Mrs. Butler had placed a stack of plates at one end of the table along with eating utensils. The church had placed several small tables around the large room, some round and some square. Each table had a colorful paper turkey as the centerpiece. Mr. Huxley, the schoolmaster, proudly announced that the children had worked hard on the turkeys. Several people mentioned how nicely the children’s work had turned out.
Wyatt steered Vera and Jack to a round table at which they took their places. When Clay and Grace came in, Wyatt waved them over. There was just enough room at their table for the five of them.
Mr. Butler, along with two other men, carried in the roasted turkeys. The crowd said, “ooh” and “ahh,” when they saw the turkeys. This was the most magnificent dinner Vera had ever seen or taken part in.
Polly got everyone’s attention by clapping her hands together. “It’s time to pray for all we’re thankful for.”
Her husband, James, came out and said a prayer of thanks. Everyone chimed, “Amen,” when it ended.
Polly then asked that they come up and “dig in,” in an orderly line. Vera had never seen so much food in her life. Her plate wasn’t large enough to sample everything, but she tried anyway taking a small helping of as many dishes as she could.
There was turkey, dressing, cranberries, mixed pickles, hard-boiled eggs in beet juice, pickled beets, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, two different types of gravy, sweet potatoes, coleslaw, a raw vegetable platter, biscuits, cornbread, and off to the side, pies of every kind.
They carried their loaded plates to the table and while enjoying casual conversation. Vera felt her husband stiffen, and she looked up to see Wyatt’s face turn white as a sheet.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Grace had overheard, and she turned in the direction of Wyatt’s stare. “Oh, no! It’s Lucy Ames!”
Chapter Four
To Wyatt’s mortification, Lucy strolled in with her father, Fred Ames, who owned a cattle ranch on the other side of Hays. Lucy strutted in proudly, as if she hadn’t run off with a man a few months before. Wyatt heard several gasps when people recognized her, and several glanced his way to see what his reaction would be.
He returned to eating calmly, although he’d lost his appetite.
Lucy swung her hips provocatively up to the table and picked up a plate. She wore a tight-waisted dress that hugged her bosom. The dress’s low-cut front displayed what most women in town preferred to keep secret. Pink flowers held up some of her red hair, while the rest flowed down her back. Large gold earrings dangled from her ears.
Wyatt coughed when her strong perfume reached him. He’d forbade her to wear it while betrothed to him since it made him cough or sneeze.
The room grew silent. Lucy didn’t seem to mind, although her father looked uncomfortable. They took seats at an unoccupied table. Though it was at the far side of the room, it was still near enough to Wyatt to set off a sneezing fit.
“Are you all right?” Vera asked, looking concerned.
Wyatt nodded. “I must be allergic to something I ate.”
“You’ve hardly eaten anything,” Vera said.
“Excuse me.” Wyatt stood. “I need to step outside and get a breath of fresh air.”
~~~***~~~
Grace leaned over and whispered to Vera, “Lucy was the woman once betrothed to Wyatt. She ran off with his best friend, Lee, months ago. It seems the town hasn’t forgotten her.”
Vera stared at Lucy. “Why, she’s beautiful! Poor Wyatt.”
Grace frowned. “She’s gaudy and selfish. I wonder why she’s back in town.”
Vera tried to judge Lucy with fairness. “She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Given, she appears showy and flamboyant, but her features are outstanding. I can’t help but feel unworthy of Wyatt when compared to her, Grace.”
Clay and Jack were engrossed in their own conversation and that left Grace and Vera to whisper about Lucy unhindered.
“I wonder why she feels like she needs to display herself so ... so tawdrily,” Vera said. “She certainly doesn’t need all that to attract attention, that’s for sure.”
Wyatt returned, sat down, and pushed his plate away. “Whenever you and Jack are ready, we can take our leave.”
On the ride home, Vera had to bite her lip to keep from asking him about Lucy. She was dying to know all about their betrothal, but she sensed Wyatt didn’t want to talk about it, so she rode along silently. She stared at his rigid profile. He seemed angry; and after such a delightful day.
He glanced over at her. His smile seemed forced. “Did you enjoy the dinner?”
She nodded. “It was the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever.”
Wyatt returned his view to the road. “I’m glad.”
She wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but she knew he wouldn’t want to talk about it. She’d let him tell her when he was ready. If ever.
He dropped her off at the porch and took the buggy and Jack to the barn. She heard Jack offer to unhitch the horses, so Wyatt followed her into the house.
“How about a cup of tea or coffee?” she offered.
Wyatt hung up his jacket and hat. “Tea sounds wonderful.”
The stove was still warm from breakfast, so it didn’t take long for her water to come to a boil. She brewed the tea, brought it into the dining room, and poured the tea.
“The house feels chilly,” she said.
“I’ll fire up the coal stoves,” he said, stirring his tea. “Joe Hurley said we might get a frost tonight.”
Vera nodded and sipped her tea. She loved times like this, alone with her husband.
Wyatt set his cup down on the saucer and sighed. “I suppose you know by now that it upset me to see Lucy at
