“Still, it’s a Saturday night, Meg,” Dani protested, looking as if the new guy could have waited until Monday morning to start putting demands on Meg.
“Maybe he doesn’t have much of a social life. I don’t know. I’ve been really busy, too. Trying to get things organized my way and recruit and hire nurses for the new wing of the hospital that’s set to open next spring.” Meg sighed as she carried a platter filled with scrumptious-looking blueberry pancakes to the table. “Filling Lilah McCabe’s shoes is going to be no easy thing.”
“You’re up to the task,” Jenna said firmly as she warmed the syrup in the microwave. Everyone promptly agreed.
“Thanks.” Meg blushed at the vote of confidence. “Anyway, the appointment was made by the department secretary. The new chief said it would only take a couple of hours, so I should be able to hit the party at the Remingtons’ ranch a little later in the evening and provide some family support for you.”
“Great.” Jenna sighed as the kids came barreling in the back door and she slid the piping-hot eggs on a platter and set it on the table. “I have a feeling Alexandra, Jake and I are going to need all the moral backing we can get.”
TO JENNA’S RELIEF, the rest of brunch was a lighthearted event, full of love and laughter. By the time it ended, she was very glad she, Jake and Alex had accepted the invitation, fraught with ulterior motives as it had been. And she wasn’t the only one who was happy to be there.
“I had the bestest time here ever,” Alexandra declared to Jenna and Jake as they got ready to leave Meg’s. “Can Jeremy come and spend the night at our ranch some time soon?”
“Sure,” Jake smiled, ruffling Alex’s hair.
“And maybe Buster and Miss Kitty can visit here, too,” Alex continued enthusiastically as Jenna and Jake helped her gather up her belongings. “Jeremy likes animals. He doesn’t have any of his own.”
Jake knelt to help Alex zip her overnight bag closed. “Jeremy can come to our ranch to visit Buster and Miss Kitty.”
Alex persisted with a frown, “But he wants them to come here, Daddy, to his house.”
“Maybe we can work something out,” Meg interjected easily. “They can come over for a play date, or we can pet-sit for you or something sometime.”
Alex and Jeremy cheered.
“You are a generous woman.” Jake grinned.
Jenna seconded the notion with a kiss and a hug. “Thanks for brunch.” And for giving me time alone with Jake last night.
Looking every bit as happy and content as her daddy, Alex chattered nonstop on the ride back to the J&R Ranch. Jenna was less relaxed. A glance at her watch told her she had less than seven hours to get Alexandra into a dress. Jake was counting on Jenna. Jenna knew how important it was to him to have the tomboy issue taken off the table, where his parents and Melinda were concerned, and Jenna didn’t want to let him down. First though, the pets had to be fed and cuddled and let out for a run, and as soon as they arrived, they were. Afterward, she and Alex went up to the playroom where Jenna had set up her sewing machine and dressmaker’s dummy, while Jake stayed downstairs to make some business calls regarding their new business venture. Impatient that things weren’t moving faster, he was determined to set up a full roster of appointments for Jenna and he the next week.
To Jenna’s relief, Alex stopped dead in her tracks and grinned in surprise when she saw the alphabet dress on the dummy. “You finished it,” she said, eying with delight the colorful letters and numbers Jenna had appliquéd on the dress.
“Almost.” Jenna picked up the bottom of the dress and showed her. “It’s not hemmed yet. I wasn’t quite sure about the length, but it’s hard to do that on a dressmaker’s dummy. It’s really better to do that on a live person. I asked your dad if he’d do the honors but…” Jenna rolled her eyes in obvious exasperation, “he seems to think he wouldn’t fit in it.”
Alex giggled at Jenna’s clowning around. “He wouldn’t, silly,” she told Jenna seriously. “He’s way too big.”
“Oh.” Jenna pretended to be disappointed and perplexed. “Well, if you think of any little girls who might be willing to do that for me, let me know. In the meantime, I’m going to work on my other project.”
With difficulty, Alex tore her glance away from the dress and followed Jenna over to the playroom table. “What project?”
Jenna spread out the pieces of green, brown, red and yellow velveteen she’d already cut out. “I thought I’d make a stuffed frog for one of my very favorite people.”
Alex stood on one foot. “Who’s that?”
Achingly aware how good it felt to be mothering this child, if only by default, Jenna slanted her a playful glance. “Three guesses,” she teased.
Alex looked hopeful as she pointed at her own chest. “Me?”
“You’re right,” Jenna praised Alex warmly. “And on the first guess, too.” Her heart pounding, Jenna paused, knowing this next mission was integral to her plan to get Alex involved in more ladylike indoor activities as well as all her rambunctious outdoor pursuits. “Would you like to help?” Jenna studied Alex’s face for any sign of resistance, and to her relief saw only bright-eyed interested. “I have a special machine that’s perfect for someone your age to learn to sew. In fact, I learned to sew on it.”
“Really?”
Jenna nodded, recalling what a happy time that had been in her life. “My mom taught me,” she said.
Unable to help herself, Alex looked back at the dress. “What about the alphabet dress, though? Aren’t you going to finish that?”
Jenna nodded, distracted. “As soon as I get somebody to help me with it,” she promised.
“I’ll help you,” Alex volunteered quickly.
“You sure?” Jenna frowned consideringly. “I mean I wouldn’t want to put you out or anything.”
Getting more excited by the minute, Alex stood on one foot, then the other. “I wouldn’t mind trying it on. Just for a few minutes.”
“Okay. That’d be great.”
Jenna helped Alex out of her T-shirt and denim overalls. Minutes later, she was standing on a dressmaker’s pedestal while Jenna knelt in front of her, pinning and measuring the hem.
Jake walked in.
He, too, stopped dead in his tracks. “Wow.” He let out a long, low wolf whistle that had his daughter blushing with delight. Hands braced on his hips, Jake walked around Alex and surveyed her from every angle as if unable to believe his eyes. “You are one heck of a pretty Texas lady. You look great in that dress, Alex. I mean really great!”
Alex beamed. Then, remembering her avowed dislike of anything feminine, she quickly tamped down her enthusiasm and said, “I’m jus’ helping her out, Daddy.”
“I can see that,” Jake said solemnly, promptly tamping down his enthusiasm. “It’s very nice of you.” Apparently realizing they were in a very delicate moment, he turned to Jenna, once again all business. “Dillard’s, Foley’s and Bealls department stores all want to meet with you. Next week, if possible. Think you can have preliminary sketches ready to show?”
“Maybe by Thursday or Friday.”
“How about one Wednesday, one Thursday and one Friday?”
“That’s a lot of driving back and forth.”
“They’re coming here to Laramie. They want to meet at your shop, see the warehouse we’re going to turn into a factory. Maybe Alex could even model a dress or two as a favor. If…” Jake paused, looking unwilling to impose “…she wouldn’t mind helping you out.”
“I like to help,” Alex said.
“Then it’s settled?” Jake said, looking back at Jenna. “I can tell them yes?”
It would mean she would have to work very hard, starting tomorrow, Jenna thought, but it was a small price to pay for what Jake was offering. And, if truth be told, she was a little anxious to get moving on this project too, not just because it was the fulfillment of her personal, professional dreams, but to further cement their involvement as a couple. Aware Jake was still
waiting on her answer, Jenna nodded. “Tell them yes.”
Jake kissed his daughter, told her again how pretty she looked, thanked Jenna for helping her look that way and kissed her, too, then went back downstairs.
Finished measuring the hem, Jenna helped Alex out of the alphabet dress. Alex climbed back into her play clothes. “What are you going to do now?” she asked.
Jenna smiled. “Help you make the frog, then whipstitch the hem of this dress.”
Alex frowned. “Are you going to the party at Grandma and Grandpa’s with Daddy and me?”
Jenna looked at Alex’s face and realized she wasn’t the only one feeling the heat as far as that particular party went; Alex needed moral support, too. “Yes.”
Alex scooted closer. “What are you going to wear?” she asked anxiously.
Jenna smiled. “A pretty dress.” A drop-dead gorgeous dress that would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jenna could be just as high-society as the next woman.
Alex sat down on Jenna’s lap and wrapped both her hands around her neck. She peered into her face with childlike intensity. “What do you think I should wear, Jenna?”
Aware she was treading on dangerous ground, Jenna sighed and said, “Honestly?”
Alex nodded solemnly, clinging to Jenna all the more.
Gently, Jenna said, “I think you should consider wearing one of the dresses your mommy bought for you in Dallas.” Such an action would please everyone, which in turn would lessen the pressure on Alex.
Alex rolled her eyes in exasperation. “But they have all those bows and ruffles and pouffy skirts.”
Not to mention fragile fabric and thousand-dollar price tags, Jenna thought. “Not really your style, are they?” Jenna sympathized, stroking Alex’s long, strawberry-blond hair.
Alex ducked her head. “Nobody dresses like that here.”
“True,” Jenna agreed. “You wouldn’t see a dress like that on the street in Laramie. But I have a feeling everybody at your grandparents’ party is going to be wearing very, very fancy dresses. So you won’t be out of place. But that’s not why you should wear one of those dresses to the party.” Jenna paused and looked deep into Alex’s eyes. “You should wear one of those dresses because it was a very special present from your mom, because she cared enough to go all the way to Dallas to buy it for you, and because it would make her very happy.”
JAKE DIDN’T HAVE to ask where Jenna and Alex were. All he had to do was follow the sound of Disney music, being played at full blast. Pausing only long enough to check on Buster and Miss Kitty, who were both happily ensconced on the back porch, he headed for the second floor, strode into the playroom, then blinked and blinked again. Jenna and Alex were seated at the table, their heads bent together, working on something. Both looked breathtakingly beautiful. Alex in a pink organza dress, black-patent leather shoes and tights. Jenna in a very simple, midnight-blue evening dress. “Wow,” Jake smiled, as the two stood and pirouetted for him. “I have never in my life seen two such incredibly beautiful ladies.” Fresh from her bath, with her hair curled and combed, Alex looked like a little lady. More important, she was happy as could be.
As for Jenna…in the elegant off-the-shoulder gown that gently molded her slender body and ended just above her knees, her red-gold hair swept up into a sophisticated topknot, she looked like a million bucks.
“Thank you,” Jenna smiled, taking him in from head to toe. If the gleam in her eyes was any indication, she very much liked the way he looked in his tuxedo. “You look pretty good yourself,” Jenna drawled.
Alex sat back down and pulled Jenna down with her. “Yeah. Thanks for the compl’ment, Daddy, but we’re busy.” Alex picked up some white cottony material and began stuffing it in a small, oddly shaped pillow.
“I can see that.” Jake pulled up a chair and sat down opposite them. “What are you doing?” Whatever it was, it was taking a heck of a lot of concentration.
“We’re making a frog named Freddy for Alex to play with,” Jenna said as Alex crammed the last of the stuffing inside the green velveteen frog. “All we have to do now is sew his tummy shut and we’re all done.”
“Yeah, Daddy,” Alex continued excitedly, “and we’re going to do it on the sewing machine like we did the rest of it. Jenna showed me how to use it.”
Jenna’s brow furrowed. “We’ve got time, haven’t we?” she said, consulting her watch.
Jake nodded. ‘We don’t have to leave for another half an hour.” He didn’t want to be early. This evening was going to be long enough.
With Jenna’s help, Alex fit the frog into the machine. Concentrating fiercely, Alex began to sew.
She was nearly done when the rhythmic clicking of high heels sounded in the hall. “Well, here you are! I was wondering why no one answered the door.” Melinda grimaced and held a hand to her ear as if she could shut out the lively sounds of the children’s record that way. “Now I know.”
“Sorry.” Jake turned to his ex-wife. She was wearing a stunning white evening gown that looked like two separate dresses, worn one over-top of the other. The dress nearest to her skin clung to her body seductively. The dress over that was looser and made of transparent material. It swirled more loosely around her and had a jagged hem that fell to mid-calf. Jake had never seen her look more beautiful. Or smoothly calculating. “We didn’t hear the bell.”
Melinda strode to the stereo as if she were gliding down a fashion runway and turned the music down. Stepping back to Alex’s side, she asked, “What are you two doing?”
Once again, Alex explained. To Jake’s dismay, Melinda dismissed the activity with a curt smile and a nod. “Honey, I was hoping you’d wear the ice-blue satin dress tonight. The one with the cute little petticoat. Not the pink organza.”
Jake held his breath. Melinda had no idea how much finesse it had taken him and Jenna to get Alex into that dress.
“We can put it on in a minute,” Melinda added pleasantly, as if it were just that simple. She looked down at her daughter. “In the meantime, why don’t you run downstairs, honey, and wait for me there?” she instructed Alex matter-of-factly. “I’ll help you change. Right now, I want to talk to your daddy and Jenna.”
“It’s okay,” Jake said, when a suddenly tense Alex seemed disinclined to move. “You can take your frog. We’ll all be down shortly.”
Her previously happy mood shattered, as well as her confidence in her appearance, Alex gave them a half-hearted smile that broke Jake’s heart and went downstairs.
As soon as Alex had gone, Melinda went over and shut the door to the playroom. “What’s going on here?” Melinda cast a glance at the sewing machine, then glared at Jake. “Did you give permission for this?” Not waiting for his reply, Melinda continued curtly, “I don’t care who you’re currently dating, Jake. I don’t want my daughter turned into a seamstress.”
Jake grimaced. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Melinda was Alex’s mother and he didn’t want an ugly scene…
Jenna looked from Jake to Melinda and back again. “Maybe you two should talk about this without me present,” she said quietly, as eager to get away from this ugliness and tension as Jake.
“No. You stay right here.” Melinda blocked her way to the door. “This concerns you, too. This is a family affair tonight. There are going to be so many people there that we know, looking to us to set an example.” Melinda turned to Jenna, “You wouldn’t mind going alone, would you? I think Jake, Alexandra and I should arrive as a family.”
Jake had suspected Melinda was going to pull something. He just hadn’t known what, until now. Ten to one, this opening gambit was merely the tip of the iceberg for what she had planned tonight. “I think it would be better for Alexandra if all four of us arrived together,” he said. “That would be a good way for us to show we’re all friends.”
“But we’re not really all friends, are we, Jake?” Melinda shot back acerbically, clearly furious he wasn’t immediately bowing to her wishes, even if only to
avoid a fight and any unpleasantness for Alexandra. “Just like we’re not all family. And for propriety’s sake,” she continued unpleasantly, “I think—”
Jake frowned, and held up a hand, cutting Melinda off in midsentence. “What is that?” he demanded, every parental instinct in him suddenly on full alert. He turned to Jenna and Melinda. “Do you hear barking?” And squeals of laughter from Alex? he added silently.
The three of them rushed to the windows overlooking the backyard. Looked down. “Oh, no,” Jenna said, clapping a hand to her mouth to stifle her sigh of dismay. “No!”
Chapter Nine
Alex was running across the back lawn, garden hose in hand, Buster chasing after her and nipping at her heels while Miss Kitty romped in the sidelines. “We’ve got to get down there before they all get soaked!” Jenna said.
“Brilliant deduction!” Melinda snapped. She glared at Jake. “This is all your fault, do you hear me? Bringing your—your girlfriend here and installing her in this house. No wonder Alexandra’s upset!”
If Alexandra was upset, it had nothing to do with Jenna’s presence, but rather, everything to do with Melinda’s. But not wanting to waste time standing there arguing when disaster was looming, Jake rushed to the door of the playroom. He yanked it open and sprinted through the upstairs hall, down the back stairs, into the kitchen, across the screened-in back porch, and out to the lawn.
By the time he reached Alex, it was too late. Her hair, so beautifully curled, now hung in wet tangles around her head. Her dress was muddy, ripped and wet. She had streaks of grime across her face, arms, legs and hands. Worse, the trigger on the sprayer nozzle on the garden hose was apparently stuck in the open position, because it was still spraying water full force even as Buster and Alex played tug-of-war over the wildly undulating length of green hose.
Jake trotted forward and picked up the hose. Buster grabbed it back with his teeth. The nozzle hit Jake square in the face and chest, sending a stream of water soaking through his tuxedo. With difficulty, he got ahold of the wet, muddy, squirming puppy with one hand, wrested control of the hose with his other just as Jenna reached the spigot next to the house and cut the water at the source.
The Bride Said, Finally! (The Lockharts of Texas) Page 19
