The Christmas Bargain (33 page)

No wonder Luke was in love with his bride. She seemed to blossom outdoors, just like Luke always had. From what Greg witnessed, Filly was as good with horses as she was at cooking. He didn’t know how Luke had been so fortunate to find himself married to Filly, but he was convinced his son had received the best end of that bargain. He couldn’t think of anyone more suited to his headstrong, fun-loving son than the beautiful, green-eyed girl.

“I’m quite proud of our boy,” Greg mused to Dora as they walked toward Granger House.

“What makes you say that?” Dora asked, enjoying the sunshine sparkling on the snow, despite her many protests about it.

“He’s doing extremely well with the bank, he has a barn full of strong, solid horses and a pasture full of fat cattle. He is well respected in the community, is involved with the church, and made an excellent choice for a bride.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear people like him, and he is successful, but let’s not get carried away about his choice of bride,” Dora said, waving her fur muff his direction. “I had plans for him to marry Hortense Atwillinger. Now, she would have made an excellent bride. She has bloodlines and money and her father is a personal friend of…”

“Atwillinger? That horse-faced, cotton-headed shrew?” Greg said. Much to Dora’s surprise, he took her arm and stopped her right in the middle of the street. “I’ve put up with a lot of your nonsense, Dora, more than any man should, but I’ll not have you speak ill of Filly. She’s a wonderful girl and it’s clear as the sky above that she loves Luke as much as he loves her. I would ask nothing more for my children than to love their mates. Her beauty, intelligence and talents are just the icing on a most delectable cake.”

Dora didn’t know what to say, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came forth, so she snapped it closed again. Greg was rarely cross with her and she didn’t like it when he was. Not at all. Jerking her arm from his hand, she hurried her steps toward the house.

Greg caught her arm and stopped her again. “Now, don’t get your bloomers in a twist, Dora,” Greg said, patting his wife soothingly on the back with a skill borne by much practice. “I just want our children to know the love and happiness we’ve shared over the years. You wouldn’t want any less for them, would you?”

“No, I suppose I wouldn’t,” Dora said, softening at her husband’s words. Deep in her heart she knew what Greg said was true, no matter how much it galled her to admit it.

Putting his arm around her shoulders, they continued on their walk. “Good. So what do you say to giving Filly a chance?”

“Fine,” Dora said, still miffed that she hadn’t been the one to choose Luke’s wife. Thinking of the things that Filly could do her snooty friends’ offspring could not, she finally offered Greg a sly smile. “She is quite a good cook. Did you try one of those pralines she made yesterday?”

“No. There were fresh pralines? I must find one as soon as we get back,” Greg said, his mouth watering at the thought of more treats.

Chapter Nineteen

“A little to the left. A little more. No, you’ve gone too far now,” Dora directed as Luke and Greg tried to place the tree exactly where she wanted it. 

Luke was quickly losing patience but swallowed down the less than polite reply he wanted to make and inched the tree back to the right.

“Perfect. That is the perfect spot,” Dora said, clapping her hands in delight.

“About time we found it, too,” Luke heard his dad grumble from the other side of the tree.

Stepping back, Luke admired the perfectly formed branches of the tree Filly selected. She had chosen just the right one.

“Filly, where did you put the box of ornaments we found in the attic?” Luke asked as his wife entered the room with a big bowl of popcorn, needles and thread.

“In the hall closet,” she said, sitting down on the couch and threading a needle. “I thought we could make popcorn strings for the tree.

Dora looked down her nose at Filly. “Isn’t that primitive.” Whatever else she was going to say was squelched with a look from Greg.

“Dora, why don’t you help Filly with the popcorn while Luke and I get out the ornaments?”

“Fine,” Dora said, sitting next to Filly and picking up a needle. “But I think the two of you better come help with this, too, or we’ll be here until the New Year stringing popcorn.”

“Oh,” Greg said, looking helplessly at Luke, hoping he had some plan or escape. Luke had none. The four of them began stringing popcorn. Luke and Greg ate as much as they put on the strings, but they laughed and told stories and enjoyed the time together.

When they finished, they put the strings on the tree and added the ornaments. Dora had fond memories of several of the decorations, telling Filly where she bought them or how she came to have them. At the bottom of the box, there was a small brown paper angel that had seen better days. Dora lovingly fingered it before hanging it on the tree.

“Mother Granger,” Filly said, resting her hand on the older woman’s arm. “That one seems special to you. Where did you get it?”

“My mother made it for me when I was a little girl. One year, we were so poor, we knew we wouldn’t have a Christmas at all, but my mother managed to make us all something that year. She made me this angel and I’ll never forget thinking it was the best present I ever received.” Dora wiped a tear from her eye. “Quite silly of me, I’m sure.”

“Not at all,” Filly said, impetuously giving Dora a hug. Filly liked her better in that moment than she had since she met her. “So you didn’t grow up in a wealthy home?”

“Goodness no,” Dora admitted, albeit reluctantly. “We were as poor as dirt. I had three brothers and they all passed on before reaching adulthood. I was the only one to survive. So I decided to do whatever I could to make sure I was never poor or hungry again. I was working in a dry goods store when I met Mr. Granger. I thought he was the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. He must have liked me a little, too, because he seemed to need to purchase some new item on a weekly basis. I was quite a looker, then.”

“You still are, my darling,” Greg said, giving Dora a kiss to her cheek. “I took one look at her and lost my heart. Much like our son seems to have lost his to you.”

“Oh, well, I…” Filly said, clearly flustered.

Luke came to her rescue. “Filly caught me completely by surprise, but I know now meeting her was second best day of my life.”

“What was the first,” his father asked, with a cheeky grin.

“The day she became my wife,” Luke said, looking at her with his icy blue eyes melting into hot liquid pools. Giving her a wicked grin, he held a bit of mistletoe above his head and waggled his brows at her.

“Go on, kiss your husband,” Dora encouraged, surprising everyone in the room.

Filly placed her hands around Luke’s neck and pulled his face down to hers. His lips were warm and soft and she felt tingles race from her head to her toes as Luke quickly deepened the kiss, his hands firmly holding her waist. Coming to her senses, Filly finally pulled back and blushed.

“Now, that’s getting the job done,” Greg teased, slapping Luke on the back. Pointing at the mistletoe, he raised an eyebrow at his son. “Maybe you better give that to me for safe keeping.”

Dora smacked his outstretched hand. “Don’t get any wild ideas, Mr. Granger.”

Luke and Filly both laughed.

With the tree trimmed, they enjoyed a light lunch of chicken soup and bread, followed by a plate of assorted sweets. Dora went to her room for a nap while Luke and Greg decided to run down to the bank so Harlan could leave early. Luke planned to take care of a few things then close the bank at three.

Filly began preparations for Christmas Eve dinner. The roast was in the oven, pumpkin and apple pies were made, she had sweet potatoes ready to bake and canned vegetables ready to heat. They would enjoy a fruit salad made with canned peaches and pears, along with fresh oranges from a shipment that arrived at the Bruner’s store yesterday. A batch of fluffy biscuits would complete the evening meal.

Planning to take a platter of treats to the church that night to enjoy after the service, Filly was pulling the last baking sheet of cookies out of the oven when Percy knocked on the back door.

“Merry Christmas, Percy,” Filly said, inviting him into the house. “What can I do for you?”

“Pastor  Dodd asked me to come fetch Mr. Luke. He said he needed his help setting up for the program.”

“Mr. Luke is at the bank with his father, at least I think that is where they are,” Filly said, removing her apron as she glanced at the clock. “He said he planned to close up early, but he should have been home by now. Why don’t I just walk with you back to town and we’ll see if we can find him together?”

Filly was pulling on her coat when Dora walked into the room. “Going somewhere, dear?”

“Yes. Chauncy needs Luke so Percy and I are going to see if he is still at the bank. Would you like to come along?” Filly hoped Dora would say no, but managed a smile when she said yes. To hurry things along, she asked Percy to run to the front door and collect Dora’s coat and hat.

Percy ran back into the kitchen, staring at the hat with big, round eyes. He started to say something, but Filly caught his attention and shook her head. Nodding in understanding, he stood quietly while Dora put on her coat and pinned on the hat.

Dora walked out the door while Filly scooped up a handful of still-warm cookies and handed them to Percy who grinned appreciatively. Taking a huge bite, he walked along with the women, asking about the dinner menu for the next day, since he and his sister along with his parents would be joining them.

As they approached the bank, Filly noticed Luke hung a closed sign in the window. They were turning to go on down the street when a movement caught her eye. Pressing her face to the glass, she peered inside and saw Greg and Luke standing behind his desk with a man wildly waving a gun at them.

“Percy, I need you to run get Pastor Dodd as fast as your legs can carry you. Tell him it’s an emergency,” Filly said, giving Percy a shove down the sidewalk. He took off running like his life depended on his speed.

Turning to Dora, Filly gripped her shoulders. “I think the bank is about to be robbed, please go home where it’s safe, Mother Granger. I’ll wait here until Chauncy arrives.”

“What?” Dora shrieked. Filly quickly pulled her around the corner away from the windows so they wouldn’t be seen. Shaking off Filly’s hand, she straightened her spine and gave Filly a hard glare. “If that is true, I’m not going anywhere. That is my husband and son in there.”

“But, Mother Granger,” Filly began, then released a sigh. Arguing with the stubborn woman would get her nowhere. “Fine. Just be quiet and stay behind me. If you hear any gunfire, throw yourself to the ground.”

The women crept back around the corner and Filly again looked in the window. The gunman looked familiar. Too familiar. Biting back a groan, Filly didn’t stop to think, instead yanking open the door and rushing inside the bank.

“Pa, what on earth do you think you are doing?” Filly said, grabbing her father’s arm. He was drunk, that much was obvious. If the fact he couldn’t stand up straight wasn’t a big enough hint, the reeking smell of liquor would remove any doubts.

“I’ve come to get what’s owed me. Luke can keep ya, but he got more than my debt. He ain’t got no idea how valuable a good cook and housekeeper is. I was robbed, I tell ya. Robbed by him with his thievin’ bargain,” Alford said in his nasally tone. Turning his head, he seemed to study his daughter for a moment. “And don’t ya look all smart and spiffy in yer fancy clothes, miss too-good-for-her-pa. That’s right. I’ve seen ya prancin’ around town with that preacher’s wife, actin’ like yer somebody.”

Alford shook off her hand and spit at her feet. “Yer, nothin’ girl. Ya never were nothin’ and ya’ll never be nothin’. If yer husband wants to live to see tomorra, he better pay up or I’m takin’ ya back to the farm.”