Tumbleweed Weddings (28 page)

“Tonya?” Callie called from the dining room. “Come help me set the table.”

Tonya rose and made her way to the dining table. “How many are we having for dinner?” She glanced at herself in the mirror above the fireplace mantel as she walked by. Holly and Callie hadn’t even bothered to put on makeup this morning, but Tonya paused to make sure hers still looked good.

“We have thirteen people, but only ten will fit around the table.” Callie set the silverware box on the sideboard and opened it. “Mom said we could stick Peter and Paul at the little card table with one of the adults.”

Holly walked into the dining room. “I’ll sit with them.”

Tonya looked at her sister-in-law, who never seemed to have a moment to herself. “I’ll sit with the boys, Holly. You sit with Ryan and the rest of the family.”

“Are you sure, Tonya? You don’t know what you’re getting into. They need a lot of help.”

“It will be good experience for the future.”

“If you’re sure.” Holly smiled. “It will be nice to eat a quiet dinner for once.”

Tonya smiled back. “Hey, I can handle this. Besides, Peter and Paul and I are the only single people here today, so we’ll sit at the singles’ table.”

An hour later, after cutting up Peter’s turkey into small pieces, stopping Paul from throwing his sippy cup at her, and wiping mashed potatoes off both boys’ fingers, Tonya wished she could eat her dinner at the other table. She still had mashed potatoes in her hair where Paul grabbed it. That must look real good—white clumps of potatoes in her dark hair. She should run upstairs after dinner and wash it.

Wiping the scalloped corn from Peter’s face, she listened to the conversation and laughter from the big table, wishing she could join in. She sighed. Everyone here, all twelve of them, had a partner. Even her two little nephews had each other. But Tonya was the thirteenth person, the unlucky one … the lonely one.

Lord, I want a man!

The doorbell rang, and the room quieted.

Dad placed his napkin on the table as he stood. “Now who could that be?”

“It must be someone we know, Dad.” Tonya popped a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. Living out in the country, the Brandts didn’t get many visitors.

Dad left the dining room. “It’s probably someone from the church wishing our family a merry Christmas.”

The conversation picked up again as Tonya wiped Paul’s hands for the third time.

A few minutes later Dad came back, carrying a long thin box. “Well, well. We have a special delivery for Miss Tonya Brandt.”

She looked up. “For me?”

Dad grinned. “Is your name Tonya Brandt?”

“It sure is.” She jumped up as a thrill buzzed through her.

The family crowded around as she took the long box from Dad and sat on the blue chair in the living room.

“Must be a rifle,” Ryan quipped.

Tonya opened the lid and gasped, staring at a mass of long-stemmed red roses. Her sisters broke out in exclamations.

Mom placed her hand around Tonya’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “A dozen red roses, Tonya. And there’s a card.” She pointed at the envelope nestled among the stems.

Tonya picked it up.
Miss Tonya Brandt
was scripted in beautiful penmanship on the outside of the envelope. She pulled out an old-fashioned Christmas card—a Currier and Ives engraving of a couple ice-skating on a pond. Inside a preprinted message wished her a happy holiday, and then the sender wrote in his perfect penmanship,
Merry Christmas from Your Secret Admirer
.

“Well, who is it, Tonya?” Dad asked.

She glanced around at the curious faces. “It’s from a secret admirer!”

This announcement precipitated a cloudburst of conversation. When the speculations died down, the men of the family exited to the dining room, but her sisters and mom stayed to discuss the situation.

Tonya couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “Wow, I can’t imagine who sent this.”

Molly tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Do you think it’s that doctor you told me about?”

“Reed? No way. He has terrible handwriting. Besides, he’s not interested in me.”
And the feeling is mutual
.

“On the other hand …” Callie pointed toward the signature with a stick of celery. “Maybe that’s not his handwriting. He could have had the salesgirl at the florist sign the card.”

Mom nodded. “You wouldn’t think a man would have such beautiful penmanship.”

Melissa leaned over and picked up the box’s lid, which had fallen to the floor. “It was sent from Blooms and Buds Florist, Douglas, Wyoming.”

Callie sat down on the ottoman. “That’s where we all got our wedding flowers since Fort Lob doesn’t have a florist. That’s the closest one.”

Melissa knit her brows together. “No clues there.”

“Who cares who sent them?” Joy bubbled up inside Tonya, but she didn’t want to act like a desperate teenager. “This is probably a one-time thing. Most likely I’ll never hear from him again.”

“But what a nice surprise for you.” Mom gave Tonya a quick kiss on her forehead before turning back to the dining room. “Let’s get dessert on the table, girls. Tonya, you need to put those roses in water.”

Tonya was the last to leave the living room. “Thank you, Lord,” she whispered. So what if this was a one-time thing? She would always be thankful for it. Carrying the box out to the kitchen, a feeling of peace enveloped her.

Later, as she helped her sisters finish the dishes, the doorbell rang again. Tonya ran to answer it. A uniformed deliveryman stood on the porch, holding a square box in one hand, a clipboard and pen in the other.

He raised his eyebrows. “Tonya Brandt?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

He thrust the clipboard toward her. “Sign on the next line, please.”

Tonya’s hand shook as she wrote her name, then exchanged the clipboard for the package. “Thank you.”

With a smile, she brushed back her hair, and her fingers ran into something gooey. Oh great—she had forgotten about the mashed potatoes.
How embarrassing
.

The man grinned, gazing at her face a moment before he turned back to his truck. Tonya closed the door, annoyed that her looks were not perfect. She would have gone upstairs to wash her hair right then if not for receiving a second mysterious gift.

Again she took a seat on the blue chair, and again the family crowded around her. This time her secret admirer had sent a huge box of chocolates.

“Hey, candy!” Ryan grabbed the box. “You’re gonna share, aren’t you, sis?”

“Help yourself.” She felt generous, even though the candy might be gone by the time the men got finished with it.

An envelope lay at the bottom of the package with that same beautiful penmanship. This time it said,
For Tonya
.

“Ooh.” Molly winked at her. “He’s getting more intimate.”

Tonya held her breath as she opened the envelope. The card had a winter scene with an old-fashioned Victorian house decorated for Christmas. The inside was blank, except for what was written in flowing cursive:
Sweets for the Sweet. May you have a blessed Christmas, Tonya. Your Secret Admirer
.

“Wow, two gifts on Christmas Day.” Callie dug her cell phone from her purse. “I have to call Cheyenne. She’s not going to believe this.”

Tonya giggled. “I’ll call Aggie. She always told me if I wait, I’ll find my man.”

“Sounds like he found you.” Melissa cocked an eyebrow.

Tonya breathed out a happy sigh. God had sent her a man, even if he was only temporary.

E
arly Friday morning Murray entered the Trailblazer Café. Usually the restaurant bustled with breakfast customers, but today only two couples, the Whitneys and the Pipers, sat in booths by the large windows that looked out on Main Street. Bruce MacKinnon was the sole customer sitting at the long counter.

Murray took the seat next to Bruce. “Morning, Bruce.” He laid his patrol hat on the empty stool beside him. “I’m surprised you’re not eating at a table full of your old cronies.” He grinned at the dignified Scotsman.

Bruce shrugged. “It’s the day after Christmas.” His
r
‘s rolled slightly with his brogue. “Everyone is still celebrating with their families, but my son and his family left for Salt Lake City early this morning.” He glanced at Murray’s patrolman uniform. “I see there’s no more holiday for you.”

“Nope, it’s back to work. Someone has to keep law and order in this sleepy town.”

“Aye.” With a smile, Bruce set his coffee cup on the saucer. “There’s so much crime in Fort Lob. Who knows? You might catch a madman speeding down Main Street.”

“Hey, you’re right.” Murray glanced at his watch. “It’s 7:18. I need to be sitting in my patrol car at 8:45, just in case Tonya Brandt decides to break the sound barrier.” He laughed, thinking of the expensive gifts he had sent her yesterday. He had paid almost double to get them delivered on Christmas Day.

“Say, speaking of Tonya …” Bruce lowered his voice. “I heard she has a secret admirer.”

Murray raised his eyebrows. “No joking?”
That didn’t take long
. “Where’d you hear that from?”

“Agatha Collingsworth called me last night. Word is that Tonya received a couple packages yesterday from some man who is admiring her from a distance.” Bruce chuckled. “The poor boy is probably too scared to ask her out for a date.”

Murray hadn’t thought how others would perceive his actions. “Well, she’s so pretty. You have to give the guy credit for trying.”

Coffeepot in hand, Joyce Hediger approached Murray from the other side of the counter. Her ample white waitress uniform already had stains on it. “Are you discussing Tonya Brandt’s secret admirer? Isn’t that a hoot?” She gave a toothy smile as she poured Murray a cup of coffee.

If Joyce knew about it, the whole town must know. “Where did you hear it, Joyce?”

“Barb Lathrop told me. She heard it from Cheyenne Wilkins. Sounds like Tonya was on cloud nine last night.”

So Tonya was excited. Murray tried not to smile too broadly. “I suppose nothing like that ever happened to her before.”

Joyce laughed as she took three little creamers from her pocket and set them beside Murray’s cup. “Tonya has so many boyfriends, this guy is just one of the many. I bet she’s adding him to her list. She always liked attention, you know.”

Murray’s initial happiness faded.

Joyce set the coffeepot on the counter. “The usual, Murray? Scrambled eggs with toast?”

“Sure.” He watched Joyce waddle away before he turned to Bruce. “Does, uh, Tonya know who her secret admirer is?” He dumped a creamer into his cup.

Bruce shook his head. “Not that I’m aware. Agatha didn’t say.”

Murray stirred his coffee. He couldn’t ask too many questions or people would get suspicious. But now he
definitely
didn’t want Tonya—or anyone else for that matter—to discover his identity. Bruce thought he was too scared to ask her out, and Joyce thought Tonya didn’t care who he was.

Of course, Bruce was right. Murray was afraid to ask Tonya out. But then, his purpose was to find out what she was really like. There was an end to his means, and Murray intended to see it through.

He was glad the post office was open today.

The phone rang at the Beauty Spot on Saturday morning, just as Tonya finished sweeping up from the last haircut. Aggie was at the other beauty station, giving Gloria Schutzenhofer a perm.

“I’ll get the phone, Aggie.” Tonya walked to the cash register and plucked the receiver from the wall phone after the third ring. “The Beauty Spot, this is Tonya.”

“Hi, girlfriend!” Cheyenne’s voice came over the line. “You’re just the person I want to talk to. Your secret admirer has been busy, and let me tell you—that guy gets around. I have a slew of letters here at the post office for you.”

Tonya’s heart leaped into her throat. “Really?”

“They’re all addressed to Miss Tonya Brandt.” Cheyenne chuckled. “For a man, he sure has beautiful handwriting.”

“Wow, this is so exciting!”

“What’s going on, hon?” Aggie called from her station.

Tonya held up a
one moment
finger to Aggie. “How many are there, Cheyenne?”

“Let’s see… . There’s two letters postmarked from Lusk, three from Douglas, one from Cheyenne, and two that were mailed here in Fort Lob.”

Tonya counted silently. “Eight letters! I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it, girl. Do you want Bernie to deliver them to your house with the rest of the mail, or do you want to swing by the P.O. and pick them up?”

“I’ll be there in five minutes!” She laughed. “Thanks, Cheyenne.”

Hanging up the phone, Tonya turned to Aggie and Gloria. “My secret admirer sent me eight letters in the mail!” She pulled her purse from under the counter. “I’m going to run to the post office and get them, Aggie. Is that okay?” She grabbed her coat from the hook near the door.

“Only if you let me read them, too.” Aggie cackled out a laugh. “This will fuel the town gossip for weeks to come, and we’ll do our part. Right, Gloria?”

Gloria’s thin eyebrows formed a
V
in the middle of her forehead. “I never gossip.”

Tonya turned away so Gloria wouldn’t see her laughing. That woman was such a gossip that some people called her
Gloria the Grapevine
.