Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas (21 page)

“Would you mind?” he asked Adeline. “I’d like to ask him to join us.”

“What a kind gesture,” she said. “I think that would be wonderful.”

Moments later Myles sat at the table with them, sipping a cup of coffee and waiting on his dinner. Somehow, with Myles there, Georg could relax and be himself. There was no pressure to do—or be—anything he was not with another person at the table.

“So, you are a schoolteacher?” Adeline asked, turning to Myles.

“Yes. Have been for quite some time now.” He drew in a deep breath and grew silent.

“What is it, Myles?” Georg asked.

“Oh, I was just thinking about the many children who’ve come through my classroom. They have made up for the lack of children in my own life. And many have grown into fine men and women. Take you, Georg. Why, you’re all grown up and ready for a family yourself.”

“Y–yes.” Georg stumbled over the word as he reached for his coffee cup. Perhaps it would be better to shift gears. “The new school year has started up again, hasn’t it? Any rambunctious students?”

“Oh, yes. I have a handful of girls around age ten or eleven who tend to squeal a lot. Sometimes their high-pitched shrieks catch me off guard.”

“I remember that age.” Adeline smiled and her eyes took on a faraway look.

“These girls are quite a handful,” Myles said with a nod. “Never stop talking.”

“My sister, Catherine, is twelve and will be a student at your school...should we decide to stay in Poetry.” Adeline’s cheeks turned pink, and she dabbed at her lips with the edge of her napkin. “It would be nice for me to meet some of the girls her age so that proper introductions can be made once she arrives.”

“You are welcome to stop by the school midday whenever you like,” Myles said with a nod. “I’ll be happy to introduce you to the children. Tell me a little more about your sister.”

The two dove into a lengthy conversation about Catherine, and Georg relaxed. Thankfully, he could leave this one in Myles’s capable hands. For once, it was nice just to sit on the sidelines and listen. Of course, with a woman like Adeline, he could pretty much sit and listen all day. The sound of her voice was akin to water running over river rocks. Soothing. Comforting.

Yes, indeed. He might just learn to love this.

Belinda arrived in church on Sunday morning with her mind still reeling from the past few days. Just yesterday morning she and Papa had driven Rebecca Morgan to Terrell to board the train. She’d left with the promise to write, though Belinda secretly wondered if she would ever hear from her again. Likely not. And perhaps that was for the best. Belinda still had other clients to tend to, after all. The doctor, of course. And Myles Lott. And Sarah Jo. All of these were surely in need of encouragement.

She arrived at the church earlier than usual and was stunned to find Cassie Bly seated not next to John Ogilvie, but to Doc Klein. Surely there had been some mix-up in the communication. Belinda drew near the doctor, who was grinning like a schoolboy as he listened to Cassie talk about her plans to build a dress shop. On and on she went, talking about her dress designs, the patterns she planned to sell, and even the types of fabrics. As if the man cared one whit about fabrics. Still, he sat gazing into her eyes as if she’d cast some sort of spell on him.

“Doc?” Belinda gave him a warning look. “Could I have a moment of your time?”

“Perhaps after the service, Belinda,” he said, shooing her away. “I am otherwise occupied at the present.”

“Indeed you are.” She shook her head then took a few steps, looking for Greta. Maybe she would know what to make of this.

Greta was apparently looking for her, as well. She rushed to Belinda’s side and grabbed her by the arm.

“Do you see what’s happened?” she whispered.

“It would be hard to miss.”

“Doc Klein and Cassie met in town yesterday,” Greta added. “You’re not going to believe it, but she took a fancy to him right away. Turns out they both have family in South Carolina. Mutual friends, even.”

“Are you serious?”

“Never more so. And what do you think about this? Cassie is telling Doc Klein all about her plans to make costumes for the new opera house. Before you know it, she’ll be volunteering to make bandages for his practice. Why, he’s absolutely mesmerized by her. Spellbound.”

“What about John?” Belinda asked, looking around to find him. “Is he brokenhearted?”

“To put it mildly. He’s pacing at the back of the church with a pained expression on his face. I’ve never seen him so upset.”

“Oh dear. My heart goes out to him. Oh, what a mess this has turned out to be!”

Belinda went to speak to him, hoping he would hold his temper in check. She took Greta along for safe measure. She arrived to find him pacing and glaring...at Doc Klein.

Belinda drew near, whispering her opening line. “John, I understand there’s been a mix-up of sorts.” She reached to touch his arm, but he pulled away quickly.

“I don’t believe I would call it a mix-up. It’s clear what’s happening here.” He turned to face her with anger emanating from his eyes. “Doc Klein has stolen my woman.”

“Well,
stolen
is a harsh word,” Belinda said. “I think it’s clear neither of them set out to fancy one another. But sometimes our hearts have a way of tricking us.” She paused to think about what she’d just said. Yes, it was true. Even her own heart had deceived her at times.

“So what am I to do?” John asked. “Become the laughingstock of the town, like Myles Lott? Be known as the man who was ditched by a mail-order bride? Or traded in for an older model?”

“Surely people will see this for what it is,” Belinda said.

“I can see it plain as day,” he said. “And I also see that someone owes me some money. I paid a retainer fee and covered the cost of Cassie’s ticket from Charleston. If she ends up with the doc, he’d better pay me back.”

“Well, that’s where things get tricky,” Belinda said. “He paid for Rebecca to come, after all, so in essence, he paid for one bride and ended up with another. I think that means I’m square with Doc Klein, should he really take a serious interest in Cassie.”

“Well, you’re certainly not square with me. I paid for one bride and got nothing in return.” A sour look crossed John’s face. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Belinda. She wondered if he might take to sparring with her right there in the house of the Lord.

“Come now, John.” Greta intervened, taking him by the arm. “Let’s go outside for a walk. We will try to calm ourselves.” She patted his arm. “I think you can rest easy in the fact that the Lord obviously never intended for you to marry Cassie in the first place. Think of the pain you have been spared by avoiding such a hasty and uneventful marriage. Why, who knows what you might’ve had to endure.”

He exhaled loudly and then gazed at Greta and shrugged. “I suppose. I never thought about it from that angle before. Perhaps I have been spared a greater pain.”

“Well, you’ve never been in this situation before,” she said, patting his hand. “How are you to know what to do? That’s why you need the counsel of another woman. Come with me, and we will talk this through.”

Belinda could have hugged Greta right then and there. She’d managed to calm the storm before it took the building down.

As soon as Greta and John headed off for their walk and she entered the sanctuary once more, Belinda discovered Adeline sitting with Georg’s family. Mrs. Kaufman talked nonstop with the young woman. Clearly, she had taken to her. Why that thought bothered Belinda so much, she did not know. Wasn’t that the goal, after all? For Adeline to fit in with Georg, his family, and the town? Belinda started to walk over there, to say hello, but decided against it. Somehow it just felt wrong.

The service was just minutes from starting when Myles Lott approached Belinda. She managed to dodge him by ducking behind her mother and slipping into the pew. Once settled, she reached for a hymnal and pretended to be reading it. Surely the man wouldn’t bother her in church with her nose in a hymnal.

He paused at the end of her row and gave her a glance but didn’t say a word. Oh, she knew he wanted to. The somber schoolmaster probably wanted to know why she hadn’t fetched a second potential bride for him. To be honest, she didn’t feel like it. In fact, she didn’t feel like pairing up anyone these days. She felt rather deflated whenever she thought of it, in fact. The fun had all frittered away. Sure, the town was filled with happy couples, but it seemed there were more discontent than content. She had no idea how to fix this.

A few minutes into the service, the back door of the church opened and Peter Conrad slipped inside. Funny, he was never late. Funnier still, he made his way up the aisle and settled into an empty seat next to Sarah Jo, who beamed like a Cheshire cat.

Belinda swallowed her astonishment and focused on the reverend, who asked the congregation to open their Bibles to the story of Isaac and Rebecca. She hadn’t thought about that story in ages. She listened with interest as he talked about the emotional needs in Isaac’s life after losing his mother and how Rebecca had entered his life at just the right time. Funny, she’d never thought about that before. But God’s timing was always perfect.

Hmm. Perhaps that warranted a bit more thought. If one got ahead of God, did it interrupt His perfect timing? And if one lagged behind, did it throw the Almighty off course? She pondered these things as the message continued, even spending some time in prayer about it as the congregation prepared to sing the final hymn.

Afterward, the reverend got everyone’s attention. “We’ll be having another wedding in a few minutes, as most of you are aware. Samuel Bromstead and Ella Hanson have invited all of you to stay and join them for their nuptials on the church lawn.”

Another wedding. Instead of celebrating the fact, Belinda found herself feeling a bit apathetic. Oh, she was happy for the bride and groom, of course. And happier still that she’d somehow played a role in bringing them together. But every time she thought about weddings, she pictured Adeline and Georg and wondered what their big day would be like. Would Adeline carry wildflowers or roses? Would she wear a new dress? If so, what would it look like? Would Georg’s eyes pop as he saw her marching down the aisle?

With a sigh, Belinda focused on Samuel and Ella. There would be plenty of time to think about Georg and Adeline later. If she chose to think of them at all.

Georg watched the marriage of Samuel Bromstead and the widow Hanson with a smile, wondering what was going through Belinda’s mind. Surely she was responsible for this match. No one else had quite believed it when she suggested the two start courting, but they did indeed seem to be well suited.

And speaking of people being well suited, Georg looked around for Belinda. He could hardly wait to get her take on the latest debacle. Cassie and Doc Klein appeared to be interested in each other, much to John Ogilvie’s chagrin.

“Is everything all right?” Adeline asked, taking Georg by the arm.

“Oh, yes. I’m just looking for...” He glanced through the crowd. “Looking for someone.”

“Oh?” Adeline stared into his eyes, and he practically melted. What was it about this woman?

Just then, Belinda happened by. She looked his way, but as their eyes met, she shifted her gaze. Strange. Georg lifted his hand to wave at her, but she quickly ducked through the crowd and headed off to the far side of the lawn. If he didn’t know any better, he would say she was avoiding him. But why? Had he done something to hurt her feelings?

The thought of hurting Belinda struck a deep chord. He could hardly bear the thought of injuring her in any way. “You should sit awhile,” he said to Adeline. “Would you like me to fetch a glass of punch? I hear it’s quite good.”

“Yes, please.” She opened her parasol and held it over her head to block the sun. “I would be grateful, Georg. And I do believe I will sit. The heat is bothering me.” She looked at him with a warm smile. “Not that I’m opposed to the heat, mind you. It’s just going to take some getting used to. Boston is already facing autumn’s chill, you know.”