Destiny's Embrace (20 page)

She nodded.

“I’m impressed.”

The coat fit snugly per the fashion and allowed the high collar of her best blouse to show above it. A row of black buttons graced the front, leading the eye to the coat’s scalloped hem and the full skirt below. All in all, she agreed with his assessment; she did look nice. Drawing on her gloves, she hoped the congregation would think so, too.

They rode to church in a fancy black buggy she’d not ridden in before. He said it belonged to Alanza and she only used it on special occasions. The leather seats were comfortable and there was a curved awning attached to keep out the sun and the elements.

Because it was the sabbath, the ranch workers had the day off, and as he drove down the strip of road that led past Alanza’s house and to the gates, she noted how peaceful the ranch appeared. “Does Alanza attend Reverend Dennis’s church?”

“No. She and the Gutierrezes go to the Catholic church over in Sacramento. They left yesterday afternoon and will be back this evening. Lupe and her husband have family there, so they stay with them on Saturday nights.”

He looked her way and asked, “Still want to marry me?”

She hooked her arm in his. “Of course not.”

Once the gates were cleared, he headed them out onto the main road. “How far away is the church?” she asked.

“Not very. Should be there shortly.”

Mariah was admittedly nervous. She wanted the people to like her. She also had hopes that she’d find a few friends. She enjoyed Alanza’s company, but she thought it might also be nice to befriend someone closer to her age, too.

Logan thought she looked very fetching in her blue ensemble and feathery hat, and knew the men at the church would agree. He wasn’t looking forward to the sarcastic remarks surrounding his attendance any more than all the male eyes turned her way. He did look forward to letting it be known that they planned to marry, however, and that made him smile.

Chapter 20

T
hey arrived at the church shortly before ten. Logan steered the buggy into the open field adjacent to it that was filled with parked buggies and wagons and the people who owned them. Their arrival drew much interest if the way the people stopped and stared was any indication. Sighing and determined to be pleasant and not to bark at anyone, he parked and handed her down.

The first person to approach was Naomi Pearl, the diner owner. Her gray ensemble showed off her curves and Mariah found herself admiring her very stylish gray hat. He did the introductions.

“Welcome, Mrs. Cooper,” Naomi said, smiling. “Very pleased to meet you.”

“Same here, but please, call me Mariah.”

“Then call me Naomi.”

Mariah admired not only Naomi’s hat but her clear-as-glass velvet-brown skin as well. Her beauty glowed.

“Is Logan treating you well?”

Mariah looked to him and received a smile. She wanted to tell her they were going to be married but decided to let him make the announcement when he was ready. “He is.”

“I hear you cleared out the mess in his house.”

Before Mariah could answer, they were interrupted by a voice saying, “Well, hello. You must be the new housekeeper everyone’s been talking about.”

Mariah turned to see a short little man with a mustache that nearly dwarfed his face.

“Name’s Jim Deeb. I’m the president of the cattlemen’s association.”

Beside him stood a very tall, terse-faced woman in a green gown, and wearing a hat way too large to be flattering. “And I’m his wife, Felicity,” the woman stated clearly and coolly.

Mariah was a bit thrown by the woman’s tone. “Pleased to meet you both.”

“Likewise,” Felicity replied. “Logan. Naomi.”

Both nodded greetings, but Felicity didn’t linger to chat. “Come James. Looks like the church will be crowded, and I don’t want to have to fight to get a seat.”

He didn’t balk, but as he departed, he shot Mariah a bold wink.

That threw her as well, and she saw Logan’s jaw tighten and his eyes narrow.

Naomi cracked, “If Felicity had seen that wink, he wouldn’t be able to see out of that eye for a week.”

Logan chuckled. “I agree.”

Naomi added, “But Felicity’s right about the crowd. Apparently word’s gotten around about Logan being here this morning. Everybody’s wanting to see if lightning’ll strike.”

Mariah turned to see how Logan was taking the dig. He was smiling. She decided then and there that she wanted Naomi Pearl as a friend.

Logan said, “Then let the lightning begin. Ladies?” He offered his arms to both. Naomi grinned and didn’t hesitate. Mariah didn’t either.

As Felicity predicted, the church’s interior was full. They managed to find a seat on one of the wooden pews toward the back. Trying not to be overwhelmed by all the interest their entrance garnered, Mariah sat beside Logan while Naomi flanked him on the opposite side. Mariah recognized a few people from Feather’s party who sent her smiles and nodded greetings, but most of the faces were unfamiliar.

Naomi leaned over and said quietly, “You and Logan are causing quite the stir, Mariah, but folks here are fairly nice, so don’t be put off.”

Mariah took the advice to heart, but in an effort to calm her nerves and not be intimidated by all the whispering and looks, she pretended nonchalance as she scanned the surroundings. There was a pulpit, a small choir box, and a beautiful wood altar rail, polished until it shone. The four windows, two on each side, were plain, not stained glass like those at her church back home, but they were opened to let in the morning breeze.

The organist was Beattie McDowell. He took his seat, and when he began the opening strains of the processional hymn, everyone stood. The small five-member choir, which included Dex Sawyer, slowly marched up the center aisle, singing as they went. They were followed by Reverend Paul Dennis. If he noticed Mariah, he gave no indication.

To her surprise, Eli entered their pew. He slid in next to Naomi, who acted as if he were invisible. He didn’t appear to mind, and offered Mariah a polite nod.

Because the service was very similar to the ones she’d attended at her home church back in Philadelphia, she was familiar with the prayers and responses. When the time came, Reverend Dennis gave a nice sermon on the power of prayer. He stayed on message, and didn’t go too long, just as Beattie promised.

After the sermon, the service continued, and Beattie stood up to read the announcements. He announced the times for the upcoming week’s meetings of the usher board, the ladies’ auxiliary, and choir rehearsal.

“Now, do we have any visitors?” He looked specifically at Mariah. “Mrs. Cooper, why don’t you stand and introduce yourself?”

Everyone in attendance turned her way. She fought down her nervousness and stood. “I’m Mariah Cooper, and I’m originally from Philadelphia.”

She was welcomed with applause. Smiling, she took her seat. When she glanced up at the reverend, she saw sadness in his eyes before his gaze slid away.

Beattie then asked, “Mrs. Cooper, who’s that stranger sitting next to you?”

The congregation laughed.

Appearing amused, Logan nodded a greeting, then got to his feet. “Although Mrs. Cooper came out here to be my housekeeper, she’s graciously agreed to be my wife. We’ll be marrying in October and you’ll all be invited.”

A woman cried, “No!” which brought on a few snickers, but the deafening applause and words of congratulations that followed made it difficult to determine who the person might’ve been, and frankly, Mariah didn’t care. Although she and Logan hadn’t talked about setting a date, she assumed he’d chosen the month of October because it held her birthday. Such thoughtfulness made her love him all the more.

When Logan sat down, Eli leaned over and shook his hand.

Naomi said softly, “Congratulations, you two.”

Eli turned to Naomi with a knowing smile, which she pointedly ignored. The reaction caused Mariah to wonder what their story might be.

Once all the hubbub died down, the service continued.

After church, Logan left Mariah in the care of Naomi and went in search of Reverend Dennis. He found him in the church’s small office. “Paul?”

“What can I do for you, Logan?” His voice was as frigid as his eyes.

“Why’d you come out yesterday? Did you want something?”

“Frankly, yes. I came to make sure Mrs. Cooper and I were still on for dinner this evening, but I could see that she was, shall we say, occupied. My congratulations, by the way.”

He didn’t sound sincere in the least, but Logan didn’t call him on it.

Paul removed his robe and hung it on the tree in the corner of the room. “Since it’s common knowledge that I’m looking for a wife, I was naïve enough to believe you’d let me at least try and court her. Should’ve known better.”

Logan’s lips thinned. He wasn’t going to apologize.

“And if you’re worried about me telling anyone what I saw, don’t worry. I won’t. Anything else?”

“No.”

“I’ll let you know about the new teacher committee next week.”

“Thanks.” With that, Logan turned and walked out. He and Paul had always gotten along. Now, he had no idea what the future held.

Mariah was enjoying being introduced around by Naomi and Eli to the members of the congregation gathered outside. Eli soon left them to speak with some of the men, so she and Naomi strolled on. A couple of women they approached stuck their noses in the air and walked away. Naomi explained that they were among those who’d hoped to have Logan for themselves one day, but now that he was no longer on the market their hopes were dashed. “As if he’d paid them any attention before you came,” she added sarcastically.

Mariah saw Dex Sawyer, but he walked by her without a word. She assumed he was still angry at her for not liking his song. Beattie McDowell sought her out and offered sincere congratulations on her upcoming marriage, as did Orville Rose. “Hope you and Logan will be as happy as me and my Maebelle were.”

“Thank you, Mr. Rose.”

He moved on, and Silas Cook approached. He looked angry.

“Hello, Mr. Cook.”

“Don’t you hello me, girl. You led me on.”

Naomi eyed him with surprise while Mariah sighed. “I told you I wasn’t interested.”

“And I told you I was coming back so we could have dinner!” he shouted. His voice was loud enough to make people stop and stare.

“Don’t you dare shout at me!”

“I’ll shout all I want. Come here!” He grabbed her by the arm only to have a fist suddenly explode in his face. He was out cold before he hit the ground.

A seething Logan stood over him. “Are you okay?” he asked Mariah.

“I am.”

“He didn’t hurt you?”

“You didn’t give him time,” she pointed out.

Naomi chuckled.

“Good. I’m ready to head home.”

“I think you are, too. Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

He took her by the hand. She gave Naomi a quick wave. As he led her away, applause broke out.

After handing her up into the buggy and getting them under way, he cracked, “See why I don’t come to church?”

T
hat afternoon, she was seated in her courtyard working on Feather’s sketches when Logan stepped out to join her. He looked at what she’d drawn. “I like that.”

“I’m hoping Feather will, too.”

“I spoke with the reverend. He’s promised not to tell anyone about what he saw.”

“That’s kind of him,” Mariah said. “Are you two still friends?”

“I’m not sure.”

She stood and put her arms around him. “He looked very sad when you made the announcement.”

“I know.”

“I love you, Logan.”

“I love you, too,
querida
.”

Later, Logan left her to attend the monthly meeting of the cattlemen’s association. The election of the new president was on the agenda and only two names were on the ballot. Logan’s and current president Jim Deeb. The price of beef was falling. Logan and a few other ranchers wanted to explore agreements with distributors in the East as well as some in Mexico, but Deeb’s ties to their current distributors and the kickbacks he’d been receiving for his loyalty were hemming in the members.

The meeting was held at Deeb’s place and when Logan entered, he was greeted with congratulatory handshakes and pats on the back for his upcoming nuptials. He responded graciously and glanced around the room to see who was in attendance. The only man who appeared to be missing was Silas Cook. Logan hoped he was still out cold on the grounds of the church.

Eli approached and Logan asked him quietly, “How do you think the vote’s going to go?”

“With any luck, the way it should. Everybody’s had enough of Deeb and his strutting around.”

Logan agreed. “So, are you any closer to a wedding day of your own?”

“Doesn’t look like it, but I’m not giving up.”

Naomi was making Eli pay for trying to keep her on a string with two of his other women, and his efforts to make her jealous by bringing another woman to her diner for a meal. “Have you tried writing Naomi a song?”

“A song?” he echoed sounding confused.

Logan chuckled. “Never mind. I’ll explain later.”

Deeb called the meeting to order. The old business was dealt with first, which included a discussion of the current legislation concerning water rights, bovine health issues, and landowner disputes. Logan thought about Arnell Wiley and his trespassing dairy cows. So far the repaired fence hadn’t been breached. He was hoping Wiley had gone somewhere and bought himself some good sense.

Once the old business was taken care of, they moved on to the election. Deeb stood up to give a speech, but one of the ranchers, a man named Tom Foster who didn’t care for the president any more than the rest in attendance, cut him off. “No speeches. Let’s just vote.”

Deeb looked angry, but a quick show of hands supported Foster, so the vote was held. When the ballots were counted, the final tally put Logan on top.

“I want a recount!” Deeb demanded.

Eli, who’d been one of the counters, shook his head. “You got three votes out of the thirteen here. A recount won’t make much difference, Jim.”

Eli looked to Logan. “You have anything to say, Mr. President?”

Logan met the eyes of the men counting on him to direct their economic future. “Thanks for the support and votes. We’ll meet next month to talk about distributor alternatives. Until then, meeting adjourned. I’ve a woman I want to see.”

Chuckles melded with understanding nods. They all said their good-byes and Logan rode toward home. He had one more stop to make, however. One he’d been looking forward to since proposing to Mariah the day before.

He found Alanza currying her mare in the stables and she greeted him warmly, “Hello, Logan. How’d church go?”

“Other than knocking Silas Cook out cold for trying to manhandle Mariah, it went fine.”

She stopped. He explained how he’d seen Silas grab Mariah’s arm, but he left out why Silas was upset with Mariah, for the moment. When he finished the abbreviated telling, displeasure filled her face. “Silas has always had manure where his brain should be.”

He then filled her in on the cattlemen’s meeting and his new position.

“That’s wonderful. You’ll be a much better leader than that tadpole Deeb.”

He thought so as well. He then quizzed her for a moment about her day in church and when she was done, he said, “Now, I have some news.”

“And it is?”

“I’ve asked Mariah to marry me, and she’s said yes.”

“Dios!” She grabbed him and began planting joyful kisses all over his face while speaking rapidly in Spanish about how happy she was, how happy they’d be, and her having grandchildren to spoil and love.

Then she stopped and eyed him critically. “You made me stand here and listen to all those other things about Silas and his manure for brains, and then that tadpole, knowing this is what I wanted to hear first? Shame on you, Logan.”

He laughed.

She smiled and her voice turned serious. “She will be a wonderful addition to our name.”

“Yes, she will.”

“And I want at least one gold-eyed grandchild, okay?”