Chapter 3
On Friday evening, Tonya glanced out the living room window. Two headlight beams cut through the darkness, lighting up the snowflakes that floated down to the long driveway. “Mom? Are we expecting company?”
Her mother’s voice wafted from the kitchen, along with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies. “Oh, that must be Molly. The nursing home hired a couple extra nurses, so she got the weekend off.”
“Really?” A spark of excitement surged through Tonya. “I’ll help her with her stuff.” She ran to the front closet and pulled on her boots. Grabbing a coat, she threw it on as she sprinted down the snowy steps of the front porch.
Molly parked her car by the door and got out. Long auburn hair flowed over the shoulders of her gray winter coat.
“Molly! Welcome home!”
Her sister looked up. Tiny pricks of the porch light shone in her brown eyes. “Baby sis!”
Tonya hugged her. “You were just here two weeks ago for Callie’s wedding. I can’t believe you’re back so soon. That’s a long drive in this weather.”
“Yeah, sixty miles on icy, snowy roads. I’m exhausted.”
“You do sound tired.” Tonya shivered in the cold evening air.
Molly opened the trunk and took out a suitcase. “I’m glad I could get away this weekend. After all, I have my own wedding to plan.”
“Oh, Molly, I’m so excited for you.” Tonya hugged her again, suitcase and all.
“Thanks. I thought Jonathan would never ask me. But when he said he thought it would be nice to get married on Valentine’s Day, since it’s on a Saturday, I agreed before the words were out of his mouth.” Molly giggled. “I think I shocked him.”
Tonya took the suitcase from her sister, and they clomped up the front steps together. “You’ve sure been patient. Haven’t you two been going out for five years?”
“Six. At least, it’s going to be six years on Valentine’s Day.” Molly opened the front door. “Our first date was for a Valentine’s party at the church in Douglas.”
“I didn’t know that. So now you’ve come full circle. Your first date was in the same church where you plan to tie the knot.”
“Yep.” Molly took off her coat. “And that knot is going to be really tight.”
“How can you plan a wedding in two months?” Tonya sat across from her sister at the dining room table. Both she and Molly flipped through bridal magazines looking at bridesmaid dresses.
“A girl has to do what a girl has to do.” Molly grinned. “Of course, I’ve been thinking about my wedding for years just in case he popped the question. But Jonathan always wanted to wait and get his medical degree first.”
“I wonder what changed his mind.”
“Callie’s wedding. He said when he saw me walk down that aisle as a bridesmaid something hit him.”
Tonya smiled. “Must have been one of Cupid’s arrows. Callie’s wedding was so beautiful, I got hit myself.” Her smile faded. “But I have no idea who my groom will be.”
Molly reached across the table and patted her hand. “All in good time, baby sis. You have plenty of time.”
“No I don’t.” Tonya pulled her lips into a pout. “I’m twenty-three—practically an old maid.”
“So what does that make me? No one else in the family hit twenty-nine before they got married.” Molly flipped a page. “That’s another reason I jumped at the chance to marry in two months. I want to have six kids, just like Mom.”
“At least you had someone to marry all these years.” Tonya sighed. “I’ve had plenty of dates, but no one sticks.” She thought of Reed Dickens. “Although I have my eye on someone—a really hot guy. I think he’s a doctor, Molly. Wouldn’t that be something if we both ended up marrying doctors?”
Molly turned another page. “He and Jonathan will probably talk shop at every family reunion. Hey, here’s a pretty dress.” She turned the magazine around to show Tonya. “What do you think about this one in pink?”
Tonya gazed at the sleeveless gown. “That would be beautiful and perfect for a Valentine’s wedding. But maybe it should be a darker pink or even a fuchsia.”
“Good idea—if we can find satin fabric in purplish-red. Do you think we could get fuchsia flowers for the bouquets?”
“Maybe, but that color would look great with a bouquet of light pink roses.” Tonya gave the magazine back. “I’m not going to have a winter wedding. I always wanted to get married in June, with pastel dresses for my bridesmaids. Each one will wear a different color.”
“Ooh, pastels. I like that. How many bridesmaids will you have? Just the sisters?”
“Plus five or six more. I’d really like ten or twelve girls.”
“Ten or twelve?” Molly shook her head. “Really, Tonya—”
“The wedding pictures will be fabulous.”
Molly laughed. “Dream on, baby sis.”
Tonya sighed. Right now her wedding was nothing but a distant dream.
Ten minutes later Tonya opened the front door with the sound of the doorbell still reverberating through the house. Callie and Lane stood on the snowy porch.
“Hey!” Tonya pulled Callie into the house with a hug. “When did you guys get back from your honeymoon?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” Tonya took a step back. She still couldn’t get used to Callie without her glasses, which she had worn almost all her life. Her husband, Lane, had paid for laser eye surgery as a wedding gift. “You got back yesterday? Why didn’t you call us? Are you staying at Lane’s house in Cheyenne?”
“Nope.” Callie glanced up at her husband and smiled. “We spent the night at our new house on Little Deer Road.”
Tonya didn’t miss the look of love that passed between the newlyweds. But before she could even give a wistful sigh, Mom and Molly were there, hugging Callie and Lane. As Callie exclaimed over Molly’s new engagement, Dad and Derek joined the group.
“Derek and I are watching an old rerun of Columbo.” Dad slapped Lane on the shoulder. “Why don’t you come on back, Lane? I’m sure the girls will only talk about wedding plans.”
“Columbo sounds good to me.” Lane winked at Callie. “I guess I’ve spent enough time with my wife this week.”
Callie’s face tinged pink as she smiled back at him.
The blushing bride. Tonya hoped she would be next.
Soon Tonya joined her sisters and her mom around the kitchen table where they feasted on warm chocolate chip cookies. Callie described the wonders of Yellowstone National Park in the wintertime and the snug cabin they had rented.
Tonya propped her chin in her hand with a wistful sigh. “I can’t wait to have my own wedding.”
Molly nodded. “Tonya said she’s going to have ten or twelve bridesmaids.” Mom raised her eyebrows. “That many, Tonya?”
“Well …” She shrugged, not wanting to change her girlhood dreams. “I want to include everyone. Besides, think of how it would look—my husband and I flanked by a dozen girls in beautiful pastel colors. Like a flower garden.”
Molly laughed. “That’s just like you, baby sis. My three sisters will be enough for me.” She picked up the magazine and showed the picture to Mom. “Do you think you could sew three bridesmaid dresses like this in fuchsia for Tonya, Callie, and Melissa?”
Mom studied the picture. “If Tonya helps me, we should have plenty of time to finish them.” She picked up her teacup. “But what about your dress, Molly? Are you going to sew it yourself?”
Molly shook her head. “No time. Melissa is going to let me borrow hers. We did some planning last night over the phone.”
“Don’t you want your own dress?” Tonya couldn’t imagine borrowing someone else’s bridal gown, even if it was her sister’s.
“I love Melissa’s dress. We picked it out together, and she doesn’t mind sharing.”
Mom nodded. “You two always liked the exact same styles.”
“That’s what happens when you’re twins.” Callie gr
inned. “Tonya and I have the opposite tastes in clothes.”
“That’s for sure.” Tonya picked up another cookie. “By the way, Molly, who are we walking down the aisle with?”
Molly counted on her fingers. “Melissa is my matron of honor, and Derek will be the best man.”
“Derek?” Mom, Callie, and Tonya said his name in unison.
“What about Jonathan’s brother?” Mom took a bite of her cookie.
“He’s not coming. It was too hard for him to get away from his mission in India.” Molly paused. “I’ve always wanted to have all my siblings in our wedding, and since Jon’s brother couldn’t come, he decided on one of my brothers as his best man.”
“Why didn’t he pick Ryan?” Mom asked. “He’s the oldest.”
“Jon doesn’t know Ryan that well. On the other hand, he and Derek are good friends.” Molly resumed her counting. “So, it’s Melissa and Derek, Callie and Ryan, and Tonya and Murray.”
Tonya’s mouth dropped open. “Do you mean Murray Twichell?”
Molly raised her eyebrows. “What other Murray is there? He’s Jonathan’s cousin, so Jon wants him in the bridal party.” She looked concerned. “Is something wrong?”
Tonya dropped her head in her hands. “I cannot get rid of that guy.”
Mom placed her arm around Tonya’s shoulders. “He gave her a speeding ticket last week, so she’s upset with him.”
Tonya folded her arms. “Besides that, he’s an inch shorter than me, and I know you’ll want us girls to wear heels. The pictures will look terrible.” Of all the people in Wyoming, she had to get stuck with Murray!
“Jon and I talked about that.” Molly rested her chin in her hand. “After all, Jon and my two brothers are all over six feet tall, and Murray is … what?”
“Five-six,” Callie supplied.
“Right. But Jonathan has a plan.” Molly grinned. “His uncle has a pair of elevator shoes from the ‘70s that he wore in college, and Jon asked if Murray could wear them.”
Tonya frowned. “Elevator shoes?”
“I remember those.” Mom spread her thumb and index finger about two inches apart. “The entire sole is two to three inches deep, so it makes the man taller. Some people call them platform shoes.”
Molly giggled. “Murray will be at least two inches taller than you, baby sis.”
“Great!” Tonya rolled her eyes. “Just what I need—Murray looking down his big nose at me during the entire wedding.” A sudden thought hit her. “Hey, why don’t you make Lane Callie’s partner, and then I can walk down the aisle with Ryan?”
Callie shook her head. “Lane is not the groomsman type. He told me that our wedding was the last one he wanted to be in for a while.”
“Well, he’ll have to be in mine.” Tonya threw her hands up in the air. “If I’m going to have ten or twelve bridesmaids, I’ll need all the guys I can get.”
Molly smirked. “Yeah, who knows? You might even have to enlist Murray.”
Tonya rolled her eyes. “No way! I can guarantee that Murray Twichell will never be in my wedding.”
Chapter 4
On Sunday morning, Tonya’s fingers shook as she opened her secret pal envelope. Please let it be Reed Dickens! Derek had given each member of the Single Servings an envelope with the 3 × 5 card inside. She furtively glanced around the circle of chairs. Everyone pulled out the card, read it, and tucked it back in the envelope. Cheyenne, who sat next to Tonya, pulled her card up to her face and squinted her eyes, as if the writing was hard to read.
She must have gotten Horace.
“Okay.” Derek rubbed his hands together. “Now you know the name of your receiver and what he or she likes. And remember, don’t trade cards with anyone.” He paused a moment to look at Tonya. “This is the person the Lord wants you to encourage.” He went on to reiterate his ideas for encouragement, and above all, he admonished everyone to keep it secret.
While he talked, Tonya took a deep breath and pulled her card halfway out. Her shoulders slumped as she read the neat, blocky printing. Murray Twichell. Brown is my favorite color. I enjoy singing, fixing computers as a hobby, and watching football games. She sighed as she put the card back. And giving speeding tickets, throwing toads down little girls’ shirts …
Cheyenne elbowed her, leaning closer to whisper. “Who’d you get?”
Tonya handed over her envelope. Pulling out the card, Cheyenne peeked at it and raised her eyebrows before giving it back. A moment later Tonya pulled out Cheyenne’s card. The writing was so terrible she could barely make out the name.
Reed Dickens.
Tonya’s lips parted. Reed went on to describe his favorite things in an entire paragraph of scribbled writing. He must be a doctor if his writing was this bad. She held the card close to her face, as Cheyenne had done, and tried to decipher the message.
Reed Dickens. I live in Lusk and work at the hospital as a registered nurse.
Tonya whipped her head toward Cheyenne. “A nurse?” she mouthed.
Cheyenne shrugged. Her attention went back to Derek as he began to teach the Sunday school lesson.
It took another five minutes for Tonya to finish reading the card. Reed not only mentioned his job, but where he had moved from, his favorite foods, his favorite pastimes, his favorite movies, and the name of his ex-girlfriend.
Tonya handed the card back and leaned toward Cheyenne. “That guy is really stuck on himself.”
“I’ll say,” Cheyenne whispered. “No wonder Nicole is his ex-girlfriend.”
Well, that was one good thing. Tonya still wasn’t ready to dismiss Reed as a potential husband. He was too good-looking—really hot, that’s what he was. And after reading his card about his favorite pastimes, she had an idea… .
Murray tried to keep his mind on Derek’s lesson, but his eyes kept wandering over to Tonya. He couldn’t believe her name was on his card. From the Lord, according to Derek. Why did he keep getting stuck with her? His cousin, Jonathan, asked him to be in his wedding, and when Murray agreed, Jon said he would be walking down the aisle with Tonya. Murray could just imagine how she took that news.
However, this secret pal thing might prove to be an interesting situation. At least she would be easy to buy gifts for—old movies, classical music, and the colors blue and purple. He also remembered that she loved poetry, cooking, and sewing.
He watched as Tonya and Cheyenne put their heads together and whispered, showing each other their cards. Murray smirked. So much for keeping their secret pals a secret.
Where is he? Tonya looked out the front window for the fifth time on Monday evening, but no car drove up the long driveway.
Yesterday at church Tonya had invited Reed Dickens to watch the Monday night football game with her family. According to his card, watching the Denver Broncos play football was one of his favorite things. So Tonya invited him to come, made a batch of brownies—her special recipe that the men in her family raved about—and prepared to question him about his life. She had accepted the fact that he was a registered nurse. After all, those female nurses probably needed a strong, buff guy like him to lift the patients.
Now Tonya sat sideways on the sofa so she could look out the window. Lord, I pray that Reed won’t forget about our date. It would be terrible if he stood her up! She would be so embarrassed. Of course, Dad and Derek would watch the game anyway. And Lord, I need to pray about my relationship with Reed. Actually, they had no relationship to speak of, but she hoped this would be “the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” to quote Rick in Casablanca.
Headlight beams appeared over the hill of the driveway. Tonya jumped up and smoothed her blue and orange Broncos sweatshirt. She was thankful the snow had melted. Opening the door, she ran down the porch steps and out into the cold air but stopped at the same time as the vehicle.
It was a silver SUV, which she recognized as Murray Twichell’s new car. The driver’s door opened, and Murray stepped out.
Tonya’s heart sank down to h
er tennis shoes. “Murray, what are you doing here?”
He raised his eyebrows as he shrugged. “Is there a law that I can’t drive onto your property? I decided to stop by and help your dad fix his computer. He asked me to come over sometime, and I thought we could watch the Broncos-Raiders game while we worked on it.”
“This is not a good night, Murray.” She took a step back. He wore that powerful aftershave again, and she didn’t want to sneeze. “I’m waiting for my date to show up, and he’s going to watch the football game with our family.”
“Oh, with the family.” Murray’s mouth quirked. “Sounds like a hot and heavy social engagement, eh, Tonya?”
She reined in her rising temper. “Would you just leave, Murray? He’s going to be here any minute.”
He held a palm out toward her. “Okay, I’m leaving.” He opened the car door. “By the way, who is this nameless he?”
“It’s none of your business. Good-bye, Murray.” She stomped toward the house. Of all the nerve! Dad had been complaining about his computer for two weeks, and Murray decides to show up tonight.
It didn’t help Tonya’s mood that Reed was twenty minutes late. The game had started by the time he arrived, but Tonya graciously led him to the den. After exchanging greetings with Dad and Derek, Reed settled on the end of the sofa. Derek was on the other end, and Tonya plopped down between them.
“Wow, what a pass!” Reed perched on the edge of the sofa. “This is going to be a great game.”
Derek slipped his arm on the sofa behind Tonya. “Yeah, the Broncos are doing good this year. Ten and four isn’t a bad record.”
Dad sat back in his recliner. “I doubt if they’ll make it to the Super Bowl, though.”
Tonya glanced at Reed’s handsome profile. Still perched on the sofa’s edge, he wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to her. She picked up the tray of brownies from the coffee table and held it in front of him, hoping he would notice the artful display. The brownies swirled around in a circle, each one perched on the corner of the next. “Would you like a brownie, Reed?”
Tumbleweed Weddings Page 18
