Sweet Annie (18 page)

Annie hadn't thought of it
herself, she'd been so caught up in the excitement of the moment.

"Something wrong?" Charmaine asked.

She shook her head, not wanting to express her
worry.

"The Ladies' League's
float was beautiful, wasn't it? I hope ours wins, though. We worked harder and
longer, we deserve to win."

After several minutes of
Charmaine's chatter, Luke appeared, the straw hat shading his eyes.

“You ladies need a ride back now?''

"Why, yes,"
Charmaine said, jumping up. "Can we ride one of your horses?"

"Charmaine, Mama and
Papa would have a fit of apoplexy if I came riding down the street on a
horse!"

"Oh." She looked down. "I forgot.
Sorry."

“The choir just returned
the buggy they borrowed and it's cleared off, so I'll take you in that,"
Luke offered.

"Okay." Charmaine
walked beside Annie out into the sunlight.

"That's sure a pretty
dress," Luke said.

"I
made it myself," Annie said proudly. "Well, Aunt Vera helped, but I
did most of it alone."

“The
color makes your eyes as green as new spring grass," he said quietly, and
she blushed.

Luke
helped them both into the back seat of the buggy and climbed on the front seat
to guide the horse. Annie recognized the vehicle as one of the finer rigs her
father sometimes rented.

"You
must have made a lot today, renting all these rigs," Charmaine said.

"No, I loaned
them."

"For free?"

"Yes, it was for the
town's celebration, after all."

Charmaine glanced at Annie
and raised a brow.

"That was kind of
you," Annie said.

"Where
we headed?" he asked. The streets were filled with people and makeshift
stands selling fudge and popcorn balls and lemonade.

"Annie's
chair is at the school where we started," Charmaine replied.

The
closer they came to the school, the harder Annie's heart thudded. And there,
standing in the side-yard as Luke pulled the buggy to a stop, was Annie's
family.

Chapter Nine

"
Oh,
dear," Annie gasped.

"It's
all right," Charmaine said. "They saw me. They saw me smile and blow
him a kiss."

"Easy,
Annie," Luke said over his shoulder. "Nothing's going to happen that
we can't handle."

Ignoring
his assurance, she wobbled to her feet and started down the carriage steps.

Burdell
rushed toward her. "What are you doing? Wait for help!"

"Annie!" her
mother said, hurrying forward. "What has gotten into you, child?" She
stared agape at her daughter. "And where did you get that dress? You left
before I could see you this morning."

"He
hasn't done anything!" Annie said, rushing to get the words out before
trouble started.

“It
was me who talked Annie into joining us on the float, Aunt Mildred,"
Charmaine said, taking the blame. "None of us thought ahead to how we'd
get her back to her chair, and Mr. Carpenter was kind enough to give us a ride
in his buggy."

Eldon
moved forward with Annie's chair. Burdell plucked Annie from the step of the
buggy and carried her toward her seat. Diana stood nearby with Will in tow and
gave Annie an apologetic shrug.

"Is that
correct?" her father asked Annie.

"Yes,"
she replied quickly. "But it wasn't Charmaine's fault. In all the years I
was tutored I sometimes got to help on the school float, but I never got to
ride on it. I wanted to, Daddy. It was my decision."

"You
could have fallen and been badly hurt," her mother scolded. "I was
terrified when I saw you up there. Where's your regard for your parents?"

Diana
stepped forward then, just as Luke descended. “Thank you for seeing her safely
back here, Mr. Carpenter." She extended a gloved hand and Luke took it
briefly. "I know her parents appreciate your attention to their
daughter's safety. And I'm sure you went out of your way to bring her
here."

"My pleasure,
ma'am," he returned politely.

After
that, there really wasn't much Burdy or her father could say about Luke
bringing Annie home. Charmaine and Diana had made it look like he'd done them a
favor. And he had. Suddenly they were obligated to the man they'd detested for
so many years.

"Yes,
thank you, Mr. Carpenter," Annie added and Charmaine murmured her thanks
as well.

Luke
tugged the brim of his straw hat politely and turned to leave.

"You
haven't thanked the man," Diana whispered to her husband and
father-in-law.

Annie
cringed. It had been enough that they hadn't beaten him flat, couldn't Diana
leave well enough alone?

Seated again, Luke shook
the reins over the horse's back and the buggy pulled away from the schoolyard.

"We should take her
home," Mildred said to her husband.

Her
father turned toward her. “Do you want to go home, Annie?"

She almost fell out of her
chair.

Her
mother placed her hand on her hip and glared at him.

He'd
never before asked what Annie wanted. She didn't care why he had this time, she
just knew she wasn't going to let the opportunity to express her choice pass.
"No. I want to see the contests and the displays and watch the dancing
tonight."

"Very
well," he said. "But you'll inform us if you get tired."

She nodded. "I
will."

"Eldon," her
mother said in a disapproving tone.

Charmaine
shared a look of astonishment with Annie while Annie's parents had an angrily
whispered exchange.

"Glenda
entered her pickles in a competition. I want to go see if she's won a prize
yet," Annie said cheerfully.

"I don't think that's
wise," her mother objected.

"Annie
said she'd let us know when she got tired," Eldon said. Then, more quietly
as he stepped behind her chair and pushed, he added, "And I've never seen
her tired yet."

Annie twisted to look at
her father. His face didn't reveal his thoughts, but he gave her a nod and
pushed her toward the activities. When no one was watching, he slipped several
dollars into her hand.

Annie
had never enjoyed herself more. The only thing that would have given her more
pleasure would have been if she could have gotten out of her chair and stood
beside the townspeople playing games—or maybe played a few herself. But she'd
been allowed to attend, even over her mother's objections, and for that she
gave silent thanks.

A
crowd gathered around for the sheriff to announce the winning float, and the
Ladies' League won again. "We'll beat 'em next time!" Doneta Parker
called to Charmaine and Annie.

Glenda
invited the Sweetwaters to join her family's picnic at noon. Mildred declined,
but Annie asked to stay. Finally, her father left her in Charmaine's care and
the rest of her family moved into the crowd.

Glenda's
daughters were fair-haired darlings, Gwen nine and Gerta seven. They wore
simple calico dresses that had seen much wear, but were clean and pressed.
Annie thought of the wardrobe in her room filled with frilly dresses she
detested and wondered if she could figure out how to use the material to make
clothing that would fit them.

Annie
moved to sit on the quilt beside Charmaine and the girls. Glenda served them
lunch, and they ate and visited and laughed.

Glenda's
tall, mustached husband, Tim, wasn't the most handsome man Annie'd ever laid
eyes on, but he had a genuine smile and a way of making people feel special.
His interaction with his wife and daughters touched Annie. She remembered
Glenda's tale of how he'd courted her with candy and flowers, and her esteem
for him grew even more now that she'd met him.

A
pair of lanky young fellows joined them as they finished their lunch. Gwen and
Gerta immediately pounced on the youngest, and he hugged them good-naturedly,
though he blushed.

"Annie,
Charmaine, do you know my brother, Wayne?'' Glenda asked. “Wayne, Miss Renlow
is Miss Sweetwater's cousin."

Annie
had never met Wayne, but Charmaine said, "I remember you from school before
you graduated. You work on your ranch now?''

Wayne nodded. "Always
did."

"And
this is Wayne's friend, Levi Cutter," Glenda said.

The
young man she introduced removed his hat, bent to take each of their hands and
gave Annie and Charmaine knockout smiles. He wore his fair hair a little too
long, but it didn't detract from his compelling good looks. His blue eyes
sparkled with humor and seemed to hold intimate secrets.

"Pleased
to meet you, Mr. Cutter," Annie said politely.

"You
pretty ladies save me a dance tonight," he said with a grin and a wink,
then settled his hat back on his head.

The
comment embarrassed Annie, and she turned her attention to helping Glenda pack
away the dishes and silverware.

The
young men wandered back toward the busy street, and Charmaine grabbed Annie's
forearm breathlessly. "Isn't he absolutely the handsomest devil?"

She nodded. "Levi's
very nice looking."

"No, not Levi.
Wayne!"

"Oh—oh, yes, he's
handsome, too."

"Levi
is a scoundrel and everyone knows it," Charmaine whispered. "He's
ruined more than one girl's reputation. They say he lives on a ranch with a
brother who is hideously scarred and never comes to town."

"Oh."

"But
Glenda's brother is from a nice family, and he hasn't been seen courting
anyone. Maybe he'll ask me to dance tonight."

"I'm sure he
will," Annie replied. "You'll be the prettiest girl there." She
stood and stretched her legs after being seated on the ground for so long, then
sat in her chair and waited for Charmaine to push her back to the festivities.

They came upon one of the
booths set up in the side yard of the church, and admired the prettily embroidered
items for sale. Charmaine examined a pair of pillowslips with bright peacocks
stitched in vivid colors and lace crocheted along the hem.

"That's always a
popular design," Mrs. Krenshaw said in her loud library whisper from
behind the makeshift counter. "They'd be a nice addition to any young
lady's trousseau."

"You made these?" Charmaine asked.

Mrs. Krenshaw nodded and
turned to answer a question for a woman standing beside Annie.

"Aren't they
stunning?" Charmaine asked Annie, running her fingers over the embroidered
stitches.

"Yes, they're
lovely." She pulled her cousin down close. “I never pictured her sitting
and embroidering, did you?"

Shrugging, Charmaine
counted change from the coin bag in her reticule and gave it to the librarian.

Annie thought the purchase
an odd one for her cousin. "What are you going to do with those? Give them
to someone?"

"They're for my hope
chest."

"Oh." Annie's
gaze flittered across the items on the linen-covered boards. Things for a young
lady's trousseau, Mrs. Krenshaw had said. "Do you have much in your hope
chest?''

"Mama has sewn me dish
towels and my great aunt Elsbeth made me a quilt before she died. Last year Papa
bought me a set of dishes from a catalog."

This was the first Annie
had considered the notion. Lizzy had mentioned her hope chest, too, but Annie
hadn't given it any thought at the time. Now here she was thinking about
marrying Luke and she had nothing packed away for married life.

Of course her mother
wouldn't have started or encouraged any such collection for Annie, since she
didn't believe she'd ever be married. Not much hope there. But Annie's hopes
had soared over the past months.