Promises Prevail (The Promise Series) (58 page)

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Jenna didn’t have to wait until the social to be surprised. Walking into Pearl’s Dressmaking Shop with Mara three days later took care of that for her. If seeing Lorie, Elizabeth, Millicent, and Dorothy crammed into the small parlor wasn’t disorienting enough, when Pearl reached behind her and locked the door, flicking the sign to closed, the deal was sealed.

“What’s going on?”

“I sent them a note,” Mara answered, weaving through the women.

“In regard to what?” Jenna squeezed to the left past Millicent’s bulk, Bri in her arms complicating the maneuver.

“In regard to Clint being an ass,” Millicent answered, frowning impatiently towards the back of the small shop.

“He’s not an ass,” Jenna protested.

“Sounds to me like he’s being a perfect one,” Lorie interjected.

“You don’t know him.” Clint was wonderful. Good to her in all ways. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t love her.

Dorothy looked up from the lace she was admiring.

“I do. I know that boy inside and out and I’d say about now he’s being an ass.”

How was she supposed to argue with Clint’s aunt?

She patted Brianna’s back.

“I don’t want to fight. I just need a dress.”

“Oh honey, don’t you worry,” Pearl said, coming forward, a measuring tape around her neck and a pincushion tied to her wrist. “We can do more than one thing at a time.”

That’s what Jenna was afraid of.

“But we might want to get the fitting done before the reverend gets here,” Lorie offered.

“That’s a good point,” Millie added in her husky siren voice that was so at odds with her flamboyant red hair and clothes. “Won’t be any good for business for Jenna to be sporting a dress with uneven seams.”

“Isn’t that the truth!” Pearl grabbed Jenna’s hand. For such a petite, ladylike woman she was amazingly strong. She yanked Jenna past Elizabeth. Jenna mouthed a “Help.” Elizabeth smiled, shrugged, and held her hands out for Bri.

Jenna had just a moment to pass Bri off before she was tugged through the gold velvet curtain to the dim interior. The room smelled like dye, paper, and…sugar cookies?

“C’mon in everyone, we might as well get settled,” Pearl called, motioning Jenna to go behind the curtain and change into the shimmering sky-blue dress that was hanging there. Jenna slid out of her dress. Surely Pearl didn’t expect her to wear this?

“Pearl which dress am I supposed to wear?”

“The only one back there, honey.”

The smooth satin slipped through her fingers. Oh heavens, this was way too nice. What if she spilled punch on it?

““Do you have something less…?” How could she say less fine, and not sound stupid?

Pearl popped her head through the curtain. Jenna clasped the dress to her chest.

“Clint came by and picked out the material for that dress himself dear. Said it was his favorite shade of blue.”

Dorothy peeked through the curtain, looked at the roughed out dress and Jenna’s face. “Easy to see why. It’s the same color as your eyes.”

The curtain flew open as Millicent stepped through. “The boy always was partial to blue.”

Jenna wanted to sink through the floor. She inched the dress a little higher. Millicent whistled through her teeth as she looked at the dress Jenna held against her.

“He also has excellent taste.”

The next face to appear was Mara’s. She looked at Jenna, the dress, and the women.

“The dress is gorgeous. Clint is an ass with excellent taste, and Jenna might appreciate a little privacy.”

“Whatever for?” Pearl asked, taking the dress out of Jenna’s hands and gathering it up before dropping it over her head. Her, “We’re all women here,” was slightly obscured by the swish of satin as the slippery material poured over her head.

Jenna shoved her arms into the sleeves.

“Watch out for the—”

“Pins,” Jenna hissed as one stabbed her in the underarm.

“Did one get you?” Pearl asked moving the material around.

“It’s all right.”

“You’re not bleeding on the fabric are you?” Millicent asked.

Jenna pulled the sleeve down. “No.”

“Good.” Elizabeth made a face at Brianna. “It’d be a shame to ruin such a beautiful dress, wouldn’t it sweetie pie?”

“What’s going to be ruined is this meeting,” Millicent muttered as Pearl motioned Jenna to the box in the middle of the floor. “Where the heck is the reverend?”

“Why does the reverend need to be at my fitting?” Jenna asked as she stepped onto the wide box. She certainly didn’t want a man there, least of all that too handsome reverend.

No one answered. She tugged at the bodice, managing to get the buttons done up through sheer force of will. The dress was definitely going to have to be let out in the bust. She was about to point that out when a knock at the back door interrupted the proceedings. The other women turned as one, varying degrees of anticipation reflected on their faces.

“Thank goodness!” Pearl exclaimed, grabbing a basket and hurrying to the door.

The door opened far enough to reveal a tall broad shouldered silhouette backlit by streaming sunlight before Pearl reached through and yanked the man in, swinging the door shut.

Jenna smoothed her skirts and then looking down, crossed her arms over her very exposed chest. The reverend’s gaze fell on her and his frown dissolved into a slow grin that made her distinctly uncomfortable.

“If I wasn’t afraid word would get back to Clint, who’d for sure be feeding me my teeth for noticing, I’d tell you that you are a fine looking woman, Mrs. McKinnely.”

Jenna managed to choke a “thank you” past her embarrassment, which only had that unholy reverend smiling broader.

He unbuttoned his coat and tipped his hat at the ladies in general.

“So Clint’s the reason this latest meeting had to be called?” he asked with an arch of his brow.

Mara nodded, picked up a bunch of pins and eyed the hem of Jenna’s dress.

“He’s being a bit of a pain.”

“In the ass,” Millicent elaborated.

The reverend smiled, obviously very comfortable in a room full of women.

“McKinnelys excel at that kind of thing.”

Jenna gritted her teeth.

“Clint is not being an…a pain.”

“Don’t you worry Jenna,” Mara muttered around a mouthful of pins as she bent to tug the hem down in front. “The women of W.O.M.B. are geniuses at getting a man’s head on straight.”

“I’d hardly rate fixing Cougar’s idiocy as a matter of genius,” Millicent retorted as Jenna clutched the bodice in the wake of Mara’s tugging.

Lorie laughed. “He was rather easy once you got him tied down.”

“It was the tying down that was a challenge,” Mara agreed, the blush on her cheeks rivaling one of Jenna’s.

“I don’t understand,” Jenna muttered through her embarrassment. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to, but she was curious. Like everyone else, she’d heard stories about Mara and Cougar’s courtship.

The reverend outright laughed, his teeth flashing white in his suntanned face, and pulled a wrapped bundle from under his coat.

“You will.”

Jenna looked at Lorie. “W.O.M.B.?”

“Women overcoming male bullheadedness,” Lorie whispered as the reverend swapped his parcel for Pearl’s basket.

He swung the basket on his fingers and sighed, “Don’t know what I’m going to do for snacks once you women get the men in this town straightened out.”

“You could settle down with a nice young woman,” Pearl suggested.

“What would I do with a nice woman?” He leaned down and kissed Pearl’s cheek. “If you’ve got to hook me up with someone, you’d be better served finding me one who’s well acquainted with the rough side of bad.”

Jenna blinked because for that one brief second she thought the man was totally serious. Which was ridiculous. A reverend’s wife was always a woman above reproach.

Millicent laughed and gathered an assortment of glassware from the sideboard.

“Ain’t that the truth? For a reverend, you sure are a wild one.”

A lock on his sun-streaked blond hair fell over his brow as he opened the door.

“Just earning my way to redemption, Millie. Just earning my way.”

“Straight to hell is where that boy’s going,” Pearl muttered as he left the room, taking his laughter and the scent of sugar cookies with him.

“If he is, we’re probably helping him on the way,” Millie added handing out the glasses. “Sending the preacher to the saloon to get our libation is sure to get the Almighty’s attention.”

Jenna took a glass, feeling more than a little foolish, standing on a box trying to figure out what was going on.

“You sent the Reverend Swanson to a saloon?”

Lorie yawned and nodded. “He’s the only one we can trust.”

Jenna didn’t know whether to be shocked or amused.

“You trust a reverend who drinks?”

Lorie shrugged. “If you can’t trust a reverend, who can you trust?”

Jenna wasn’t sure, but she also wasn’t sure they should be putting all their trust in a man of God who so clearly didn’t look or act the part.

Lorie smothered another yawn.

Jenna felt a pang of guilt. Even though she’d made Lorie a partner in Sweet Thyme and gave her three fourths of the profit, it was an awful lot of work for one person.

“Is the bakery too much for you?”

“Oh, no. I love it. I just didn’t get to bed on time last night.”

Jenna knew how that was.

“Have you been feeding Harry?”

As hard as it had been to let go of the bakery, it had been doubly hard to let go of caring for those who depended on her.

To her surprise, Lorie flushed bright red. “Yes.”

“Who’s Harry?” Elizabeth asked as she played peek-a-boo with Bri.

“One of Jenna’s strays,” Lorie answered before Jenna could.

“Well, if he’s eating from your bakery, Jenna, he’s eating darned good,” Millicent said as Pearl filled Jenna’s glass. Even from a foot away, Jenna’s nose wrinkled at the smell of spirits.

“That new line of herbed breads you introduced is wonderful. I need to talk to you later about ordering some for the restaurant.”

“That’s a high compliment,” Jenna grabbed the bodice again as Mara continued tugging at the hem. Millie was the best cook in the whole territory. Fights were known to break out as patrons waited to get into her restaurant. She didn’t praise other cooking often, and certainly didn’t bring it into her establishment.

Lori’s blush deepened. “Thank you.”