If he loved her, he would have said something when he rescued her from the line shack that day. Or, maybe later when they’d been entwined in their bed. He’d held her close and whispered words that told her how important she was to him. He never mentioned his heart.
During the long nights in the next week, Delia worked on a pair of red dresses. Her husband might be absent. No matter, she and Eenie were going to the Sweetheart Dance. They’d be a mother-daughter couple on the dancefloor.
The evening of the dance, the two arrived by buggy at the hotel. The weather had been fair so she’d stayed at the ranch rather than in her room behind the school.
One night, she and Eenie had stayed in that room. Being there made it seem like her marriage had never happened. The nearly unbearable sadness drove her back to the ranch the next evening.
Pulling the buggy to a stop, Delia looked in surprise at her giggling daughter. Eenie only pointed at the hotel, decorated for the occasion.
Red fabric had been entwined like a river above the door and across part of the building’s front on each side. Ribbons had been tied on the handle of the door. A young man took charge of her horse and buggy, allowing the mother-daughter couple to enter.
Above the entryway, a sign read, “Gateway for Sweethearts”. She pointed at it as she teased Eenie. “You’re my sweetheart for the night.”
Eenie gripped her hand, a serious frown on her face. “I want to be your sweetheart always, Ma.”
Delia squeezed the child’s hand and smiled. How perfect this would be if only her husband were there.
Inside, it seemed like all of Belle’s residents took a moment to speak with her. The doubts and fears she’d lived with when she hid her heritage no longer existed. These people went out of their way to make her feel a part of their community. She appreciated it, treasured it.
Looking around the room for Paps Johnson, Delia realized he wasn’t there. She spotted his livery assistant. He only shook his head when she asked about the old man.
“Ma’am, he got a customer just as we wanted to close up for the dance.”
The young man asked her to dance. Delia only shook her head. “I’m saving all my dances for my daughter.”
Her words brought a pull on her hand. Delia’s attention returned to her date for the evening. “Ma, can’t we dance yet?”
While Delia had never danced, neither had Eenie. They moved from one foot to the other in a sort of rocking motion, giggling awkwardly each time they bumped into something or someone.
“Well, Eenie, do you think we’ve embarrassed ourselves enough? Maybe it’s time to stop dancing.”
A low, velvety voice sounded softly behind Delia’s ear. “Not yet. I want at least one dance with my ladies.”
His arms encircled both, hugging them close to him. Rol danced them to a shadowed corner at the edge of the dance floor. There, he put loving arms around Delia’s waist and sandwiched their daughter between them. Not trying to do anything more than the rocking motion his two females had been using, Rol continued to dance them without moving out of the corner.
Delia’s trembling hand crept up to his cheek. “I can’t believe you’re here.” She felt roughness, the stubble of many days on his face, and rubbed her hand meaningful across it.
He grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t get a chance to fancy myself up for you ladies.” Laughing, he admitted ruefully “I didn’t even wait for the train on the last leg of the trip. Bought a horse and rode hard to be here with you both.”
Eenie’s head bumped against Delia’s middle as she looked up at her father. “That means I got two sweethearts then, you and Ma. We’re a real family again.”
“Yep,” he pulled one hand from Delia’s waist and stroked his daughter’s hair. “I had to have a dance with my girl.” Then he gave Delia a warm glance. “Both of them.”
Though she tried to keep her expression happy, Delia suspected that some of her longing showed on her face. He looked confused as he looked down at her.
“Has something happened, Delia?” His low tone lost its warmth as dread made it brittle.
“I…I just—”
Stopping them, he whispered into Eenie’s ear. The little girl stepped out from between them and stood near the wall.
Cut off from the rest of the party goers by the shadows, Rol wrapped her tightly in his arms. His words held a depth of emotion that assured her of his sincerity. “You are my one true love, Delia Perkins Anders. Be my valentine for the rest of our lives.”
She felt her jaw drop. He put a finger under her chin and closed it for her. “Why the shock? You had to know how I felt about you.”
Struck dumb yet, she shook her head. Tears crept out the corners of her eyes.
“Don’t cry, honey. Have I hurt you somehow?” Tender concern clouded his face. How it made her love him all the more.
Arranging her thoughts, she finally spoke. “At the line shack, and later in town, you never once said you loved me. I was sure, if you did, you’d say it then.”
He hugged her tight. “Our marriage was so new. I wanted to give you time to adjust before I forced my feelings on you.”
At that, Delia laughed. “Force your feelings? It’s love that would have made everything with our sudden marriage right.”
Pulling back from her, he considered those words. “Do you think, Mrs. Anders, that you might return my feelings someday?”
“Oh, I do love you, Roland Anderson. Or Rol Anders. Or whoever you decide to be.” She
