Marion Ekholm - An Act of Love

Marley smiled in an effort to match her sister’s gush of joy over Marley’s engagement, which every member of their family had duplicated. The struggle at false effervescence strained her cheeks, and she fought to remember what she’d spent hours rehearsing on the five-hour plane trip. The double wedding bit was something she hadn’t anticipated.

Marley cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, Brant has to work.” She tried to swallow without choking this time. “He really felt bad about not being able to attend.” Another lie. She’d nearly had to hog-tie him to keep him from joining her.

She had fabricated him to suit her family: a businessman and mechanic for Marley’s pragmatic grandfather; a traditionalist and financier for her conservative mother; an outdoorsman and athlete for her active brothers-in-law; and a cowboy for her romantic sisters. Only the cowboy part bore any semblance to the truth. That acting career? She’d never speak of it. Not to mention that Brant’s scruffy beard and worn-out cowboy attire would have sent her mother into a fit.

Lindy reached for Marley’s hand. “Where’s your ring?” Marley had placed it in her pocket, not feeling it necessary to always wear it, especially when she washed her hands or worked in the kitchen making meals.

Lindy watched as Marley slipped her ring back on. “Where did you meet him? At his ranch?”

“He...” Marley hesitated, not willing to continue the deception. Clearing her throat, she replied, “Enough of that. I’m here for your wedding, not mine. Give me the rundown on the future Mrs. Dennis Kellner.” Marley had met Dennis when she’d first arrived. She’d helped all her brothers-in-law before their weddings and, at Lindy’s insistence, taught Dennis some fundamentals in dance. Marley liked him, a nice man who obviously loved her sister.

Marley forced herself to relax as Lindy accepted the spotlight and elaborated on the details of the big event only a few days away. Most of the rest of the conversation blurred as Lindy made glowing statements about Dennis, the love of her life.

“Oh, and you’ll get to meet Denny’s older brother.” Lindy’s shoulders dropped, and she looked a forlorn heap in the middle of the bed. “I had planned to pair you off with him, but now that you’re engaged...”

In an attempt to avoid discussing her engagement again, Marley asked, “So what’s Denny’s brother like?”

Lindy leaned closer. “Looks to die for,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “He told Den he’d steal me away from him if I wasn’t a blonde.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a crush.”

“On him? No way. He’s too old. Besides he likes redheads. When Denny mentioned that you were a redhead, Rick sounded interested. Maybe you know him. He went to your college.”

“PITT?” Marley asked, referring to the University of Pittsburgh. “Sorry. It’s a pretty large campus, and I don’t remember any Rick Kellner.”

“His name’s not Kellner. His mother remarried after divorcing Rick’s father. His last name is Brewster and most people call him Richard, but I know him as Rick.”

“Richard Brewster,” Marley said, drawing the name out. It couldn’t be. Not her Richard.

Marley held her breath, waiting to hear more about Richard. Maybe getting engaged to Brant hadn’t been such a good idea after all. It would create a few obstacles if flames from her earlier romance with Richard fanned to life. Then again...their romance had been brief. Both had drifted away, and she hadn’t seen or heard from him since his college graduation.

Marley drew her fingers through her hair, only to get the ring caught in the curls, something her hairdresser back in Phoenix had managed to control. Walking over to the mirror, she concentrated on freeing her finger, wanting with all her might to find out more about Richard.

A knock on the door startled her.

“Time to get up, sleepyhead. Lots to do before the big day,” a man shouted through the closed door.

Michelle bolted for Marley and hid her face in her aunt’s lap.

Marley stiffened, then turned to face the door, enclosing her niece in a tight hug. Was that their father’s voice? Why was he here?

“Yeah, Daddy. See you later,” Lindy called.

Slowly turning around, Marley stared openmouthed at Lindy.

“Don’t be mad. He’s giving me away.” Lindy knelt in the middle of her bed, clutching a large panda bear. She added in a whisper, “Please don’t make a scene, Marley.”

“He’s back?”

Lindy nodded. “He moved his things in with Poppy last night, and I really want him to give me away instead of Poppy.”

Michelle glanced up at her aunt. Had the little girl picked up on Marley’s tension? Her niece’s face began to twitch.

Marley picked her up and cradled her in her arms. “It’s okay, honey.” She brushed kisses along the girl’s forehead to calm her down. A few moments later, Marley placed her on the floor and said, “See if you can find the baby kangaroo for me.” Distracted, Michelle went searching through the menagerie.

“Is he just here for your wedding?” Marley kept her voice cool for Michelle’s benefit and hoped the disapproval boiling inside her wouldn’t erupt.

Lindy jumped off the bed and deposited her bear on the crowded dresser. “I hope not. He and Mom have been talking, and who knows? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if after all these years Mom and Dad discover they’re still in love?”

Marley swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Was that what Poppy had meant when he said her mother might beat her to the altar? Were her parents getting back together?

She’d seen her father only occasionally since her parents’ divorce. When he’d returned the first time, she’d been in college. To her relief, he had left without getting involved in her life. As the eldest, she’d witnessed all the torment during her parents’ breakup. And she couldn’t conceive how they could ever get back together.

Marley picked up Michelle and her suitcase and backed out of the room. “I’ve got to get this one off to Kennywood Park. I’ll talk to you later.”

How could Mom put up with the man? Marley thought as she headed toward the front staircase. The trauma from his return and departure a dozen years ago had left her mother inconsolable, yet she continued to love Red and want him back? Marley hadn’t been able to stay and watch back then any more than she wanted to be around now.

Upon graduation from PITT, she had moved to Phoenix and accepted a position teaching math in a high school, even though the same opportunities were available in Pennsylvania. And then she began building her fences.

She would never love a man to the extent her mother loved her father.

No man would ever be allowed to hurt her that way.

CHAPTER FIVE

BRANT ARRIVED HOME after several days at the ranch visiting with his sisters and their families. His father, who had asked to speak with him, had taken off with Brant’s mother, so Brant never did have the opportunity. Now he was back in the Phoenix heat, dodging people who recognized him. Several actually asked for his autograph. He didn’t look forward to hiding in his condo until his gig in New York.

His answering machine had several messages, and, for a moment, Brant hoped one might be from Marley. Wishful thinking. She wouldn’t know his number. Plus their last meeting pretty much put the kibosh on anything neighborly between them. Tough, because she intrigued him, and he’d really like to know her better.

Three messages were from Gus, and he sounded stressed. Maybe he’d found another musical instrument Brant could add to his collection. Brant picked up his home phone and dialed Gus’s store.

“What is it, Gus? Another instrument? I liked that mandolin you showed me the last time, but I still feel it’s a little pricey.”