Sometimes life surprises us. We think things are going to end one way and they end another. We expect to win a battle but land on our backs, defeated. We think we’re the underdog and come out on top. Who can predict the conclusions to the scenes in our lives? Only the Lord knows, and He’s not saying. One thing is for sure—you can trust Him with the details, large and small. He’s a trustworthy God, one who has your very best interest at heart. So stop trying to fix everything. Rest easy in Him and know that He’s probably got a surprise ending in store for you after all.
—Ellie Cannady, editor of The Modern Suffragette
* * * * *
EXACTLY ONE WEEK AFTER MR. Lessing’s arrival in Missoula, Tanner paced the walkway outside Brett’s house, trying to work up the courage to speak to the man privately. Tonight they would celebrate Alanna’s twenty-first birthday in grand style. Folks from all over town would converge on Brett and Margaret’s place for the celebration. Surely Alanna would be shocked by the surprise party. He hoped so, anyway.
But Tanner would prefer to celebrate something else, as well. If he could figure out how to approach Alanna’s father and speak the words on his heart, this night would go down in history as one Alanna would never forget, birthday or not.
Sure, there were other details to be worked out. No doubt about that. But the Lord had already started the ball rolling, had He not? And whatever the Almighty started, He would surely finish.
Now, to distract Alanna for the afternoon. How would he go about that? Only one way—and Katie could help.
* * * * *
ALANNA FUSSED AROUND THE HOUSE all morning, helping Mama, Margaret, and Tessa tidy up. She’d never seen three women more interested in spring-cleaning. Not that she minded, of course. Seeing Margaret happy again made the day much more enjoyable. And sharing the time with Papa, who looked as happy as a lark, was the icing on the cake.
Speaking of cake, Mama had baked up a fine one for her birthday. Tonight after supper they would share it together. Nothing made her happier than sharing a birthday with her family.
She worked at a frenzied pace all morning and started up again after lunch. Somewhere around two in the afternoon Katie arrived, dressed in blue jeans and a button-up shirt. “I’ve come on a mission,” she said. “Can you take a break from your work for the rest of the day?”
Mama and Margaret nodded their agreement, and before long Alanna headed out across the field toward the barn. “What are we doing?” she asked as they approached the first stall.
Katie pointed to a beautiful palomino adorned with sleigh bells. “Alanna, meet Casey. Casey, meet Alanna.”
The horse let out a whinny, which caused the bells to jingle. Alanna flinched as the realization set in. “W–what’s going on here?”
Katie reached inside a bag she’d been carrying and came out with a pair of men’s blue jeans. “Alanna, it’s time.”
“Time?” Her heart quickened. “For what?”
“You know perfectly well. Have you forgotten that you once said you would learn to ride a horse?”
“I vaguely remember chatting about something like that. But I certainly never intended to do so on my birthday. Why, this is the last day on earth I would—”
The horse let out another whinny and nuzzled up against her.
“See? Casey wants to take you out on a special birthday ride. How can you turn him down? Besides, Tanner is the one who arranged all of this. He wants you to ride.”
“If he arranged it, then why isn’t he here?”
Katie’s cheeks flushed. “Well, you know Tanner. Always busy with this and that. He’ll come later, I promise. He told me to take you out to the foothills so that you could look down on the city.”
“Oh, no.” Alanna shook her head and took a couple of steps back. “There’s no way.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, I promise.” Katie patted the horse on the neck. “Casey is sturdy and strong but not at all frisky. He will take good care of you. And I’ll ride right alongside you on Ginger.”
Somehow Alanna allowed herself to be talked into it. Moments later, dressed in men’s jeans and wearing a shirt much too large, she watched as Katie saddled up Casey. As she led the horse out to the pasture, he seemed to come alive, shaking his head, stomping his foot, and whinnying with what appeared to be delight.
“See?” Katie said. “He’s excited.”
Wish I were.
Then the strangest mixture of dread and excitement flooded over her.
“Here’s what I want you to do….” Katie gave instruction, asking Alanna to step up on the woodpile as the horse neared. “Grab ahold here…”—she pointed to something she called a “saddle horn”—“and swing your right leg over.”
It took more than one try. And Alanna very nearly tumbled off the woodpile on the third attempt. But she finally managed to climb aboard on the fourth and set the sleigh bells jingling merrily. Relaxing into the saddle, she looked around the ranch, seeing it all in a new light. Suddenly the fields in front of her seemed as wide open as the skies. They beckoned to her.
Katie mounted Ginger and then, with the cluck of the tongue, urged her forward. Casey followed, and Alanna bounced up and down in the saddle, the bells ringing at will.
“Give him a tiny kick in the ribs with your heels,” Katie instructed after they’d walked awhile.
“I—I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You won’t. It’s just your way of telling him to pick up the pace a bit.”
Alanna gave the horse a tentative little kick, emphasis on little. His pace never changed. She tried again, this time a bit harder, and the palomino took off in a gallop, the bells now pealing madly.
Alanna let out a cry that echoed against the backdrop of the mountains in the distance. Just about that time, however, the horse’s rhythm steadied and Katie rode up alongside her. In that moment, Alanna’s fears disappeared. She felt a freedom she’d never known before. With the wind in her hair and the mountains in the distance, she felt as if she might be imagining this instead of experiencing it firsthand.
She leaned forward, grabbing hold of Casey’s neck and enjoying the ride. Katie picked up the pace, and before long Ginger shot out ahead of them, her mane and tail flowing.
Minutes later, they came to a section of trees. Katie plowed ahead on her horse into a shaded area. Up ahead, just beyond a bend in the trail, Alanna saw something moving in the bushes. A deer darted across their path, startling the horses. Casey reared up and started running…straight for the mountain in front of her.
A scream rose from the back of Alanna’s throat, but even it didn’t drown out the pealing of those crazy bells. She tried to get control of the horse, but he would not be stopped. Instead, he ran with abandon, approaching the base of the mountain at lightning speed.
The faster he ran, the louder Alanna shouted—and all the more as her saddle worked its way loose, sliding down the horse’s right side. She began to slip, slip, slip as the mountain drew closer. She cried out again, this time fighting to grab for the horse’s mane. Perhaps fear caused her fingers to fumble. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to get a firm grip. In desperation, Alanna tried to work her arms around the horse’s neck, but that failed as well. She found herself slipping down his side crazily.
“Katie!” she cried out. “Katie, help me!”
Unfortunately, Casey’s frantic pace gave him the upper hand above Katie’s horse. Casey galloped ever forward, chasing the elusive deer.
From behind her, Alanna heard Katie’s voice cry out, “Jump off, Alanna! Jump!”
“No–o–o!”
Still, she had no other choice. Finally convinced that she could hang on no longer, Alanna made an attempt to leap from the horse. Even that, she managed to botch. Her foot got tangled up in the stirrup, and she found herself at the mercy of the horse—who continued to plow forward, his bells now ringing out the oddest cacophony of sounds against the wind in the trees.
Katie swept in alongside her and managed to get the horse to slow his pace just as Alanna pulled her foot free from the stirrup. She tumbled to the ground, landing solidly on her backside, then rolling a couple of times and bruising her shoulder.
“Ow!”
Katie scrambled down from Ginger and came running. Off in the distance, Casey continued to gallop toward the mountain, the bells jingling a strange, distant melody. Not that Alanna cared at the moment. Right now only one thing mattered—making sure nothing was broken. She trembled with such might that she could barely stand. When she finally managed it, she realized she’d injured her ankle in the stirrup incident.
Katie took one look at her ankle and remounted Ginger. “I’m going for help,” she called out. “Don’t move, whatever you do!”
As if that were possible.
Still, as she sat amid the overgrown bushes, Alanna did have to question her sanity. How in the world had she landed in such a predicament? So much for feeling invincible. So much for the wind blowing through her hair.
“My hair!” She reached up to fuss with it and realized at once that she had brambles and grass in it. Oh, well. There would be plenty of time to deal with that back at the house.
The longer she sat, the more she realized that the situation with her ankle probably wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. After a few minutes, she could actually wiggle it. Thank goodness. No bones broken. Still, it ached, and so did her shoulder, where she’d rolled after landing. And the pain in her backside beat all.
“Still, I’m alive.” She attempted a weak smile. “And I rode a horse.”
As if to taunt her, Casey reappeared, heading her way with his head down and the bells softly ringing.
“That’s right, you silly horse. You should be ashamed. Look what you did to me.”
He drew near and whinnied then took to nibbling the grass as if nothing unusual had happened—as if tossing a Southern belle to the ground happened every day.
Alanna sighed and leaned back on her elbows, trying not to let anxiety overtake her. A few minutes later, Katie arrived with Tanner riding in front of her on Ginger’s back. Alanna took one look at him and burst into tears. She couldn’t help herself.
He leaped from the back of the horse and ran to her, wild-eyed. “Are you all right?” His breathless words shared his concern for her well-being.
“Bruised.” She dabbed at her eyes and willed the emotion in her voice not to frighten him. “But I think my ego is more so.” Alanna attempted a weak smile. “I thought I could do it, Tanner.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Katie says you were doing a fine job. It’s not your fault the horse got spooked. Happens to the best of us.”
She felt a little better after hearing that. “I can’t believe my first horse ride went so terribly wrong.” A pause followed. “Oh, but it wasn’t wrong at first. In fact, it was just as I’d imagine it to be—the feel of the wind in my hair, the view of the mountains getting closer, closer, closer.”
Too close.
“About that hair…”
He ran his hand over her hair, and she grimaced. “It’s a mess?”
He nodded and grinned. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“Are you making fun of me?” Moisture covered her lashes, and he kissed it away.
“Not at all. Just thinking how ironic this is.”
“Ironic?”
“Yes.” He chuckled and then pulled her close, planting tender kisses along her hairline. She relaxed in his arms. “You told me once that a real Southern belle would never show up for a social function in anything less than her finest.”
Alanna sighed. “A social function?”
“Mm-hmm.” He helped her stand, and she realized the pain in her ankle had eased a great deal. “What you don’t know is this—this whole horse-riding venture was meant to get you away from the house for an hour or so, to give your guests time to arrive without your notice.”
“My guests?” Her heart quickened.
“Mm-hmm.” A boyish smile turned up the edges of his lips. “It’s your birthday, you know.”
“Well, yes, I know, but—”
“We’re throwing a grand party, one a Southern belle would be proud of.”
“Oh no.” She brought her hand to her mouth as the reality set in. This whole thing had been a ruse meant to distract her? They’d done a fine job of it, no doubt—such a fine job that she wondered how, or if, she would be able to face her guests looking like something the cat dragged in.
* * * * *
TANNER COULDN’T HELP BUT CHUCKLE as he looked at Alanna—his beautiful, messy Alanna. No longer the prim, proper Southern belle, she now stood covered in grass and brambles, wearing a torn shirt with muddy blue jeans. Those long dark tresses were a tangled mess, but he’d never seen her look prettier.
“Now, I’m not saying you should go everywhere like this,” he said, “but I think I rather like the look on you.”
“You do?” She couldn’t help the smile that followed.
“Yep. For once, you’ve let your hair down. Literally.”
She reached up to straighten her messy hair but couldn’t manage to tame it.
Tanner turned to Katie with a nod. “Do me a favor?”
“Of course.”
“Go to the house and fetch her party dress. Take it and whatever else she might need to the barn. We’ll meet you there and you can help her get ready, while I go back to the house to explain what’s taking so long.”
“Of course.” Katie gave Ginger a nudge and they bolted in the direction of the house.
“Now, to get you back up on this horse.” Tanner looked between Alanna and Casey.
She shook her head, eyes wide. “I—I can’t, Tanner. Don’t ask me to.”
“Clearly you’ve never heard the age-old expression about falling off a horse and getting right back up again. It’s critical, you know. If you don’t do it now, you’ll be scared for years to come.”
He went to work, tightening Casey’s saddle, then gave the horse a stern talking-to about his previous behavior. Turning to Alanna, Tanner smiled. “He promises to behave himself. Don’t you, boy?” A pat on the neck produced a comforting whinny from Casey.
Though she protested, Tanner finally managed to get Alanna back up on the horse. He took the spot behind her, wrapping her in his arms as the horse plodded toward the barn. “Are you all right?” he whispered.
“I am now.” She leaned back into him, and he felt her relax against him.
He hadn’t planned to share his heart in this setting, this situation, but it felt right. Against the gentle jingling of the bells, he posed a question meant to ease his way into the conversation. “Why do you think I kept trying to get you on a horse?”
“To humiliate me?” She chuckled then turned to look at him.
“Of course not.” With the cluck of a tongue, he urged the now-repentant horse along. “I knew you would excel at riding, by the way.”
“You did? Why?”
“Because you excel at everything. Look at what a wonderful job you did turning me into a gentleman.”
She laughed aloud. “I get your point. I’m terrible at both.”
“Not my point at all. Have I not become a perfect gentleman? And are you not on the back of a horse at this very moment?”
“I suppose.”
His heart raced as he got to the point. “And if you need any further proof that I have become a true Southern gentleman—one you can be proud of—just ask your father. He can tell you that I have passed the test.”
“My father?” She sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean?”
A surge of joy rose inside Tanner as he held Alanna tighter. “I mean, I did the gentlemanly thing by asking him for your hand in marriage.”
“What?” She turned so quickly, it almost threw him off-balance.
Steadying himself, Tanner chuckled. “He responded positively, I should add.”
Alanna gasped and her eyes filled with tears. “W–when did you speak to Father? I’ve hardly been apart from him for a minute since he arrived.”
Tanner urged the horse toward the barn as he answered. “I had a long chat with him this morning, but I must confess we’ve been corresponding for months.”
“W–what? You’ve been corresponding?”
“Yes, by letter. For months.” Arriving at the barn, Tanner dismounted before reaching to help Alanna down from the horse. They ended up face-to-face, her bruised cheek now apparent beneath the scratches and dirt.
“Your father is a great man, Lana. And he’s an adventurous one too. For some time, I’ve felt that he might be a good fit to head the new mathematics department at State University of Montana. I’ve posed the question, and he has agreed to pray about it.”
“You’re serious?”
“Very. So you might consider adding your prayers to mine. And his.”
“I will, of course.” Alanna shook her head. “But it’s all so remarkable. I never considered the fact that he might want to move to Montana.” She grinned. “I never dreamed any of us would.”
“I feel sure he will be a terrific asset to the school here, so I’m very hopeful.”
“Yes, me too.” Her cheeks flashed a rosy shade. “But let’s go back to what you were saying about asking for my hand. Papa said yes?”
“He did.” Joy flooded over Tanner as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. He scarcely knows me.”
“But he knows me.” Her dazzling smile captivated him. “Papa certainly knows me well enough to recognize when I’m putting on a scene and when it’s the real thing.” She sighed and rested against him. “With you, I’m perfectly at ease. I’m myself, perhaps for the first time ever.”
“Makes me wonder who you were before.”
“I was a girl putting on airs. Trying to impress people with my manners and put-on social graces. And now—now I’m just a girl from Savannah in love with a boy from Montana.” She grinned. “There I go again, making a rhyme.”
“I love it,” he whispered. “And what’s more, I love you.”
* * * * *
ALANNA’S HEART RACED WITH A joy she’d never known as the man she loved—the one she would soon marry—planted sweet kisses on her cheeks. Could this day possibly get any better? Sure, she was a mess on the outside, but on the inside, she’d never known such happiness.
From inside the house, she heard laughter and voices raised in song. A giggle rose as she thought about her friends and family throwing a surprise birthday party for her. “Sounds like they’re having a lot of fun in there.”
“They are, but no doubt they’re wondering where you are. This was all for you, you know.”
“Tell them I had to see a man about a horse.” She offered a weak smile.
“That’s what I love about you, Lana. Still maintaining your sense of humor even after taking a tumble. You’re the epitome of grace.”
“Yes, of course. Can’t you tell? I’m such a lady.” She gestured to her torn shirt and bruised cheek. “A real Southern belle.”
“No, darlin’.” He pressed a gentle kiss into her tangled hair. “With this horseback-riding adventure behind you, I think we can safely say you’re a Southern belle no longer. As of today, you have officially joined the ranks of that illustrious group known round these here parts as the Sleigh Belles.”