Love's unfolding dream (Love Comes Softly Series #6) (6 page)

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know very well thet Ma and Pa'd never say no."

Amy Jo just shrugged.

The excitement of it all began to sink through to Belinda.
It will be so nice to have another girl in the house--almost like having a sister.
Belinda caught herself She did have sisters--her foster sisters, Nandry and Clae, but they were much older and had children of their own even older than herself And she had Missie and Ellie--but the truth was she had never yet seen Missie, and Ellie had left home for the West when she, Belinda, had been only a few months old. She had never had a sister around to share a room--or secrets--or anything else with.
Oh, true, there's Amy Jo,
she thought. Amy Jo was almost like having a sister--even if she really was a niece.
But Melissa will be right in the house with me,
she exulted silently. She knew better than to say something like that aloud in Amy Joe's presence.

Belinda's eyes traveled to the calendar on the wall. The letter had said Melissa would arrive a week or so before school. How many more weeks would that be? Quickly Belinda counted--
three or, at the most, four.
She could hardly wait.
Boy, the weeks are going to pass awfully slowly!
She turned back to her mother, her eyes now reflecting Marty's shine. She jumped from her chair and threw her arms around Marty's waist.
No wonder Mama was so excited!

"Does Pa know? Does Pa know?" she implored.

"Not yet," said Marty. "He's over to the Grahams' helpin' Lou. He should be home 'most anytime now"

"Oh boy!" exclaimed Belinda and turned to Amy Jo. The two of them joined hands and danced around the kitchen. "Melissa's comin'! Melissa's comin'," they chanted.

Marty watched the two girls, laughing at their foolishness, but truth was, she sort of felt like joining in their dance.
It will be so good to have Melissa,
she rejoiced inwardly. It would be a little bit

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of Missie back home with them again. Marty's eyes grew teary and she brushed at them with a corner of her apron.

What will she be like?
she wondered.
She's most grown-up now.
Well, no, not quite. She's only about nine months older than our Belinda. Marty turned back to her youngest. Belinda was acting awfully childish at the moment, but there were times when Marty had to realize that Belinda, too, was quickly growing up. She was a mature girl for her age in many ways. Yes, Melissa could well seem quite grown-up. They'd need to remember that in their dealings with the girl. Marty brushed at her tears again and turned to gaze out the kitchen window. It was going to be so wonderful.

Belinda couldn't wait and rushed out to greet Clark with the news. For a moment he looked as if he thought she was "funnin'" him, but when he looked over her head into the flushed and happy face of Marty he grinned and flipped his work-worn hat into the air.

"When?" he asked. "When's she comin'?"

"In just three or four weeks," Belinda told him with great excitement.

"Jest early enough to git herself settled afore school classes begin," added Marty

Clark grinned again. "Thet spare bedroom gonna need some fixin' up?" asked Clark.

Marty hadn't thought that far ahead. Belinda protested that she hoped Melissa would be able to share her room. But she soon stopped that line of argument, wondering aloud if perhaps Melissa would rather not do that.

Marty nodded somewhat absently to Belinda. She was busy thinking about Clark's comment. The room should be freshened up, all right. Perhaps she should sew new curtains and make a new spread, as well. It had been a long time since the spare room had seen anything new.
Maybe Belinda would like to help in the planning.

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Marty's mind continued to busy itself with many ideas, and she had the room nearly made new by the time she turned to walk the path back to her kitchen. But for the moment, getting supper on the table had to be her main concern.

Belinda had gone on down to the barn with Clark, and Marty could hear her telling him other news from the letter as they went. Marty could not resist climbing the stairs for a quick peek into the room that would be for the girl. The door had not even been opened for several weeks. It smelled a bit musty and unused.

Her eyes traveled over the walls, the floor, the curtains, the bed. Clark was right. The room did need sprucing up.
Let's see,
Marty mused,
this was Missie's room before she was married. Melissa will be staying in her own mama's room!

Suddenly three or four weeks did not seem like a very long time after all. My, she had so much to do! Marty hurried back down the steps and to the kitchen as if getting supper quickly out of the way would be a great help in preparing for the arrival of her granddaughter. She chuckled to herself. That was silly. There wasn't one thing she'd be able to do tonight to prepare for Melissa's coming.

Marty talked it over thoroughly with Clark, and they agreed on her plans for the room.

"I do wish we knew a bit more about the girl's likes an' dislikes," stated Marty."It would be jest like me to go an' choose a color she detests."

Clark smiled and patted her hand. "You'll do jest fine, Marty. Remember how well ya did with the chinks in our first log cabin home?"

Marty looked at him quickly to see if he was teasing her. She was deciding whether to be put out with him or not, but then couldn't help but laugh at the memory of her vigorous scrubbing of the log walls and the wet, muddy chinking falling out on the

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floor in clumps. Clark finally laughed, too.

"Well, it sure weren't funny then," Marty reminded him, wiping her eyes. "I was a feared the whole house was goin' to come down around our ears!" Marty and Clark looked at each other awhile, remembering those long-ago days.

"Well, anyway" Marty said, back to the present, "I'm serious about fixin' up this room for Melissa." She paused to think a moment. "Belinda likes soft blues and greens but doesn't care for loud, bright colors. Amy Jo loves bright reds and yellows and never picks a soft color in anything. Now, how do I know what Melissa might choose?"

Clark didn't say anything, but his face indicated he didn't seem to think it was much of an issue.

"Use soft colors on the walls and curtains and spread," he suggested, "with a bit of brightness in some pillows an' rugs."

Marty looked at him in amazement. Maybe he had more sense about such matters than she had thought.

She nodded her head, in her mind picturing the room fresh with pale flowered wallpaper, fluffy curtains--maybe white eyelet fluttering at the window and a matching spread with lots of soft ruffles on the bed. Scattered on the bed would be bright pillows, maybe in shades of greens, yellows, and even blues, depending on the wallpaper pattern. On the floor could be homemade rugs. Patterned in bright colors and--

Clark interrupted her thoughts. "I'll do whatever you want-- wallpaper, paint--whenever yer ready" he was saying. "But you an' Belinda will need to take care of the rest. I never could sew on a patch, much less make somethin' fancy"

Marty smiled a bit distractedly at his comment, her mind still busy with the room plans.

"Clark," Marty said reflectively, "I think I'm goin' to invite Amy Jo to come along with Belinda and me on our shoppin' trip.

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I sure don't want her feelin' left out, with Melissa livin' right here with Belinda an' all."

Clark nodded in agreement. "We'll want to be careful to make Amy Jo feel a part of things, seem' she and Belinda have been more like sisters than anything else all these years," he commented.

And so their plans were made. Marty checked with Kate before telling Amy Jo about the trip to town. Kate was happy to have Amy involved in the choosing of the new things for the room. She, too, was aware that with three, it was easy for one to feel left out at times. She and Marty discussed the situation and agreed that they would keep their eyes and ears open for possible problems.

Right after the morning chores had been done, Marty announced the shopping plans to two excited girls, and they ran to get ready for the trip into town.

The first duty was to select a pretty wallpaper. Just as Marty would have guessed, Belinda picked a soft cream with a mint green print on it, but Amy Jo insisted that it was "too dull." She wanted lavender with large yellow roses. Marty, finally at her wit's end, decided to leave the wallpaper till later and took the girls to look at what was available in yard goods. Here again there was a difference of opinion. Marty loved the gauzy white for Priscilla curtains, Belinda favored the fluffy green organza, and Amy Jo insisted that a bright yellow with a bold pattern of purple flowers was the prettiest.

"And think how beautiful it will be with that wallpaper pattern, Gramma!" Amy Jo enthused while Marty inwardly cringed. "Ya know, the same colors, but opposite--the flowers yellow on the wallpaper an' . . ." she chattered on while Marty tried to figure out what to do.

She began to wish she had left both girls at home and gone with her own inclinations. She suggested they take a break and

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go to the hotel dining room for a cup of tea. The girls agreed, really not all that interested in tea, but they knew the hotel served some pastries to which they were partial.

Marty needed that cup of tea. She sipped it slowly, trying to sort out just how she would get around the differences of opinion. At last she decided to broach the subject head-on.

"Seems--" she began, "seems we don't agree much on how Melissa's room should be done. Now, we don't have Melissa here to do her own decidin', and it would be rather foolish to wait an' jest move her on in and then move her out again whilst we do up the room. Still--it would be so much nicer iffen she could make her own choices, but--"

"Why can't she, Mama?" interrupted Belinda. "She could share my room until her room is all finished--then we wouldn't need to move her in an' out."

Marty hadn't even thought of that possibility. "Why, Belinda, thet might jest work! Let me see. ." and Marty was off in thought, busy with more plans. It did make more sense to let Melissa do her own choosing. But what if her preferences tended toward those of Amy Jo's? Well, it would be only two years and Melissa would be moving on again. Marty supposed that she could stand nearly any color scheme for her granddaughter's sake. She could always shut the door, she decided with an inward chuckle.

"I like yer idea," Marty said to Belinda at length. "Maybe we should jest wait. Melissa could do the choosin', an' she'd feel more at home that way"

Belinda grinned.

"Ya don't mind sharin' yer room fer a piece?" Marty inquired. "I don't mind," Belinda assured her. She not only didn't mind, but she was looking forward to the opportunity.

Amy Jo scowled as only she could. Marty and Belinda both knew she was displeased about something.

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"Ya jest want her in yer own room so thet ya can be friends faster," she pouted.

"Friends?" responded Marty, her head coming up. "Melissa is Belinda's niece--an' yer cousin. Ya don't need to worry none 'bout being' jest friends. Yerfamily--both of ya."

But Amy Jo still frowned at Belinda.

Marty finished her tea and gathered her belongings.

"Well," she said, "I guess thet's what we'll do. We'll jest leave it until Melissa gits here. I think I'll work on some new rugs, though. I can put in enough colors thet they will go with most anything. Don't want to leave everything until last."

The girls still dawdled over their pastries.

"I'm gonna go git the groceries I be a needin'," Marty informed them. When ya git done here, ya join me at the store." They both nodded.

"Now mind yer manners--and don't go gittin' yerselves in any trouble," admonished Marty, and she smoothed out her skirts and started for the door.

Amy Jo frowned at Belinda again.

"Yer happy 'bout it, ain't ya?" she said in an accusing voice. "'Bout what?"

"Bout waitin' till Melissa gits here. 'Bout not pickin' the room colors. 'Bout Melissa stayin' in yer room with ya."

Belinda shrugged, trying not to look too happy about the turn of affairs. "Guess so," she said. She didn't think it would be right to deny it, either.

"Well, I'm not. I wanted to help choose, too. I liked the colors I picked. An' I jest bet Melissa woulda liked 'em, too." "Maybe," said Belinda.

"I wish I could have 'em in
my
room," went on Amy Jo, sounding determined to be negative. "I never picked my colors yet. It's been the same,
the same,
ever since I was borned, I think."

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Belinda doubted that, but she didn't say so.

Amy Jo sighed. "I'll never git my own colors. Mama wouldn't even like 'em. Green an' white--thet's all she ever likes."

Belinda saw nothing wrong with those colors, but she thought it best not to say so.

They finished their cakes, and Amy Jo lifted each remaining crumb to her mouth on the tip of one long, tapering finger. Belinda watched her. She had never noticed how long and slender Amy Jo's fingers were before. She compared them to her own. Her fingers were not as long, but there was a certain strength there in her slender hands. She turned them over and over. She couldn't help but picture a scalpel there--a syringe. She forced her mind back to the present.

"We'd better go," she said. "Mama said she wouldn't be long." Amy Jo pushed back her empty plate and reluctantly trudged from the room after Belinda..