Bridal Veil Page 13

  “I’ve eaten Johnna’s meals in Yosemite.” Gabe nodded.

  “But—” Perry interrupted.

  “But,” Pax cut in neatly as Tanner elbowed Perry to silence him, “with us home, there’s far more variety.”

  Laurel couldn’t believe Paxton was setting Gabe up like this. The MacPhersons were good cooks—but they also had some strange notions as to what constituted food. Everyone knew to ask a discreet question or two about dishes before digging in—well, everyone except Gabe.

  Beneath the table, a boot nudged her shin. Paxton gave her a sly grin. As he did so, Gabe swiped a piece of bacon off of his plate. Laurel burst out laughing again.

  “What’s so funny now?” Kate peered down the table at her.

  “No telling,” Daddy said. “Best you get finished with those giggles before we reach the sanctuary, honey.”

  “Yes, Daddy.” Laurel blotted her mouth with her napkin.

  “Oh, man,” Kate moaned. “If you don’t get over your giggles soon, you’d better go help in Sunday school instead of going to worship.” Her face twisted into a pained expression. “Violet Greene is singing the solo today.”

  “There’s really someone named Violet Greene?” Gabe looked to Laurel for confirmation.

  As she nodded, Packard groaned loudly. “Gabe, she follows the biblical injunction to make a joyful noise.”

  “Packard Wilson Chance, if you can’t say something nice,” Mama began.

  Everyone chimed in, “Don’t say anything at all.”

  “I was saying something nice. I said she was following the Bible.” His mouth twitched. “Besides, it’s not fair to have Gabe sit in the pew and not warn him.”

  “It’ll be like going to the opera,” Gabe declared. “I listen to the lyrics, even if the music isn’t always to my taste.”

  “You’ve been to an opera?” Laurel gawked at him.

  “Sure.” He sounded incredibly blasé as he added, “A few in New York. Once in Germany and another in Italy. Why go to Europe if you don’t attend the opera?”

  “I’d go to the Eiffel Tower and Rome,” Caleb said.

  “Of course,” Gabe agreed. “In New York, I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and climbed the Statue of Liberty, too. No use going someplace if you don’t avail yourself of all it has to offer.”

  “Well, eat up,” Daddy said as he started the platter with more flapjacks on it. “What Reliable has to offer is a big breakfast and church today.”

  Gabe stared across the table. Laurel’s heart leapt as he said softly, “I think Reliable has plenty more to offer.”

  ❧

  Gabe stood with everyone else as the preacher gave the benediction. Other than the solo that rivaled a screeching cat, church had been downright enjoyable. He made a mental note to thank Packard for warning him about that little interlude. To Laurel’s credit, she’d acted with perfect decorum during even the worst notes. As giggly as she’d been at the breakfast table, that was saying plenty.

  During the sermon, Gabe used the deep purple ribbon on his Bible to mark the passage Parson Abe used. He wanted to go back and read it again. The preacher had made several interesting comments and had excellent insights. Instead of being an esoteric dissertation on theological premises, the message dealt with applicable principles. Gabe couldn’t recall having ever heard such a sermon.

  As a wizened old woman played the piano, folks started to leave the sanctuary. Gabe didn’t like it one bit that several young men flocked toward Laurel and tried to earn her attention. To his dismay, Paul hauled him the other direction and introduced him to seemingly half of the congregation. Exercising his manners, Gabe made small talk when what he wanted to do was plow over and yank Laurel away from those moon-eyed men.

  Daniel paced over. “I spoke to the MacPhersons. I know we were due to go over to their place today, but with my Lovejoy’s back acting up, they’ve consented to come our way.”

  Paul squeezed his brother’s arm. “Good. I thought Lovejoy looked a tad better last evening.”

  “I’d rather she lie back instead of getting up, but she insists she needs sunshine and company.”

  Gabe folded his arms akimbo. “If you have canvas, we can take care of that.”

  “How?” the Chance brothers asked in unison.

  “We could rig up a hammock for her.”

  “She does love sitting on the porch swing,” Paul mused.

  Daniel slapped Gabe on the back. “Let’s get going!”

  Gabe didn’t want to leave Laurel behind. Then again, she’d be home soon. He resolved to stay glued to her side all afternoon and evening. Lovejoy deserved comfort. Helping Daniel was the least he could do.

  They rode back to Chance Ranch using a shortcut through a field and over a fence. Daniel confessed, “We don’t let the kids go this way. Too many rattlers and skunks through here. If your horse takes an exception to your lead, don’t fight her.”

  “Thanks.”

  Gabe remembered where the ropes were kept in the stable. As he fetched them, Daniel stalked off to grab some canvas. They met in the barnyard and walked toward a nearby pasture. There, between a pair of trees, they rigged up a hammock. Daniel tested it to be sure it would sustain his wife’s weight. Lying in their invention, he stacked his hands behind his head and declared, “I’m going to have to rig one of these up on my porch. Don’t know why I never thought of it. My wife’s going to love this.”

  “We could take some of that shorter length of canvas and hang a sling-style chair over a branch. That way, she could sit up to eat.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Why don’t you go get your wife? I’ll have it rigged by the time you carry her back here.” Gabe set to work. As he finished his creation, Daniel approached, carrying his wife. Several of the young men followed behind, carrying sawhorses and planks. While Daniel settled his wife into the sling chair, the boys put up makeshift tables. In no time at all, the MacPhersons and Chances gathered together. One of the MacPherson men asked a blessing, then called out, “Okay ever’body. Dig in. We got us gracious plenty!”

  Gabe swept Laurel ahead of himself in line. “Ladies first.”

  She smiled at him and helped herself to a spoonful of potato salad. By the time they were through the line, her plate carried a small sampling of about half of the dishes. Gabe simply figured it was due to the fact that she never seemed to have much of an appetite. He, on the other hand, took a healthy serving of just about everything.

  Soon, everyone sat around on blankets in the grass and chattered as they ate. Gabe noticed how Caleb and Greta managed to carry a blanket to the very edge of the clearing and sat there alone. He envied them their privacy.

  Laurel arranged her skirts and gave him a strange look. Pax scooted closer and couldn’t wipe the smirk off his face. Gabe knew full well he was about to have some kind of stunt pulled on him.

  “Ain’t this a wondrous fine day?” one of the MacPherson women said.

  Johnna nodded. “Shore is, Ma.”

  “Everything tastes delicious,” Gabe said as he took another bite of meat.

  “What’ve you got thar?” Johnna leaned closer.

  “If it was on the table, I have some of it,” Gabe confessed as he took another bite. “I’m making a pig of myself.”

  “You’ll have to fight Pa for more of that,” Johnna declared. “Ain’t often we fry up a skunk.”

  “Skunk?” Gabe chuckled, but his chuckle died out as Paxton started whooping with delight. Turning to Laurel he raised his brows.

  “Skunk,” she confirmed.

  Seventeen

  “Well.” Gabe forked another bite and lifted it. “I didn’t know skunk was edible. I certainly wouldn’t have believed it could taste this tender.”

  “You’re going to eat another bite?” Pax’s jaw dropped.

  Gabe popped the bite into his mouth. “Why not? You ought to try a taste. The flavor is excellent.”

  “No, thanks!”

 
“Don’t bother tryin’ to change his mind,” Johnna said. “I seen bear traps looser than a stubborn man’s hard head.”

  Laurel poked her fork into a thin strip of meat on Gabe’s plate. He noticed she didn’t have any of it on her plate—so he figured she was trying to give him fair warning as she said, “This is raccoon. It’s one of Eunice’s specialties.”

  “Raccoon,” Gabe echoed. He covered Laurel’s hand with his and bravely drew the bite up to his mouth. “Very interesting flavor. Do you have the recipe?”

  “Not yet. Eunice? Gabe wants me to get the recipe for your raccoon.”

  “Gabe,” Paxton muttered, “needs to be dragged to the nearest insane asylum.”

  Ulysses wolfed down a bite and shook his head. “You’re missin’ out, Pax. You decided what’s good and right afore even testin’ it out. In the end, yore cheatin’ yoreself.”

  “My life is fine just as it is.” Pax picked up a chicken leg and took a huge bite.

  They spent an idyllic afternoon in the pasture. When the women started picking up all the dishes, Gabe walked over to Daniel and Lovejoy. “Lovejoy, Daniel thought you might like the hammock on your porch. How does that sound to you?”

  “That’d suit me fine, thankee.”

  “I’ll carry it back for you,” Gabe told Daniel.

  “Obliged.” Daniel stooped over his wife. “Sweetheart, I aim to lift you. It might hurt a bit.”

  Lovejoy reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You love me, Dan’l. You’d niver hurt me.”

  Gabe stood to the side and silently watched as Daniel lifted his wife and carried her off. As he started untying one side of the hammock, Paul Chance began to undo the other. Gabe kept his gaze trained at the knot he’d tied so securely as he said, “I remember learning a verse when I was a kid about love casting out fear. It never made sense to me ’til now.”

  “Yeah,” Paul agreed. “The Bible is full of wisdom. Sometimes it takes time for the truth to seep into our hearts and minds. We’re so set in our ways, we can be blind to the simplest truths.”

  The second knot gave way under Gabe’s attention. I wouldn’t have ever tried that food today had I known what it was. I wouldn’t have been any different than Paxton—but tasting it without any preconceived notions led to a surprising discovery. All of the notions I’ve had about God—how do I know if they’re true or not? The Lord these people worshiped and praised in church today isn’t anything like the aloof God the pastor back home preached about.

  “This hammock was a great idea. I don’t know why we never came up with it.” Paul jerked at the rope and freed his side. “I suppose a fresh outlook can be a good thing sometimes.”

  Gabe coiled up the rope and slung the hammock over his shoulder. “Yeah. Maybe so.”

  ❧

  Laurel curled up in bed and hugged her pillow. Kate and April’s whispers filled the loft of the girls’ cabin, but Laurel didn’t feel like joining in on the conversation. She felt. . . unsettled.

  Home had never been like this. She’d grown up so sure all she wanted out of life was a man to love her and to stay here, where everything would remain comfortably the same. Only now, the predictability of life had been blown apart.

  Boys from church came by the ten days she’d been home before Gabe arrived. Daddy had made her promise not to close the door to a possible future with any of those boys, and Laurel did her best to be polite—but they were all so. . . boring. Young. Immature. None of them cared about her love of art or asked her what she thought. Since the day Bobby and Nestor fought and witnessed how she greeted Gabe, not a single man in the community came to see her. That was more than fine by her. She didn’t want to mislead any of them into believing she could ever feel more than Christian charity toward them.

  On the other hand, she had a terrible time limiting herself to simple Christian charity toward Gabe. Her heart cried out to be with him. Oh—they spent plenty of time together, but everyone in the family made sure they were never alone. Before she left for Yosemite, she adored being surrounded by her family; now she wished they’d all go away and leave her alone with Gabe. Only they wouldn’t. Laurel knew in her head that this was the right way to handle things. Still, deep down inside she wanted so much more.

  Chance Ranch wasn’t the same, either. The youngest members of the family weren’t little children anymore. Her aunts and uncles weren’t old—but time was marching on for them. Just as Polly had taken over most of the simple healing and midwifery for Aunt Lovejoy, soon Laurel’s generation would assume the lion’s share of responsibility for the ranch. Laurel felt competent to do all of the necessary chores—but what was the use of existing from day-to-day when love didn’t lift her heart? Though she was happy for Caleb and Greta, seeing them happily courting still hurt because Laurel ached to be allowed to draw closer to Gabe.

  God, I don’t know what to do. Gabe is all I could ever want, but he doesn’t know You. Tears seeped from her tightly shut eyes. That isn’t true, Lord. I do know what to do. I know I have to put him in Your hands. I’ve been doing that hour by hour for weeks now. There are people who never accept You. I couldn’t stand knowing Gabe was one of them.

  “Laurel?” April pulled back the covers and climbed into bed with her. She wrapped her arms around Laurel and pulled her close. “Come here.”

  “Scoot over,” Kate added as she crept into the other side of the bed. The three of them barely fit on the mattress, but they huddled together. Kate squirmed for a minute, then handed Laurel a hanky.

  “What if Gabe never makes a decision to follow the Lord?” Laurel sniffled.

  “Then God will take away the love you have for him,” Kate said.

  “I don’t believe that.” April sighed. “I keep asking God to take away my love for dessert, and it hasn’t gotten any easier.”

  Laurel let out a watery laugh. “Oh, April. I’ll love you no matter what size you are.”

  “And you keep loving Gabe, no matter where he stands with the Lord.” April patted her. “Christ loves us unconditionally. Gabe needs that same example.”

  “But it’s not the same,” Kate argued.

  “Oh, what do you know? You’ve never been in love,” April said.

  “Neither have you,” Kate shot back. “And I’ll tell you what I do know: The Bible says we’re not supposed to marry up with a man who isn’t a believer. We need to help Laurel guard her heart.”

  “It’s too late, isn’t it, Laurel?”

  Laurel nodded. “I do love him.”

  “Of course you do,” Kate said. “Any dimwit could see that. What I mean is, Laurel can’t act as if Gabe is going to suddenly accept Christ. She has to steel herself for the long haul. That means you and I are going to keep making pests of ourselves when Gabe is around.”

  “What’s new about that?” Laurel asked.

  “We’re going to be more persistent. If you’re exasperated with us, you won’t be able to concentrate so much on him.” Kate wiggled again like a happy puppy. “I’ll tell the boys to do the same thing.”

  Laurel moaned. “They’re already pulling all sorts of pranks on Gabe.”

  “Yeah, well, if Gabe really does have a change of spirit, he’s going to need to be able to cope with those dopey brothers of ours. It’s good training for him.”

  “If he can put up with it.” Laurel stared up at the ceiling.

  “He’s obviously planning to.” Kate propped up on one elbow. “Uncle Bryce talked him into having Orion service that pretty Tennessee Walker. The first pony will belong to Gabe, and the second time, Chance Ranch keeps the pony.”

  Laurel shot up in bed. “You’re talking more than a two-year commitment!”

  “Lie down and stop stealing the covers,” April commanded. She jerked the quilts back up to her chin, then declared, “Gabe Rutlidge is a man of his word. He won’t go back on it.”

  “No, he wouldn’t,” Laurel agreed. “He promised me he’d read the Bible twice a day, and he has.”

/>   “If you ask me, any man who can’t make up his mind about the Lord or the woman he loves in two years isn’t worth his weight in sawdust.” Kate yawned. “Laurel, we’re going to pester you and Gabe for two years. It’ll be a burden, but we love you, so we’ll do it. By then, if he can’t get his head screwed on straight, you’ll have to let him go.”

  April giggled. “Two years of us pestering her is liable to make her crazy enough to start frying up skunk.”

  “She ought to thank us. I’d never want to kiss a man who ate skunk.”

  “What kind of floozy do you think I am? Gabe and I haven’t kissed.”

  “It’s a good thing you haven’t,” April said. Without taking a breath, she continued, “What kind of man do you want to kiss, Kate?”

  Kate snorted. “What difference does it make? Polly caught the doctor. Every boy in the county has chased Laurel, and when we went away, the only guy we met latched on to her. You and I don’t stand a chance of ever attracting a man until we get Laurel married off.”

  “You’re right.” April swiped more of the pillow and plopped her head down on it. “That settles the matter. Gabe is going to find salvation and marry you, Laurel.”

  “Oh? How did you come to that conclusion?”

  “Because it all makes sense. Look at the facts. In First Corinthians, it says, ‘Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.’ We all have faith, and you and Gabe feel mighty charitable toward one another. That leaves hope. That’s the first part. The second fact is, our heavenly Father is merciful. He’d never leave all three of us without husbands. So if you put it all together, the final fact is plain to see. Since you have to be married and out of the way before Kate or I get a crack at finding a man, we all have hope to hold fast to.”

  “Her logic could make Parson Abe weep in frustration,” Kate mumbled.

  As Laurel’s cousins both slipped off to sleep, she remained wedged between them. They’d done their best to comfort her. Though their effort counted as noble, the results fell far short of the mark. Laurel had been so caught up in her own troubles, she hadn’t realized they both questioned their ability to find a mate. Tucking the quilt up around all of them, she whispered the prayer they’d all agreed upon from the first night they all started living in the cabin together: “God help us all.”