Chapter 1
“You may as well forget about finding a dress that’ll
look good on both Kelly and me. She’s long and lean, and I’m short and round.
We don’t wear the same style of clothes.”
Eyes dancing, Kara Cochrane
laughed at her sister’s glum expression. “That’s why we’re at the library. I
want to look at some back issues of Bride’s World and see if I can find
something that’ll look nice on both of my sisters.”
“Do you think the stork put
Kelly in the wrong bassinet at the hospital?”
“Probably,” Kara agreed with
a giggle. “She is the middle sister after all, and she doesn’t look like either
one of us. Why is she long and lean, and we’re short and round?”
Both girls chuckled as they
entered the library, an elegant red brick structure built almost a hundred years
ago. Regal white columns graced the entrance and spoke of a more gracious,
slower age.
They went inside and
selected the latest issues of Bride’s
World from the magazine racks. Kara gestured toward a scarred, worn, oak
table nearby. “Let’s sit over there.”
Katie’s stack of magazines
hit the table with a thump. “Where is Kelly anyway?” “She said she had to work
late.”
“Too bad for her. Let’s pick
a dress for short, round people while she isn’t here.” Katie tapped a picture
in the magazine for emphasis. “I like this one.”
The girls snickered when the
elderly librarian behind the desk cleared her throat in warning.
“Being short and round
didn’t make any difference to Brandon,” Kara whispered. “He proposed to me
anyway.”
“And gave hope to the rest
of us short, round girls.”
Hello, Kara.”
Kara turned at the softly
spoken greeting. “Oh, hello, Ross. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I saw your
engagement picture in the paper. Best wishes.”
“Thank you. I appreciate
it.”
Ross nodded and moved toward
the circulation desk.
“If Brandon ever gets tired
of you, you can always marry Ross,” Katie whispered as she pulled another
magazine from the stack on the table.
“He’s a dairy farmer for
crying out loud.” Kara rolled her eyes. “Can you imagine me milking the cows?”
Katie clapped her hands over
her mouth to stifle a giggle. “I’d love to see you pulling on a cow’s teats. Seriously,
though, Ross may be a cow farmer, but you’ve got to admit he’s cute.”
“Shh, keep your voice down.
He’ll hear you. To tell you the truth, I’ve never given any thought to his
looks.”
“Neither have I until now,”
Katie agreed. “He’s awfully tall and good looking. It’s hard to believe that in
high school he always faded into the background.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s
because he wasn’t an athlete.”
Kara’s gaze drifted to Ross
who had just handed his library card to the librarian. He had to be six three
at least. Katie was right. Why had she never noticed how handsome he was? He
had dark brown hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders, and a strong face with
regular, even features. Even though he wasn’t an athlete in high school, he
certainly had the physique for it.
“My, oh, my,” Katie breathed.
“Look at the muscles across his back.”
“Probably from farm work. I
think his father worked him pretty hard when he was a kid,” Kara whispered.
“Don’t you remember? Ross didn’t go to the prom our senior year because his
father needed him at home.”
“I bet he didn’t go because
you were going with someone else. Ross always reminded me of a devoted, old
spaniel. He adored the ground you walked on, and I think he still does.”
Kara chuckled when she
remembered Ross’s lovesick behavior. “That’s a pretty good description. Every
time I spoke to him I expected him to duck his head and blush. One word from me
and he was too tongue-tied to put two syllables together.”
Katie closed her magazine. “Remember
when you let him change a tire for you in the senior parking lot?”
“I remember. Brandon and I
sat on the tailgate of Ross’s truck talking while Ross changed the tire.” The
smile faded from Kara’s face. “That wasn’t very nice was it?” She bowed her
head. “I can’t believe I did such a lousy thing.”
“I’m sure he’s forgotten all
about it,” Katie comforted. “In high school girls can be such—”
“Don’t say it.” Kara slid
another magazine across the table and sat back in her chair. “Here. Take a
magazine, and let’s look for the perfect dress.”
Ross Williams threw his library books into the back
seat of his car and slammed the door with more force than necessary. He wished
he hadn’t even bothered to speak to Kara.
Flicking on his turn signal,
he merged into the stream of late afternoon traffic with Kara Cochrane on his
mind. He had first noticed Kara when they were in the second grade. That day
she had worn little red overalls and a white blouse with red cherries on it.
Someone, maybe her mother, had pulled her honey-blond hair back into a bouncy
little ponytail and tied it with a big, red ribbon.
His own hair was dark brown
and short; so was his brother’s. He only wanted to touch her hair because it
was so different from his, but he didn’t intend to pull it or anything. Still,
Kara had screamed bloody murder when she felt his hand on her ponytail.
Not only did the teacher
make him stay inside for recess as punishment, but his brother Bobby told on him when they got home. His father had
taken a belt to him and made him understand he’d better not get into trouble at
school again.
From that time on she was almost
always in his class, and when they got to high school she had at least one
class with him every year. But Kara never noticed him. He was nothing more than
wallpaper to her.
Kara and her sisters Kelly
and Katie were cheerleaders. They ran with the preppy kids who wouldn’t give a
country boy like him the time of day. Most people thought Kara’s sister Kelly was
prettier. She was tall and slender with legs a mile long, but Kara was short,
and while she wasn’t fat, she did have some definite curves.
It didn’t matter. Those
curves almost took his breath away. No wonder she moved down the halls with
such confidence and grace. Even though
he knew the answers in class, he wouldn’t raise his hand in hopes their
teachers would pick Kara to answer and he could hear her almost musical voice. Kara
was more than a pretty package, though. He also admired her quick, alert mind.
It came as no surprise to him when she was the valedictorian of their class.
He had fantasized about
taking her to the prom, but he never gathered the courage to mention it to her.
Even if he had had the money for the tux rental, he wouldn’t have asked her. It
would have cut him too much to hear that sweet, lilting voice turn him down.
Ross sighed. A rather moot
point now, in any event. Kara was engaged to her high school sweetheart Brandon
Miles. If he had any sense he’d find a girl and get married himself. Bobby had
married three years ago and had a nice little family.
Maybe it
was time for him to start looking around. He’d never really had a chance
with Kara anyway, and whether he liked it or not, she’d made her choice.
Kara rushed into her mother’s kitchen with Katie right
behind her. “Look, Mama,” she cried as she shoved a magazine at her mother. She
kicked off her shoes to enjoy the coolness of the tile floor after the heat of
the day.
“Did you find a dress?” Martha Cochrane
demanded. She studied the picture as she stirred the fresh creamed corn
simmering in a big pot on the stove.
“This is the best one I
found. Kelly and Katie will both have to make do with it.”
“I like it,” her mother
approved. She slid the corn off the burner and stuck a pan of brown and serve
rolls into the oven. “I’m sure the bridal shop will be able to order the
dresses for us. Here, John. Look at this and tell us what you think.”
John Cochrane snorted. “You
know whatever you girls want is fine by me.”
“Just what I expected,” Kara
teased as she filched a slice of cucumber from a plate on the counter. “You
just want your daughters to hurry up and get married so there’ll be more men in
the family.”
John laughed as his eyes
twinkled. “Why deny it? I’m a little outnumbered here, Kara, and I’d like to
even the odds a little.”
The timer on the oven
dinged. Dinner’s ready,” her mother announced. “Kara, bring the corn to the
dining room, please.”
Warmth flooded Kara. Oh, she
enjoyed this time with her family – when they were all together sharing the ups
and downs of their day– laughing and joking with each other.
“Mama, where’s Kelly?” Kara
frowned at the empty chair across from her. “Isn’t she home yet?”
“I don’t know. She said she
had to work late, but I expected her by now.”
“She’ll be here soon, I
imagine,” John remarked.
Kelly burst through the door
twenty minutes later.
“Sorry I’m late. I had something
I had to finish at work.”
Martha indicated Kelly’s
chair with a nod of her head. “Well, sit down and have some dinner. I had no
idea working at a doctor’s office would get you so much overtime. We haven’t
seen very much of you the last couple of weeks.”
Kelly shook her head.
“Thanks, Mama. I’m okay. I grabbed something at work.”
Kara passed the picture of
the bridesmaid’s dress to Kelly. “I found the
dress. How do you like it?”
Kelly barely looked at it.
“Very nice. Sorry, Kara. I’m really tired. I need a hot shower and to get ready
for bed.”
“What’s up with her?” Kara
muttered as Kelly left the dining room without once meeting her eyes.
“She’s probably tired,”
Katie guessed. “With all the overtime she’s been doing, it’s late before she
gets in. She can see the picture tomorrow. We can’t order the dresses until
then anyway.”
Ross grimaced when he saw Bobby’s van in the driveway.
His mother must have invited Bobby and his wife Sue for dinner. He didn’t
dislike either Bobby or Sue, but their five- year-old son Justin reminded him
of the Tasmanian Devil. If you valued your health and peace of mind, you’d
never turn your back on the child.
The noise assaulted Ross’s
ears the minute he opened the front door. Justin was on a tear about something.
He lay on the living room floor roaring and shrieking as if tigers were eating
him alive. Bobby was trying to quiet him while Sue helped his mother Annie in
the kitchen.
“What’s his trouble?” Ross
shouted.
“He wants to play with
Mama’s shoe collection.”
Ross grimaced and tossed his
library books on the living room sofa. One of them bounced off the sofa and
landed on the floor, but Ross ignored it. “Maybe we can distract him.”
He threw himself on the
floor beside Bobby and made a buzzing sound. “Look, Justin. The bumblebee is
coming for you!” He tickled Justin’s stomach, and while Justin was laughing,
Bobby ran to the car for the child’s favorite toy tractor.
Ross breathed a sigh of
relief when Justin started to play with the tractor. As far back as he could
remember, his mother had collected glass shoes. She knew every shoe’s history
including where or whom the shoe came from. Even though she wouldn’t say anything
if Justin broke one, it would hurt her feelings.
“Come on, boys, let’s eat!”
Sue called.
Ross and Bobby dragged
Justin who refused to walk into the kitchen. After several failed attempts,
Bobby got him strapped into his high chair.
“How’s business?” Bobby
asked Ross as he attacked his pot roast with gusto. “Mama, this is great pot
roast.”
“Business is good. I’m
thinking of hiring a new man.”
“That’s great,” Bobby
enthused. “I’m glad for you, Ross. All your hard work is paying off.”
Ross’s eyes twinkled. “Sure
you don’t want to buy back into the farm? Buying you out after Dad died cut
into my profits.”
Humor faded from Bobby’s
face. “No, I don’t. Working so hard on this blamed farm is the reason Dad’s in
his grave years before his time. Give me a nice nine-to-five job any day.”
He picked up his glass and
swirled the ice around for a moment. “Ross, if buying me out put you in a bind,
I’ll be glad to loan…”
Ross leaned over and punched
his shoulder. “Hey, no way. I’m doing fine. I’m going to hire a new man,
remember? I’m fine, Bobby. Really, I am. I was just teasing you a little.”
“If you change your mind,
let me know. Say, did I tell you I saw Bart Adams at the grocery store the
other day?”
Ross grimaced. “No, you
didn’t. Did he give you a lecture about how I was going to ruin Dad’s farm with
my old-fashioned notions?”
“Yeah, he did, but I told
him you liked doing things your way. I said you liked that Little Knoll was
known for compassion and kindness to its animals.”
Ross chuckled. “I’m sure
that made a big impression on him. I don’t like the conditions on some of the
big farms like Bart’s. If I can’t make a profit dealing humanely with my
animals, then I’ll join you in the computer lab.”
The shrilling of the phone
interrupted them. Ross pushed his chair back and got up to answer it. “Hello?”
He listened for a moment. “No, don’t call the vet yet. I’ll be right down.” He
hung up and slapped his roast beef into a roll. “Neil says one of the cows is
calving and needs help. I’ll see you guys later.”
“That’s farming for you,”
Bobby said as Ross dashed out the door. “I don’t see how he can stand it.”
Violet
Emerson and Matt McCallum had the kind of wedding that nightmares are made of.
It reminds me of my son’s wedding. When he got married, the caterer cancelled
the week before the wedding, the linen rental cancelled three days before the
wedding, the flowers went up 50% in price, and the maid of honor was
hospitalized on Thursday before the wedding on Saturday. It all worked out for
my son, but it sure was tense. 
