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Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, but that was most mornings in South Texas. I was at Nanna’s to feed the cows and to have breakfast with her. I forked the last of the manure into the old steel wheelbarrow when the dinner bell rang out across the yard. I wiped the sweat from my brow and leaned the pitchfork against the wall. As I stepped out of the stall to close the door, a soft black nose blew into my hair. I ran my hands down her long face and rubbed between her eyes.
“Hey pretty girl, you have to stay in with Gaston.” Her large brown eyes stared into my soul. “I am going to bring a special someone to meet you later.” She nickered softly as if she understood and went back to eating her hay. I pushed the full wheelbarrow to the end of the barn aisle. A deep breath filled my lungs, I loved the smell of dew on the grass, hay in the loft, and the soft scent of horses. Nanna stood on the veranda waving cheerfully at me. The wind swirled her grey hair around her face. She broke into a grin as I came out of the barn. She headed back into the house as the screen door flapped closed behind her. The aroma of scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls wafted towards me as I strode into the kitchen.
“Wash your hands, before you eat.” She swatted me with a dishtowel as I tried to sneak the cream cheese frosting.
“But it’s so good!” I smiled, washing my hands in the sink. Nanna took a plate of steaming eggs to the worn wooden table in the kitchen. I grabbed the pot of coffee and the tray of cinnamon rolls to set next to the eggs.
“Let’s pray.” She said as I linked my hands with her weathered ones. “God bless this food and those gathered at this table.”
“Amen,” I mumbled in unison with her. The chairs groaned as we pulled them out from the table to sit down. I scooped eggs onto Nanna’s plate and poured her coffee. We sat in companionable silence, both enjoying the beautiful morning and the food.
Nanna cleared her throat. “What do you have planned to do today?”
I swallowed my coffee. It burned as it went down. “I was going to go over to the Allen house. Dee is coming home this weekend.”
“I had no idea you had eyes for Delilah Allen?” A mischievous twinkle lit up her eyes.
“She’s bringing her friend, Melanie, with her."
“I expected as much.” She laughed. “I think that you might need this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out an old brass key. She tossed it across the table, and I caught it with one hand. I turned it over in my palm.
“Is this the original key?”
She smiled before raising her mug to her lips. "It just might be."
"Thanks, Nanna." I got up to kiss her on the top of her grey head as I headed out to finish my chores.
A couple of hours later, my hands were sweating when I pulled up to the Allen house. Dee and Melanie were already there. Dee was lounging in the front yard, scrolling through her phone as Melanie tossed a ball for Benny to retrieve, barking as he ran back and forth. I angled my truck up to the curb so as not to disturb them. Dee lifted her sunglasses and nodded to me. I killed the engine and exited the truck. Benny leaped into the air to catch the flying ball then landed on his back legs. His head swiveled in my direction as I stepped onto the curb. The next moment, he was bounding towards me. He launched himself at me, dropping his ball. I caught him in the air, and he promptly licked my face from ear to ear.
“Benny, stop!” Melanie cried. “I am so sorry. He knows better than that. Sometimes, he just gets carried away.” Melanie hurried over to extract Benny from my arms.
“It’s alright.” I wiped my face with my sleeve, before turning to her. “A little dog spit never hurt me.” I ran my fingers through my hair as my ears grew warm.
“It never hurt me, either,” she tucked Benny under her arm as he tried to reach her nose with his pink tongue. “But some people don’t like it, and it’s rude to jump on people.” She tapped him on the nose. He licked her from chin to forehead as she giggled.
“At least he likes me.” My voice dropped an octave as I stared into those green eyes, losing myself in their swirling depths.
“That is always a positive.” She murmured as she stepped closer. Benny didn’t know who to reach for and was busy looking from me to her.
“Yo, guys,” Dee called. “Do the googly eye thing on your own time.” She stood and stretched her long limbs. “I thought today had a purpose as to why we are here versus lounging in my apartment.” Melanie stepped back and set Benny on the ground before looking back at me.
“Delilah said you have a surprise for me?” She gave me a weird look out of the side of her eye.
“I do.” I held up my hands. “I am not going to ask you to marry me today.”
“Oh good, I haven’t had time to find a dress.”
“That’s your only concern? You don’t have a dress?” I paused for dramatic effect. “I can work with that.” I winked at her and strode back to my truck.
“Wait! What?” She stammered before hurrying after me. Benny jumping at her heels.
WE PILED INTO PETE’S truck as he was the only one that claimed to know where we were going. Delilah had been suspiciously quiet. I suspected that she was in on whatever was going on. I ended up sitting in the middle, rubbing shoulders and knees with Pete because Delilah called shotgun. She excitedly pointed out every bird, bush, and house that we passed.
“There’s Mrs. Finch’s house, my eighth-grade teacher. Did you have her, Pete?” Before Pete could respond, “look there’s Walter, the oldest cat in town.” She turned in her seat to wave out the window at an old man pushing a stroller. “Babysitting?” She called. The old man waved back at her.
“Is she always this obnoxious?” I muttered to Pete. He smiled and looked at me out the corner of his eye.
“That is all part of her charm.” He paused to negotiate a stop sign with a tractor and a bunch of kids on bikes. “Didn’t you know?”
“Nope, I thought that she was perfectly normal.” I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ears. “I guess I didn’t see her in her natural environment.”
“Us Sunnydale natives appear normal in the outside world,” his voice took on a weird accent.
“She sure fooled me.” I grabbed her belt as she leaned so far out the window to talk to one of the kids on the bike.
Delilah sat back in her seat. Her black hair all in a tangle from being whipped in the wind, her brown eyes shone with excitement, and her lips parted in a large smile.
“Timmy was telling me about the softball tournament going on in the park. It seems like the bar team is kicking Mike’s Auto’s butt.” She sighed and sank back into the seat. “That might be fun if your surprise is a bust, Pete.” She winked at him.
“Only Melanie will be able to determine if it is.”
“Wait, why me?” I asked. I was getting nervous. He wasn’t going to ask me to marry him, was he? We only had two dates and only one went well.
“Oh, because I already know about it and think that it is great.” Delilah pulled a hard candy sucker out of her purse and promptly stuck it in her mouth. “Do you want one?” She asked at my incredulous stare. She shrugged. “Ok, you don’t.” She turned to look back out the window.
“So, you both know about the surprise. But you’re not going to tell me?”
“Yup, sounds about right,” Pete stated.
We drove in silence for a bit as Pete wove his way through town. He turned down Main Street and drove a few blocks. He pulled up in front of an old brick building with large windows overlooking the street. There was a red and white closed sign hanging in the window, barely visible through the grime.
“Keep an open mind.” Delilah patted me on the arm before jumping out of the truck.
I scrambled out after her.
“This was Pete’s idea.” She gestured to him standing awkwardly by the door. I turned toward him and cocked my head to the side.
“Pete?” I asked as a pink blush crept up his neck.
“So, you were saying that you don’t know what to do with your career?”
I nodded.
He went on, “and that you want to design your own line of clothes.”
I nodded again. Where was he going with this?
“This might be the answer that you are looking for.”
“Okay...”
Pete handed me a velvet jewelry box. My heart skipped a beat. Oh no, a ring!
Delilah saw the look on my face. “Just open it, silly,” she said as she sucked loudly on her sucker.
I snapped open the lid and inside was a large, antique, brass key on a frayed red ribbon. I lifted the key up by the ribbon; it twirled in the air.
“I may be dense, but I just don’t get it.”
“Try the door,” Pete suggested.
I walked up to the door and gently stuck the key in the old brass lock. I tried to turn it but it wouldn’t budge. Pete came over, standing behind me as the spice of his cologne washed over me. My heart started to do its own type of pitter-patter in response to his closeness. His arm brushed mine as he reached over to place his large hand over mine. It was surprisingly rough for someone with a desk job. He gently turned the key the opposite direction from the one I’d tried, and the door swung in with a groan. A cloud of dust flew into the air, causing me to sneeze.
“It does need a little cleaning,” Pete said sheepishly.
I walked further into the large open room. The floor was covered in light and dark wooden planks. The large glass windows let in natural light that fell on several pedestals and mannequins lined up against the back wall like little soldiers. Several racks of fabric were organized in a corner and covered with a clear plastic sheet. I walked over to a large object and lifted the cloth sheet covering it. Underneath was a beautiful antique sewing machine on a large work table. I turned to look at Delilah, but she was outside in the sunshine, whistling a tune and ignoring me. Pete leaned against the door frame watching me with his arms crossed and his eyes hidden in the shadows. I couldn’t read his expression. I wandered around the expansive room. There was a hidden door that blended into the wooden panel wall. I ran my fingertips around the edge until I found the release. With a pull, the door silently swung open, releasing clouds of dust, covering me from head to toe. I stepped inside the dark room and felt along the wall until I came to a light switch. I flipped it and a soft yellow glow filled the room. There was a desk in the center with a filing cabinet next to it. I walked over to a bookshelf that lined the wall behind the desk, running my fingers over the bindings. The titles ranged from fashion to wedding dresses to prom dresses.
“What is this place?”
“This was Miss Elizabeth’s place.” Pete’s voice made me jump. “She’s in the nursing home in Sunnydale. Between her fading eyesight and her arthritis, the place hasn’t been operational for some time.”
“Okay? I still don’t get it.”
“It’s a dressmaker’s shop.”
I snorted. “A dressmaker’s shop? What century do you people live in?”
“She used to make wedding dresses and prom dresses. But anything can be done here.” He paused and swept his arms to the side. “Sunnydale always kept her busy and loads of people drove out here from San Antonio.”
“So,” I felt dense, “let me get this straight. You want me to come here and reopen a dress shop?”
“Sounds about right.”
“New York’s where the fashion is. Not some little podunk town in Texas.” I tried to explain to him as he rested his hands on my shoulders.
“Think about it. It could be your place to do with what you like. We need you.” He pressed his lips to my forehead and left.
What was he talking about? Could this be my shot at independence? Would it kill my chances in New York? Who was I kidding? My career had barely left the ground up there. I was fired, and I’d have to start over at the bottom doing grunt work. Did I want to do that? Not really, I had skills and I wanted to make something of my life. Not be someone’s errand girl. I looked around at the dust and the faded panel walls. It could be something, maybe. It would take a lot of work and time and, maybe, money. Would it be profitable? Who knows?
“What do you think?” Delilah walked into the building.
“I don’t know.”
“Here’s something to think about. Most of your business could be done online. You’d get to design whatever your little heart desires.” She licked her candy. “Plus, wedding dresses would be fun.”
“It’s a lot to think about. Where’s Pete?”
“He mumbled something about going for a walk. Come on let’s go meet Miss Elizabeth. You are going to love her.” Delilah linked her arm through mine and steered me for the door.
#####
THE NURSING HOME THAT Miss Elizabeth lived in was a few blocks down from Main Street. We walked there, enjoying the sunshine and a slight breeze. The nursing home was a squat building surrounded by extensive flowerbeds and walking trail. When we checked in at the front desk, we were told that Miss Elizabeth was sitting outside drinking lemonade until lunchtime. She was sitting on a rocking chair in the corner of the flower garden. She was busy knitting while staring out at the flowers. She was a small frail woman with her steel-grey hair tied into a tight bun at the base of her skull. Her shoulders were stooped and covered in a bright yellow cardigan that matched the flowers next to her. I hung back as Delilah approached her.
“Is that my lovely Dee Allen?” Her voice had a singsong melody to it.
“Yes, Miss Elizabeth.”
“You wore that halter top, seafoam green dress to prom. Only someone with your coloring could pull that off. You looked stunning in it.” She stared off into space for a moment. “Too bad I never got to make that wedding dress for you.” Startled, I looked over at Delilah, but she was busily scuffing her toe in the dirt.
“Yes, ma’am. That dress would have been beautiful.”
“And pray tell, who is your friend?”
“Sorry, this is Melanie. Nancy may have mentioned her.”
“Yes, yes, that she did.” She peered down through her glasses at me. “Child, come here.” I stepped closer to her. “Come closer.” She demanded. I stepped right in front of the rocker. “Oh, yes, you are pretty. I can see why Pete is smitten with you.” She tutted to herself. “What did you think of the building?”
“It’s big.” Pete was smitten with me?
“Of course, it’s big! How did you think we fit a whole bridal shop in there?” She snorted. “It was my home and business for over fifty years. Did you see the apartment above it?”
“No, I didn’t.”
She motioned for us to pull up chairs as she talked about the bridal shop and all the dresses she made over the years. As lunchtime approached, a nurse came over to help Miss Elizabeth get inside. As she was leaving, she caught my hand and looked into my eyes.
“Come see me tomorrow.” She walked away, arm in arm with the nurse.
“I think she likes you.” Delilah stood dusting off her pants.
“She is a fascinating lady.” I followed her out to find Pete. What did she want to talk about tomorrow? Did I want to stay in Sunnydale? Would there be enough business to get the shop off the ground? Could this be my ticket to independence?
I SAT IN MY TRUCK SCROLLING through social media, as Dee and Melanie came back from the nursing home. They must’ve been to see Miss Elizabeth. She was Nanna’s oldest friend. She had to be; she was Nanna’s older sister. The girls climbed into the front seat next to me.
“Are you good to go?” I started my truck and turned it around.
They both nodded.
Dee swiveled in her seat as I approached the Allen house. “You two kids have a great time. This is where I leave you.”
She jumped out of the truck before it came to a complete stop and ran up the sidewalk to the house. Benny barked at her heels as they disappeared inside. I turned to Melanie before she could escape, too.
“Do you have plans for this afternoon?” Please say no, I thought to myself. Melanie slid over to the spot that Dee vacated.
“I was going to hang with Delilah, but I guess not anymore.” She shrugged and turned towards me. Her green eyes were sparkling with interest.
“Do you like horses?” I turned my truck towards Nanna’s house. Out of the corner of my eye, Melanie’s face lit up with a rare genuine smile.
“I love horses.”
The main road out of Sunnydale was a paved highway. We traveled on that for a bit until I turned on to a gravel road. It took another twenty minutes of navigating gravel roads until we reached the private road the ranch sat on. She gasped as the house came into view. It was surrounded by flowers and cactus. The house, itself, was a stucco building with large picture windows and a wraparound porch. Large baskets held all colors of flowers. The yard was bare and behind the house stood a large brown barn. I drove around the house and pulled up by the barn, parking the truck under the shade of a large tree. Melanie was busy looking around, so I jumped out of the truck and ran around to get the door for her.
“Pete, this place is beautiful. It is so peaceful out here."
I took her soft hand and helped her out of the truck.
“Would you like to see more of the ranch?” I led her into the darkened barn. Melanie inhaled a deep breath the minute we stepped through the doorway.
“I love the way horses smell.” She wandered further into the barn, trailing her hand over the roughened wood of the stalls. “I haven’t been in a barn since high school.”
As Melanie walked past the second to last stall, a black nose stuck out over the stall door and nudged her shoulder. She turned back and offered her hand for the horse to smell. The horse extended her nose further and blew into Melanie’s brown hair, causing her to laugh.
“This is Belle.” I rubbed the black horse on the forehead. “I was thinking we could go for a ride around the ranch.” I looked at my boots. It had seemed like a good idea to surprise Melanie; except, she was dressed in her customary shorts and sandals. When I looked back up, she was smiling at me. Her eyes twinkling with merriment.
“Do you think I could ride a horse dressed like this?” She gestured to herself and took a step back. “These are designer shorts and cost more than your stupid horse,” She said in her best New York accent.
“Um,” I stammered. “I guess not.” How stupid of me!
Melanie laughed so hard she bent over double, holding onto the side of the stall, tears streaming down her face. I waited until she was done and straightened up.
“Delilah mentioned I’d need boots and jeans this weekend.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “We even went to the Boot Barn to go shopping last night.” She reached into her giant leather purse and pulled out a brand-new pair of jeans and boots. “Granted, I’ve never owned a pair of cowboy boots before. Only tall, black boots for this girl. Where could I change?”
I pointed to a solid wooden door with a Feed Room sign tacked on it. “You can change in the feed room.”
She smiled at me and sashayed past me into the room. My heart beating faster in my chest. I turned to get the horses ready to ride. The saddles were housed across the aisle from the feed room. I started carrying the heavy leather saddles from the tack room to each of the stalls, when I heard a crash coming from the feed room. I dropped the saddle I was carrying and ran over to the door. I cracked it open and stuck my head inside.
“Melanie, are you ok?”
“Don’t look!”
I tried to cover my eyes with my hands but not before I caught a glimpse of her sprawled on the floor, one leg in the jeans, the other partially in, and her red lace panties covering her perfect bottom. She had fallen against a can of feed, knocking it over, spilling grain all over the room.
“Are you ok?”
“Just mad at Delilah.” She mumbled in between grunts. I helped her up and then promptly closed my eyes as she leaned against me.
“Why?” My chest tightened and I barely breathed.
“She told me that these would be perfect for me.” She grunted one more time and heaved them over her hips. “But they’re skinny jeans and about two sizes too small. I am going to kill her.”
“I am sure it will be fine.” I could feel the heat of her gaze. “Is it safe to look?”
“Yes,” she gritted her teeth.
I took my hands away as she stepped away from me. She dusted herself off and grabbed her boots. She started to pull them on but began to wobble. I stepped closer to her and wrapped my arm around her waist to steady her. I could feel the heat of her body through her thin tank top and tried to resist the urge to pull her closer. She finally got the last boot on and straightened herself. The top of her head was an inch below my chin. I could see the incandescent light reflecting on her shiny brown hair. My other arm snaked around her and pulled her against my chest. I gently tipped her chin up so I could get lost in the swirling green depths of her eyes. Her peach-colored lips parted and her chest began to rise and fall rapidly. My hand slid to cup the back of her head. I slowly lowered my lips to meet hers. It was like trumpets exploding. The noise of the barn fell away until it was just me and her. My lips pressed gently against hers. Her body responded as she pushed back on mine. Her mouth parted as I deepened the kiss, our tongues meeting, swirling to a beat all of their own. My desire for her stirred and suddenly she drew back, breaking contact. Her breath was shaky and erratic. I turned slightly to the side to hide how much I wanted her in my arms.
“Well, that was fun.” She said breathlessly. She straightened her shirt and stared at me. The flush of her cheeks belied the casualness of her statement. “But I thought we were going to ride horses.”
“We are.” I walked past her to pick up the saddle I had dropped. “You get to ride Belle.” I pointed at the black horse leaning over the stall door. I turned to finish getting Gaston’s tack from the tack room.