Dearly Beloved
Chapter 9
The rest of the week passed quickly… too quickly for Lou's liking. In a few short days Adam was due to return to St. Louis with Beth and Rudy, and it would be a year before he'd be home again. When he did return, and Lou still held out all hope that he would come home after he'd graduated, Beth would be coming with him.
As much as she hated to admit it, Lou knew she had been hard on Beth since her arrival at the ranch. She had been so afraid that her son would choose this woman above his family that she'd made the situation more difficult than it needed to be. While she still wasn't completely at ease with Adam's decision to marry as soon as he became a doctor, Lou knew that he and Beth loved each other, and they would make each other happy.
So it was with a measure of resignation and a little pride that she would attend that evening's church social with the whole family and their daughter-in-law to be. Beth had met most of their friends during the two weeks they'd been in Sweetwater, but tonight was the first time she and Adam would be attending a dance together as an engaged couple.
In the bedroom she shared with Charlie, Beth finished pinning up her blond hair and straightened her dress, wanting to look her best. She was worried that she might stand out too much – she'd noticed the differences in the clothes she wore from those of the other women in town. She'd quietly unpicked the flounces and ribbons from some of her dresses in an effort not to appear overly ostentatious. Beth was determined to fit in – it was to be her home in a year's time, after all.
"Bethy, help me with this, would you?" Rudy appeared at her door, struggling to tie his cravat.
"Here, let me." She smiled indulgently at her brother as she tied the material into a stylish knot, and wondering what he was going to do when she was no longer there to look after him and their grandfather.
"Remind me why we're attending this soirée?" Rudy said with undisguised disdain.
"Be nice."
"Really, you can't be looking forward to it. A church social?"
"We've been invited so we can meet the townspeople, and have them meet us," Beth reminded him patiently.
"Meet you, you mean." His cravat tied, Rudy look a step back and started buttoning his waistcoat over his expansive stomach.
"Best behavior tonight please, Dr. Betts."
Rudy rolled his eyes and was about to let loose with a tirade on the backwater town they were stuck in, when Charlie walked into the room. She stopped short when she saw them.
"Oh," she said, then her eyes narrowed in annoyance at having her bedroom invaded.
"I'm sorry, Charlie, we'll leave you to get dressed," said Beth apologetically. She hastened her brother out of the room. "Come along, Rudy."
Charlie took great satisfaction in closing the door more firmly than necessary, then pressed her back against it as she surveyed the room. Her mother had left a dress laid out on her bed, pale blue and simple, but it still left Charlie feeling aggrieved. She rarely went to the church socials and other dances, and when she did she spent the evening talking horses with the men in town, or watching out for her younger brothers. But tonight she was being forced to act like a proper young lady, all because of Adam and his silly fiancée. Her mother had even bought her a new dress for the occasion. Charlie didn't know who they were supposed to be impressing, and once again she resented Beth's presence in their lives.
In the preceding fortnight Charlie had been able to spend a few brief hours with Adam and told him everything she'd been saving up since his last visit home. But most of the time, when he wasn't with Doc Browne and Rudy, he was with Beth. Charlie was not used to sharing her brothers, especially Adam, to whom she'd always been particularly close. He was the one person who never teased her about her clothes or her tomboy ways. He took the time to listen when she talked, and worked with her on poultices and other remedies for the horses. But that was before. Now he had Beth, and Charlie knew that she would always come first.
She took her time dressing, wishing to delay the start of the evening's drudgery as long as possible. She tied back her straight, dark hair with a simple ribbon, and took no more care with her appearance until she saw the lace shawl peaking out of the top of Beth's trunk. Charlie hesitated before picking it up, knowing she shouldn't be going through Beth's things, but then it was her bedroom, she reminded herself. She removed it carefully so as not to disturb anything else.
Charlie was not particularly interested in clothes and other trappings of womanhood, but even she had to admit that it was a beautiful shawl. Made of cream-colored lace, its softness and intricacy was something Charlie had never felt or seen before. After a quick glance at the closed door, she slipped it around her shoulders and admired herself in the mirror. Charlie smiled shyly at her reflection – she was unused to seeing herself look so… normal, she guessed. Pretty, even. She was thus engrossed when Beth slipped back into the room.
"It looks wonderful on you, Charlotte," the older girl said, her eyes shining with sincerity.
Charlie whipped around with a start and, with cheeks burning, pulled the shawl off.
"Sorry," she mumbled, mortified she'd been caught.
Beth took a few steps forward. "Don't be, you look beautiful. Why don't you wear it tonight? It matches your dress perfectly."
"No, thank you," Charlie replied coldly. "I don't need to wear fancy things to impress everyone."
Beth sighed sadly. "Please, Charlie. I just wanted…"
Charlie didn't bother waiting for the rest of the sentence. She stalked past Beth and out of the room without another word.
Despite the unpleasantness with Charlie, Beth enjoyed herself at the dance. She talked with the ladies of the town who were so eager to meet the future wife of their town's young doctor-in-training. She danced with Adam and Jamie and Kid, and even ten-year-old Ethan who decided he was grown up enough to join in.
Jamie was in demand the most that evening, dancing with every eligible girl over the age of sixteen. Adam and Beth laughed at the inexhaustible energy he appeared to have, and the charming smile framed by two dimples that made him irresistible to every girl there. Even the widow Roberts, more than ten years his senior, was making eyes at Jamie that night, much to Adam's amusement.
But it was Beth and Adam who were center of attention, even though they were barely aware of it. The elder ladies smiled warmly at the young couple, so obviously in love, while Kid and Lou's friends passed on their congratulations and best wishes.
"I told you everythin' would be all right," Kid murmured into Lou's ear as they stood on the edge of the dance floor, surveying the crowd.
"He's not back for good yet, is he?" she replied through the smile that was starting to hurt her cheeks.
"No, but he will be. You know they will."
Lou sighed. She did know it. "The year will be up before we know what's happenin'. Then we still have to go all the way to St. Louis for the weddin'."
"Yes, we do."
"I don't see what's wrong with gettin' married here. I'm sure Rachel would come up from Denver, and all our friends…"
Kid pulled her gently onto the dance floor as a slow waltz started. They danced in each other's arms in silence, until Lou could hold her tongue no more.
"Jamie's already said he'll stay behind to run the ranch while we're gone, and Charlie's flat out refusin' to go."
Kid smiled secretively. "Maybe Jake and Ethan should stay here too. We wouldn't want them to miss too much school."
A real smile teased Lou's lips. "What are you proposin', Kid?"
"Who me? Nothin'," he replied innocently.
"You're plannin' somethin', I know you."
"You'll just have to wait and see won't you." He kissed her lips lightly and kept on dancing.
Suddenly a year seemed a long way away for Lou.
When it came time to leave, the entire family was at the train station to see Adam off. Ethan and Jake, while sad to see their brother and Beth go, were so excited to be missing school that they set about exploring the train carriages and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Lou didn't bother remonstrating their behavior, she was too busy spending what little time she had left with Adam. As always he promised to write and not to study too hard. Rudy was the grateful guardian of a fully packed hamper of food from their housekeeper that promised to keep all three of them well fed on the overnight journey.
All too soon the conductor blew his whistle and announced the train would be leaving in five minutes. Lou finally let go of Adam's arm so he could say goodbye to his father and siblings.
"Take care, doc," Jamie said and he briefly hugged his little brother.
"Watch it with the ladies, James," replied Adam jokingly, which earned him a shove to the shoulder.
Jamie pecked Beth's cheek and shook Rudy's hand before stepping back to allow the others to say their farewells. Charlie was in tears, though she was doing her best to hide it.
Adam embraced her lovingly. "Look after those horses, Charlie. And let me know how you finish up at school."
"I will," she replied between sniffs.
Lou took Beth's hand and was surprised when the girl kissed her cheek warmly.
"Thank you so much for having us stay, Mrs. Morgan, and for making me feel so welcome."
Embarrassed at the half-truth of the statement, she squeezed Beth's hand. "Have a safe journey. We'll see you in St. Louis soon."
Beth smiled, but Lou did not release her hand. She glanced down at her feet, before raising her eyes once more.
"Beth? Take good care of him," Lou said quietly and with some difficulty. She blinked away her tears.
"I will." Beth kissed her other cheek from sheer happiness that perhaps she had been accepted after all.
Adam moved to stand in front of his mother, then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Ma," he whispered.
Lou didn't trust herself to respond. The conductor's whistle blew again and the last of the passengers stepped on board. Kid rescued Jake and Ethan from the carriage before they found themselves en route East, and they all stood waving on the platform as the train pulled away from the station.
The family stayed there until the last black carriage disappeared from sight.
The ranch house felt empty when they returned home. Kid and Jamie headed straight back to work, while the younger boys opted for the swimming hole before Lou had a chance to insist they do some school work. Lou wrapped her arm around Charlie's shoulder as they made their way inside the house, and for the first time in many years her daughter rested her head against her shoulder and didn't pull away.
"You have some homework to do?" she said, interrupting their companionable silence.
"A little," came the glum reply.
"Or we could go for a ride instead," suggested Lou. "You could show me how good that mare of yours is."
Charlie was surprised but nonetheless pleased at the idea. She couldn't remember the last time she and her mother had gone riding together.
"You'd better go change out of that skirt, though," Lou said with a grin.
"Give me a minute." Charlie ran ahead into the house without a moment's hesitation.
Up in her bedroom, which was once again hers and hers alone, Charlie changed quickly into her riding gear and was soon ready to go. It was then she saw the edge of the cream material sticking out from under her pillow. With a puzzled frown she lifted it to find Beth's shawl, wrapped in a pink ribbon. Charlie sat down on the bed, the dainty garment lying in her lap. She wondered for the first time that maybe it wasn't going to be so bad having a sister, after all.
