Morning Glory (17 page)

"Need some help?" Clara asked.

"Just finishing up, and then I'm going to be makin'
up some cookies. You ready to cook, Miss Libby?"

"Can I help?" Clara asked.

Dulcie jerked her head around quickly. Surely, her
old ears were failing her. She'd never thought she'd
lose her hearing, but surely Clara hadn't wanted to
cook. The girl had steered clear of anything that had to
do with food preparation her entire life.

"You want to cook?" Dulcie asked.

"I do. Libby and I want to learn to make cookies,
don't we Libby?"

"With sugar on top?" Libby asked.

"That's right. And don't you say a word, Dulcie. If
she can learn, I can, too," Clara said.

"Four and forty in the same kitchen," Dulcie muttered.

"I am not forty!"

"No, I guess you ain't, but you must be getting dotty
in your old age. Wanting to learn to cook? Next thing I
know, you'll be wantin' me to play the piano or else be
firin' me and doin' the work all by yourself," Dulcie
said.

"I don't think so. I might learn to cook, but you
won't ever learn that piano." Clara smiled.

"Well, I guess since you can read, you can try your
hand at mixing up cookie dough. Lord, I do believe the
world is coming to an end."

"Can I stir it?" Libby asked.

"Yes, you can" Dulcie took a big bowl from the cabinet and set it before the child.

"First, let's put an apron on you. We don't want to
ruin your pretty dress," Clara told her.

Judy arrived as the first cookies were coming out of the oven, and by the middle of the week Clara had convinced Briar to let Libby stay all day so Judith could
have time to get things ready for the wedding.

On Thursday he arrived at the door promptly at 5:00.
Libby barreled through the foyer and jumped into his
arms. "Daddy! Daddy! I can spell my name and I can
write my name all by myself. Nellie showed me how.
L. I. B. B. Y. And Dulcie said we can stay here and eat
tonight."

He looked over his daughter's head to find Clara in
the dining room archway. Several strands of hair had
escaped the tight bun at the nape of her neck. There was
a speck of flour or something white on her forehead.
Her gingham checked dress was rumpled and she still
wore a white apron that looked as if it had done war
with something in the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow in
question.

"You might as well stay and eat with us. Or has
Judith already got supper ready?" she asked.

"No, she and Cecil are talking to the preacher right
now. This has all come up so sudden. I asked Cecil to
go to Texas and he was willing if Judith would go with
him."

"Then you can eat with us," Bessie said as she made
her way to the table. "Ain't no sense in you trying to
cook when there's plenty here"

"Is that agreeable?" he asked Clara.

"Of course. Libby and I will go wash up. We helped
Dulcie make biscuits," she explained. For a moment she'd panicked when he arrived at the door. Time had
gotten away from her, but all Briar had asked was that
she keep his child. He hadn't asked for another kiss or
to see her socially, so it didn't really matter if he caught
her wearing an apron and with flour on her nose.

"Good. I am hungry. So what did you do today other
than learn your name and make cookies?" Briar asked
as Libby led him to the table.

After grace, Libby tugged at Briar's arm. "I stirred
the dough"

"Dulcie is going to teach you to be a good cook. I'm
proud of you" Briar could hardly believe that his
daughter had adapted so quickly to the new arrangement. Judith was so busy she scarcely had time to think
about how much she was going to miss Libby when she
moved. And Libby was fitting in very well at the inn.
Briar slid a slice of ham on his plate and a smaller portion on hers.

"Where's Judy? I miss her."

"Of course you do," Clara said. "And she misses you,
too."

"Yes, she does" Briar's eyes met Clara's across the
table.

"Me and Clara found toys up the stairs. A baby cradle and a doll. Clara says I can play with it."

"I bet that little baby doll has been looking for a little girl to come play for a long time," Briar said.

"So how many of your family are coming to this
wedding?" Bessie asked.

"A bunch," Briar winced. "I'm wondering where I'm
going to put them. The farm house can take care of part
of the tribe. The barn can handle some of the boys. Got
any ideas where a man could rent a few rooms for a
couple of days? They'll arrive this evening and be there
until Sunday. Oh, Libby won't be coming here tomorrow. There'll be plenty of help to take care of her, and
besides, there's children."

Libby's eyes lit up. "The kids are coming? Judy said
the kids are coming? Today? And Clara is coming to
my house tomorrow?"

"Today, sweetheart. They'll be there by the time it
gets dark," Briar said.

"And Clara is coming tomorrow?"

"Clara is busy, darlin'," Briar said.

Libby pushed herself back in the chair and crossed
her arms over her chest. "Clara is coming tomorrow."

"But-" Briar started to reason with her.

"Of course I'm coming tomorrow. They might need
me to help cook something. They might not even know
how to make cookies with sugar on the top and Libby
and I'll have to show them," Clara soothed.

"Okay," Libby was all smiles again and began to eat.

"Where they coming from?" Beulah asked.

"Kentucky. Every one of them settled right there

around where we were raised. Except for me. And then
Judith. Mother had just died when Libby was born so
Judith was free to come to Pennsylvania to help me," he
explained.

"How many are there?" Olivia asked.

"I have no idea. There're thirteen of us children.
Count in eleven in-laws. Then the children. When I was
born, my oldest brother was in his mid twenties so he
has grandchildren. Anyway, they were all willing to
come to the wedding if I'd rent a train to bring them
and put them up for three days. Might be close to a hundred of them."

"Why didn't you and Judith just go to them?" Clara
asked.

"Because she has her heart set on marrying Cecil
right here. On the farm, as a matter of fact. Under the
shade tree out back where he proposed. And you are all
invited. The women will be getting food and a party
ready tomorrow. I'd like them to meet you"

"Why?" Bessie asked.

"Because you were the first folks I met when I came
to Healdton."

"No, why is she wanting to get married here and not
at her home in Kentucky? Healdton ain't nothing but a
wide spot in the road," Bessie said.

"Where we live in the hills, Healdton would be a big
place," he told her. "I don't know why womenfolks do
what they do or want what they do, but if Judith wanted to get married on the white clouds of heaven and I
could find a way to get the family there, I'd do it. She's
been my life saver for four years. And Cecil is my best
friend."

"You are a good man, Briar Nelson," Bessie said. "And me and Beulah will be glad to come to the wedding. We got a nice tablecloth we've just finished
embroidering, and it'll make a wonderful wedding
gift."

"Thank you" Briar smiled at the two B's.

Clara shook her head at that many people traveling
that far for only three days. "A hundred?"

"Or more," he said.

"Tucker has two barns that are empty right now. If
you got some of your employees to sweep them out, I
bet they'd house nearly all your family. All you'd need
would be pillows and bedding," Clara said. "If you'd be
good enough to drive me out there and ask him, you
could have your answer tonight. Then he could bring
me back"

"Thank you. That would solve a big problem," Briar
said.

"But your family might not want to be in a barn.
Good Lord, I'd hate to stay in such a place. Much less,
try to get all dressed for a party. I was thinking more
like the Hotel Ardmore. That's the place to put up fancy
folks," Bessie said.

Clara blushed. If the family could rent a whole train
to bring them from Kentucky to Oklahoma, they surely would not want to bed down in barns. She'd just
made the social blunder of the year.

"My family would rather be close to the wedding
preparations than driving twenty-three miles back and
forth every day. The barns will be wonderful if Tucker doesn't mind. What about Tilly? Think she'd be interested in renting one of her barns?"

Bessie giggled. Beulah slapped her napkin over her
mouth.

"Tilly's barns aren't empty right now," Clara stammered.

"Well, I suppose with my house, two barns and whatever we might talk Tucker out of, we could find a bed
for the whole bunch of Nelsons," Briar said.

"Is a hundred this many?" Libby held up all her fingers.

"More than that," Briar told her.

"Can I keep some of the kids?" Libby asked.

"You can ask their mommies and daddies, and any of
them you can talk their parents out of can come here
with you every day" Clara dared Briar to cross her.
Give the child a hope, at least.

After supper, Clara took off her apron, brushed her
hair back with her fingers and followed Briar and
Libby out to his car. He held the door open for her and
helped Libby into the back seat. Tucker was sitting on
the front porch when they arrived, a glass of tea in his
hand and a puzzled look on his face when he saw who
was getting out of the car. He walked to the edge of
the porch and shaded his eyes to be sure it wasn't a
mirage.

He cocked his head off to one side. "Clara?"

"Yes, it's me. I've got a favor to ask, Tucker." She
crossed the grassy lawn and stood at the bottom of three steps leading up to the house, which had a wide
front porch all the way across the front.

"Is that Briar?" he asked.

"Briar and his daughter, Libby, but I told them to stay
in the car until I talked to you. That way you wouldn't
be embarrassed to say no if you've a mind to," she said.

"What are you doing with them? Thought you hated
him?"

"Thinking gets you in trouble. I don't hate anyone. I
might still be upset with the way things are changing
and life is getting so fast, but I can't do a blessed thing
about it, so I guess I'll have to accept it. I'm keeping
Libby for him. His sister, Judith, is getting married
Saturday and his family is coming to the wedding. You
are invited to go to the wedding, too. Who knows, there
might be a woman amongst them who'll steal your old
heart. It's looking like you're going to be the only one
who'll ever have children in the Anderson family."

"Never turned down an invitation to a wedding in my
life. Lets me go see some other sucker make a fool of
himself," Tucker said.

"That's not my favor. I need your two empty barns
from tonight until Sunday morning. Briar's men will
come and sweep them out, but he needs a place nearby
to put up his family until the wedding."

"Well, hell's bells, Clara. They don't have to stay in
my barns. I'll put them up in the house. Got seven bedrooms I never use," he said.

"There's more than a hundred of them coming. There were thirteen kids. Briar's one of the youngest
ones, so some of the older ones already have grandchildren. I don't think your house will take care of it.
They'd stay at the Hotel Ardmore if they could, but
they want to be closer to the wedding doin's. They can
go across the stile in the back pasture and not even have
to run cars back and forth between the farms."

"A hundred! Good Lord! Yes, of course, he can use
the barns, but a hundred of them? Whatever can fit in
the house are welcome. What can't fit in the bedrooms
could bed down in the living room. Maybe the boys
could sleep out in the barn and the ladies in the house.
I'll go to Tilly's so they won't be embarrassed to stay
in the house with a man about"

Clara motioned for Libby and Briar to get out of the
car. "Thank you. Go fix us up some lemonade and we'll
sit a while with you. Then you can take me back to the
inn."

"Bossy little critter, ain't you," Tucker grinned. Who
said he'd be the first one to start another generation of
Andersons? Looked to him like Clara was digging a
hole called love and had one foot already in it and the
other one on a boiled okra pod.

But he's divorced, a little voice reminded Tucker as
he did Clara's bidding.

"And she's the crazy woman who sat on a bench.
One ain't no worse than the other," he whispered as he
squeezed lemons. Someday he was going to have to
force Clara to learn to at least make lemonade and tea.

"He said he would be glad to help out," Clara told
Briar.

"Look Clara. A puppy. Can I play with it?" Libby
saw one of a litter peeking around the end of the porch.

"You can go play with it if you want, Libby. There's
five or six of them. The momma dog is gentle. Don't
worry, Briar. She won't get bit," Clara assured him.

"I wasn't worrying about that," he said.

"Then why the wrinkles around your eyes?"

"I'm usually the one, even with Judith in the house,
who she asks permission. I'm not sure I like sharing,"
he said.

"Me, either. I don't like her leaving when Judith
comes to get her. Today was wonderful. She got to
spend the whole day. She's brought more life back into
the house than it's ever had. The two B's have fallen in
love with her. Dulcie has me learning to cook just so I
can be with her. I understand how you feel. Just please
don't take her away now that she's fit so well in with all
of our crazy tribe."

"Wouldn't think of it." He patted Clara's hand.