She should have also settled the issue with Jamie on Sunday instead of continuing to carry the message of heartbreak on her lips. Why hadn’t he wanted to go fishing? They’d always fished, ever since she could remember. The Texan flirt flashed in her mind, and she knew – Jamie was probably replacing his old friends with the new. She tried to picture the dainty female taking a fish off the hook or gutting it for the evening table. The image provided some relief as she visualized Jamie’s response to such a delicate creature. It also instilled hope that his eyes might eventually open. Tariana wanted her fishing partner back.
She groaned. Who was she kidding? She wanted him both as a friend and a husband. Was such a thing even possible? She resolved to ask her mother.
Ada Gracin was busy at the cookstove when Tariana walked into the kitchen. She dived right in: “Mother, are you and Father friends?”
The woman spun around, a quizzical look plastered on her face. “Friends?” she echoed. “Women make better friends,” she continued after a few seconds. “Men take the lead, provide for, and love their wives. That’s all I’ve ever expected.”
“Do you not enjoy doing things together or debating issues?”
“Oh, no, dear. I leave the debating to men who believe they can solve the problems of the world, both politically and spiritually, during an after-supper chinwag. It feeds their ego, and they seem to enjoy it.” A slow smile crossed her face. “I suppose we talk of family issues…or rather, I talk and he decides, but he is a good man; God’s gift to me, and I don’t question the Lord’s choice.”
“And how did you know he was the Lord’s choice?”
“Tariana Gracin, have you set your cap on a man?” Her mother wiped her hands on a towel and pointed at the kitchen table. “Sit, and we can talk of things near and dear to a woman’s heart.”
She brought two glasses of lemonade with her, and they sat, facing one another. “Not exactly. I simply wondered how one goes about deciding which man might make the best suitor. I don’t need the added pressure on my eighteenth birthday. Frances had a list well beforehand.”
Her mother grinned. “So, you have finally given up on Michael?”
“Mother! He was never mine to have.”
“But that didn’t stop you from pursuing him, now, did it?” Tariana tried to protest, but her mother laid a hand over hers and said, “Some lessons are learned the hard way. I am glad you have repented and moved on.”
“But the pickings are slim, Mother,” Tariana pouted. “Can’t you advise me how to narrow down the field?”
“As I mentioned before, the man should be a good provider, or, at least, one with a good work ethic who wants to follow his passion. He should be loyal and trustworthy, not like those uppity-types that embarrass their wives with their gawking at anything wearing a dress.” She placed a finger on her chin. “The Bible says that a man must love his wife and that knowledge gives a woman all the peace she needs to serve her family.”
“So, you’re saying it doesn’t matter if you don’t share the same hobbies.”
“It might help to have outside interests in common. Your father and I used to love to walk or play a game of chess, but after the wedding day, when the real marriage starts, one seldom has time for frolicking. These days, I am content to sit and let him read to me in the evening while I knit a cap for his balding head.”
“Is happiness that easy?”
“It is joy that you seek, Tariana. Happiness comes and goes, whereas joy protects and fills your heart every moment of the day, regardless of the situation in which you may find yourself.”
“Joy,” she mused. “I experience joy when I’m doing things with a fella rather than just spouting nonsense and playing the romantic games they love to play during courtship.”
“My Tariana: the dreamer and thinker of the Gracin girls. Your fun-loving nature will entertain a man clear through to his rocking chair years. Whoever steals your heart will be the luckiest chap in all of Oregon City.”
“Why, Mother, I believe those are the kindest words you’ve ever spoken to me.”
“You rarely provide the opportunity. You keep me busy just trying to tame your wild side. I’m pleased to have this conversation with you. It gives me hope that you are finally growing up.”
“Have I been that hateful?”
“Never hateful, Tariana. You have a heart of devotion which outshines your slipups. Such a trait will spread and touch your changing world with an eagerness and energy I could only wish to possess.”
Tariana scrunched her brows. “I still don’t know how I will find the right one. I surely do not want to pick the wrong fella straight out of the gate.”
“There is no rush, my dear. Spend time getting to know an assortment of men and when you hit on the right one, your heart will let you know.”
“I hate those games. I want to narrow it down, pick the one and get to know him alone. I don’t want to know every boy who knocks on my door.”
“Well, I shall pray for you,” Ada said, getting to her feet, “that God’s best will be the only one left standing after you mercilessly pluck the feathers of every courting-bird that crows on the nest.”
Tariana gasped. Had Mother read her letter to The Lovelorn? No. Evelyn had mailed it herself. It was probably just a lucky comparison.
Tariana was reading by the open window in her bedroom later that evening, when she jumped at the sound of a pebble hitting the paned glass. She peered outside, knowing it was none other than Jamie. It
