When All My Dreams Come True (9 page)

“You’re welcome. Good night.”

“Good night, Annie.”

Annie’s kindness reminded Bobbie of Ginny Bennett, whose husband worked for Mr. Simms. Ginny hadn’t always been kind. Not by a long shot. Only months ago, she was known for her brash behavior and coarse way of talking. Her husband matched her in actions and speech. She could be found sitting in a rocker wasting away the day, not caring about a thing in the world, least of all her appearance or the manner in which she spoke to others.

Mrs. Simms must have seen something special in Ginny. She spent time with her, teaching her to cook and clean and sometimes invited her over for a cup of coffee so they could chat. Soon, Ginny
began joining Mr. and Mrs. Simms Sunday mornings on their way to church. A slow change took place in Ginny. She started combing her hair and washed more than once in a month’s time. Her speaking became quiet and refined. Her face glowed with happiness, and her actions were kindness itself. If anyone asked her about the changes, she wasted no time giving the credit to her newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

The transformation caught Bobbie’s attention and led to curiosity about God. Roy and Maggie Simms tried on many occasions to get her to attend their church. She always balked at the idea, and they finally quit asking. At the time, she didn’t feel a need to include God in her life. Truth be told, she blamed Him for taking her mother away. She couldn’t think of one good thing He had done for her, but the change in Ginny couldn’t be ignored. The peace that seemed to fill her appealed to Bobbie, and thoughts of attending church with Ginny and the Simmses came with frequency…until her father died.

Bobbie undressed down to her long underwear and hung her denims and cotton shirt over the bedrail. She moved to the small mirror on the bureau and unwound her braid. What she’d give for a nice cotton nightgown. She hadn’t owned one since she was 10. If she wanted to continue saving money and fulfill her dream of owning a ranch, she wouldn’t have one for quite some time.

She picked up her brush and ran it down her long hair. Now, once again, she lived in the midst of believers. Annie, Jace, and Pete reminded her of Roy and Maggie. Annie seemed sincere in her friendship, and Jace… she made a face at herself in the mirror, aware of how foolish she acted in front of him. How was it she would try to show him up in the corral, yet without Mack and her hat, he could make her blush so easily? At least he was kind about his teasing and not crude like so many others.

Finished with her hair, she set down the brush, blew out the lamp, and climbed into bed. The idea of attending church terrified
her. When it came to her choice of clothing, church-going folks often acted the worst. Their stares burned with a conviction she couldn’t ignore. Only when presented with a dress would she even consider following through with Annie’s plan.

   SEVEN   

B
obbie woke early the next morning, dressed, and stepped outside. Serenity filled her as the bright orange sunrise blazed on the horizon, and she wanted to chuckle at the insecurity she experienced the night before. She leaned against the house, drinking in the colors as they advanced across the sky.

“Is something wrong?”

The deep voice made her jump. She turned to find Jace standing at her shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Jace wore a teasing smirk. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“That’s fine. I was just watching the sun come up.” Her gaze moved down to his feet then back up to his face. “You’re all dressed up. You look nice.” She closed her eyes as heat burned her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

He smiled and gave a gallant bow. “Thank you.”

How humiliating!
She turned back to the sunrise, though her heart still thumped at the fright he gave her…or was it his presence?

“There’s nothing like the colors of dawn. I think it’s my favorite time of the day.” She inhaled deeply as if the hues held a scent. “It’s as if each morning is a brand new start, a new beginning. Just look at it.” She refused to look at him and continued staring at the sunrise.

Stained with pink and purple, the sky appeared as though someone had spilled their paints. The sun added a tinge of orange and gold
as it reflected itself on the array of clouds that an unseen wind had whipped into a wispy froth.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”

Bobbie switched her gaze to Jace. “What?”

Jace repeated the verse. “That’s found in the Psalms. I can only marvel at how anyone can see such beauty and not believe in God, the Creator of all things.”

Bobbie wanted to question him about his beliefs, but he had turned and walked toward the door.

“Shall we go in for breakfast?” he asked.

She followed, only to be caught staring at him again. If only he didn’t look so good. How would she make it through the meal when she knew it would be impossible to swallow? Thankfully, Jace acted as though nothing had happened outside.

After breakfast, Annie asked Bobbie to join her, and she found herself in Pete and Annie’s bedroom. Annie pulled from the closet a dark navy dress with white lace around the collar and sleeves. Bobbie walked over and touched the material. It shimmered in the sunlight.

“This is very pretty, Annie. Is this what you’re wearing to church?”

“No, Bobbie. This is your dress.”

She gasped and touched the dress again. “Really? Is it really, Annie?”

“Yes. It’ll look great with your light hair color. Are you ready to put it on?”

“What? Oh. You mean to try it on.”

“No, I mean are you ready to wear it today?”

“But I thought…you said…” Her mouth went dry.

“I did, but it didn’t take much altering. I liked it so much, I planned to see if I could alter it to my size. But now with this third child on the way…Well, needless to say, I doubt I’ll ever get into this dress, altered or not.”

“You’re going to have a baby?” Bobbie glanced at Annie’s stomach before giving her an awkward hug. “I had no idea.”

“Oh, Bobbie, you make me feel good. I already feel like I’ve swollen to twice my size.”

“Well, you sure don’t look it. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Now back to the dress…all I did was take it in a little. I stayed up for a while last night to work on it so you could come to church with us today.”

Bobbie lifted her gaze from the worn wooden floor. “I ain’t got—I mean, I don’t have any nice shoes. I’ve always just worn my boots with the other dresses.”

“I’ve already thought of that. I still have some of Mom’s shoes. See?” Annie pointed at several pair she had placed near a chair. “You’re about the same size Mom was. I’m sure some of these will work.” Annie paused. “Do you want to do this today, or would you rather wait?”

Bobbie’s hands slicked with moisture. She looked from Annie to the dress that would turn her into another person. The excitement in Annie’s eyes outweighed her fears, and knowing she’d stayed up late to do this for her made her feel guilty.

“All right. I’ll do it,” Bobbie blurted before she could change her mind.

A squeal escaped from Annie as she embraced her. “I’m so happy. But we’ll have to hurry so we won’t be late.”

After they threw on their clothes, Annie pushed Bobbie onto a chair to fix her hair. When she finished, Annie held up a mirror. “What do you think?”

Bobbie stared in disbelief. Annie had coiled her braid into a bun and pulled some tendrils free to hang in wisps around her face. Bobbie nodded her approval with a forced smile. She stood and slipped into the shoes beside her.

Annie touched her arm. “Are you ready?”

Bobbie peered into Annie’s eyes and saw nothing but warm friendship and assurance. “I think so.”

Annie put her arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “You look great.”

Bobbie could give only a weak smile of thanks as Annie led the way down the stairs. “Are you men ready?”

Pete’s snort echoed up the stairs. “What do you mean are
we
ready? We’ve been waiting on
you
! You know, it doesn’t matter, Jace. A woman could be on her way to clean out the barn, and she’d still take forever to…” The smile froze on his face and disappeared as he stared up at Bobbie.

“Pete?” Jace frowned at his brother-in-law and followed his shocked gaze up the stairs.

Bobbie didn’t know what she expected, but Jace’s reaction wasn’t it.

His jaw dropped open and both hands fell to his sides. She paused at the head of the stairs. It wasn’t too late to turn around and forget about church, except Annie had worked so hard, and she’d hate to hurt her feelings. She reached out to take hold of the banister with a shaking hand and forced herself to take the first step.

Unsure of her footing in the fancy heeled shoes, she descended the stairs slowly. She knew she looked feminine, had even stared at herself in the mirror as Annie fastened up her hair, but it felt like a shell, not like her at all. Still, as Jace continued to watch her progress down the stairs, she couldn’t help but be pleased. The look on his face made the whole ordeal worthwhile.

Annie walked past Jace, placed her fingertips under his chin, and pushed up. Bobbie caught the movement and couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath. Jace smiled.

Without another word, Pete scooped up his children in his arms and followed his wife through the front door and out to the waiting wagon. Bobbie moved to follow.

“You’re all dressed up,” Jace whispered as she passed. “You look nice.”

She attempted a curtsey, doing her best to mimic the response he had given her earlier. “Thank you.”