All heads shifted to look at the visitor one more time before leaning back in toward Abbie.
"He didn't have much else to say," Abbie continued, "but according to Burt Larson this guy was at the feed store a good long time. Walked all around it a few times too."
"The feed store," Aunt Eileen mumbled. "Guess things really are moving forward."
Joanna looked at all the serious faces. "Who's Burt Larson?"
"Owns the hardware store," Abbie answered.
"Worse gossip than any woman in town," Ruth Ann added.
Joanna lowered her voice. "He's here?"
"Oh, no." Abbie grinned. "He phoned in. Always does when he sees something interesting going on. He's probably phoned half of Tuckers Bluff by now."
"Ain't that the truth," Ruth Ann sputtered through laughter. "If he hasn't called every breathing resident by now, there ain't a cow in Texas."
The women all chuckled, but Nora seemed to grow more interested in the new stranger.
Aunt Eileen must have noticed Nora's interest as well and turned to Abbie. "Was he wearing a ring?"
Abbie straightened and winked at Aunt Eileen before shaking her head. "No ring. No tan line."
A sourpuss of a man walked into the place and without acknowledging Abbie's wave or any of the folks who'd looked up as he came in, the old goat slid into the booth across the table from the new talk of the town.
"Well, ain't that just like that ornery old mule." Ruth Ann shook her head. "Maybe it is a good thing he's selling that feed store and young Jake and his wife are moving back to Houston. Being around an attitude like that can't be good for a person's health."
"I wonder how Jake Sr.'s wife has put up with him all these years." Sally May set down two cards and retrieved the two new ones Nora dealt out.
"They say love is blind." Ruth Ann tossed down two cards as well and smiled at the ones dealt her.
"To be married to that man, love would have to be deaf and dumb too." Aunt Eileen tossed a chip into the pot. "I'm in."
Sally May shrugged and tossed in a chip. "I'll see you."
"Me too." Ruth Ann followed and Nora folded her cards and shook her head.
Grinning, Aunt Eileen spread her cards face up in front of her. "Three ladies."
The table groaned and Joanna laughed. If Aunt Eileen's luck had been bad earlier, the walk to the library had certainly turned it around. She'd won every hand since they'd returned to the café.
"Are you sure you don't want to play a hand or two?" Sally May shuffled the cards.
Joanna scanned her notes and looked up at Ruth Ann, shaking her head. "Thanks but I'd like to know more about your ancestor the blacksmith. The one who came to Texas after the war and married a mail order bride."
"Right," Ruth Ann smiled. "From what I remember, my grandmother had said the family had moved from Three Corners because of the school. I think she meant her mama, because most of her stories were about her growing up here in Tuckers Bluff."
"Didn't they use to use churches for schools around the turn of the century?" She scribbled moved for school on the page.
Ruth Ann shrugged. "Don't know. I do remember my grandmother was really proud that her grandmother was one of the groups of brides that had come west. Tough breed, she'd say. Survival of the fittest."
"I can't imagine what all that generation had to endure to forge a life in the Wild West." Joanna's own encounters with the native rattlers was unsettling enough. Having to carve a life with a complete stranger—how difficult was that? If she were honest, it was that very aspect that had sucked her in to writing the story. Not that she could imagine packing up and hauling herself halfway across the country on a wagon train, or even a regular steam train, to marry a total stranger, but nonetheless, there was still something incredibly romantic about the whole thing.
"If you really want to know," Ruth Ann closed her cards, "I have some of my great grandmother's journals at home. They've been passed down for years. I don't think anyone after my grandmother has taken the time to read them." She fanned her cards out again. "It would be kind of nice to have someone interested after all these years."
"Absolutely." Joanna almost sprang out of the seat and hugged the woman she'd just met. Everything was coming together so well she could hardly believe it. So many ideas churning in her mind.
At that moment, Aunt Eileen's nose crinkled. "Looks like the feed store has a new owner."
The two men across the cafe shook hands. The one in the suit pushed some papers across the table and the older man that everyone had proclaimed was as much of a grouch as he looked, scribbled at the bottom of a few pages. Without even a goodbye, he then pushed to his feet and slid out of the booth.
The man in the suit folded the pages into a larger folder, stood, tossed several bills on the table and spotting all the women looking his way as he turned, waved and nodded and flashed a smile that would have made Joanna's knees weak if she were in the market for a man. Instantly her thoughts ran back in time imagining two different brides to be, one arriving to Mr. Sourpuss and the other to Mr. Suit. No matter how she turned it over in her mind, neither scenario compared to being rescued by Finnegan Farraday.
***
The entire Farraday clan took up the front pews in the quaint white shipboard church at the other end of town. Seated beside Ethan, Joanna heard the buzz of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out, his hand poised to send it to voicemail when a frown settled between his brows. The caller ID must have caught his attention. Leaning over, he whispered to his father, "I need to take this. It's Brooklyn."
All the faces within earshot turned to Ethan and several pairs of eyes followed him down the side aisle and out the back door. Aunt Eileen glared at the front row as if they were a line of children and immediately all eyes returned to the front, only occasionally daring to cast a furtive glance behind them in search of their sibling. Joanna didn't have a clue what was going on, but no one had to tell her whatever that call was about, it was something serious enough to have dropped a heavy blanket of tension over the entire family.
With no sign of Ethan returning, when the service came to an end, the Farraday clan shot up and made it to the rear of the church and out the back door.
Ethan's voice carried from the side path along with his footsteps. "Got it, man. Thanks."
The group of siblings and loved ones circled around giving Ethan the illusion of privacy. A few admired the flowers, a couple more studied the architecture, but when it was clear the conversation was over, Mr. Farraday was the first to speak up. "Anything we should know about?"
Ethan looked from the phone in his hand to his father. "I honestly don't know."
"Well," Aunt Eileen gave up any pretense being interested in the recent paint job the church had undergone. "What exactly did he say?"
"He wanted to know if Francine sings?"
"Sings? What kind of a question is that?" Finn's dad asked.
Ethan faced the family gathered in the open courtyard. "Francine's social security number popped up on an auto search. Either Francine, or someone using her social security number, has been hired on by Towing the Line."
"Is that a band or a junkyard?" one of the women asked.
Gripping the phone tightly, Ethan's hand fell to his side. "From what Brooklyn has uncovered they're a country music band and Francine is their new member. A backup singer. He's sending someone to Nashville to see if it's really her."
"Do you know?" Aunt Eileen asked. "If she can sing, I mean?"
Ethan shrugged. "No. I don't remember her humming or anything. What little I know, her dream was to be an actress."
"When will he get back to you?" his father asked.
"Soon as he knows something new." Ethan tapped at his phone. "Until then, I'm going to check in with Allison. Maybe she can give us an idea if this is really Francine or someone is just using her ID."
"And if it's her," their father asked, "what are you going to do?"
Phone to his ear,
Ethan stepped back toward the church. "Damned if I know."
Chapter Fifteen
Finn stood with his family staring at his brother's back as he headed into the auxiliary building where the infant care and child classes were held. No one moved. The odd call had come as a bit of a surprise for him, and from the sounds of silence, everyone else as well. He certainly knew he hadn't expected news of Brittany's mom anytime soon.
"Does it matter?" Connor asked the family, but looked at his wife.
Catherine shook her head. "Not really. The judge revoked her parental rights. Ethan has full custody. If Francine doesn't reach out to him, he doesn't have to reach out to her. Even if she does reach out, he doesn't legally need to respond."
All his brothers exchanged a look. They knew Ethan. For him, for any of the siblings, legal requirements and the right thing to do might not be the same thing. Though the entire family knew for dang sure that there was no way Ethan and Allison would ever legally restore Francine's parental rights, they also knew Ethan would never stop her from visiting with or knowing about her daughter.
Finn noticed Joanna standing quietly to the side, a little stiff, taking in the conversations and concerns, doing her best to melt into the scenery. It was almost funny, but no one seemed to be responding to each other as though a near stranger were in on the private discussion. It was as if she were another member of the family. A recent addition like Catherine or Meg, or Toni. Even though Becky had always been like family, her part in the conversation was more due to the fact that very shortly she would be family. Only Joanna wasn't anything close to family.
Aunt Eileen tapped Finn's dad on the arm. "No point standing here growing roots. It's probably nothing." She turned to Finn. "You going to see the sisters?"
Finn nodded and inched closer to Joanna. "We'll be home in time for supper."
"Good."
"We might be a little late." Meg hooked her hand through her husband's elbow. "I have a last minute guest checking in and I don't know exactly what time he's arriving."
"Make it when you can," Aunt Eileen smiled. "Supper's always warm in our kitchen."
One by one, everyone moved forward and dispersed in separate directions, knowing in a short while they'd all be gathering together again.
"Your family is amazing." Joanna followed him to his truck.
"They have their moments."
"More than one I'd say." She came to a halt at the passenger side. When Finn held the door for her she looked up. "You're pretty amazing too, Finnegan Farraday."
"Back at you, JoJo. Back at you." And damn if that wasn't the absolute truth.
***
Sometimes Joanna had to pinch herself and make sure she hadn't landed in a fairytale. The Farradays were the personification of blood is thicker than water. Probably every person's dream family. Not that she'd had come from a bad one. One mother, one father, one sister, one dog and a two car garage in a large suburban city. Simple, statistical, and amazingly normal. No drama, no feuds, no angst. But they weren't the Cartwrights or the Farradays, either.
Finn held the car door open for her. "You look awfully serious for someone who has been bubbling with excitement most of the morning."
"Thanks. I guess I just felt really awkward being in the middle of Ethan's business."
"Don't. None of his relationship, or lack of relationship, with Brittany's mom is a secret." Finn circled around the hood and slid into the driver seat. "But I will say up until a few seconds ago when you lost that glint of excitement over going to the sisters', this writing career seems to make you much happier than what I remember from the last time I saw you."
Joanna had to think a minute. "Caitlin's wedding."
"Yep." Finn nodded.
"August. We'd barely gotten our caps and gowns and they were planning another walk down another aisle." It had been an interesting wedding. In far East Texas, with kegs of beer and lots of cowboy boots even on the women. Joanna had been surprised to see Finn there. "You were best man."
"Last minute stand in. Gary's brother broke his leg so I got promoted."
"Do you still talk to them?"
"I get Christmas cards every year. Does that count?"
"Me too, and yes it does. I keep up with them on social media too. They seem to be having fun, but even though we all swore time and distance wouldn't get between us, the singles seem to stay in touch with the singles, the marrieds with the married."
"I don't have time to play around on the computer, but I still get a call every once in a while from some of the guys. Phil Downing just had a baby."
"I didn't even know he'd gotten married."
"Someone he met at work. I guess they've been married for three or four years coming up this fall."
"Did you go to the wedding?"
"No. Wanted to but calving season is never an ideal time to take off for a long weekend in Louisiana."
"Aren't farm animals born in the spring?" Finn rolled his eyes and she realized her mistake right away. "I mean ranch animals?"
His eyes did that amused twinkle thing that always made her want to smile back. "We have both spring and fall calves on the ranch. Makes good business sense."
"Is that one of the many things you wanted to change after school?"
"One of 'em." The amusement in his eyes shifted to something more akin to satisfaction, or maybe pride.
She loved how that triumphant grin made his eyes shine. "It's nice seeing your life turn out the way you wanted."
"It's nice seeing you loving what you're doing too." His eyes twinkled even brighter and her heart went a little soft.
"Truthfully, I'm going to have to figure out a way to make this pay a little better."
"Maybe that Great American novel?" he suggested earnestly.
"I wish." If he only knew how many first drafts of total crap she'd tossed out. "It's not as easy as it sounds."
"Doesn't sound easy to me at all."
God she loved how he believed in her. Always had. "Regardless," she drew her thoughts back to the conversation at hand, "I seriously need to figure something out if I ever want a place of my own. I love living with my sister but sharing a rented apartment can't go on forever."
"Why not?"
"What do you mean why not?"
"There has to be plenty of sisters who stay together if their lives don't force them apart."
"Finnegan Farraday, if you're going to use the sisters as an example of my sister and me you had better think twice." Visions of herself and Sister with hair teased as high as it was wide was as horrifying as it was hilarious.
"There could be worse things."
"Like what?"
"One of you could lose the other."
She knew he was referring to his mom and Aunt Eileen, but the thought of losing her sister, even though she could be a neurotic nuisance from time to time, made Joanna's blood run cold. "I don't even want to go there."
"No. No, you don't."
She wondered now how much of Finn's quiet side was due to what happened to his mom. "Did your aunt always live with you guys? I mean, before your mom?"
Finn shook his head. "No. She didn't know a blessed thing about ranches. She and my mom were very close growing up and she came to visit often, but she was a city girl."
"Really? I wouldn't have guessed." She'd just assumed his mom and aunt had both grown up nearby as well.
"I was young when she came to live with us so all I remember is a very capable woman, but Adam and Brooks have some funny stories about her and the cows."
"I'd like to hear them sometime."
"Going to write a book about it?"
Joanna shrugged. "Who knows. But I'd better get through this project first."
"Depending on how long this story keeps you here, we can fill you up with all sorts of stories. And if we plow Aunt Eileen with enough of Toni's booze balls, we might even get her to sing for you."
"She sings?"
"Only at weddings and baptisms if there's
enough champagne. But yeah, she sings."
Before Joanna could ask anymore about the aunt, Finn was pulling into a space in front of a cute little pastel cottage with Victorian white trim and flower covered trellises. "This is where the sisters live?"
Finn nodded. "And it looks just as frilly inside."
"Frilly. Such a good word." She'd barely had a chance to get one foot out of the truck when both sisters came running down the front flower edged path. The small swatch of front yard would easily fit into any English or botanical garden.
"We hurried home to get here before you. Poor Father Tim must have thought our shoes were on fire the way we ran out."
"Sister and I have got so much to show you. We could hardly wait. And there's still one more box we didn't have time to go through."
"Yes, but we have a nice pitcher of fresh sweet tea waiting."
"And Sister baked a chocolate chess pie."
"My grandmother's recipe."
On either side of her, the two sisters practically whisked Joanna into the house. As almost an after thought, they called over their shoulders to Finn. "We made plenty for you too, Finn dear."
"Thank you, Miss Sissy."
Stepping inside the sisters' eccentric world, Joanna thought she might understand just how Dorothy felt when her house landed in Oz.
Chapter Sixteen
Finn had expected a long, quiet, and boring afternoon. He had not expected to get caught up in the sisters’ stories and photographs. The two women had gathered all sorts of things, from newspaper articles to delicately crocheted baby shoes. The piles of family treasures made Finn want to go rummaging through the boxes and trunks he knew were in his own attic and see what kind of history he could drum up for the Farradays.
All sorts of photographs and letters were sprawled out around the table. Finn held a paper flyer that had originally brought the sisters' ancestors to Three Corners. "This is amazing." Faded and yellowed, the page was hard to read where it had been creased over a hundred years ago, but the big bold words Brides Wanted had his full attention.
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