Margaret shook her head. “No. When we got back from the mountains, she rushed to the room and changed into her prettiest dress. Even fixed up her hair. Said she had to go to town.”
“Go to town?” Again, several of the ladies spoke in unison.
“Surely not.” Lottie yawned. “Maybe she just went for a quiet walk to think through all that happened up on the mountain. She needs time to absorb it all.”
“No. It’s a quarter of six and she’s missing. But there’s more.”
Lottie sat up straight. “More?”
“Yes. I don’t know if you’ve been noticing the commotion outside, but the fellas are here—Phineas, Jeb, Chauncy, and Gilbert. They’re cooking something up.”
“In the kitchen?”
“No. In the dining hall. I saw them hanging a curtain and putting in some set pieces that I’ve never seen before. When I went in to ask them about it, they shooed me out of the room.”
“Interesting,” Fanny said. “Very interesting.”
“Yes, well, before I left the room, I overheard Chauncy say something to Phineas about how worried he was that Augie hadn’t shown up to help them. I don’t know what those men are up to, but I think we’re going to find out very soon.”
Lottie’s thoughts shifted as fear kicked in. “I sure hope Augie shows up for rehearsal. You don’t think he’s backing out, do you?”
“Hope not, but he has been acting a bit strange lately,” Fanny said. “Has anyone else noticed it but me?”
“I have,” Flossie said.
Lottie nodded. “Me too. Of course, he’s announced his run for mayor, so that probably has something to do with it.”
“Well, he’s certainly been away from the lodge a lot,” Flossie said. “Barely shows up in time for curtain call.”
“Between running the paper and running for office, he’s up to his eyeballs in work.” Lottie shrugged. “Least, that’s my guess. I hope he’s not losing interest in the production. His part would be the most difficult to recast.” She sighed. “Goodness, I do hope he’s not jumping ship. We really need everyone—every single person. And now with Prudy missing…I don’t know. Sounds like tonight’s rehearsal is going to be rough, for sure.”
“I say we get ourselves dressed and show up for supper early.” Fanny sprang from the bed and ran for the door. “Meet me in the dining hall in fifteen minutes, ladies.”
They all flew into action, each woman headed to her own room. Lottie and Grace remained in Cedar Lodge, along with a handful of others, who all helped Lottie make sense of her messy hair and wrinkled dress. Then, with curiosity mounting, she led the way to the dining hall, where they found Gil, Phineas, and Jeb working together on some sort of unfamiliar backdrop.
“Gil?”
He turned around, his face red. “Lottie. You ladies are early. We’re not ready for you.”
“What are you doing?”
“S–something.”
“I can see that.”
He took her by the hand. “Look, we’ve planned something special, but we’re not quite ready. We’ve got a little supper show cooking up, but I’d be grateful if you didn’t say so. Jeb made lasagna. Put it in the oven nearly an hour ago, so it’s probably almost ready. Mama’s gonna dish it out so that he can stay here with us for the…” His words drifted off. “Well, the surprise.” Wrinkles appeared on his brow. “’Course, we’re not sure how we’re going to pull off this surprise without Augie. He’s a key player.”
He’d no sooner spoken the words then Augie rushed into the room. “Whew! I barely made it.”
Gil wiped the sweat from his brow. “You scared us to death, Augie.”
“Well, something came up at the office. Pretty big story brewing that required my attention. But I’m here now and that’s all that matters.”
“Yes, well…”
Behind her, Lottie heard several of the ladies talking at once. She turned to discover that Prudy had arrived at last. Rushing her way, she gave the young woman’s hand a squeeze.
“You frightened us.”
“I’m so sorry about that.”
Lottie gazed at the beautiful dress Prudy wore. The perfectly upswept hair. The blush in her cheeks. Very odd.
Then again, everything about this day had been a bit odd, hadn’t it? And yet, she’d never seen the Lord work so swiftly…or smoothly. Perhaps the time had come to just relax and let Him prove, once and for all, that He made a far better director than she ever could.
* * * * *
G
ILBERT RUSHED AROUND
, finishing up the set pieces and costumes while his mother scooped helpings of lasagna onto the ladies’ plates. Once they settled into their seats, he met with the fellas behind the makeshift curtain.
“Well, this is it,” he said. “Everyone ready?”
Jeb stared at him, wide-eyed. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Phineas sighed. “Gilbert, are you absolutely sure this idea was God-inspired? I have to think it’s a little on the crazy side.”
“I’m tellin’ you, fellas, the idea is inspired. Trust me.”
“Hmm.” Phineas did not appear to be convinced.
“How do I look?” Jeb pointed to his mismatched costume pieces and Gilbert laughed.
“Perfect. Fanny’s going to find you hard to resist.”
“Oh, I hope so.”
Gilbert pulled off his hat—a crazy, colorful number Chauncy had found—and offered up a prayer for God’s help and mercy. If they ever needed help from on high, it was now. Then, after giving the fellas a couple of last-minute instructions, he made his way to the front of the curtain to face their audience.
Stage fright gripped him…until he saw Lottie’s face. Somehow just gazing into those gorgeous green eyes gave him courage to go on.
“What’ve we got here, Gilbert?” Fanny called out. “A parlor show?”
“Of sorts.” He cleared his throat. “Ladies…” He looked at several of the local cast members who had arrived as well. “Friends, we’ve got a little something to share, something we’ve created for your entertainment and pleasure. We give you
Loveless in Loveland.
Curtain, please!”
The curtain opened—well, sort of, anyway—to reveal a cockeyed set and four fellas dressed in the wackiest costumes known to mankind. They’d pieced them together themselves, using scraps of fabric and pieces of other costumes from the real melodrama. Not that it mattered. The sole purpose here was to garner the attention of the ladies, nothing more.
And apparently, they succeeded. The women laughed and clapped, which only served to put smiles on the faces of his actors.
The men dove into gear, acting out the little script they’d all been working on for days. Hopefully the ladies would see the story inside the story—about a group of repentant men who were woefully sorry for the pain they’d caused the women they loved.
Gil smiled as his heart flooded with joy. The woman he loved looked on with wonder—and a bit of horror—in her eyes. Oh well. By the end of the show, she would know how the men felt. All the women would know. As for how they responded—whether or not they would join in the fun—well, that was up to them.
* * * * *
L
OTTIE SAT GLUED
to her chair, watching as the silly little skit played itself out. The fellas took on the roles of sinners, sorry for their misdeeds and overly dramatic in their apologies both to the Lord and the ladies. She got the message of the story. And from the whoops and hollers of the women around her, they got it as well. The fellas were trying to apologize for what they’d done. They acted out their shame and their apologies.
The show reached its climax when Gilbert, the evil villain, tied all four of the other fellas to the train tracks. There they remained, struggling against their ties, as Gil let out an evil laugh. Not a very believable evil laugh, but a good attempt on his part, anyway.
He stepped to the front of the stage and gazed at the audience. From backstage someone began to make train sounds—an unconvincing whistle followed by clacking noises. Mrs. Parker popped her head out from behind the curtain and Gil gestured for her to hide once again.
This got another chuckle out of the ladies.
“Folks, can you hear the train coming?” Gil’s expression grew more animated as he spoke to the audience. “It’s just around the bend and comin’ fast. These fellas are sure to meet impending doom unless…” He gestured to the audience. “Unless some fair damsels come to the rescue.
“Who will rescue these poor, helpless men in distress from a sure and certain death—a death of the heart and soul?”
An awkward pause followed, accompanied by a couple of the ladies clearing their throats.
Finally someone stirred. “By gum, I will!” Fanny rose from her seat and raced to the stage, where she made quick work of untying Jeb. He swept her into his arms and gave her a kiss right there in front of the audience. A roar went up from the crowd and Lottie found herself laughing and crying all at the same time.
Mrs. Parker peeked out from behind the curtain once again, causing the train noises to stop. Gil gestured for her to continue, which she did.
“Can you hear it, folks? There’s still a train coming around the bend, and three men remain tied to the tracks. Who will save them? Is there not a woman in the room with a compassionate heart?
“Ooh, my turn!” Grace shot out of her seat and raced to the stage, all gracefulness put aside in the passion of the moment. She couldn’t seem to get Chauncy’s ropes untied, but he helped her, and the two ended up in each other’s arms. Lottie watched, transfixed, her heart going almost as fast as that silly train clacking.
“And yet two remain.” Gil’s voice intensified. “Are there no fair damsels willing to risk their lives for the sake of the men they love?”
“Well, shoot. When you put it like that…” Flossie trudged onto the stage and made quick, steady work of untying Phineas, who planted a kiss on her that made every woman in the room—single or married—blush.
“And now only
one
remains…” Gilbert stressed the word
one.
Lottie watched Augie, wondering what would happen next. She had her suspicions, of course, but couldn’t be sure.
Two women rose at once—Margaret Linden and Prudy Stillwater.
Prudy took a step in Margaret’s direction, put up her hand, and said, “Oh no you don’t, sister. He’s mine!” Then she raced for the stage.
This, of course, got a spectacular cheer from all in attendance. Well, all but Margaret, who sank back into her chair with a wounded look on her face.
By now, all the folks in the room were on their feet, clapping and laughing. Lottie joined them, her heart so full she could hardly stand it.
Still, one fella on stage had not asked to be rescued.
She stared up at Gil, who glanced her way with a smile. Whether or not he wanted her to untie him from the proverbial tracks remained to be seen. But at least several of the other ladies would have their happily-ever-afters.
For now, that would have to be enough.
TWENTY-TWO
I
N
A
PPLE
-P
IE
O
RDER
We at Parker Lodge are in the final days of rehearsal for our melodrama, which will open to the public this Friday night, just three short days away. Ticket sales have far surpassed our expectations, and we can hardly wait for our audience members to enjoy the antics of Sadie Word, Hugh Dunnit, and the rest of our cast. Much work has gone into the show, but there is still much to be done. Lights, costumes, set pieces—we’re in a flurry here at Parker Lodge as opening night approaches. But never mind all that! Whenever we get stressed, we head to Parker’s Pie Parlor for another slice of that amazing Sanders’ Strawberry Pie, our featured pie of the week. It’s a little piece of heaven on earth. Why not enjoy a slice while you watch the show with your sweetie? See you soon!
—Your friends at Parker Lodge
T
HE WEEK LEADING UP TO
the August first opening was pure chaos. Lottie’s thoughts remained a jumbled mess as she fought to keep things straight. Sets. Costumes. Lines. Ticket sales. The hovering issue with the Women’s League. Every time she needed to escape, she closed her eyes and pictured herself standing on the edge of the mountain, looking out over that breathtaking scenery. At once, she felt her nerves settle down.
As for the petition going around town, she had it on good authority—Augie’s—that few businessmen had been willing to place their signatures on it. She took this as a very good sign. Another thing had her hopeful, as well—ticket sales. Folks had come in droves to purchase tickets for the melodrama.
Not everything was coming together, of course. Mama was still hopping mad over the pie issue, and all the more when she saw that the news had been spread across town on the latest Parker Lodge handbill. Not that Lottie had been home much. She’d spent most of her days at the lodge, working against the clock, to prepare for the show.
With just three days left, she found herself worried about something new. Something unexpected. She told Gil all about it at breakfast.
“I’m really worried about Hannah.”
“Hannah?” He looked up from his scrambled eggs, concern in his eyes. “Why?”
“She’s not well. I don’t know if you noticed how frail she looked at last night’s rehearsal. She’s paler than usual and has an upset stomach. She’s also complained of feeling a bit woozy.”
“Nerves?” Gilbert asked
“Maybe. I’m not sure. I stopped by her room this morning and she asked if we could call Doc Jennings.”
“Did you send for him?”
“I did. He should arrive anytime now. I just hope she’s okay. I’d hate to think of what might happen if she’s truly ill. What if she’s contagious? We could have an epidemic on our hands. With the show opening in just three days, we can’t risk exposing the entire town to some sort of disease.”
“Lottie.” Gilbert chuckled. “I don’t want to take your concerns lightly, but how did this go from Hannah not feeling well to the town succumbing to an epidemic?”
“I don’t know. Just worried, I guess. She prepares pies, so I suppose it’s possible that she’s passed along whatever she’s got to others in town.” Lottie chewed the nail on her index finger but stopped when she realized Gil was watching her. “I’m already worked up because of my mother. Things at home are awful.” Lottie sighed. “I had a long talk with Pa recently, and he, well…I guess you already know.”