Part 13 (2/2)
A suitor was supposed to approach a man for his daughter's hand. The way Luke had been going about this made him uncomfortable. But what choice did he have? It was this way or no way. The Sweet.w.a.ters would never give him the time of day without a fight.
He wanted Annie. And he was ready to fight.
In the afternoon shade of a trellis of yellow and crimson nasturtium, Annie sat in her chair on the brick walk that wound through the Sweet.w.a.ter's dooryard garden. June had arrived and with it a profusion of dog's tooth violets and bloodroot, but only a few brief notes from Luke. The time had at least pa.s.sed more quickly when she'd had a tutor coming each day.
Once she'd had a female tutor who'd lived with them for almost three years. Miss Brimley had been a patient and kindhearted teacher, but a confidante and friend as well. She'd met and married a baker and moved to Oregon, and Annie had missed her for months. She received an occasional letter, but Miss Brimley was a part of her life that was past.
She plucked a white petunia and twirled the coa.r.s.e velvety stem between her thumb and forefinger, watching the flower spin. Each season she'd entertained herself in the garden for hours.
It seemed she'd lived her whole life in the past or the future, either remembering how good or bad a particular time had been or looking forward to something better. The present was never quite fulfilling-never anything special to try to hold on to.
Except when she was with Luke. When they were together, she would give anything to stop time and live in those moments forever. Too bad life didn't work like that. Too bad she couldn't make the brief moments with him longer than the endless days and long nights, longer than each unendurable week without him, by simply wis.h.i.+ng it.
The sound of a rig caught her attention. She couldn't see the street from her position behind the house, but the noise stopped and didn't continue past. After several minutes Charmaine found her.
”Uncle Mort let you come by yourself?” she asked.
”No, Mama came, too. She's inside.”
”Oh.” Annie wrinkled her nose. ”I suppose Mother will expect us to join them for tea.”
Charmaine sighed. ”I suppose.” She pushed Annie toward the stone bench over which a blooming trellis of climbing fern arched and plopped down on the stone bench. ”I have something for you.”
”What is it?”
Charmaine drew a folded slip of paper from the reticule on her wrist.
”Oh!” Annie pounced upon the missive and her cousin laughed.
She opened the note and read the few heartwarming words: ”I can't bear another week. Tonight. Same place.”
Annie clutched the note to her breast, antic.i.p.ation already lifting her spirits.
”What does he say?”
”You didn't read it?”
Charmaine stuck her lower lip out. ”Of course not.”
”He says he has to see me.”
”How positively romantic.”
”He wants to marry me.”
”How could that ever be? Your parents won't allow it.”
Annie shook her head sadly. ”I don't know how it's going to happen. I just know it has to. The situation seems hopeless when I talk about it like this or listen to the voice of reason in my head. But when I'm with him...oh, Charmaine, when we're together I can believe anything.”
”It's positively tragic the way you're not allowed to see him. Just like Romeo and Juliet, don't you think?”
Annie frowned. ”Not at all! We're not children. And Luke has no family to feud with mine. And we're certainly not going to drink poison because we can't be together. What a horrible comparison. Take it back.”
”Oh, so it's not exactly the same, but it's every bit as dramatically romantic.” She clasped her hands together over her breast. ”It makes a girl swoon.”
Annie chuckled in spite of herself.
Charmaine grabbed her arm. ”The Fourth of July is coming before long! All the girls are discussing the plans for the celebration and the dance. We're making a float again this year-just the older girls this time. Janie Dempsey's father is going to loan us his hay wagon and horses. Of course you'll have to come to the Dempseys' to decorate the float with us. We barely have three weeks to get it all done.”
”That sounds like fun,” Annie told her, thinking it didn't sound nearly as much fun as it used to. But it was a reason to get away. Maybe the excuse would work a few times and she could see Luke during one of them! The idea received added appreciation in her mind suddenly. ”That sounds like a lot of fun!”
Charmaine's visit made the day pa.s.s quickly. Annie endured a late supper with her parents and then wished them a good night. She lit a lamp on her desk and read, checking the time every page or two.
Finally midnight arrived and she wheeled herself silently from the house and along the lane to the spiraea bushes.
He waited for her, his horse grazing along the edge of the neighbor's lawn.
”Luke!” She stood to fling herself against him.
He kissed her long and soundly, a hungry, greedy kiss that tried to make up for time apart. She pressed her face to his chest, inhaled his scent and breathed his strength into her bones. He wove his fingers into her hair and held her head fast against him.
”I've missed you,” she said.
”And I've missed you.” His voice rumbled beneath her ear.
”You've barely sent me any notes,” she said, pulling away to look at him.
”I've been busy. I've been working late every night.”
”What's keeping you so busy?”
”I have some news, Annie.”
”What? What is it?”
He grasped her shoulders and held her firmly. ”I'm building a house.”
The words sank in slowly. ”A-a house? Where did you get the money for a house?”
”I borrowed it.”
A loan? She shook her head. ”Daddy loaned you money for a house?”
”No. I borrowed it from the bank in Fort Parker.”
”But you asked him?”
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