At Last (Sample)

Chapter One

Jubilee, Texas

Belle Rogers watched the sparkling foil wrappers of the little bell shaped chocolates catch the light as she poured them out of the medium sized bag from the Main Street Confectioners into the lead crystal dish that sat on the counter next to the register in her shop. She had been hard at work filling in an order for her hand written wedding invitations and thank you cards when she had needed to take a break, and going to one of her favorite shops in Jubilee to pick up her special made treats had been just the thing she needed. And it hadn't hurt that the owners had just pulled out a fresh batch of homemade fudge and had wanted her to sample some. She had always held to the belief that where confections of any kind were concerned, dark chocolate was the best. But then, she hadn't ever tried any of their white apricot fudge before.

She had just scooted the bowl closer to the register when she heard the "ting-a-ling" of the bell that hung over her front door.

"There you are!"

At the sound of her young friends voice she grinned. "Hey there, kiddo!" she turned to Heaven Liddel, her next door business owner of Flowers From Heaven. "Did you need something?"

"No," Heaven strode on over towards her in her dark blue jeans and lemon yellow All Stars. "Frank Mosely had just said that you were nowhere around and wondered where you had gotten to."

"Well, did he need something?" Belle asked as she looked at the cute, girl-next-door, blond.

"No. He was just introducing the amusement park guy to all the shop owners today," she said as she eyed the bowl of chocolates. "May I?" she looked hopeful.

Belle chuckled. “Help yourself, Hal.”

"Thanks!" Heaven grabbed one of the white foil wrapped confections and popped it in her mouth. "These are the best," she closed her eyes as she savored the goodie.

"So, you got to meet the new guy, huh?"

"Yeah. He's really nice, too."

"What's he like?" Belle's curiosity was piqued.

“Um, well, he’s a little bit taller than Frank, I think," Heaven closed her eyes as she looked at the mental snapshot in her mind.

"Frank's got to be, what? Six foot? Six one?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. What else?" she leaned across the counter in interest.

"I'm not too good with guessing ages, but I'd say he's about late fifties or so. He's got salt and pepper hair, has a great smile and a pretty good sense of humor, too," she said as she rolled the wadded up wrapper between her thumb and index finger.

“A sense of humor, huh? So, then he's a good addition to Jubilee then."

"Absolutely,” she said as she adjusted her short pony tail a bit higher on the back of her head. "How's your invitation order going?"

"I'm just to the halfway mark with the invites. Only a hundred and fifty more to go and then I get to start on the three hundred 'thank you' cards!" Belle exclaimed with a smile.

"Ugh! I can't imagine even beginning such a task!" Heaven shook her head. "I don't see how you can do it. "I'd be so nervous about making a mistake, that's probably all I'd do. Make mistake after mistake after mistake."

Belle shrugged one shoulder. "I find it relaxing."

"Amazing. And that's why they hire you to do it," she grinned.

Belle chuckled, crinkling her nose. "Speaking of wedding invitations, when are you going to get married so that I get to write up invitations for you?"

Heaven tsk-ed. "You forget, Belle. I've already had a wedding," she said as she tossed the little wad of foil into the waste basket behind the counter.

"Yes, dear, but it doesn't count if you don't come away from said wedding married."

"Oh, Belle, you can be so nit-picky sometimes," Heaven teased her.

"I know. It's truly my only flaw," Belle grinned mischievously.

Heaven giggled. "I'll tell you what. I'll get married after you do."

"Okay," Belle said cheerily. "I'll hold you to that then. Alright?"

"Alright," Heaven said warily as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Well," she suddenly changed the subject. "I'd best be on my way," she said as she turned to leave.

"Take a chocolate to go," Belle said as she picked up a silver wrapped bell and tossed it to Heaven.

Heaven caught it with one hand. "Don't mind if I do! Thanks," she grinned as she unwrapped the chocolate and left, making the bell over the door sing again.

At about a quarter to three, Belle was seated at her tall, antique ledger desk with matching chair, just finishing up invitation number two-seventeen when the bell over the door sounded.

"I'll be with you in just a minute," she said from her perch near the front window display of bridal gowns and veils as she finished writing the date on the invitation.

"It's just us," Heaven whispered so as not to startle her during her task as she stepped over towards where Belle was.

"Who's us?" she asked as she turned, taking off her black frame reading glasses, to see that Heaven was indeed not alone as a handsome gentleman stood next to her holding a bouquet of bright red daliahs.

"Just me and the new guy," she grinned.

"Oh, hello!" she got off her tall chair and stepped over to them.

"Belle, this is Sam Jenkins," Heaven introduced them. "Sam, this is Belle Rogers."

Belle extended her hand to Sam. "I'm glad to meet you," she smiled at him as he took her offered hand in his strong and gentle grasp.

"Likewise," he grinned.

"You didn't have to bring me flowers, though," Belle teased.

Sam looked down at the flowers he held and laughed. "Oh, no. These are for someone else."

"He came back to my shop and asked me if I knew what Miss Claire’s favorite flower was. He wanted to give her this bouquet for--" she turned to him. "How did you put it?" she asked.

"For putting up with me invading her home for the time being," he explained.

"Isn't that sweet?" Heaven looked back at Belle and smiled wistfully as Belle nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I thought I'd bring him on over to meet you if you were still here."

"And here I am!" she said and then looked at their new townie. "So, what do you think of your new town, Sam?"

"I think this town is terrific. I'm looking forward to having everything put up and settling down and enjoying my stay here."

"I'm glad to hear it," Belle said. "And we're glad to have you here, too! And with an amusement park, no less. What a hoot!" she grinned. "So, what are you bringing here to town with you, ride wise, I mean?"

"Well, I'm bringing an assortment of vintage rides that I've collected from old amusement parks from around the country that were basically being thrown out because they needed too much TLC. The owners didn't want to keep putting money into them, so I'd snatch them up and fix them up, keeping them in a warehouse of mine I had out in Arizona, until I found just the right town for them. And, at last, I have," he smiled at Belle.

"Well, I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing it all set up and ready to go," Belle grinned, crinkling her nose. "Just tell me this-- Do you have a ferris wheel?"

"I do," he nodded his head once.

Belle clasped her hands together in front of her and sighed, smiling widely. "That's the first one I'm heading for!"

"Do you have a merry-go-round?" Heaven asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Two of 'em, actually,” Sam replied.

"Two?" Heaven's eyes lit up.

"Yep. One of them is a retiree from Coney Island," Sam of whispered like it was a big secret.

"Oh my word. Really?" Belle's eyes were wide.

"You bet. But I won't bother trying to describe it. I'll wait till you ladies get to see it," he smiled. "And not to change the subject too drastically here, but," he glanced behind where Belle stood. "I've been admiring your work station. That is a terrific ledger desk you've got there. Eighteenth century if I'm not mistaken. Looks to be in excellent condition, too."

"Oh," Belle turned her attention to the desk. "Thank you. Actually, I'm not sure what century it's from. I just saw it and knew I had to have it. It's good and solid," she gave the desk a gentle shake to prove her point and then looked back at Sam," which is a good thing considering what I use it for, and it's charming, I think."

"Ah. So, you're a lady of fine taste. The kind that doesn't even have to try to be classy," he grinned through his observation of her. "Toil-less class."

Belle smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"Speaking of your work station," Heaven suddenly said, "How many more of the invites did you get done today?"

"I am just finishing up with number two seventeen," Belle answered.

Heaven shook her head and turned to Sam. "Belle hand writes wedding invitations and thank you cards for people," she explained. "You should see them."

"Hand written? May I see them?" he asked.

"Oh, okay," Belle suddenly felt a little shy as she turned back to her ledger desk and showed Sam her handiwork.

Sam studied the one that she had been working on and then turned to Belle. "These are beautiful."

"Thank you," she quietly said.

"And this is your hand writing?"

She nodded. "Mind you, this isn't my ordinary, everyday handwriting."

"Amazing," he said as he looked back down at the unfinished invitation.

"That's what I tell her," Heaven chuckled.

Sam suddenly looked very thoughtful. "You know, that gives me an idea. I'm gonna think about it, but I'll get back with you on it, okay?"

"Okay," Belle wondered what he was thinking about. "You know where to find me," she smiled.

Sam looked at her and gave her a soft smile. "I sure do."

That night, as she got into bed, Belle couldn't help but think of the gentleman she had met that day and how completely flutter-ated she had felt after meeting him. She had actually found herself listing all the things that she noticed and liked about him in the short time he was there, as well as hoping that he would indeed get back with her on the matter of whatever it was that he had suddenly had a thought on that afternoon.

As she laid on her side and pulled the cotton blanket over her shoulders, the picture frame that sat on her dresser top caught her attention. It was picture-less. Just as picture-less as the day she had bought it over thirty years ago. When she had seen that white porcelain frame with the gold and silver accents at a mall she was visiting with her mother, she had fallen in love with it. Well, not so much as with the frame, but with the picture she had seen in her heart that would go in the frame: A candid snapshot of her and her husband in their wedding finery on her wedding day.

Belle was still waiting for that picture. She refused to give up hope, but rather kept that frame out where she alone could see it everyday and continue to picture it filled with that special photograph of her and her new husband.

Belle gave a half smile as she turned out the light and lay in the darkness when she suddenly became aware of a matching darkness trying to come over her mind and emotions.

How many wedding invitations have you written up over the years--? One batch of them should've been for you-- How many young women have you helped to find their perfect wedding dress--? And their bridesmaids-- How many of them had bridesmaids that were engaged too? And here, you still don't have anybody even on the horizon!

It wasn't anything that hadn't been thrown at her before in her fifty-seven years, but when she realized those words had been slithering around in her mind after seeing her special picture frame, trying to pull her down, she knew she could not wait another minute to come against the devil's solicitation to feel sorry for herself no matter how sleepy she was. So, she started doing the thing the devil hates the most-- the thing that God can work with the best. She started listing all she was thankful for-- aloud.

"Thank You, Lord, for this beautiful day. Thank You for my life. Thank You for my good health and strength. Thank You for my sweet little house," she said as she reached over and turned the light back on in her bedroom, which cast a lovely glow across the femininely decorated space, and sat up in bed, tucking her medium length, wavy, light red hair behind her ears.

"I thank You, Lord, for my successful shop, and for this great town, and the people in it. And You know what else?" she went on. "Thank You, Lord, for that special someone You have for me. Thank You that wherever he may be right now, he's living for You, and waiting for me."

Belle continued to give God the glory for everything she could come up with for the next twenty minutes before returning her room to darkness and readying herself for sleep. The peace and joy of life had returned full force as she lay in the quiet darkness and smiled, thanking God for her bed, and the good night's sleep she was about to enjoy. It never ceased to amaze her how something as simple sounding as thanksgiving could shut down the works of darkness so decisively. And that, in itself, was yet another thing she thanked God for.

Before drifting off to sleep, she said a quick prayer for the town, and thought of its newest citizen, and said a little prayer for him and his new park. As sleep started to claim her, she once again, pushed away the silly, school girl notion that she had just met someone very special that day.

End of sample.

At Last

e00e404532656d77f7b934afd086e094