Love Finds You in Sunflower, Kansas

by Pamela Tracy

  His cell phone rang. It was Dad checking to see if he had located Jacko. Joe quickly filled him in on where he was and where he had been. Another call interrupted. It was Cliff, checking to see if Joe had found Jacko. When the third call came in, Joe simply let it go to voice mail and then listened to the message just long enough to determine that Frank Miller had joined the search.

  Joe felt a little like the shepherd who’d gone in search of one sheep. He used to wonder how one sheep could be so important. But over the years, as he fought to save a solitary, crippled bird, a wounded, homeless dog, or a suffering horse, Joe had learned why the shepherd left the flock to go after one.

  If Jacko wandered away from a crowd, Joe would be searching, desperately searching. Each and every one of God’s beings was special in its own way.

  He started walking between beamed structures that looked like giant upside-down hives. He’d made it to the last one when in the distance he heard the sound of a vehicle. Whoever it was, they’d completely bypassed the dirt road and the rickety fence. They must have found a way in that he hadn’t. He wished they’d hurry up and park so he could listen for Jacko.

  Joe didn’t recognize the car. It was silver and four-door. The driver took a moment, then finally stepped out.

  Annie!

  She spotted him almost immediately. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, “Did you find him yet?”

  “No,” he hollered back.

  She stood perfectly still and so did Joe.

  He took a step toward her, but she held up her hand and cocked her head. Did she hear something? After a moment, she came toward him. “I don’t hear anything but the wind.”

  “Me, either.”

  “Where have you already looked?”

  Quickly, Joe filled her in.

  “Every time I’m with one of you Kelly men,” she joked, “you have me searching for lost things.”

  He recognized her words as a feeble attempt to lighten the mood and appreciated it.

  “Which way have you already gone? I’ll head the other.”

  Joe shook his head. It was starting to get cold and the sun was fading fast. It was too dark and too dangerous to let her search on her own. Besides, she had those silly sandals on again, and a jacket that wasn’t nearly warm enough. And this place was huge, deserted, and he wanted her beside him: safe.

  “Just come with me.” He moved toward the end of a driveway, and she followed. From where they stood, nothing was on the horizon. The place was deserted, empty, void.

  “We’ll find Jacko.” She glanced around, taking in the area. Joe didn’t miss the look of helplessness on her face. This wasn’t a house she could tear apart, wash, and then put back together. “Okay. Where do you want to start now that I’m with you?”

  “I’ve already started,” Joe said. “The real question is, where do we go next? I won’t lie. I’m getting worried.”

  She reached out a hand. Her fingers gently entwined with his. She hesitated, looking down at her feet and then at the vast area they needed to explore.

  “I feel… I don’t know which way to go.” Her voice caught, and he loved her for it.

  “Me, either.”

  “I hate this,” she admitted. “This isn’t a situation that has a rule book. I hate not knowing what to do.” She turned to face him. Taking a deep breath, she suggested, “Let’s pray?”

  “I’ve been praying from the moment I realized he was gone.”

  “I’ve not said a prayer. How about you say one with me?”

  She was not a woman who prayed. She’d admitted as much to him. Yet, here she was asking.

  He clasped her hand close to his side. The evening sky seemed to grow darker even as he bowed his head. “Father, we thank You for how You watch over Your flock. Tonight we’re searching for Jacko, just a little dog. But he’s not little to our hearts and he’s a big part of our lives. Please help us find him. Guide our steps. Thank You for bringing Annie to my side to help. Amen.”

  “Please and help,” Annie murmured.

  “What?”

  “Lately, every time I’ve prayed, those two words have taken the lion’s share of my prayers.”

  “They’re powerful words,” Joe agreed. He started walking again, her hand still tucked against his side.

  She didn’t say anything, just walked with him, pausing every time he did, listening to the silence. His phone rang and he shut it off. If they were going to find Jacko, they needed silence.

  In the distance the lonely sound of a train echoed. There were birds, black shadows against a gloomy sky. This was a desolate place, forgotten by man and time.

  Joe came to a complete halt. He couldn’t walk one more step. The night’s fingers chilled his skin, finding their way under his coat and causing a shiver to go up his spine.

  “I—”

  “Shhh,” Annie whispered.

  That’s when he heard it. A bark.

  He looked at Annie, waiting to see what she did, waiting for another bark so he’d know which direction to go.

  It took only a moment, but the bark came again. Joe still couldn’t decipher the direction, but Annie didn’t seem to have any trouble. She took off running. Joe followed.

  She was faster, but Joe had to take a breath every now and then because he soon figured out that every time he called Jacko’s name, the dog barked in answer and helped draw them to his location.

  They arrived at the end of a driveway. An uneven pile of dirt was at one end. Overgrown grass and a few tumbleweeds were at the other. Next to the pile of dirt was the hole Jacko had fallen into, a hole so deep that while they could hear his echoing bark, they couldn’t see him.

  “I’d suggest we call 911, but last time I did that, you laughed at me.”

  “Nine-one-one doesn’t exist here.” Joe got down on his hands and knees, peering into the hole. “I can’t tell if he’s hurt or not.”

  “We could call the sheriff,” Annie suggested.

  “What’s he going to do? Get down on his hands and knees and peer into the hole?”

  “Right. So what’s your idea? Does it involve your truck, me behind the wheel, and a tow chain?”

  Joe thought for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea. Personally, I like any idea that involves you. Good thing you showed up. I need someone who knows how to spin wheels.”

  Annie looked around. “You might want to spin your wheels a little faster. It’s starting to get dark.”

  Joe got busy searching through the back of his truck while Annie made a few phone calls to let people know Jacko had been found. Finally, when it seemed they had run out of ideas, he came to Annie with a pet carrier. “Your tow chain idea might work. I can lower this into the hole and if he gets into it, I can hoist him out.”

  “Not a bad idea.” The carrier Joe held was sturdy black canvas and had a zip top. “You think the top could hinder him from getting in?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “We don’t want that. If he gets in, he has to be able to get in all the way or at least as much as possible and be as balanced as possible.”

  A moment later, Joe had cut off the zipped top.

  “You think he’ll know to get in?”

  Joe shook his head. “He’s smart, but right now he’s scared.”

  “How did he get out here?” Annie asked.

  “My guess is he chased a rabbit, but we’ll probably never know.” He looked at her. “How did you get out here?”

  “Mom called me to see if there was any chance Jacko had hidden in the back of my rental car.”

  “He was with me when you took off. No chance of that,” Joe said.

  “I know how much he means to you,” Annie said softly. “I wanted to help. I was heading to Blue Sunflower Farm to help look and happened to see your truck.”

  The wind blew stronger and Joe took the step he’d meant to take earlier. He cupped Annie’s cheeks and pulled her to him.

  * * * * *

  Please. Hel
p. Thank You.

  The kiss was nothing like the hug. It didn’t make her feel lost. It made her feel alive.

  His lips were demanding and so was the rest of him. He enveloped her in a tight hug until she wasn’t sure where he ended and she started. Then, when her knees had almost given out, she said, albeit mutedly, “If you keep kissing me, I won’t have the strength to help you save Jacko.”

  “Consider that kiss a preview.” Joe slowly stepped away, letting go of her piece by piece—lips first, body next, hands last—grinning like he’d just won something. His eyes were on her as he started attaching the pet carrier to the tow strap.

  Annie went to her car, pulled out a paper bag, and brought it over. “I stopped at McDonalds, but nothing tasted right. I just wanted to find you.”

  The hamburger went into the carrier. Joe hunkered down next to the hole to try to manage the carrier so it stayed upright and the hamburger didn’t fall out.

  It was slow work. Soon Cliff and his sons joined them, shouting words of encouragement and helping to balance the tow chain. Then Max and Annie’s mother showed up, not a bit surprised to see Annie. Even the sheriff showed up, joking about trespassing and toxins, and bringing with him a high-beam flashlight so that Joe could finally see and encourage Jacko. After a few trial-and-error runs where Joe thought Jacko was in the bag and probably even Jacko thought he was in the bag, the carrier crested the top and Jacko burst from the hole. He flew right by Joe and went straight for Annie.

  “I know how you feel,” Joe said.

  “Then let her know,” Max encouraged.

  “I already did, but I’ll do it again.”

  The second kiss was better than the first. It even came with applause.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Cathy said. “This is so much fun!”

  Beth added, “Me, either. And in Kansas. And you barely know the man.”

  “I thought we’d been all through this,” their mother said. “We all agreed that love at first sight is possible.”

  Annie looked at her mother’s reflection in the full-length mirror in Margaret’s bedroom. She looked gorgeous. Her dress was cobalt satin with silver accents, a shell neck, and crystal-embellished shoulders that included a draped overlay. The purse Cathy brought from the craft bazaar was indeed a perfect match, right down to the silver fastener. White shoes finished the outfit. She’d worn it for her wedding and now she wore it for Annie’s.

  “I’m glad the purse came in more colors than blue,” Cathy said.

  Holding the white purse Cathy had given her, Annie nudged in next to her mother. Unlike her mother, Annie wore a full-length A-line wedding gown with a sweetheart neckline, chapel train, and bolero. It had come with pearls, beads, sequins, and rosettes, but Annie and her sisters made short work of eliminating the accessories that it came with and replacing them with Annie’s handmade pieces.

  Janice from the Jack and Janice Morning Show had arranged for the transformation from retail to one-of-a-kind to be filmed. Since the show had aired, Annie’s website had doubled its business.

  Janice, it turned out, was a dog lover. She understood perfectly the reason that Annie had canceled their Sunday evening rendezvous. She had been willing to reschedule the meeting. When they’d finally met, they’d instantly clicked. Outside, right now, were Janice and a cameraman, who was filming a portion of Annie’s wedding, to be featured on a future “How We Met” episode.

  The camera had Mom all nervous.

  “Did you know,” she told Annie and her sisters, “that the average wedding costs twenty-five thousand dollars and only allows for a hundred and forty-six guests?”

  “Where did you hear that?” Cathy asked.

  Beth just rolled her eyes.

  “That’s a down payment on Joe’s mobile lab,” Annie said.

  “Hurry up, ladies.” Margaret hustled in, her cheeks red, her eyes glittering. “We need to get downstairs. I saw the groomsmen come out of Max’s back door. They’re already on the back porch.” Margaret had taken on the role of wedding planner when she’d realized Annie wanted an outdoor wedding. It was convenient since, one, Annie had been living with Margaret for the last month, and two, the wedding would take place right next door.

  “You’re busy,” she’d told Annie. “Working as Joe’s receptionist is time consuming, and you need to keep up with your jewelry.”

  Margaret especially was in charge of flowers.

  “I believe in love at first sight.” Cathy sighed.

  Their mother kissed each of them and went outside. In a moment, she’d be walking Annie down the aisle and giving her away. Max couldn’t do it, as he was performing the service. There was still time. Mom could stay with her daughters, offering advice, adjusting straps, and helping with makeup, but she couldn’t stand still. She wanted to greet people, gush about her daughters, and enjoy every moment.

  She was still very much a honeymooner herself and couldn’t seem to contain her excitement.

  Annie stood behind her sisters and peered through Margaret’s basement window at Max’s backyard. She was careful to stay out of sight as she noted the people gathering.

  Friends she’d made in the last month living in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

  Every chair was taken. Missy was sitting on one side of her grandmother. Marlee, with her husband and daughter, were on the other. The Whittakers were all there. They’d brought what looked like a hundred wooden blue sunflowers. Margaret and a few others had spread them throughout the backyard.

  Not what Annie or Margaret had had in mind, but they matched the bridesmaids’ dresses and, even more important, they were given in love.

  The Hickses had adopted Rachel, who had flown in late last night. Annie was still negotiating the signing over of her portion of OhSoClean to Rachel, with Beth acting as legal counsel. Little by little, Annie was planting her garden here in Kansas.

  Rachel had brought along her father, who was acting as an usher.

  During rehearsal this morning, he’d talked about some of Rachel and Annie’s escapades when they were young. He’d had the bridal party in stitches, and a few times, Annie’s mother had frowned. “I didn’t know that.”

  A few stories included Annie’s father—stories that made Annie ache for her dad on this special day.

  Rachel’s dad, surprisingly, knew a lot about flowers and had spent the day helping Margaret. He’d been the one to stand on the ladder and hang flowers on Max’s back porch. Max was too busy, and Margaret disliked any ladder that went higher than three steps.

  Annie scanned the audience and found Dan O’Leery sitting in the third row. The criminal justice teacher, in a way, was responsible for all this.

  He was responsible for something else: Beth’s good mood.

  Nevertheless, the only Jamison girl who didn’t believe in love at first sight had to ask yet again, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “I’ve never been so sure in my life,” Annie answered.

  The music started, and everyone settled down.

  “Can you see?” Cathy whispered.

  “Yes.”

  As if orchestrated, the sun slid from behind a cloud. A faint breeze made the flowers seem to nod. Down the aisle came Annie’s grandparents, Grandma’s arm entwined with Frank Miller’s while Grandpa walked behind. Frank and the sheriff were also acting as ushers. Mostly they’d fetched more chairs as the small wedding turned into a fairly big wedding. Annie resisted the urge to count. Most anyone who knew Max assumed they were invited even if they’d not received an invitation.

  At the same time, Joe stepped to the gazebo to stand by his father.

  He didn’t look nervous at all. At his feet was Jacko, wearing a bow tie. If anyone happened to look at the upstairs bedroom window, they’d see Boots resting on the sill, enjoying the wedding. Okay, enjoying the sunshine.

  By Joe’s side was Kyle, all smiles, and looking less antsy than he had two months ago.


  As far as Annie knew, he’d been friendly with Missy these last two months but nothing more. Annie shook her head. Prayers were a wonderful thing. She’d said many over Kyle and Missy. When it came to Marlee, Dwayne, and Katie, though, she wasn’t sure exactly what to pray.

  Joe said Katie was Kyle and Missy’s biological daughter.

  But Joe wasn’t sure if Kyle knew.

  Max was counseling all involved.

  Also by Joe’s side was Billy Whittaker, looking uncomfortable in his suit, but smiling nonetheless.

  Margaret beckoned. “It’s time.”

  Cathy went out first. Her dress was a royal blue that shimmered as she made it to the back of the gathering and started up the aisle. It had kerchief sleeves, hugged Cathy’s torso and waist, but then had just enough flare at the bottom to let her silver shoes peek out. The dress not only matched many of the flowers, but it complemented the stones in Annie’s gown. Cathy looked like a princess as she made her way to stand at the bottom of Max’s back porch steps.

  Beth followed, always regal, head held high, looking more like a queen.

  Annie closed her eyes and whispered, “Dad, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here to give me away. But, oh, Dad, I’m so happy.”

  The wedding march began. Annie put one foot before the other and stepped out onto the grass, and the music changed. She had wanted nontraditional and upbeat. She walked across the grass, escorted by her mother, to the Dixie Cups singing “Going to the Chapel.” When she made it to the front and Max asked, “Who gives the bride away?” her mother and sisters all said, “I do,” before her mother sat down on the front row.

  Joe waited at the top of his back porch. It had been painted and now was a riot of flowers, thanks to Margaret and Rachel’s dad.

  She’d only known him but two months, yet she’d been waiting for him forever.

  She climbed up the three steps and stood next to him, her back to the audience. Max started the ceremony. “Dearly Beloved…”