December 31, 1941
A muscle in his jaw tightened as Willard bounced a ball back and forth between his hands. Tonight he got to see Audrey, something that hadn’t happened enough during her break. She’d thrown herself into the burgeoning Canteen and spent every spare moment there. She seemed to enjoy it, but for reasons he couldn’t explain, he didn’t like driving there to catch a moment with her. Train after train loaded with troops filled the station with men who walked a step taller when they reboarded.
In thirty minutes he and Roger would leave to pick up Lainie and Audrey. He wanted to spend all the time with her he could. Get to know her and what mattered to her. He sighed and threw the ball against the headboard. That wouldn’t happen if he didn’t get to see her apart from the station. Tonight they’d ring in the New Year. Start something fresh together.
He stepped to the walnut wardrobe next to the door and opened it. He pulled out a clean shirt and rehearsed the words he wanted to say in his mind. “Audrey, no one knows what tomorrow holds. Maybe the crazy Japs’ll find a way to fly across the Pacific and reach Nebraska.” No, that wasn’t quite right. He didn’t want to scare her into loving him.
“Audrey, we live in a world gone mad. I love spending time with you. I don’t want to wait and see if we have time to get to know each other. Times are too uncertain to waste another minute.”
No, that wouldn’t work either. Lord, I don’t know what to say to her. You know my heart. Give me the right words at the right time. She’s so special.
As he knotted his tie, Willard thought about her smile. It upped the wattage in a room every time she flashed it. From the first moment she graced him with a smile, his world seemed brighter, clearer. He wanted that every day, not just those times he got to town and found her. They might have known each other only a month, but he couldn’t lose her to a uniform at the station.
Willard looked up as a knock pounded his door.
“Are you ready, Willard? We’ve got to get moving, or we’ll be late.” Frustration laced Roger’s voice. “You’re as good looking as you’ll get.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Willard opened the door and took in the blazer Roger wore. “I didn’t even know you owned one of those.”
“I’m full of surprises. Now let’s get going. We don’t want to make the ladies mad.”
Roger socked him in the arm and then pulled him down the stairs and out the door. They walked to the car and soon flew across the oiled back road to the highway.
Willard clenched his teeth as they slid toward town. “Hey, watch out for ice.”
“Don’t worry.” Roger swerved the steering wheel back and forth, causing Willard to grab for any handhold he could find. “We’ll get there safe and sound—and I’ll even make sure we’re on time.”
Willard sighed with relief when they hit North Platte in one piece. One day Roger’s driving would kill him, but anything was better than being stuck on the ranch. They skidded to a stop at Lainie’s house before Roger ran up the walk to get her. Willard stilled when Audrey came out with them. Her green coat reflected her eyes even from a distance. A quiet elegance and control he admired but she didn’t seem to recognize radiated from her. She took his breath away. If only she felt a fraction of the same emotion for him.
Willard slid from the car. He hurried to the other side and opened the back door for Audrey. Then he walked back to the passenger side and sat beside her.
She slipped next to him and snuggled close. “Hi.” Her word sounded like a contented purr.
“Hey. How’d your week wrap up?”
“It was busy but wonderful. I’ve never done anything so meaningful. To see the boys’ faces when they arrive at the Canteen and the change when they leave. It’s absolutely amazing to me.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time there. Why? It’s your break, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She looked past him as if watching a scene play through her mind. “It’s hard to explain. But the soldiers drag off the trains like the weight of the world and its questions burden them. Fifteen minutes later they race to catch the train before it pulls out of the station. During that time, they get hugs from North Platte’s mothers. We give them simple fruit and candy, but they act like we’ve blessed them with treasure. I can tell them how much I appreciate what they’re doing in the Army or Navy.” Her gaze focused on him, and he shifted under the weight of her scrutiny. “I haven’t felt safe many places since Pearl Harbor, but surrounded by those boys willing to die to keep us protected, I do. Meeting their trains and thanking them is a small act I can do to say ‘thank you.’”
Willard listened to her recount stories from the Canteen, and a flash of envy created by the image of boys in uniform assailed him. It was something he needed to analyze later. Audrey looked at him when he shrugged his shoulders in an effort to dislodge the emotion.
“Are you okay?” Her eyes reflected concern as she shifted to gaze at him.
“Yeah, just thinking. But I want to savor tonight and ringing in the New Year. I haven’t seen enough of you.”
“Well, before December 6, you didn’t know I existed. I think we’re doing pretty good.” She teased him with a twinkle.
Willard reached up and chucked her under the chin. “There’s never enough time to be with you.” She stilled at his touch and turned completely serious.
“There’s no need to rush things, Willard. We’re young with plenty of time.”
“I don’t know. Everything feels topsy-turvy.” He pulled her back against him. “But I want to enjoy every moment I have with you.”
After circling the Pawnee Hotel a couple of times, Roger gave up and parked several blocks up Dewey Street. Willard smiled as Audrey tremored with excitement when they approached the Pawnee.
“I’ve never attended an event in the Crystal Ballroom. I’ve heard it’s magnificent.”
“You’ll love it. I’ve been there for wedding receptions. It’s nice, but my mother talks about it for days.” He hoped it made the same kind of impression on Audrey. He watched her face as she stepped into the large room. It was the sole space of its scale in North Platte. The hotel towered above the rest of the skyline, and the inside was in a class all its own.
“Oh, Willard, look at the ceiling.” Audrey pointed up at the six chandeliers dripping from the ceiling. “I’ve never seen anything like them. This is wonderful.”
Audrey caught her breath, then reminded herself to exhale and breathe again. This night had the touches of a fairy tale. Willard opened another world for her when he brought her to the Pawnee. She’d walked by it for years. It sat in the middle of downtown across the street from the Fox Theater and a few blocks from the station. Sure, she’d entered the building a couple times to meet friends at the Tom Tom Room for tea. But she’d never seen the inside of the Crystal Ballroom.
She looked around and saw North Platte’s finest citizens, turned out in their best, ready to enjoy the evening. There’d even been a coat check where a young woman who was vaguely familiar. Maybe that’s where she should spend the evening. She’d have something in common with that girl. Audrey didn’t think she could say the same for the others in the room.
With effort, Audrey stilled her wringing hands and forced her shoulders to lower.
“Are you okay?”
Audrey looked up into Willard’s brown eyes. She tried to smile. “I will be. I’m sorry, I feel a bit overwhelmed, I guess.” How could he understand when these were the people he’d grown up with? She’d never felt so out of her element until Willard danced into her life.
“Come on. I know how to make you forget about yourself for a bit.” He led her across the room toward the rostrum, where a band warmed up their instruments. As they approached, the bandleader launched the group into swinging tune.
The evening passed quickly with frequent stops for punch and hors d’oeuvres. Each time a man in uniform entered the room, Audrey sensed Willard follow each man’s progress across the room. The room filled, and Audrey pulled him from the claustrophobic dance floor. “Willard, let’s go find a place we can talk for a bit.”
He looked at her with a quirked eyebrow for a moment, but agreed. “Let’s try the Tom Tom Room. If it’s open, we can sit there for a bit.”
“All right.” Audrey inhaled deeply and then they made their way down the stairs and entered the less crowded lobby.
“You don’t like crowds, do you?”
“Not really. After spending most days surrounded by my class plus an additional two hundred or so students, the last thing I want to do is pass time with a crowd of strangers.”
“Then why are you so committed to the Canteen?” Willard led her to a couch in the corner of the lobby and then sat down beside her. “I would think all the people in and out of there would make you uncomfortable.”
“They need me. And I need them. It’s one way I can do something important for the war effort.” Audrey shifted on the couch so she could look at Willard. She searched his face and was surprised to see a distance there that hadn’t existed when they sat down. “Talk to me, Willard.”
“There’s nothing to say.” The words squeezed past a jaw that looked clenched.
“This is a fine kettle of fish. In the car you tell me you don’t see enough of me. Why would I spend more time with you when you stonewall me when we are together? Let me get to know you. It’s not enough to simply have a good time.”
He shifted his jaw back and forth. “I’m not even sure what I think right now, Audrey. I’m at a crossroads. Father needs me on the ranch, but I want to enlist.”
“Why? If your father needs your help, it must be important.”
“I can’t explain it. I have this drive to be part of the fight.”
A blast of frigid air flowed over them when a boisterous group exited the hotel. Audrey shivered and watched the laughing couples stumble through the snow. The silence stretched but wasn’t uncomfortable, just long. “Thank you for trying to explain, Willard.” She studied him, taking in the planes of his face that had sharpened since Andrew’s death. “You are a good man. I’ve seen glimpses of who you are, and I like what I see. I enjoy being your friend and want to know you better.”
The door swung open again, and he glanced at it. He turned toward her and leaned closer. “There’s so much I don’t know about you, Audrey. But I want to.”
Audrey’s cheeks flushed warm under his gaze, and she shifted on the couch. Her heart raced and she looked for a way to break the intensity building. Chilled air brushed her neck, and she stood. “I think I need a cup of punch. Would you escort me upstairs?” She barely paused to see if he would follow. At the moment, she was too flustered to wait for him.
Willard watched her walk away and smiled. He knew she felt what he did even though all the words he’d practiced to move them toward a commitment had abandoned him. He two-stepped to catch up with the woman who brought color into his life.
“Audrey, wait.”
She halted but didn’t turn his direction. He imagined her cheeks flaming even brighter than they had a moment before.
“I’ll tell you all kinds of stories about me and the ranch. I want to introduce you to every part of my life.” He touched her shoulder gently, and she shivered, then turned toward him. His heart stopped when she looked at him with twin tears hanging from her eyelashes. He reached up to brush them from her cheeks as they fell. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. Audrey, I think I love you. I’ll do anything you want, including let my family tell you every story they can create about me.”
The flush fled her cheeks, and she became as still as a fence post. Would she faint? This wasn’t the reaction he’d expected.
“Let’s go upstairs and get you that punch.” He offered his arm and smiled when her hand fluttered onto it. She looked up at him, her eyes as big as his baseball. “Breathe, honey.” The last word slipped out before he could slam his lips shut. Now I’ve done it. If I didn’t scare her off before, I did now.
“All right.” Her lips twitched into a slim smile. “You are full of surprises, Willard. And I would very much like to hear all those stories and learn about your life.”
He tried to disregard the fact that she’d ignored the words I think I love you as they walked upstairs. When they reentered the ballroom, the bandleader had gathered everyone around the rostrum. “When the drum rolls, we’ll start the countdown.”
Willard and Audrey hurried to the back of the crowd. At the signal, they joined in with the others. “Three … Two … One … Happy New Year!” A cheer erupted in the hall and made the chandeliers bounce on the ceiling.
Willard pulled Audrey to him, saw her look questioningly into his face. “Happy New Year, sweet Audrey.” He carefully leaned down, considered kissing her full lips, then brushed his lips against her soft cheek. “May we have many more together.”