As Love Blooms (41 page)

“Some do.” His father stood and walked around the sundial. “This is truly a beautiful place, Reese. As I told you before, it shows a great deal of vision.”

“Go ahead and say it, Dad. You know it isn’t my design. Remember, you already told me I lack creativity.”

“What?”

“Dad, don’t pretend. We both know the truth.” Reese pushed
up his shirtsleeves. “I’m a hard worker, but I don’t have what it takes to be a gifted garden designer.”

“Did I say that?”

“More or less.”

His father leaned against one of the brick pillars. “Apparently I was wrong.”

“No, you weren’t. Didn’t you hear me? Tessa did all this. You can see her touch all over the garden. I know you can.”

“You’re right.” His father moved to the
clair-voie
and placed his hand on the metal spindle. “I could tell, and before you panic, your secret is safe. I didn’t say anything to Fred Nussbaumer. But son, hers is not the only hand I see at work in this garden.”

Reese cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I see you here too.” He swept his arm toward the pillars. “You made those. I can tell by the strong, bold lines and solid structure. Those will be standing long after the last bloom fades. Maybe you can’t see it, but you bring a richness here, where Tessa brought the element of joy.” His father looked at him and chuckled. “You look surprised. Didn’t you think I could tell you selected the shrubs, knowing what would tolerate Minnesota’s cold winter? And you’re one of the only gardeners I know who could make everything look established after only a few weeks. You are truly gifted in husbandry.”

Reese stared at his father, unsure of what to say. He’d heard more words of praise in that minute than he had in his lifetime. Had his father actually used the word
gifted
?

His father again joined him on the bench. “Reese, I’m not sure what I said to you that day long ago, but I can tell that you remember it word for word. I can also see you are a skilled gardener. You and Tessa make a brilliant team.”

“I have to tell Mr. Nussbaumer the truth about Tessa’s help in all this.”

“It isn’t going to change his mind.” He squeezed Reese’s shoul
der. “I’ve known Fred for a long time, and he isn’t going to hire a woman, so don’t be the hero. You’ll be putting that new position you earned on the line for nothing.”

Reese pushed to his feet. “No, Dad. It will be for something. It will let me sleep at night, and it will let me look Tessa in the eyes and promise her I’ll live the rest of my life trying never to let her down again.”

His father stood and studied him for a second. Reese lowered his gaze. He couldn’t bear to once again see the disappointment in his father’s eyes. Then, before he knew what was happening, his father pulled him into a hug.

“I’m proud of you, son.”

Reese had waited his whole life to hear those words, but they could barely penetrate the hedge of guilt around his heart.

Lord, please forgive me.

The stubborn weed refused to budge. Tessa wrapped both hands around it and gave it a firm yank. She was rewarded with the sound of a snap as the roots let loose.

She sat back on her knees and tipped her face to the sun. Pulling weeds was exactly what she needed right now. If only it were as easy to rip out her thoughts of Reese.

After slipping out of the house earlier, Tessa had made her way to Aunt Sam’s garden. She’d neglected it terribly. At the rate Hannah and Charlotte were going when she left, Tessa imagined they’d still be giggling and talking when the moon came out. Thank goodness the children were taking Sunday afternoon naps.

While she loved her sisters, Tessa didn’t feel up to laughing with them right now. Sure, she was glad it seemed the tension between them had evaporated and her conscience was now clear, but the pieces of her heart still felt scattered like dandelion fluff in the wind.

She plucked a fluffy dandelion from the ground. Once, when
she was a little girl, she had sat on the porch steps with her mother holding a similar dandelion in her hand. She’d had a bad day, with her sister constantly telling her what to do, so her mother told her to make a wish and blow the dandelion seeds in the air.

Tessa smiled at the memory.

She’d wished to be an only child.

But now that she was an adult, she knew the truth. Blowing dandelion fluff only made more dandelions. Wherever seeds fell, they grew.

An
awooga
horn of a Model T startled her. She whipped her gaze toward the street. Reese?

No, the driver was honking at a motorcycle. Now that she’d ridden a motorcycle, she seemed to see them everywhere.

What if it had been Reese? Her blood ran fast at the thought. A part of her wanted to see him, but another part burned at the idea. She jerked another weed from the soil. He’d used her and he’d lied to her. After all his talk about Tessa’s acting, he was the one who’d put on the best show of all.

A clanging sound in the corner of the garden made her look up. It sounded as if the gate was closing, but no one was there. Perhaps the neighbor’s kitten was out prowling again, or maybe it was Edward wanting his information.

She jumped at the sound of footsteps behind her. Turning, she spotted Aunt Sam approaching.

“Hello, dear.” She sat down on a nearby bench. “I thought you might need some company. Is there a reason you’re pulling those weeds like they’re the enemy?”

“I’m pretending they’re pieces of Reese’s hair.” Tessa giggled. “Not really.”

“I’m sure you’re angry with him.”

“Do you and the senator ever argue?”

“Yes,” Aunt Sam said softly. “We did.”

Tessa sat back. “Is something wrong between the two of you?”

“We had a long talk again about suffrage.” Dark circles rimmed Aunt Sam’s eyes, and the wrinkles on her brow appeared deeper. She seemed to have aged overnight. But was it overnight? How long had this been going on? Had Tessa been so wrapped up in her own troubles that she’d missed Aunt Sam’s?

“What happened?”

“When the vote came up the other day in the legislature, he voted against it—again.” Her voice broke. “He’ll never change his mind, but worse, he still wants to change mine. So I told him we would have to go back to simply being friends.”

“You don’t think you could work around this? Agree to disagree?”

“He enjoys my company and I enjoy his, but he doesn’t truly understand me. Not really.” The breeze blew a strand of gray hair free from her bun, and she patted it back in place. “I wouldn’t be true to myself if I traded what I believe for love. I’d be living a lie.”

“Oh, Aunt Sam, I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you.” Aunt Sam forced a smile. “But I’ve spent too many years fighting for this cause to marry a man who won’t be celebrating with me when the day we can vote finally arrives. I can’t be with a man who doesn’t support my dream.”

“I know exactly how you feel.”

“No, dear, you don’t.”

Tessa quirked her head to the side. “But Reese—”

“Made a mistake. A grave one. I believe you too have made a few.”

“Did Hannah call you?”

Aunt Sam nodded. “You should have told me. I would have understood better than anyone.”

Tessa’s eyes burned with tears. “I know.”

“And you should have told Reese.”

“I know.”

“Tessa, I don’t believe for a minute that he doesn’t support
your dream. He risked a great deal in even allowing you to work alongside him.”

“I’m so confused. I thought Reese was solid and honest and strong.”

“You’re a gardener.” Aunt Sam stood. “Take a look at the seeds Reese has sowed in his life. That will tell you what kind of man he really is.” She reached down and cupped Tessa’s cheek. “While you’re at it, you might think a bit about where your hope has been rooted—or rather, in whom.”

Tessa watched her go. What did Aunt Sam mean? Where was her hope rooted? In whom?

She’d put her hope in Reese and he’d let her down.

Something tugged on her conscience—a few words from a sermon. The mustard seed of faith. She closed her eyes, and the preacher’s words came back to her.
Brothers and sisters, the burden is not on Christians to
muster faith, but to have enough faith to focus on
the One who has the power to perform whatever needs
to be done.

Her heart pounded against her ribs. Where had her faith been in all of this? Though she’d never been as virtuous as Charlotte or as well-versed as Hannah, she’d always believed God was central to her life, but now, when the odds seemed insurmountable, she’d not turned to him to help her. She’d turned to a man—a good one, but still a man. Worse than that, she’d turned to her own devices to get what she wanted. Not once had she turned to the One who could truly handle the situation.

Her chest heaved under the weight of the discovery. She gathered her knees against her chest, and with the sweet scent of roses hanging in the air, she wept.

Lord Jesus, I’m so sorry.

“Miss Tessa, you have had two telephone calls.”

“Oh?” Tessa smiled at the butler. Since she’d spent the early
morning in her bedroom praying, she hadn’t heard the telephone ring.

“Mr. Reese King called first thing this morning.”

“He did?” Tessa’s stomach somersaulted at the mention of Reese’s name. She had so much she wanted to talk to him about. She owed him an apology, and she needed to tell him the whole truth about why she wanted to work at Como Park.

“Yes, miss, and Mr. Edward Ferrell called. He says it’s urgent he speak with you. He left his number.” Geoffrey frowned. “But of course, as a young lady, you are not required to return the call.”

For once, playing the female card might prove to her advantage. The last thing she wanted to do today was speak to Edward Ferrell.

She picked up her purse. “Geoffrey, will you let Aunt Sam know I’m going to Como Park this morning? Since my sisters are supposed to be coming over, I’ll return by one o’clock.”

“Should I call for the car?”

She waved her hand. “No, no. I’ll take the streetcar. I like the ride.”

He opened the heavy front door. “Very well, miss. Enjoy your day.”

A sky as blue as a Minnesota lake greeted her. Billowy white clouds dotted the expanse, and a breeze kissed her cheeks. It was as if God was smiling on her.

Even though she and Reese had a great deal to work out, Tessa sensed a peace about all of it. She’d placed the whole situation in God’s hands.

As she neared the neighbor’s hedge, she heard a mewing sound. The neighbor’s kitten again? She was constantly getting herself stuck in one place or another.

Tessa stepped off the sidewalk, slipped around the back of the bush, and pushed back the branches. “There you are.” Her collar had gotten caught, so Tessa reached into the bush and unsnagged it. She scooped the feline into her hand, hauled her out, and stood.
Nuzzling the dove-gray kitten against her cheek, she stroked her velvety fur. “You really know how to get yourself in a jam.”

A twig snapped behind her, but before she could turn, someone covered her mouth with a cloth. She dropped the kitten and fought against her captor, clawing at his strong arms.

The sickeningly sweet smell of ether engulfed her.

Don’t breathe!

Her lungs burned and she had to take a breath. The man pulled her tighter against his chest. One breath. Two. Three.

Fight, Tessa. Fight.

But her body wouldn’t obey, and the mews of the kitten grew fainter and fainter.

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