Page 16 of A Joyful Ring
Risa told him her plans for dinner, and he volunteered to kill and pluck a chicken, both tasks Risa did not enjoy.
When she had her pies ready for the oven, she fried eggs with leftover crumbled bacon for their breakfast, and served them with biscuits.
“I think we should leave the food here while we go to the church service, Papa, then come home and get it,” Risa said as she washed the dishes.
“That’s fine with me. Speaking of food, I think I’ll run over and check on how the meat is cooking.”
Risa grinned. “You mean torment Jed abouthow he’s cooking it.”
Lars nodded. “That too.” He kissed her cheek and hurried out the door. Risa hummed as she finished washing the dishes, tidied their little home, and filled a bucket with water that she took in her room for a sponge bath. She indulged in washing her hair in the kitchen sink, knowing it would dry quickly in the summer heat already making the house overly warm. She wished she could avoid heating up the stove later when she cooked dinner, but didn’t see any help for it. Perhaps her father would build a fire outside and they could set a grate over it for cooking to keep the house from getting too overheated.
Risa finished her preparations for the picnic and left everything she’d need later on the table, then she hurried to dress in a white cotton shirtwaist she’d made from an old curtain Mrs. Baldwin had given to her. The fabric had been the lining of the curtain, but it made a fine shirtwaist for a hot summer day, especially because Risa had used the threads she’d plucked from the seams to embroider flowers across the yoke. She’d sewn the curtain—a soft dark-blue fabric—into a new skirt with a matching jacket. It was far too warm for the jacket today, but it would make a fetching outfit for attending church services once the weather cooled.
Risa stood in front of the small mirror in the kitchen and fashioned her hair in a softer, looser style than she normally wore, then tied a length of blue ribbon that had been a birthday gift from her father last year in her hair instead of wearing a hat. She pinned a pearl brooch that had once belonged toher grandmother at her throat, then concluded she was as ready as she could be for the day.
She glanced at their clock and saw it was a few minutes past ten. They still had plenty of time to get to the church service, but she wondered if her father had forgotten he needed to clean up and change his clothes before they went. She was just about to set out to look for him when the door swung open and he rushed inside, his hair and clothes damp.
“Jed got so riled at my joking, he shoved me in the river. I might have taken exception, but it felt good. I just went ahead and scrubbed off a bit while I was in there. It won’t take but a minute for me to change,” Lars said, his tone jovial as he began to unfasten the buttons on his shirt. “Ready to go?”
“I am. I’ll just wait outside while you change, then we can leave whenever you’re ready.” Risa lifted her mother’s Bible from the shelf and stepped out front. She leaned against the side of the shack and watched people bustling along the road into Lovely. It seemed the miners who hadn’t left town for the holiday and were sober enough to attend the service were heading to the church.
The pastor might have to hold the service outside if too many decided to attend, not that it would be a bad thing. As warm as it was already this morning, the church would be hot and stuffy, especially if more people were there than usual. The lure of the picnic had no doubt been the reason for the increased attendance, and not the hope of salvation.
A tall, broad-shouldered young man with hair the color of gold walkedby, giving her a glance and a shy smile.
Risa couldn’t begin to put into words why he piqued her interest when there were a few dozen miners walking around him, but her gaze lingered on him as he continued into town.
“Ready, Girlie?” her father asked, startling her as he stepped outside in a pair of dark-brown trousers and a pressed tan cotton shirt. He tugged the front door closed behind him.
“Yes, Papa.” She smiled at her father and took the arm he held out to her after he’d settled his hat on his head. “Do you think Pastor Thomas will have to move the service outside?”
“Likely so,” Lars said, looking ahead as they strolled into town. “Can’t say that I mind. Holding it in the shade down by the river would be a sight more pleasant than crammed into the church while we all bake like potatoes in the oven.”
Risa grinned. “Potatoes, Papa? I’m insulted to know you think I’m a rather plain and lumpy blob.”
Lars chuckled. “No one would ever confuse you with a potato, Risa. Not even a blind man would make such a tragic mistake. You are far too full of sunshine and life.”
Pleased with her father’s words, Risa squeezed his arm. “Thank you, Papa. I’m glad you think a little sunshine resides in me.”
“A whole bushelful of it, Girlie.” Lars kissed her cheek, then hurried ahead as men worked together to carry pews out of the church and over to the shaded expanse of grass near the river where the picnic would be held. Makeshift tables, assembled from boards and sawhorses, were already set up,and the scent of the meat Jed and Mr. Goodwin had roasted all night in a pit filled the air with a delicious aroma.
Risa watched as her father and the blond man she’d noticed earlier carried out a bench together. The unusually handsome man with eyes that rivaled the sky for a gorgeous shade of blue had full lips, a round chin, and an adorable nose that turned up ever so slightly on the end.
Could men have adorable noses? Especially when the man was a fine, healthy, masculine specimen who filled out his shirt and trousers so well?
Risa shook her head, wondering if the heat was getting to her. Otherwise, she had no explanation or reason for her ridiculous thoughts. She turned and gave Mrs. Baldwin a hug as the woman arrived with her handful of boarders.
Pastor Thomas rang a bell, and everyone found a seat. Risa sat between Mrs. Baldwin and Pearl Lewis. Pearl and her husband, Jasper, owned the Lovely General Store and ran the post office.
There weren’t many females or children in town. The mine manager sat on the pew across from Risa with his wife and three pretty daughters. The girls wore matching frilly white dresses with red sashes and blue ribbons in their walnut-brown hair. Jasper and Pearl’s little boy, Trevor, a freckle-faced imp given to mischief, leaned around his father to study the girls.
Risa glanced away to keep from laughing at the expression on Trevor’s face. She could almost picture him plotting ways to get those pristinedresses all dirty before the afternoon was through.
A chuckle behind her made Risa glance over her shoulder at her father and the big blond man who sat beside him.
Lars winked at her, but before she could say anything to him, Pastor Thomas cleared his throat, and the service began.
Risa listened with interest to the sermon about freedom and love, and followed along as the pastor read verses from the eighth chapter of John. It was probably a good thing she sat in the front row so she wouldn’t be distracted by the attractive man seated directly behind her.
