially someone like Dalton.

  Brendan ate his dinner on a paper plate on the front porch. He could still hear the yelling inside, but over the years he’d learned to tune it out. One drunk in the house would be bad enough, but when both of them were drinking, it just wasn’t safe to be around them. Both Brendan’s older brothers had taken off at seventeen, and one of them hadn’t made a very good go of it. Last he heard, Danny was doing time in a Houston jail. Craig was married and living in Eagle Lake, less than an hour’s drive away. But he’d pretty much washed his hands of Mom and Dad. Brendan didn’t blame him.

  He jumped when the screen door opened but was relieved when his mother emerged. His father could be nasty when he drank.

  “Why’re you sitting out here?” Mom sagged into the other rocking chair on the front porch of their old house.

  Brendan shrugged.

  “Your dad had a bad day at work today, so he’s in a mood.” Mom kicked the rocker into action.

  “You shouldn’t be drinking. That’s what the doctor said.”

  “Cancer doesn’t grow ’cause you drink a couple of beers. Don’t make a big thing out of it. I just need a little help to deal with your father.” She leaned her head back against the high-back rocker and closed her eyes. She had bags beneath her eyes, and she was really pale. And Brendan knew good and well that she’d had more than two beers.

  “Mom, it’s not about making the cancer grow. It’s about keeping you healthy enough to fight this stuff.”

  “Hmm.” She rocked a little more. “I’ll think about it.”

  “I hope so.” He finished the last bite of his chicken and set his plate on the small table in between the rocking chairs. “You should go to bed now, Mom. You look tired.”

  She stopped the rocker but didn’t get up. “You having any luck winning Alyssa back?”

  “No.” Brendan figured Alyssa’s parents were glad their daughter wasn’t marrying into this family—though they’d always been really good to Brendan, assuring him that he was no reflection of his parents, that he’d be able to carve his own path in this world. Brendan couldn’t think of a better family to marry into. And he knew he’d never love another woman the way he loved Alyssa. But he’d blown it.

  “Maybe it’s just as well you didn’t marry that girl. We’re from different sides of the tracks, so to speak. And her people always seemed a bit uppity if you ask me. They aren’t like us.”

  Thank goodness! “They’re not uppity, and it didn’t matter to them which side of the tracks anyone was on.” He paused, thinking this conversation was pointless. “I love Alyssa. And I would’ve worked hard to take care of her. It would’ve worked out.”

  “We’ll never know now, will we?”

  Brendan bit back an angry response. The Lord was surely testing him these days. Mom and Dad usually managed to keep it together on Sunday mornings, and ironically they’d made sure that Brendan and his brothers went to church regularly. But the things that went on behind closed doors at his house would shock most people in La Grange. Folks around here just thought they knew everything about the Myers family. Even Alyssa didn’t know the half of it. His parents were basically living the same way both sets of grandparents had lived. It was a pattern Brendan was determined to break.

  “Love ain’t always enough,” his mother finally whispered. She sighed, opened her eyes, and pushed herself up from the chair. She gazed down at Brendan, and Brendan knew what was coming. First his parents would fight, then the crying would start. Mom covered her face with her hands as her shoulders shook. “I’m sorry we ain’t been better parents.”

  Brendan slowly got up, put his arm around his mother, and edged her toward the door. “I know, Mom. Let’s get you to bed.”

  They tiptoed across the living room where Brendan’s father was snoring on the couch, and they both jumped when he sat up. But after eyeing them both and scowling, he finally lay back down. Neither Brendan nor his mother moved until his father started to snore again.

  Alyssa snapped a few pictures of her father in his battle attire while her mother gathered gallon jugs of sweet tea, her contribution to the event.

  “Alex, put these in the back of the truck, will you? Then we need to get on the road.” Mom turned to Alyssa. “Is Dalton picking you up?”

  Alyssa took one more picture, then nodded. “He should be here any minute.” Mom smiled her approval. She loved Brendan and had been like a second mother to him. But if another suitor was on the horizon, Mom was glad it was Dalton.

  Alyssa wasn’t sure about her father, though. Dad had formed a strong bond with Brendan when Brendan worked for him at the feed mill, before he and Alyssa had even started dating. Dad had admired him for his hard work and dedication to the business, and he’d been crushed when Brendan walked out—not to mention angry at him for hurting his daughter.

  Dad had sold the mill a few years back, about the time Mom retired from teaching elementary school. Both her parents were enjoying their early retirement, though Dad spent a fair amount of time as the auctioneer for cattle sales and various fundraisers.

  “I’m taking my own truck.” Alex hefted a box filled with four gallon jugs and headed for the door.

  Mom nodded, then turned to Alyssa. “Have fun today. I’m glad you’re giving Dalton a chance. He’s a great guy.”

  Alyssa smiled, but she was tempted to voice her mother’s unspoken words: a great guy with a great family. Alyssa’s parents had never complained about paying for the entire wedding. But Alyssa was sure Brendan’s background still bothered Mom a little.

  It was ten minutes after they all left when Dalton drove up in his red Silverado. He’d only had the truck a few months, a birthday gift from his parents for his twenty-first birthday. Dalton had grown up completely different from Brendan, but both men were hard workers. Dalton went to the community college half days but also put in long hours at the lumberyard in town. And he’d been fortunate to find a small farmhouse to rent about six miles out of town.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” he said as he walked up to the front porch. “You ready?”

  “Yep.” Alyssa had taken special care on her hair today and had it pinned up in a clip with tiny ringlets dangling on each side. She had on a new pink blouse and her best jeans. Brendan never took her anywhere without telling her how beautiful she looked. But Dalton just opened the door of the truck so she could get in without saying anything. It was a first date, though, and it would be silly for her to expect Dalton to treat her the way Brendan had the past two years.

  The parking lot at Monument Hill was almost full, and Dalton had to drive around until he found a spot on the far side of the lot.

  They walked toward the festivities in the open area near the monument that gave the historic site its name. Alyssa was sure that God couldn’t have blessed them with a prettier day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the high temperature for the day was seventy, and a gentle breeze swirled through the live oak trees. Like a postcard, she thought as she glanced around. She wasn’t much of a history buff, but the site was one of her favorite places to visit. On most days it was quiet, with only a few tourists, and
there were beautiful walking trails along the Colorado River atop the sandstone bluff. One of the trails led to the remains of the historic Kreische Brewery. Heinrich Kreische’s house was still on the property as well.

  She could see her father in the distance chatting with other like-minded reenactors, and several of the townsfolk had set up booths relevant to the 1840s. Some had artifacts on display, and others were selling jams, jellies, homemade noodles, and cookbooks. Alyssa recognized the aromas wafting through the air, and she was sure that somewhere on the grounds you could find sausage on a stick, funnel cakes, turkey legs, and cotton candy. She saw many people she knew as she scanned the crowd, but there was only one person she was looking for. She hoped Brendan was here, and she hoped it stung like a hornet for him to see her with Dalton.

  “Well, don’t you two make a handsome couple.” Sherry waddled up to Alyssa and Dalton. “Love your shirt, Alyssa. Pink has always been your best color.” Then she turned to Dalton and eyed him up and down. “And that navy blue shirt of yours and tight jeans almost make you worthy of Alyssa’s company.”

  “Really, Sherry? Did you really just say that?” After all these years, Alyssa was surprised that Sherry could still shock her.

  Dalton chuckled as he pushed back the rim of his cowboy hat. “I know that I’ll have to earn your approval, Ms. Sherry.” He winked at Sherry, then glanced at Alyssa, his magnetic blue eyes locking with hers. “And I will,” he added.

  Alyssa pulled her eyes from his, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks. Dalton turned back to Sherry and asked her where Monroe was. As her friends fell into a conversation about food, Alyssa studied Dalton for a few moments. He was much taller than Brendan and, unlike Brendan, had perfectly white, straight teeth. Brendan’s not-quite-perfect teeth had always lent him a boyish look. It was something Alyssa had always loved—Brendan’s smile.

  Alyssa’s date had a beautifully proportioned body with broad shoulders, and he carried himself with a confidence Alyssa assumed came with such good looks. Dalton’s hair was dark, his complexion olive, and with that black Resistol hat he could have been a cowboy model for a truck commercial. Alyssa had wanted to get Brendan a hat like that for Christmas last year. But her budget had only allowed for a Stetson, not the four hundred dollar number Dalton was sporting. Brendan had loved her gift, though. Alyssa could still recall the look on his face when he opened the box with the Stetson.