Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas (11 page)

Georg looked on, half amused and half terrified as the scene unfolded in front of him. While he hated to see Belinda’s pride injured in any way, he had to admit that she’d brought most of this chaos on herself. Had she not promised wives for some of these men? And wives they now had...whether they wanted them or not. Not that anyone had exchanged vows just yet. Georg had to wonder if any of these fine folk might run for the hills, now that they were seeing each other face-to-face. A few would likely be tempted.

He gave the four women a once-over, starting with Sarah Jo. The plucky gal was slightly rounded in the middle, not that the reverend would mind that. Still, she was not at all the demure churchgoing lady he had pictured, based on her advertisement. Quite the opposite, in fact. There was nothing demure about this boisterous woman. Sarah Jo’s outgoing personality made him smile, though, as did her whimsical expression. He had to wonder what Reverend Billingsley thought of her. Probably wouldn’t take long to find out.

Marta Schuller, the schoolteacher, seemed nice enough. She wore her dark hair pulled up tight, and her wire-rimmed spectacles sat perched atop a thin nose. Her plain, practical dress would be fitting to a classroom. He watched as Belinda introduced her to Mr. Lott, who gave her a boyish grin. She smiled back. Sort of. He couldn’t quite tell. Her thin lips curled up a bit, he supposed.

At this point, Georg watched Bucky Williams—tall and slender—look down upon his intended, Katie Sue. The top of her head barely met his shoulders. That might prove to be problematic, should they ever decide to kiss. And to say that Katie Sue was plump would be putting it mildly. She matched Bucky’s height with her width, to be sure. Oh, but the smile on the young woman’s face would win anyone over. That and her twinkling blue eyes. They almost matched the merriment in Bucky’s.

And then there was Prissy Finkelstein. Georg wasn’t sure when he’d ever seen a more, well,
pristine
woman. Her traveling clothes were fresh and clean, her hair beautifully tended to, and her white-gloved hands impeccable. He watched in rapt awe as she took in the not-so-tidy Charlie Grundy. The look on the poor woman’s face was priceless. Georg chuckled, in spite of his intentions to the contrary. Oh, the adventures that lay ahead for those two!

The townsfolk gathered round, everyone talking a mile a minute. Then Belinda ushered the four women toward Stanzas, the town’s hotel. He followed along in case she needed him for anything but stayed to the side of the group where he could watch the interactions between the potential brides and grooms.

More than anything, he felt the need to protect the four women from any unnecessary heckling. Not that he needed to bother with that. Mr. Grundy guarded over Prissy with great care. And the pastor, heaven help him, seemed to be fully overwhelmed with Sarah Jo, who talked a mile a minute—not just to the reverend, but to any man who would listen. Katie Sue peered up at Bucky Williams, batting her eyelashes. And Marta Schuller—the schoolteacher? Well, she marched three feet ahead of the whole crowd, clearly a born leader. Poor Myles followed along in her dust, his hat in his hands and a disappointed expression on his face.

Georg couldn’t help but laugh. The town of Poetry was filled with a passel of brides, that was for certain. But how would their budding romances fare? Only time would tell!

The week following the arrival of the brides was truly the most chaotic of Belinda’s life. She did her best to help Greta and Aunt Hilde at the store, but every time she turned around, someone interrupted her. The menfolk, mostly. Many of them were now itching to be hitched. They arrived by the bushel-full. Still, she decided to slow things down until the four couples were happily wed. Or until she heard a heavenly angel choir telling her to continue this reckless pursuit.

On a Thursday afternoon, with the early August heat wrapping the town in its embrace, Belinda received a visit from Corabelle and James. Her sister-in-law’s face lit into a smile the moment she sashayed into the store. “I’m so thrilled to see you!” she said, her green eyes shining with mischief. “Can you slip away for a moment? We have something to show you!”

“Greta, do you mind?” Belinda untied her apron in anticipation.

“No, not at all,” Greta responded. She turned to Corabelle. “But if you’ve got a secret, I want to know it, too!”

“You will, you will. In time.” Corabelle winked and then took James by the arm.

Belinda made her way outside and followed the enthusiastic couple down the boardwalk to the old, abandoned feed store, where they stopped and turned to her with curious grins on their faces.

“You’ll never guess.” Corabelle flashed a smile. “Go on. Try.”

“Mmm.” Belinda shook her head. “You’re going to build a house in town?”

“No, silly.” Corabelle giggled. “You are looking at the future home of Sonnets and Bonnets, my new hat shop! We just purchased the building today and will begin renovations next week!”

“You’re going to do it?” Belinda grinned then reached to embrace Corabelle. “Oh, what a fabulous idea. This old building was just sitting here doing nothing. What a happy solution for us all.” She paused a moment. “But where will you get the hats?”

“I will design them myself,” Corabelle explained. “I’ve done ever-so-many drawings. Just wait till you see!”

“She has quite a gift,” James said, planting a kiss on Corabelle’s cheek. “My bride is a woman of many talents.”

“Well, let’s just say the Lord was preparing me for this all along,” Corabelle responded. “I feel like my years in the city were a prerequisite to coming here. Isn’t it amazing how God arranged all of this?” She paused, putting a gloved hand to her lips as she smiled at Belinda. “With your help, of course, my dear.”

Belinda laughed. “I daresay, the Almighty doesn’t need my help. If He formed the world and all upon it in a week’s time, He can bring about a match between two parties without my intervention.”

“Still, you played a role, and we will be forever grateful.” Corabelle reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “That’s why you had to be the first to hear the news about the shop.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Belinda chuckled. “Though Greta is going to have a fit if I don’t share the news. Do you mind?”

“Of course not!” Corabelle said. “We want everyone to know. The sooner, the better. It will be good advertisement.” She grinned. “You’ve not seen me in action yet, Belinda. I’m quite the shopkeeper. Just wait and see.”

“Oh, I’m sure! How long till the store opens?” Belinda asked. “Soon, I hope. Now that so many women have converged upon our fair town...”

At that very moment, Prissy Finkelstein, Sarah Jo Cummings, and Marta Schuller came out of Peter’s bookstore. The women stopped to chat.

“We’re headed to the restaurant to have our lunch,” Prissy announced. “I do believe Charlie Grundy is meeting us there.” She batted her eyelashes and Sarah Jo jabbed her in the ribs.

“He could use a little polish and shine, but we’ll get him cleaned up,” Sarah Jo said.

“And the reverend?” Belinda asked.

“Well, he doesn’t need any cleaning up, that’s sure and certain,” Sarah Jo said with a wink. “He’s so clean that he squeaks when he walks.” She clapped her hands together as laughter pealed forth. “Don’t rightly know if he’s coming to the restaurant today, but there are plenty of other menfolk to catch a woman’s eye, if not. Why, this town is swimming in men!” Her gaze shifted to Peter, who had closed up the bookstore and was heading across the street to the restaurant. Sarah Jo leaned in to whisper, “And I do mean
swimming
in men!”

“Where is Katie Sue?” Belinda asked, determined to change the direction of the conversation.

“Where she always is,” Prissy said, giggling. “With Bucky Williams. With those two, it was love at first sight. I’ve never seen anything so sweet in all my born days.”

“I’m so glad.” Belinda smiled. Well, at least one of the couples seemed fitted to each other. Perhaps two, if Charlie Grundy managed to bathe or don a fresh shirt.

“Why are you standing out here, anyway?” Sarah Jo asked. “Business slow at the mercantile, Belinda?”

“Oh, not at all. Corabelle was just...” She clamped a hand over her mouth, not wanting to give away too much without her sister-in-law’s permission.

“You might as well hear our news.” Corabelle turned to the women with a smile.

“Oh, honey!” Sarah Jo practically hollered. “Are you having a little one? When is the baby due?”

Several townspeople stopped and turned their way at this loud proclamation.

“No, no.” James paled as he lowered his voice. “That’s not it.”

Corabelle giggled. “Not at all. I’m opening a shop. A hat shop.” She went on to describe Sonnets and Bonnets in detail, even giving details about some of the hats. At once, the three women began to chime in, each giving her opinion of this venture.

“I want to order seven hats, then,” Sarah Jo announced. “One for every day of the week. I’ll take one in blue, one in green, another in yellow...” She went off on a tangent, talking about the various colors and designs.

When she came up for air, Marta got in a few words. “I could use a sensible hat for walking outdoors. The heat is quite unbearable here.”

“Oh, who cares if it’s practical?” Prissy said, fussing with her bonnet sash. “Just give me a fashionable hat any day. I miss the millineries from home so much. This is a sweet little town, but it’s lacking in so many ways.”

Belinda sighed. “I’m sorry. Are you disappointed?”

“Not disappointed, so much,” Prissy said, tying her sash into a perfectly looped bow. “It will be interesting to see how things change, with so many ladies about.”

James coughed and then shifted his gaze to the barbershop.

“I see, well, I...” Belinda wasn’t sure how to finish her sentence, for while she longed for Poetry to grow in both respectability and numbers, she didn’t want to see it flipped up on its ear. At least not by these three.

“I, myself, have always wanted to open an opera house,” Sarah Jo said. “Where wonderful theatricals could take place. I’m a piano player, you know.”

“Fabulous idea!” Corabelle clapped her hands together. “An opera house! Why, think of the shows we could put on. Of course, we would have to hold auditions, but what fun!” Her cheeks pinked. “I, um... well, I do a little singing, myself. And I daresay my acting skills are something to behold. At least that’s what I’ve been told by my friends in New York.”

“Indeed?” Prissy turned to her, clearly stunned. “Why, I know you won’t believe this, but I was a sponsor at the Grand Opera Society in Kansas City. I can think of nothing finer than to have an opera house. I’m quite skilled at drawing in a crowd.”

“Still, we’ve no building,” Sarah Jo said, looking about. “That could be a problem.”

“A new opera house has gone in over in Terrell,” Belinda shared. “That’s only six miles away. Perhaps you could get involved in their program. Building an opera house here in Poetry will be a hard sell to Mayor Mueller. He will say we don’t have the budget for it.”

“Posh! If the folks in Terrell can have one, we can, too,” Sarah Jo announced. “I will head up the venture myself—and I’ll get the men-folk behind it, even the mayor.” She winked. “If I know anything, it’s how to rally the men.”

Belinda sighed. This would likely drive the nail in the coffin between the reverend and Sarah Jo. Not that he minded opera houses. No, it wasn’t that. But it was clear that Sarah Jo intended to woo any man who would look her way. Clearly, the pastor would take issue with this.

As Sarah Jo, Corabelle, and Prissy took to jabbering about the opera house idea, James excused himself to head over to the barbershop. Marta, who had remained painfully quiet until now, looked Belinda’s way. “Might I have a moment of your time, please?” she asked in a hushed voice.

“Yes, of course.”

They took a few steps away from the crowd. Marta looked up with tears in her eyes. “Belinda, let me start by saying that I really like this little town. Truly, I do. Even with the heat. It’s as pretty as a picture from a book, especially with so many wildflowers about. And the trees are so very green. Why, the whole place is simply alive with color.”

“I’m thrilled you like it here,” Belinda said. “That makes me very happy.”

“Yes, I love the town, but...” Marta sighed. “I do not, nor do I think I ever could, love Myles Lott.”

“Oh dear.” Belinda gestured to the bench in front of Poetic Notions, and the two took a seat. “Are you quite sure?”

“Quite. I’ve tried. You have no idea how I’ve tried. But I cannot fathom loving him. And that’s not all. I am completely and totally opposed to the way he teaches the children.”

“O–oh?”

“Yes. Are you aware that his teaching methods are outdated?”

“Really? I guess I never thought about it. I was one of his students. He was a bit dull at times, I suppose, but...” Belinda didn’t say any more for fear of tarnishing the man’s good reputation.

Marta leaned in close. “Well, if
I
had the privilege of teaching at that school, I would rectify the situation at once. You would see. I have a modern way of thinking. He’s quite old-fashioned. And very...male.”