Snow on Magnolias

by Hattie Mae

  Rose had never been so angry with anyone in her life, her mother had stooped to a new low. What a selfish woman. She only cared for herself. She wrapped her arms around her waist to try to still her insides as they shook uncontrollably.

  “I’m so sorry. I knew mother was spiteful but never did I believe her so heartless to do this to her own sister.”

  “Oh baby, none of this is your fault. No one carries the fault of her relatives. Your mother must carry all that blame. But there is more. That was the time when your mother met and married who you thought to be your father. After Wilson met you, he put two and two together and thought there was a very strong possibility that he was your father.”

  Rose inhaled and held her breath. “It can’t be. She wouldn’t have kept this from us. Would she?”

  Aunt Odelia took Rose’s hand in hers. “Wilson went to see your mother and made her confess the truth. You see, she thought she’d won. In her own wicked way, she thought she had something of Wilson’s that I would never have, you. But I love you as much as I could have loved a child of my own blood.”

  “I have a father. Wilson is my dad. All these years when I needed one so badly, she knew, and all she did was make him dead in my eyes. Aunt Odelia I needed him. I needed him so much.”

  “Well you have him now, honey. He can’t wait to do whatever it takes to make things up to you. I know you have been through so much. More than any child should have been through but it’s not too late. It’s not too late to share your life with a family.”

  Odelia drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “So, here’s our plea to you. I know that all you want to do right now is run. Run as far away from Sam as you can. But think about this, you and your dad deserve a chance to get to know each other, a chance to make up a lifetime. Wilson and I are planning to get married in a week and want you to stand up for me.”

  Rose jumped up and started to pace. “I can’t Aunt Odelia. I can’t bear the thought of seeing Sam with Lisa and feeling the hurt I feel.” Rose shuddered. “I know that they are a family and I’m the outsider. But to live under the same roof, sit at the same table, sleep in the room next to theirs? I can’t.” In a whisper, she added, “Please don’t ask me to.”

  “Rose we would never ask you to do something to add to your hurt. But the side house is finished and it is large enough for the three of us to live in. It has two bedrooms downstairs and an attic that has been made into a large suite. I had them finish that room the day you showed up here, hoping you would stay. You never have to come into the big house again. Besides, where would you go, Rose? You have a family now. People that love you. Give us at least a week, until my wedding. I can have the boys move your stuff over to the suite now if you agree.”

  Rose’s pacing came to a halt at the window overlooking the galley. The place of the late night visits with Sam. A place of stolen kisses and hopeful promises. She had to get away. But as her aunt pointed out, where?

  “Rose. Are you okay?”

  “Sorry, Aunt Odelia, I was just thinking. I do so want to be here for your wedding. You and Wilson deserve happiness more than any couple I know.” Rose turned away from the window and smiled at her aunt. “And I certainly can’t go to Atlanta. Right now, I don’t care if I ever see my mother again.”

  So enough about me, let’s see about moving into the side house and planning a wedding. Besides it’s not every day a girl gets to stand up for the bride in her dad’s wedding.”

  “Honey child, thank you. And you’ll see this is a good decision. We can help each other and be a family at the same time.”

  Sam dreaded breakfast with the family. Lisa had slept in one of the bedrooms near the girls. He did not want anyone thinking things were what they once were. Sam was not sure they ever could be. A lot of time and hurt had passed between them.

  And then there was Rose. She was on his mind all night, and when he finally dozed off, she was in his dreams. He thought with Rose he had found his companion, his confidante, his lover. All the things he never had with Lisa.

  He had to stop comparing the two of them. They were completely different. One the mother of his children, the other could have been the love of his life. He had to concentrate on what was best for Lizzy and Bea. If he wasn’t careful, he could lose them and he knew his heart would stop.

  Aw the hell with it, he would skip breakfast this morning or maybe drive into town to the new Tea Room. That way he wouldn’t have to face any one.

  Closing the door to his bedroom, he stopped in front of Rose’s room. The door was ajar. He tapped on it.

  “Rose, are you all right?” No answer.

  Edging the door open, he surveyed the empty room. All of her stuff was gone. Sam entered the room and closed the door behind him. Her smell still lingered in the air. Gone, everything gone. He could expect nothing else. He had not given her a reason to stay.

  Just as he turned to leave, the sunlight caught something bright in the fireplace. Sam bent and picked up and held a piece of broken snow globe in his hand. Turning it over he murmured, “I understand bebé. I don’t believe in happy endings anymore, either.”

  Sam headed to the dining room. He knew he couldn’t leave Bea and Lizzy to deal with their mother alone.

  “Sit by me Papa, sit by me,” Lizzy yelled the minute she saw him.

  Lizzy and Bea sat on either side of him, as close as they could pull their chairs. Lisa was the only other person at the table. She sat across from them. A nervous smile on her lips.

  “Good morning, Sam. You get up a lot later now. I remember you used to get up with the hens.”

  Lizzy giggled. Bea huffed. “He gets up with the chickens, not hens.” Bea was not ready to forgive and forget.

  “I’m sorry it’s been awhile since I lived the country life.”

  Sam had to give credit where credit was due. Lisa was trying.

  “Did you sleep well, Lisa?” Sam asked.

  “Probably better than you did. Do you have plans for the day or can we all do something? You know, kind of get reacquainted.”

  Sam’s hand froze, his fork in midair. He quickly looked at Bea and Lizzy, who in turn looked at him. Pleading. Bea was shaking her head no.

  Had Lisa changed? She claimed to have. Could he trust her? These were her daughters too. Maybe he would let her prove herself to the girls.

  “Let me get some chores done and we could go on a picnic.”

  “No! No picnic.” Lizzy’s lip began to quiver. “That is Miss Rose’s job, she takes us on picnics.”

  “Pumpkin, don’t be rude. Your momma just wants to spend some time with you.”

  “It’s okay, Sam. Time is what we all need. I’ve been gone for so long.”

  Lisa pasted on a smile and reached for Lizzy across the table.

  Lizzy snatched her doll and ran toward the stairs.

  “You shouldn’t have come back, you know. Things were just fine without you.” Bea spat and ran after Lizzy.

  “Bea, come back here,” Sam called after her.

  “Let her go. I deserve this and more. Give them some time. But maybe you and I can still go.” She touched his hand softly.

  Sam couldn’t help his reaction. He pulled his hand back and pretended to reach for another biscuit. “You can’t expect to walk back into our lives and everyone take up where we left off. People change Lisa, feelings change.” Sam stopped himself. He had to try, but not today. He took the biscuit and stood, “I have to get some work done.”

  “Okay. But we really need to see if this is going to work. Or has Rose won your heart like she has won my daughters’?”

  “Don’t go there, Lisa. Rose is gone and what she did or didn’t do is none of your business.” Sam surprised himself with his need to defend Rose. His arms still ached to hold her. Rose was a dream, Lisa a reality. She was still his wife and the mother of Lizzy and Bea. He had to do what was best for them.

  “I’ll come find you when I get through. Take it easy on the girls. They need to get t
o know you again. You broke their hearts you know.”

  Sam watched as Lisa processed his words and with a weak sigh walked to the doorway.

  “I’ll be in my room, let me know when you are ready.”

  Her thin tall body swayed as she walked, her head held high. Lisa always carried herself like a regal princess. She didn’t look much older than the homecoming queen he once knew.

  It had seemed perfectly natural when she came back to Bon Amie after a relationship gone wrong, carrying a small child, that he step up and make things right. He meant to give support, but she needed more and he wanted a family. He thought love would follow. But when she left after they had been married just barely a few years, she was gone for six months. Still he took her back. For Bea’s sake. He loved that small girl and someone had to be a constant in her young life.

  Love never followed. He knew that as he watched her walk upstairs. Not real love. Not the love he felt—. Damn, he had to get Rose out of his head. Concentrate on his children.

  Sam found both of the girls in Bea’s room. Bea as always was trying to comfort Lizzy. He closed the door behind him and sat on Bea’s bed.

  “Why don’t we have a talk? You can ask me any questions and I’ll give you as honest an answer as I can.”

  Bea cocked her head to one side. “We can ask you any question? Anything we want?”

  “Yes, anything you want.”

  “Is she going to stay?” Bea asked.

  Sam gazed down and saw the same look he had seen so many times in her young face. Rejection. Rejection came first by her biological dad and then by her mother on more than one occasion. So many people she gave her love to walked away.

  “I don’t know darlin’. She wants to. You remember what I told you when your mother left the first time?”

  “Yes. You said she left, not because she wanted to leave us, but because she couldn’t stay. But you never told us why she couldn’t stay.” Bea twisted the tail of a stuffed animal she’d picked up from her bed. “So after she never called or came to see us, I figured she just didn’t love us enough.”

  Sam fought the lump in his throat. What people do to their children. “Bea why didn’t you come and talk to me about this? You knew I would always tell you the truth. You’re wrong, darlin’, your mother loves you too much. She left because some grown-ups can’t live in a place where they feel confined. They need a place to fly and be free, and your mom is one of those grown-ups. But most of all she needs the two of you to love her back.”

  “Papa, I have a question.” Lizzy’s small sweet voice melted his heart.

  “What’s that, pumpkin?” Sam managed to say.

  “What about Miss Rose? Do we have to stop loving her now?”

  From the mouth of babies. “No pumpkin, you can love Miss Rose as long as you live. I know she will always love you. I’m sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye to her, she must have left last night.”

  “Miss Rose didn’t leave, Dad. She moved in with Odelia in the side house early this morning. She said we could go see her anytime if it was okay with you ,” Bea chimed in.

  Sam’s heart gave a lunge. Rose was still here. Did that news make him happy or not? It sure complicated things.

  “How long is she staying? Never mind we were talking about your mom.”

  “It’s okay, Papa, you said we could talk about anything. Miss Rose is staying for Odelia’s wedding. I get to throw flowers and Bea gets to stand somewhere with Odelia and Miss Rose.”

  “Odelia is getting married? Did I miss a whole day somewhere? How do you two know so much?”

  “Because we listen, don’t we Bea?”

  Sam couldn’t help but smile as Bea’s face turned a light pink. "Bea, have you been eavesdropping? You know that is not something we do?”

  “Yes, Dad. But sometimes that’s the only way we find out anything.”

  “This discussion is not over, Bea. And to think you have pulled your little sister into this bad habit with you.”

  Sam hissed air through his lips. He knew he was overreacting, but his mind would not let go of the knowledge that Rose was still nearby.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Rose’s excitement grew as her aunt twirled around in the dress they had found. The soft cream color set off Odelia’s olive complexion. Her smile was infectious, her happiness contagious.

  “Mercy, to think that in three days I’ll be Mrs. Wilson James. Oh, how I’ve waited for this day.”

  “Yes you have, and no one deserves happiness more than you, Aunt Odelia. This has been a long time coming, but you never gave up hope.” Rose smiled at her sweet aunt. “You look like a girl twenty years old. Wilson is a very lucky man.”

  Laughing, Odelia took Rose’s hands in hers and spun her around with her. “Honey child, it is me that is lucky. I found my Wilson and I know you will always be a part of my life too.”

  Stopping before a full-length mirror she studied herself. “Do you think I need a hat or a veil? A hat, definitely a hat.”

  They finished the shopping and stopped at the café for lunch. Mildred, the waitress, a woman about Odelia’s age sat them by the window.

  “Well, well, what’s this I hear about you getting married? You sure have breathed air into us old maids. Maybe we have a chance after all. Good for you I say, good for you. Now what can I get you two to eat?”

  Rose caught a glimpse of a gold tooth in the front of Mildred’s mouth as she smiled; it sat next to a missing one dead center. Her skin was smooth with no wrinkles and her head was topped off with a full set of curls in a light purple.

  “What a delightful woman. Has she been a friend of yours long?” Rose asked.

  “Since we were little girls. Her love was killed in the war like I was afraid my Wilson had been.”

  A tap on the window turned both of their heads. There stood Bea, Lizzy, Sam and Lisa. Rose thought her heart had stopped. It was the first time she had seen Sam since the night of the dance. She couldn’t help her eyes from locking on his. Lizzy was asking him a question and the two girls ran inside leaving Sam and Lisa still on the outside.

  Sam’s jaw was tense and tight, his eyes full of turmoil. He tried a weak smile but his lips resisted. Lisa took his arm and led him away from the window, across the street to a bench in the park.

  Rose took a breath. She realized she had been holding it since they tapped on the window.

  “Hi, Miss Rose. Odelia, did you find a wedding dress?” Bea asked.

  Rose concentrated on the girls and told them in detail about the wedding dress and hat.

  “Have you two eaten lunch?” Rose asked.

  “Yeah, we ate with Papa and—” Lizzy stopped and looked at Rose.

  “It’s okay, Lizzy, you can talk about your mom. What did you eat?”

  “Hot dogs. Mom said that was her favorite when she was a little girl. Do you believe she was ever a little girl?”

  “All ladies were once little girls. I bet she was a pretty one, don’t you?” Rose tried to keep herself as calm as she could for Bea and Lizzy’s sake. They deserved a mom and a dad. “She sure is beautiful now, don’t you agree?” Rose said.

  Lizzy turned her head to the side as if in thought and put her arm around Rose’s neck and ran her little fingers through Rose’s curls.

  “Yeah, she’s beautiful. Just like the dolls that come in red boxes tied with gold bows.”

  Bea never spoke, but watched Rose and Lizzy from hooded eyebrows. “We better go Lizzy, Dad said we could only visit a little while.”

  Before they walked away from the table, Bea turned around and ran back to Rose. “I know she hurt you, too. I’m sorry. But I’ll always love you Rose. Dad said we have to give her a chance,” she whispered.

  Rose’s heart ached for the two girls she had grown to love so much. They joined the couple on the bench. Lisa held Lizzy’s hand and reached for Bea’s, but the little girl held it close to her body. As they walked away, Sam looked back and Rose ducked her head. She could no
t allow him to peer into her heart again. A hand covered hers just as their lunch arrived. She looked at Aunt Odelia through glazed eyes.

  “I’m so sorry Rose. This is very hard on you. You’re not staying are you?”

  “I can’t,” Rose whispered. “If I do I’ll lose myself. I have to find a place for me.”

  “Where? Do you know?”

  “Maybe, I contacted a fellow writer friend of mine that lives in the mountains of Colorado. A friend of hers has a cabin not far from her home and said that the area is great for writing. So I sent her money to secure the cabin. It has two bedrooms so you and Wilson can visit. I don’t want to lose touch with my family now that I have one, as small as it is.” Rose mustered up a smile. “I already love Wilson and am enjoying the fact that he’s my dad.”

  “I wish things could be different. I am going to miss seeing you every day. Now eat. You have picked at that food, and I don’t believe you have eaten a bite, and I’m afraid you will waste away.”

  “I’m really not hungry. If you are through, why don’t we stop by Trudy’s and see if she is finished with your bridal bouquet? I told Bea and Lizzy we would practice walking down the aisle this afternoon, and I would like to wrap their gifts for them before they get there.”

  Trudy was working on a casket cover when they walked in and she flashed them a grin.

  “Well if it’s not the bride. Did you come to see what a mess I made?” She tucked in a lone carnation and went into her cooler. Trudy returned with a nosegay of pale pink roses surrounding a beautiful magnolia. Pink and cream ribbons were tied with a pretty bow and streamed down together like a waterfall.

  “Trudy, it’s absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t be happier.” Odelia dabbed at her eyes. “If the two of you will excuse me a moment, something’s in my eye.”

  “I agree. You are a master at what you do, Trudy. The colors are great, the flowers will accent her dress perfectly. It is so good to see her so happy, don’t you agree?”