Let Me Call You Sweetheart Chapter 6, Page 51

Dee was counting on her wedding dress arriving in time. There was so much to think about again with school starting back after Christmas break, that she didn't want to worry that it wouldn't get to Hope Valley in time. Luckily the dresses for Dorothy and her mother did come in and Dottie and Rosemary had them altered in time for her to take them at Christmas. They had their fingers crossed that they would fit, and they did. The ladies were so pleased at how lovely the dresses were! Dorothy's was a rose-colored dress and Allie's was a soft pink. Perfect for Valentine's Day! Allie couldn't believe that she felt like a princess when trying hers on. "Dee, I feel so pretty in this dress. I never had one like this. I can't wait to wear it!"

"Neither can I sweetie." Dee said as she spread her arms wide. Allie flew into her with a hug. "Soon we'll pick out our jewelry too and how to accent your hair. Should we use a bow or ribbon or barrette. We'll see what Fiona suggests."

There was so much to take care of in the coming weeks. Molly wanted to know what songs Dee and Nathan wanted to be sung. Nathan left that up to Dee and they hadn't met together yet. Also, Pastor Joseph wanted their vows written up in a few weeks, and Nathan and Dee hadn't even talked about them. Rosemary wanted to order the flowers and prepare the menu for the dinner reception. The holidays had really kept them all busy, so now Dee was finally focused on their big day.

With school starting, she began thinking of what to teach admitting that she really hadn't given it much thought recently. Maybe, she'd have the children sing at the wedding. She had to run this past Nathan. He left the music up to her, but he would have to approve. Either way she had to write up a music lesson plan. She and Elizabeth needed to go over their plans together for the new semester. Luckily, January 1 was on a Wednesday, so they still had a few days left to prepare with school starting the following Monday.

"Elizabeth, I can come over to your house any time." Dee suggested. "Would that work out for you?"

"Good. That way, I can take care of Jack while we work on our plans. So, Thursday would be fine with me."

"All right, I'll see you about 10?" Dee confirmed.

Nathan was just knocking on Faith's door looking to talk to Dee as she hung up.

"Hello handsome!" Dee answered.

"I didn't know if I'd find you awake, sleeping beauty. It was a late-night last night." Nathan pulled Dee in close and greeted her with an eager kiss.

"Nathan, we need to talk about our wedding." Dee reminded him.

"What, that it's not soon enough?" he laughed.

"Well, that, but really we have to discuss the menu, flowers, and our vows." Dee looked at him seriously.

"The food is going to be a bit expensive. I don't expect anyone to bring dishes like a potluck, and yet we can't just have cake. My folks will be here with my sister and her family, and they'll need to eat." Dee sighed.

"I could ask Ma what she suggests," Nathan shrugged.

"You know she'll want to cook for a week before the wedding just to feed everyone. I don't think we should expect that of her being that we brought her here not to work so hard, so she could rest." Dee said, "yet she loves to bake, so we could have her bake our wedding cake!"

"For sure. Ma would be hurt if we didn't ask her to bake the cake! Maybe Rosemary has a suggestion about the food. Ned, Flo and Jesse and Clara were recently married, so let's see what Rosemary did to help for their receptions. We can stop over and talk with her." Nathan suggested.

"That's a great idea. Maybe she'll have an idea of when my dress will arrive too. I'm very anxious to know it's here. I want to relax but we have so much to do!" Dee urged. "Flowers, music, menu, and our vows! I wish my sister was here."

"Sweetheart, I'm here today to help. Let's take it one step at a time. Before we talk to Rosemary, decide the flowers. Since our wedding is on Valentine's Day, that should be easy, but that's a bride's choice. I'll leave that up to you all right?"

"So, all we need to do is write our vows and choose our readings for the service." Dee looked tenderly at Nathan. Nathan had brought over his Ma's Bible and the two of them poured over it. "There are so many great readings to choose from."

As Dee and Nathan discussed what they wanted to be read, they each decided to write their own vows in private. "Dee, you know I love you, and I really want more time to think what I want to say to you. I promise I will have it done long before our wedding." With that Nathan reached over to Dee and gave her a long tight hug.

Fiona decided to see if she could get Christy to open up. As they sat at the table eating breakfast, Fiona asked her where she was from. Not wanting to say, she just shrugged and told her "From around here."

"Do your parents know where you were?" Fiona tried.

"No, just my sister, Maggie."

"How about Timi Anne's father? Where is he?" Fiona was pushing for more clues.

"I'm not sure." was all Christy said.

Okay, did he know you were pregnant?" Fiona tried one more time.

"No. He had to go away."

"Why?" Fiona asked.

Tears started to well up in Christy's eyes again and she looked away. All she could say was, "I miss him."