Where the Wild Rose Blooms (30 page)

Her attitude at the moment could have used some of that same loveliness. The soggy ground was getting to her. She looked down at her skirt to see that she had spattered mud up the front of herself. She was going to have to go to work like this, and the thought made her want to explode with anger. She heard a wagon slogging its way along, but she didn't even look up. In her irritation she missed a step and fell down. By the time the wagon drew abreast of her, she was struggling up from her hands and knees and was literally black with mud.

She
had just gained her footing when she realized the wagon had stopped. Jackie looked up, straight into the eyes of her sister.

"Eddie," she whispered and then screamed,
"Eddie!"

Eddie laughed and Robert joined her. Jackie nearly did a dance in her exasperation.

"You didn't tell anyone, and look at me—I can't even touch you!"

"Climb in the back, and we'll take you home," Eddie told her, a huge smile still in place. "We're going to surprise Mother."

"All right," Jackie agreed, "but just let me clean up quickly so I can see her face. Take the wagon around the back," she instructed Robert. "Ill let you in that way and shell faint."

Eddie turned on the seat to talk to her filthy sister as Jackie climbed in. She turned a beaming face to her.

"You look wonderful, Eddie."

"You do too. I think."

They both laughed hilariously at this until Robert reminded them they were going to alert Addy if they didn't quiet down. They tried to be calm, but it was like being 10 and 12 all over again and both just wanted to giggle for the fun of it.

"How have you been?" Eddie asked in a soft voice.

Jackie gave her a mock frown. "You'd know that, Eddie Langley, if you wrote more often."

Eddie looked very contrite, but her eyes were still shining.

"Don't be too long," Eddie admonished Jackie when the team halted around back.

"I won't," Jackie promised, climbing down in an undignified fashion.

Robert had left the wagon as well, and leaning from his great height, dropped a kiss on her forehead. He managed to do this and not get anywhere near that mud. Jackie smiled up at him with loving eyes and darted into the back door.

"Its just me, Mother," she called from the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Addy was dusting the front room and remained there.

"I fell in the mud. I'm going to change and head back out."

"All right. Be certain to leave your things in the kitchen."

Normally Jackie would have undressed without a thought, but with Robert in the backyard, she was careful to stay away from the window. She made quick work of her muddy face and hands and then dashed up the stairs for fresh clothing. She dressed in record time, and when she got back down, Robert and Eddie were waiting right outside the kitchen door. She let them in
silently, hugged them both, and then strolled nonchalantly to

the living room to see her mother.

"All clean now, dear?" Addy only glanced at her.

"Yes, Mother. I'll get going pretty soon, but I wanted to ask you something."

"That's fine with me, dear, but your father will be looking for you." Addy's cloth attacked a small vase,

"Well, I'll hurry. Mother, do you think I could make my bedroom in the small room off the kitchen?"

"Whatever for?" Addy's face was still bent over her work.

"Well, I think it would be a nice change."

"I don't think so, Jackie." She set the vase down and positioned it on the shelf, her back to her daughter. "I mean its so much smaller than your room, and I really don't think you'll be as comfortable."

"Well, couldn't I just try it for a week?"

"I don't know, dear." Addy shook her head, still not looking at Jackie as she reached for a tiny china doll. "I don't really see the point."

"But if she can't take that room, Mother," Eddie now stepped into the room, "where will Robert and I sleep for the next week?"

"Eddie." Her mother breathed the word as she spun around. The doll and dust cloth landed on a chair as Addy swiftly navigated through furniture to get to her daughter. Eddie met her halfway across the room. By the time they touched, the tears were flowing unchecked. More than a year. Her precious Eddie had been Mrs. Robert Langley for more than a year. It was like a wonderful present from the Lord to be able to hold her again.

"Oh, Robert," Addy said, moving to hug her son-in-law. She then held him at arm's length and looked him over.

"You look wonderful, Robert. Married life must agree with you."

"Indeed, it does. If the girl is anything like my Eddie, I highly recommend it."

Husband and wife shared a smile, and Addy urged them into chairs.

"Have you been to the store? Have you seen Morgan?"

"Yes," Eddie answered. "He gave us the wagon and said he hoped Jackie would still be home."

Robert grinned. "She was the welcome party out on the road.

"Oh, no." Addy was swift to catch on. "You fell in the mud in front of them."

Jackie shrugged, but she was not upset. Suddenly the mud didn't matter at all. Only last week she'd written Clayton and admitted that she was almost angry that Robert and Eddie had never come to visit, but now here they were, and she felt guilty for not trusting God for this.

"We saw Danny and Lexa with Father, but where's Sammy?" Eddie wished to know.

"She's in bed. She's had a touch of something for a week now, and all she wants to do is sleep. I should go and see if she wants to get up." Addy went out, and Jackie looked over to see Robert smiling at her.

"We got a letter from Tag last week."

"Did you?" Jackie smiled and tried not to blush at the sound of his name.

"Yes. He says that you correspond quite regularly."

Jackie did blush then, but only nodded in return. If the truth be told, they wrote to each other at least twice a week. It was still amazing to Jackie that they never ran out of things to say. And Claytons letters had just gotten kinder and kinder with every passing month. He always admonished Jackie to take good care of herself In turn, Jackie told him not to overdo on his studies, and that he wouldn't be fit to teach if he burned out during college. His plan right now was to take some summer courses as well, but Jackie wondered if he wasn't going overboard. He wanted to finish in two years, and he said this was the only way.

"I think we've lost her." Eddie's voice floated through the air.

"Yes," Robert agreed. "I think we lost her the moment I mentioned Clay's name."

Again Jackie lit up like a candle, and Eddie apologized.

"Forgive us, Jackie; we shouldn't tease."

"It's all right. I've always blushed easily when it comes to Clay."

"Does he know how you feel?" Robert asked the question so gently that Jackie wasn't offended.

"No, he doesn't, but that's all right. It's just fun to share letters with him."

Roberts head turned to his wife. "That's how I fell in love with Eddie."

"Oh, Robert, don't say that," Jackie begged him. "It hurts too much to raise my hopes."

Robert looked at her. "Why can't you hope for it?"

Jackie shrugged. "I just don't think its going to be like that, and that's okay. I can live with it."

My, but she's done a lot of growing up,
both Eddie and Robert were thinking. Nothing could ever dim her physical beauty, but she was now starting to be beautiful on the inside as well.

Robert didn't comment again, but he didn't think the idea of the two of them getting together was so hopeless. Tag hadn't actually come right out with it, but Robert had gained an impression from his letter that Jackie was pretty special.

"Hi, Eddie."

"Oh, Sammy." Eddie stood as soon as she saw her, her heart breaking a little. She was so thin and pale, and her hair was all over her head. Eddie went right to her. She hugged her, but Sammy needed to sit down. Eddie took the sofa so they could be close. Once Sammy was snuggled against her side, the little girl looked across the room at Robert.

"Hello, Sammy."

"Hi, Robert."

"I'm not sure you should be out of bed," he said gently.

"I had to," she answered in a tired voice.

"Why is that?"

"I have to ask you a question. How is Travis Buchanan?"

Robert smiled hugely. "Doing well. As handsome as ever, I would say."

Sammy smiled and sighed and then laid her head against Eddie. Not a minute later, she was asleep. Everyone in the room was forced to hold in their laughter.

"Still not expecting?" Addy questioned Eddie gently when they were alone.

"No," Eddy sighed, but she was smiling. "I know it has to be in Gods time, but I do wish for it."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Addy replied. "Even the Bible talks about the way children are a woman's pride and joy. I don't think we're in any way imperfect if we can't have children, but if we can, we should."

Eddie nodded. "I knew you would feel that way."

Both women were in Addy and Morgan's bedroom, and silence fell until Addy asked, "How does Robert feel about it, Eddie?"

"Oh, Mother, he's so wonderful. He keeps reminding me how long he waited to find me. He says that if we never have children, he'll still live the rest of his life in contentment with me at his side."

Addy smiled. "He's very special."

"Yes. I only hope that all my sisters find men with half the love and tenderness Robert possesses."

"I think they will. After all, Sammy has claimed Travis Buchanan, but only when Danny's not looking."

They laughed, but then Eddie turned serious, her mind going to her sister.

"She's still head-over-heels, isn't she, Mother?"

Addy sighed. "Yes. I think I wrote to you about the way she looked when Clayton left last year."

Eddie nodded.

"She scared me to death, Eddie. She simply couldn't eat, and I didn't think she would ever get over it."

"What happened?"

"He wrote her a letter. In fact, he wrote two letters. She had made a deal with him that if he wrote, she

would reply. So she wrote back, and lo and behold, letters from him just kept coming.

"She's been so excited at times that she's read a few to me. I don't know if this will go anywhere, Eddie, but he has far more care for her feelings than he did when he lived here. I know why he didn't get that close to her; I mean, Jackie was impossible, but now," Addy shrugged, "she's utterly smitten."

"I can see it in her face when his name is mentioned."

Someone knocked at the door, and a moment later Robert stuck his head in.

"I wondered where you'd wandered off to."

"Why, Robert." Eddie was surprised. "I thought you were having lunch with Father."

"I was, but he cut it short when I told him in no uncertain terms that we're not moving to Georgetown and setting up a branch office to my bank."

The women could only stare at him. Eddie looked crushed, but her mother looked furious. Robert didn't know what else to say and was a
little sorry he'd interrupted them, so he quietly left.

"After all this time, Mother, he still doesn't accept this change."

"I know," Addy replied tiredly. "He usually discusses things with me, but this time he must have just been lying in wait."

The image so amused Eddie that she suddenly smiled. He was like that at times; he would rehearse his words and spring on someone, sure of what that person's answer was going to be. Right now it seemed quite laughable to her. Addy suddenly looked over and saw Eddie's smile.

"It's not funny, Eddie." The older woman was still frowning.

"I'm sorry, Mother, but it is. Father is just too outrageous for words. Not a word out of him when we arrive. He greets us like everything is fine and then he pounces on Robert as soon as our backs are turned." A giggle escaped her. "We might as well laugh as cry. '

Addy shook her head. She was not angry, but neither was she amused.
Oh, Morgan,
her heart sighed.
What am I going to do with you?