Dancing With the Preacherman (Book Two of the Red River Valley Brides)

by Rita Hestand

  "Oh I bet it is lovely." Abigail said. When she saw Luke look a little uncomfortable, she shook her head. "I'm sorry Reverend; could I offer you some coffee, or tea?"

  "That would be nice." Luke nodded as they went inside.

  "We don't mean to leave you out of the conversation, but when I saw the quilt and how much work went into it, well, I got carried away."

  "That's perfectly alright. It is a nice looking quilt."

  "Listen Martin is outside in the barn, if you'd like to go say hello to him." Abigail offered.

  "I'll do that." Luke excused himself.

  Sarah sighed, she knew Luke wasn't the least interested in her hopes and dreams and couldn't wait to get away from her. She should have known. He was a lost cause.

  Abigail must have suspected something as she looked at her as they made a pot of coffee. "You like him, don't you?"

  Sarah sighed and shook her head. "I thought I did. But lately, I don't know. I mean, it's a lost cause. I'm not at all, his type."

  "Oh, what makes you so sure?" Abigail asked twisting her head and lifting a brow. "I think you two might have a lot in common, with all the good you do in the community."

  "Did you see how fast he got out of here? You were talking about me, and my hopes and dreams, and he wasn't a bit interested. Besides, I happen to know he's got eyes for Emily Thompson.

  "Emily Thompson?" Abigail gasped. "The Reverend is interested in her? I can't believe it. She's certainly not his type."

  "I don't think he has a type. Look, I heard him with his own mouth. So that's fine. Just fine. I could care less. There are any number of men who might enjoy my company. Somewhere."

  "Of course. I happen to know Josh Reynolds thinks you are so cute." Abigail said.

  How could Abigail know so much about the community, she'd only been here a few weeks now and she knew much more than Sarah did about who liked who. Besides, Josh was nearly ten years older than her. She had no interest in him at all. Not that he was bad looking, but she felt nothing around Josh.

  Was the whole town conspiring to marry her off to just any old bachelor?

  Josh had a sizable ranch, and she'd known him a while, but they had nothing in common either.

  They sat down at the table and talked for a long time before Luke came back inside. Martin was with him.

  Martin was a big man, but not tall. He had brown hair and eyes and he was very jovial.

  "Luke's been telling me he's got a sick pig, wants me to have a look at him. Can you girls make out alright until we get back?"

  "Sure," Abigail nodded. "Go ahead."

  Sarah sighed when they left. "See. He'd do just about anything to stay away from me."

  "Don't take it so personal. After all, if he waits long enough, he'll have to drive you back in the dark, and that's kind of romantic, don't you think?"

  "That man hasn't a romantic bone in his body." Sarah huffed.

  "Well, if you really do like him, I'd give this evening a shot."

  "Do you honestly think he'd pay attention to me if I did? He is always ignoring me. He wouldn't be here today, if Ma hadn't pushed it on him."

  Abigail almost chuckled. "Why don't I fix your hair for you?"

  "My hair?" She touched her hair.

  "We could put it up. It would make you look older." Abigail promised. "I don't think you realize how young you look. It just might be that the Reverend thinks so too."

  "Look older? Do I look that young?" Sarah looked wide-eyed.

  "I'm afraid so. You've just got one of those sweet young girl looks about you. Could be why Luke hasn't paid any attention to you. He might think you are under age."

  Sarah laughed. "Me?"

  "You look it. Why look in that mirror, you have the face of a young girl. I'd bet my last penny that's what he is thinking. That you are just a child." Abigail chuckled. "Little does he know. Come on; let's see what we can do."

  Sarah sat in a dainty chair in her bedroom, while Abigail went to get her brush and some pins.

  Before she was through, Sarah looked quite sophisticated.

  She pinched her cheeks to create a blush, and sprayed some sweet rose water on her to make her appealing.

  When she was through Sarah gasped.

  "It does make me look a little older." Sarah gasped at the results. "But then, I never really realized that I look that young. No one else has ever said anything."

  "Believe it or not, looking young is to your advantage. I have a feeling young lady that you've spent so much time making others beautiful, that you haven't worked on yourself much. But you are a lovely young woman Sarah." Abigail reassured her.

  "Let me do yours now." Sarah smiled.

  "Are you serious?"

  "Yes, now sit down. I can work magic on hair, you know."

  "Then why don't you do it for yourself?"

  Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess because…I don't feel very pretty. My Ma…she never told me I was pretty. She never acted as though she thought I had a brain working. When I left home…they were glad, both of them. I can't blame them entirely, but there just wasn't much self-esteem building in my house."

  "Oh Sarah, I'm so sorry. One looks at you and never dreams you had a rough day in your life. But young lady, you are beautiful. All that blonde hair, and those eyes so expressive, and your peachy skin. The next time you go to a dance, come see me first. I have a dress I know will fit you, and even the Reverend will look at you in that dress." Abigail promised.

  Sarah hung her head. "Dress or no dress, I can't dance, so what's the use of going."

  "You can't dance?"

  "No ma'am. I'm a klutz on my feet."

  "Oh no, well, that's no problem. I can teach you. I tell you what, you come to see me every Wednesday afternoon and I will teach you to dance. You will end up being the bell of the ball. You'll see."

  "You mean it?"

  "Of course. Sarah, you are such a sweet person, I don't want to see you become an old and lonely lady some day. You are gorgeous, and just don't know it yet. But what I know, and the Reverend doesn't; is that inside you are even sweeter. You wait and see."

  Three hours later, Luke and Martin came back.

  "Figure out what was wrong with the pig?" Abigail asked.

  "Yeah, got a belly ache, mostly. I gave him a dose of some of that stuff I made up for ours last year. It'll make him better. I'm sure of it." Martin said. "You gotta mix it in his feed though for a week, or he'll get worse."

  "Fine, I'll do that. And I thank you. I thought I was gonna have to put him down."

  "Nonsense, you got problems like that, you come see me. We can put our heads together and figure it out. You hear?"

  "I'll do that, thank you so much."

  Sarah watched Martin and Abigail, they were a sweet couple. They had to be in their fifties, and they'd made the farm really come alive in no time since they'd been here. They never knew a stranger. Sarah knew they would do well here.

  "You about ready to get back on the road? It'll be dark before long." Luke asked when they'd had a cup of coffee and piece of pie.

  "Sure…" Sarah nodded.

  "Remember, on Wednesday's now." Abigail reminded her.

  "All right, see you then." Sarah smiled and they rode off in the buggy.

  "Did you have a nice visit?" Luke asked as they got back on the wagon.

  "Yes, she's a very nice lady, so friendly." Sarah smiled. "It's hard to believe they are new to the area, she knows more about people than anyone I know except maybe Ma."

  "You know that's the first time you have smiled around me." He looked at her.

  Sarah's face must have turned bright red for she felt the flush.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Sarah shrugged.

  "Did she fix your hair like that?" Luke asked his eyes going to her hair.

  "Yes, she says I look too young."

  "Too young for what?"

  "I don't know. But she wanted to fix it, so I let her. Then I fixed hers. We ha
d a good time."

  "You get along with folks around here very well, don't you?" Luke asked curiously.

  "Yeah, I guess I do. Most folks at least."

  He stopped the wagon for a moment. "I sense you don't like me though, Sarah. Is there something I've done?" He stopped the buggy.

  "No, not at all. It's just…."

  "Just what?" He frowned at her now.

  "How old do you think I am?" She asked him, firming her lips.

  "I don't know…seventeen, eighteen, maybe." Luke scrunched up his face.

  "My God!" She was right. "You think I'm a child!"

  He stopped everything now. "No…I don't. Well, maybe I do. I'm not sure why. But with your hair like that, you don't look seventeen. How old are you?"

  Sarah folded her lips, and tried to squash her anger, but when he touched her cheek with his hand to brush a tendril of hair back behind her ear, her breath hitched. "I'm twenty-one."

  His mouth flew open and he stared. "I had no idea."

  "You had no idea! I'm nearly old maid material and you had no idea?" She screeched. "What? Am I wearing my hair wrong most of the time? Do I have a baby face? What is it?"

  "Well, for one thing, you are so little, and short. And then, you go fishing with those boys…you take cooking lessons from Ma…and you have a beautiful young face….how could I know?" He swallowed when she stared so long at him.

  "I go fishing because I enjoy fishing. I used to go with my Pa, and I had fond memories of those times. I can't cook, so I thought I should learn. My Ma never taught me anything. Except to sew." Sarah explained. "And you don't have to compliment me; I'm average in every way."

  "I like to fish too." He managed a slight smile.

  "Wonderful, be ready on Saturday then and you can go too…" She offered.

  "Sounds like fun." He responded. "I'll be there."

  "Don't you have a ranch or something to run?" She asked frowning at him.

  "You can't take it back, you've already invited me." He smiled now, a relaxed kind of smile. Sarah took one look at him and almost swooned

  Chapter Four

  That next Sunday she sat with Jo Ella listening to Maggie sing and a little in awe of her voice. Maggie just kept getting better and better. Sarah silently envied her. Everyone gushed over Maggie, but she was just a child!

  It wasn't just her looks, but her whole demeanor.

  She couldn't sit still the sunburn had festered into big blisters, some of which had popped and itched like crazy. She tried to find ways to scratch them without touching them with her hands, but it was hard. She kept squirming, but one spot popped and gave her relief, and she sighed too heavily. Every head turned to her.

  She couldn't do anything without the whole congregation knowing it.

  Oh God, not again! Couldn't she come to Sunday service without disrupting it every time?

  She was becoming a disruptive member of the church, and the frown on Luke's face sent her on a downward spiral.

  After church, she rode home with Ma. The other girls all had places to go, but Sarah had no plans. Besides, Ma was going to teach her how to make peach cobbler this afternoon.

  After lunch, Sarah put on her everyday dress and came down to help Ma in the kitchen. Sunday's meal was about two o'clock, and it took that long to prepare even if she'd already made some of it ahead of time. Sarah was always willing to help though. She needed help since she fed all the boarders and people that stopped by, just in time for dinner too.

  "Okay, I’m ready…"

  Ma grinned. "Good, now you mix this up for me and we'll get started."

  Sarah grabbed the spoon and began stirring, but she stirred too hard and had flour all over her when Ma returned to her side.

  "What in heaven's name happened…?" Ma cried out.

  "I happened! I'm so clumsy…" Sarah fussed as the tears threatened to fall.

  Just then, a knock came at the door and she whirled around to see Luke standing there. Again, she'd been caught looking her worst.

  He glanced at her as a hint of a smile touched his lips. She could tell he was holding a laugh inside him. She blushed and ran up the stairs in tears.

  It was an hour before she came down. Luke was gone and she was glad of it. However, she'd missed the Sunday meal and she grabbed what was left and began to eat.

  "You didn't have to run off. And I've finished making the cobbler."

  "Finished, but you were going to show me how…"

  "Sorry, I planned on having it ready for supper, honey," Ma explained. "Why did you run off like that?"

  Sarah glanced at her and rolled her eyes. "Ma the man sees me at my worst every time. It's humiliating. He must think I'm the biggest scatterbrain in the town. I'm beginning to think everyone is right, Luke Miller isn't for me. It's an impossible situation. No, correction, he doesn't think I’m a scatterbrain, he thought I was a child. It's embarrassing. He thought I was seventeen. I fall asleep at church; I go fishing and I look like a tomboy. I try to cook, and I'm wearing more of the food than cooking with it. Nothing I do comes out right, Ma. I give up, I don't need a man. Seventeen!"

  "He thought you were seventeen? Well, actually you do look young for your age. I never wanted to say anything, but it could be the reason he hasn't given you a second glance. And he's tall and you are short."

  "See, even you admit he's not interested. I should be able to take a hint, don't you think?"

  "But despite that, you did sign a contract you know. And I don't want to see you end up in the saloon again." Ma nodded. "I explained I was teaching you how to make cobbler. He chuckled good-naturedly…"

  "Oh no! You didn't?"

  "Is there something wrong with that?" Ma countered.

  "Yes, he must think me the dumbest woman in town." Sarah cried. "Oh it doesn't matter what he thinks any more."

  "You fret too much. Lot's of young women can't make a decent cobbler."

  "I'll bet Betsy, Haney's sister can make cobbler all by herself. She can probably dance, and sing too." Sarah scoffed.

  "You can't dance?" Ma turned to look at her.

  "No…. The first dance we went to, the one you took us to, I stepped on Luke's feet about three times." She wailed. "He never asked me to dance again. He never even looked at me again that night."

  The tears were too close and she couldn't hold them back any longer. "Ma, why am I so bad at being a lady? I didn't have this hard a time at Al's. Most of the men preferred me."

  "Aw now honey. You aren't bad at nothing. But every girl needs someone to teach her. And I reckon you looking so young had something to do with the men preferring you in the saloons."

  "Oh my God, Ma, that's sick!" Sarah lifted her head as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I guess you are wondering why I don't know how to do anything?"

  "No…but what about you and your Ma? Didn't she teach you anything?"

  "Ma didn't have much patience. And I was a slow learner, just like now, I made a lot of messes. It upset her so, she'd just shoo me away from the kitchen. The only reason I know how to sew is, she'd put me to work sewing everyone's clothes as punishment. So I learned to sew. I had lots of practice. I got so I could sew anything, and it was my biggest chore as my sisters began to grow up and want to be courted."

  Ma smiled knowingly. "Well, that's a talent. Lots of women make their living sewing you know."

  "I guess I have that to fall back on, if I don't find a husband, don't I? Maybe I could open a little sewing shop here in town. Of course I'd have to rob a bank to get the money to do it, wouldn't I?"

  "Now don't you fret, when the right time comes, you'll find your man." Ma encouraged.

  "You don't think Luke's my man, do you?" Sarah raised her brow.

  "I don't know. Maybe. Time will tell." Ma patted her on the shoulder.

  "I sure wish it would hurry up…" Sarah sighed aloud.

  Days passed and Sarah went to see Abigail again.

  Abigail had Martin play the fiddle for them as they danced about
. "That's not so bad for your first try, honey." she told her.

  Sarah shrugged. "At least I didn't step on you."

  "Maybe you think about that too much. You have to listen to the music and let your body go with that."

  Sarah left in the wagon, feeling better about herself. Abigail had a way of encouraging her that made Sarah feel more confident.

  The fishing trip was on for Saturday. Sarah wasn't looking forward to it. She knew she couldn't enjoy herself like she usually did, if Luke was around. Then something occurred to her. She was good at fishing. Still, as a woman that wouldn't impress Luke. What impressed him was Maggie's beautiful voice, and he'd eyed Jo Ella and Trish many times too. And it was still Emily Thompson he was interested in.

  Dressing in her regular fishing outfit, she braided her hair and dashed downstairs to gather her gear.

  Luke showed up, and he looked stunning in his cowboy clothes. Seeing him as a rancher seemed different from on Sunday's when he preached. Now he looked like a man, a regular man. She hoped just once he'd forget about her being a child, and relax around her a bit.

  Brady and Haney showed up and waited for her on the front porch. They were talking with some of the guests.

  "The boys are out front. Are you ready to go?" She asked Luke.

  "Absolutely, looking forward to relaxing a bit." Luke smiled at her casually.

  She led the way and nearly slammed the door in his face when she opened it and carried her gear through.

  "Sorry," She swallowed hard when she saw what she'd done.

  "No problem. Boys, I thought I'd join you today, if you don't mind."

  "Heck no, we don't mind." Brady nodded.

  Haney led the way, and Luke joined Brady along the trail. Sarah fell back behind them.

  She hadn't meant to, but she found herself staring at Luke's backside and her face turned bright pink when he glanced around at her.

  "You coming?" Luke asked with a crooked sort of smile.

  "Right behind you."

  It was a nice day even though it had rained the day before making the ground soft.

  In less than an hour, they all four had their lines out in the water and were fixing themselves a comfortable spot to fish from.