Winnie Griggs (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

D
aisy was making notes on the latest story she was writing for the
Gazette.
This one would feature Abigail and Constance and the great work they were doing with the lending library. Everett was due back in two days, and she wanted to make certain he wasn’t disappointed with the job she’d done in his absence.

She didn’t want to think about what would happen afterward.

His letters had been filled with news of the places he’d seen since he’d arrived in St. Louis, and the sites that she would enjoy visiting when she moved there. He even mentioned the many fine restaurants she could visit. And he’d told her of a townhouse he’d found that they could move into, pending her approval. At least there was that.

He was trying to do what he could to make this move more attractive to her. That showed he wanted her to be happy.

As for her dream of opening a restaurant, he’d never lent much credence to that, anyway, so it hadn’t factored into his plans for their new life. And she’d already resigned herself to shelving that dream even if they stayed here, hadn’t she?

She’d done a great deal of thinking and praying on the matter since Everett left. And she’d finally decided that she would make the move with him and do it cheerfully. It did no good to mope and pout. This was his dream, and it wasn’t right of her to try to sour it for him.

Her only worry now was how to convince him to reconsider his plans for Abigail. The girl had definitely blossomed in the time she’d been here. And she loved her brother so much—did he see that?

Leaving would break Abigail’s heart, and Constance’s, as well. Every time the two girls discussed how to turn the new library over to Constance alone, tears began to flow.

On that score, unfortunately, she could see no happy ending. Even if she convinced Everett not to send Abigail back to Boston—which she was determined to do—Abigail would still be moving to St. Louis and away from Turnabout.

Daisy pushed that unhappy thought away. She tried to focus instead on some of the blessings that had come into her life these past weeks.

First, she’d received an answer to the letter she’d written her grandmother. Except it had come from her aunt Marie. Uncle Phillip’s wife had informed her that her grandmother had passed away two months earlier.

Daisy had felt an unexpected sadness at that news. While the two of them had never been on friendly terms, her passing meant that there would never be a chance for them to mend fences.

But the rest of the letter had proved to be warm and gracious. Aunt Marie wished her every happiness in her marriage and assured her that both she and Uncle Phillip would be delighted to have her and Everett come visit whenever they liked.

Almost immediately after the letter arrived, her father had shown up. She’d been shocked at his appearance, for the first time realizing he was getting on in years. And the kind of life he’d been leading was taking its toll.

She wanted to provide him with a home and the care he needed, but how would Everett feel about that? Surely she could convince him that there was room for her father in this new life he had planned for them.

And perhaps one more...

Reggie walked in just then, a sense of purpose in her step.

Daisy smiled, ready for a distraction. “Is there something I can do for you, or did you just come by for a visit?”

“Actually, neither.” Reggie had a look of concern on her face. “I noticed a commotion at your place when I passed by, and thought you might want to check it out.”

“A commotion?” Daisy was already heading for the door. “Did something happen? Are the girls okay?”

Reggie gave her a reassuring smile. “They’re fine.”

“Then what is it?”

“It would be best if you saw for yourself.”

More puzzled than ever, Daisy quick-stepped to her place and pushed the door open. She stepped inside to see both girls and Kip staring at her with expectant expressions.

Daisy looked around, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What’s going on? Reggie mentioned something about a commotion.”

Abigail made a sweeping motion toward the back of the building. “It’s over in the storeroom. You should go take a look.”

There was something odd about the way the girls were looking at her. She slowly crossed the room, glancing back at them just before she reached the doorway. Their smiles reassured her it wasn’t anything serious, but she still had no idea what was going on.

Daisy reached the doorway, then stopped dead in her tracks.

Everett stood there, an uncertain smile on his face. “Hello, Daisy.”

Her mind immediately started racing. What was he doing home already, and why was he here instead of at the newspaper office? Had he not gotten the job?

She stepped farther into the room, then halted again when she noticed what was behind him—a shiny new stove with a huge red ribbon on top of it.

“Everett, what? I mean, I don’t—” She took a deep breath, then gave him a huge welcome-home smile. “Hello.”

He moved aside and nodded to the stove. “Don’t you like it?”

“Of course I do. It’s the biggest, shiniest, most beautiful stove I’ve ever seen. But what is it doing here? What are
you
doing here? I thought you weren’t coming home until Thursday.”

“I got homesick.”

Homesick? For Turnabout? Or for her? Her pulse quickened, and she tried desperately not to read too much into his statement. “Did you get the job?”

“Mr. O’Hanlin offered me the job, and at a higher pay than I’d expected.”

“Congratulations.” She tried to put as much sincerity into that word as she could.

“But I had to turn him down.”

Hope leaped inside her, threatening to steal her breath. “You did?”

“I did. Because I realized something. Something you tried to tell me but that I wasn’t ready to hear, until now.”

She couldn’t have dropped her gaze from his if her life had depended on it. “And what was that?”

He closed the gap between them and took her hands in his. “That it’s not where you are that matters so much as who you’re with. That family and community and roots that go deep are very important to a person’s ability to thrive. And that one should never discount the dreams of others, especially those they love.”

Love. Did he really mean that?

He stroked her cheek. “I know I’ve been arrogant and thoughtless and every kind of fool, but I hope you’ll give me one more chance to get this right. I want to build my life with you right here in Turnabout. I want to turn the
Gazette
into the finest small-town newspaper there ever was. And I want to stand by you as you follow your dream to open that restaurant you want.”

Daisy leaned her face into his hand as she looked into his eyes. She couldn’t remember ever being happier. “Oh, Everett, I want those things, too—but only if I can share them with you. I do love you, you know, more than I can bear sometimes. And I’ve missed you so much these past weeks.”

He gathered her in his arms and gave her the kiss she’d been longing for. It was a long, wondrous moment before they came up for air. They were both breathless, and she could feel the pounding of his heart keeping time with hers.

“Now,” he said as he slipped his arm around her waist and led her toward the door, “before we forget where we are, let’s go tell Abigail we’re not moving, and neither is she.” He gave her waist a squeeze. “Because family should stay together.”

Daisy smiled at that. She had begun to suspect that their family would be increasing by one member early next year.

But she would wait until they were alone again to share her news.

God was so good. Who could have guessed when she arrived in Turnabout that He could bring forth so many blessings from such inauspicious beginnings?

Daisy knew in her heart that she’d finally found the place she’d always longed for, the place where she could feel she truly belonged.

It was right here in Everett’s arms.

Epilogue

D
aisy stood at the stove dishing up the last slice of meat loaf, along with some new potatoes and corn. The last of the rabbit stew had disappeared ten minutes ago. After she served this plate, she would be down to chicken soup and cold ham. She’d never dreamed so many people would show up for the opening day of her restaurant. It seemed almost everyone in town had walked through those doors this morning.

She’d just finished piling on a hearty helping of vegetables to go with the meat loaf when she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist. She let out a little squeak of surprise, then carefully set the plate down and rounded on her husband. “Everett Fulton! You almost made me drop this plate, and it’s my last slice of meat loaf.”

“I have faith in your dexterity, my dear.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. When he stepped back, one arm remained around her waist. “Last slice of meat loaf, is it? Far be it from me to say I told you so, but it looks like you’re doing a booming business.”

Daisy raised a brow. “That came about as close to an
I told you so
as you can get without actually saying the words.” Then she smiled. “It’s no doubt just the newness of it that’s brought all these folks here today, but it
is
exciting, isn’t it?”

He grinned down at her. “No more than I expected.” Then his expression turned serious. “You look flushed. Why isn’t Abigail in here helping you?”

“I look flushed because it’s hot in here. And Abigail has her own business to attend to. I think she had six new subscribers to her library already this morning.” Daisy was as proud of Abigail’s accomplishment as she was of her own. And it was fun to see how the two businesses complemented each other.

“Besides,” she added, “Pa has been helping me this morning. He’s out front now, keeping an eye on things and refilling glasses as needed.”

“Just promise me you won’t overdo it,” Everett said as he placed a hand gently on her stomach, as if to protect the precious new life growing there. “I can hire you some help if things get too busy around here.”

She gave him an exasperated frown. “I’m healthy as a horse, and near as strong. I will
not
have you treating me like an invalid for the next seven months.”

“Not like an invalid,” he countered. “Rather like the precious person you are. And as the light of my life and the mother of our future child.”

Everett watched as her expression went all soft and her cheeks flushed prettily. And just as he had every day since his return from St. Louis, he silently thanked God that Daisy had come into his life.

Because of her he had a family now—a true family. People he could love unconditionally and who he knew truly loved him in return.

And that was all the status he needed.

* * * * *

If you enjoyed this story by Winnie Griggs,
be sure to look for the next book
in her
TEXAS GROOMS
series, coming in
October from Love Inspired Historical!

Keep reading for an excerpt from
The Cowboy’s Surprise
Bride by Linda Ford.

Dear Reader,

Hello and thank you so much for taking the time to read Everett and Daisy’s story. It’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a very long time. And it was such fun to be able to revisit the community of Turnabout, Texas, and all the wonderful folks who inhabit it.

On the surface, Daisy and Everett were two completely different people. Everett is very much a by-the-book, appearance-conscious person with his whole life mapped out. He’s also cynical and quite certain he knows what is best for him and for those around him.

Then along comes Daisy, a free spirit, more concerned with connecting to people—all kinds of people—than with appearances. And far from being cynical, she looks at life through big rose-colored glasses.

It was really fun, and sometimes very emotional, brining these two very different and lonely people together and helping them to find their happily-ever-after. I hope you enjoyed reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. And stay tuned for the next book in this series, which will feature Chance Dawson.

Wishing you much love and blessings in your life,

Winnie

Questions for Dicussion

1. What did you think of Daisy’s decision to strike
   out on her own and on foot?
   

2. What did you think Everett’s motives were for
   helping Daisy that very first time? Do you think his reasons changed
   over time?
   

3. What do you think Kip meant to Daisy and
   why?
   

4. Why do you suppose Everett was so opposed to
   Daisy’s plans to start her own restaurant? Do you agree with his
   reasons?
   

5. Why do you think Everett was so opposed to his
   sister coming to Turnabout?
   

6. What did you see as the differences and
   similarities in Abigail’s and Daisy’s motives for “running away” to
   Turnabout?
   

7. Based on what you saw in this book, what is your
   opinion of Chance Dawson? (His will be the next story in this
   series.)
   

8. Why do you think Everett was so focused on
   leaving Turnabout?
   

9. How did you feel about Everett’s attitude toward
   Kip? Did this change over time?
   

10. How would you describe Everett and Abigail’s
    relationship at the beginning of the book, and how did it change, if at
    all, by the end?
    

11. Do you think it was important for Everett to go
    to St. Louis and pursue the opportunity offered? Why or why
    not?
    

12. What did you think about Daisy’s eventual
    reconciliation with her father? Did it ring true?
    

13. If you read the first book in this series,
    Handpicked Husband,
    did you feel the
    characters featured in both books remained true to character?
    

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.

You find illumination in days gone by.
Love Inspired Historical
stories lift the spirit as heroines tackle the challenges of life in another era with hope, faith and a focus on family.

Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Historical every month!

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