Coming Home to Paradise (Sisters in Paradise #3)

Chapter 3

Endora awoke the morning after Thanksgiving to find her two cats, Poppy and Misty, curled up on the pillow beside her. Sassy, the older cat, who had been at the Paradise for several years, was sleeping at the foot of the bed. Thank goodness Parker wasn’t allergic to animals because she couldn’t imagine rehoming her cats when she moved to the parsonage. She buried her hand in Poppy’s thick orange fur and smiled at the way her diamond engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight that flowed in from the balcony doors.

“It’s less than four months until I get the wedding and honeymoon to go with this,” she whispered as she removed her hand from the cat’s fur, pushed back the covers, and sat up. “I wish we were already married.”

Misty opened one eye and purred a couple of times before she wrapped her fluffy tail around her nose and went back to sleep. Poppy moved away from her sister and claimed Endora’s pillow.

Endora glanced at her phone and bounded out of the bed so fast that both cats’ eyes flew open for a few seconds.

“My alarm didn’t go off!” she said, jerking on jeans and a sweatshirt. She brushed her long blond hair out and braided it so that the thick rope hung down over her shoulder. When she opened her bedroom door, she could hear the buzz of several conversations going on both outside and in the kitchen. Most of what she heard was just noise, but when she reached the foyer, she could separate Parker’s voice from two of her brothers-in-law with no trouble. She watched them drag a big cedar tree up onto the porch and was amazed, once again, at how well Parker and all four of her sisters’ husbands had been accepted into the family.

“So, where do we put this thing?” he asked. “I’ve never known anyone to cut down a tree and put it on the porch.”

“I forget that you weren’t here at Christmas last year,” Remy said. “You’ll be surprised at how many decorations will go up around here today. Folks drive from all over this part of the state to see the Paradise at Christmas.”

“And there’s a big party where everyone is invited,” Shane added. “Hundreds of folks come out here to take pictures in front of the sleigh. Sometimes it’s family photos and Joe Clay says that engagement pictures have been shot right here in the yard.”

“Okay, let’s get this beauty set up and bolted down in the stand,” Remy said.

Parker held on to the trunk of the tree with his right hand and waved his left one toward the front yard, where Noah and Jake were helping Joe Clay take a sleigh from a flatbed trailer. “That is a full-sized Santa sleigh! Where did that come from?”

“Joe Clay made that years ago. Mary Jane has a picture of the whole family with it in her picture albums,” Remy said. “You’ll have to ask to see them sometime.”

Parker’s smile sent warmth right into Endora’s heart. “I’d love to see pictures of Endora when she was a little girl.”

“What are you thinking about, and why are you hiding in the shadows?” Aunt Bernie asked, breaking into Endora’s thoughts about her family, and especially Parker.

Endora whipped around. “You scared me.”

“You must’ve been deep in thought about that handsome fiancé of yours,” Bernie said with a chuckle. “You and four of your sisters are welcome.”

“Thank you.” Endora had learned in the past year just to go with the flow where Bernie was concerned. “I’ll repay part of my debt by helping Bo take care of Pepper while you are away.”

Bernie shook her head, but her dyed red hair stayed in place—the benefit of good hair spray. “No, darlin’. You have enough on your plate, even with what help your sisters are giving you. Bo is going to look after Pepper,” she said with a long sigh. “I’m going to miss him. We haven’t been apart since I got him, but time away from me might make him appreciate me more. He’s gotten to where he thinks he’s entitled, and besides, even if I could take him on the cruise, I’d be afraid someone would recognize him in Mexico and say that I stole him.”

“I didn’t think you’d ever been to Mexico,” Endora said.

“I haven’t, but a ‘good friend,’”—she put air quotes around the last two words—“gave him to me, and he’d been there. I’ve spoiled Pepper ever since. He’s a lot like those two cats that sleep with you. What are your fur babies going to do when you move into the parsonage?”

“They’ll have the run of the whole house, but at night, we’ll shut our bedroom door,” Endora answered.

“Smart girl,” Bernie said. “Go on out there and give Parker a kiss, then get back in here and help unpack all the decorations. Your sisters are all in the living room, grumbling because you overslept. Before you get started with all that, grab a cup of coffee and one of Tertia’s muffins for breakfast. I’ll help out for a while, but I’ve got to finish packing. Gladys and I are leaving early in the morning. It will be damn…dang…good to get into warmer weather for a few days.”

“You almost cussed,” Endora said with a broad smile.

“I know,” Bernie sighed. “Mary Jane’s rules about not cussin’ or having liquor before breakfast haven’t been easy to live with. Sometimes I just stand in the middle of my living room and cuss the walls to get all the words out of my system.” She glanced around the foyer and up the stairs, then lowered her voice. “And sometimes I add a drop or two of Jameson to my first cup of coffee in the morning. Now you go kiss that good-looking feller out there. I might find a sexy middle-aged man”—she slid a sly wink at Endora—“on the cruise and let him warm me up a little.”

“Aunt Bernie!” Endora gasped.

“Honey, I’m old, but my memory is excellent. I don’t need a how-to book to remember what to do between the sheets, or even naked out on a balcony, either one.” She gave Endora a gentle push.

As if on cue, when Endora stepped outside into the icy-cold wind, Parker turned around and hurried across the porch to wrap her up in a hug. “Good mornin’, darlin’.”

She brushed a kiss across his lips. “Good morning to you. Your alarm must have gone off. Mine didn’t.”

“I wish mine wouldn’t have,” Parker said. “I was having a wonderful dream about us when we are so old that we have gray hair. We were cutting a cake with a big gold fifty on the top.”

“I hope that’s an omen,” she whispered and brushed a second kiss across his lips.

“I have faith that it’s a sign from heaven,” Parker told her. “But right now, Shane tells me that our next job is to climb the pecan trees that line the lane and put lights on them. I should help him load them in the back of Joe Clay’s work truck. I’d rather stay here and make out with you, though.”

“Save that thought for later. I love you, Parker,” Endora whispered.

“I love you more,” he said and picked up a box marked LIGHTS FOR TREES.

Endora watched him load the lights into the bed of the truck. When she was a little girl, the truck had been bright red, but now it had faded somewhere closer to orange or maybe a dirty pink. So much had happened since that vehicle first drove up in the yard more than twenty years ago. Joe Clay had turned out to be an amazing father to the seven little girls who had just moved into the Paradise.

She had thought her life was blessed right up until two years ago when the bottom fell completely out of everything. She’d been engaged to someone she thought was a great guy. She and her sister both had good jobs at an elementary school in the southern part of the state. Then it had all fallen apart—including her heart, soul, and mind—in a split second. She discovered that her fiancé was having an affair with her best friend, and the whole bunch of them worked at the same school.

When the cold wind sent a shiver down her spine, she left the chill behind and rushed inside to the warmth of the house.

“What are you thinking about?” Rae asked, carrying a box marked ORNAMENTS down the stairs. “You look like you are about to cry.”

“Just looking back over the last two years and thinking about how grateful I am for my sisters, who helped get me through that difficult, depressing time.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “And for Parker, who has healed my heart and helped me believe in love again.”

Rae set the box down on the bottom step, bent slightly, and gave her sister a sideways hug. “I’m glad your heart is all better, and we all love Parker. But honey, if that son of a…”

Endora held up a hand. “If Aunt Bernie can’t cuss, then you can’t either.”

“He is a son of a bitch, and that’s not cussing,” Rae declared. “It’s just stating facts, and if he ever shows his face in these parts again, no matter how far or how well anyone hunts, his body will never be found. What he did to you was unforgivable.”

“We have to forgive him,” Endora said. “But that’s the past—done and finished. This is the present, and it’s already better than what we had back then.”

Rae tucked a strand of dark hair back into her messy bun. “Why do we have to forgive such a sorry sucker?”

“Because hatred makes it hard to have a whole heart,” Endora answered.

Rae picked up the box of ornaments. “I’m not in a hurry to give my heart to anyone, so I don’t have to forgive that sumbitch.”

“Tell that to Aunt Bernie,” Endora said. “She’s already making lists of guys who might make suitable husbands for you and Bo. But she says it can’t be that bartender at Whiskey Bent because she heard that he’s not one to put down roots. So, neither one of you can date him.”

Ursula came through the back door at the same time Endora made it to the kitchen. “Hey, sleepyhead! Or have you been awake since dawn and spent half the morning working on the Christmas program?”

Endora poured herself a cup of coffee. “Nope, I just overslept. With all y’all’s help, I’m not nearly as stressed over that right now as I am about my wedding.”

“You can’t decide on the dress, and you haven’t even started looking at cakes or flowers,” Ursula reminded her. “Ever think that maybe those are signs that you don’t want a big wedding? Maybe you should do what me and Remy did. Go to the courthouse and get it over with.”

Endora put three muffins on a plate and carried it and her coffee to the table. “I would in a heartbeat, but you know small towns. Gossip would have it that I was pregnant, and that would be bad for a preacher’s reputation.” She frowned and took a sip of her coffee. “Wouldn’t it?”

“Are you pregnant?” Ursula asked.

Endora shook her head.

“Then when no baby appears in less than nine months, they’ll realize that it was just a rumor,” Ursula told her. “I should be getting to the living room. Since I’m the tallest of all us girls, I’m on duty for stringing garland and lights.”

Endora finished off a muffin and took a sip of coffee. “Since Luna and I are the shortest, we get to sit on the floor and tie ribbons around the sprigs of mistletoe and hang ornaments on the lower half of the tree. Who’s got Clayton?”

“Mama and Daddy are taking turns spoiling him,” Ursula answered. “Mama gets him when Daddy is outside, but when Daddy comes in the house, then he belongs to Daddy. When he cries or needs a diaper changed, he belongs to me or Remy.”

“Naming him after Daddy was pretty special,” Endora said.

Ursula headed out of the kitchen. “It was the only name Remy and I could agree on. Don’t take too long with your breakfast, or our other sisters will be in here fussing at you.”

Endora waved over her shoulder. “Don’t I know it.”

Ursula had barely gotten out of the room when Parker came in by the back door. He opened his arms and crossed the big country kitchen in a few strides. Endora pushed back her chair, stood up, and met him halfway. She barely had time to moisten her lips before he kissed her, and like always, she wanted to forget about holidays, church programs, and even her wedding and drag him up to her bedroom. But they had agreed to wait for that step until they were married.

When the kiss ended, Parker cupped her face in his hands. “I wanted a real kiss, not just a peck on the lips. From where I’m standing now, three months seems like eternity.”

“I know.” Endora laid her head on his shoulder. “Want to move the date up to Valentine’s Day?”

“Or maybe New Year’s Eve?” Parker said with a twinkle in his eyes. “How about next week?”

“We’ve got too much going with all the events around here to do that, but all our families and friends will be at the Christmas program, including our old preacher,” she suggested.

Parker touched her on the cheek and buried his face in her hair. “Are we crazy to even think about that?”

“Maybe so, but I could borrow Luna’s dress, and you’ll be dressed in your best suit,” she told him.

“What about the honeymoon?” Parker kissed that soft spot right below her ear.

Desire shot through her whole body. “Program is on Sunday morning,” she panted. “We have to be here at the Paradise on Christmas Day, which is Wednesday. That’s the only time we’d have to leave the parsonage until the next Sunday. Darlin’, every day we are together after we are married will be part of our honeymoon. But you are right, this is just a fairy tale.”

“It’s a beautiful fairy tale, though,” he whispered.

“Hey, Endora.” Luna’s voice floated from the foyer to the kitchen. “You’ve played hooky long enough. It’s time to come help us.”

“On my way,” Endora yelled and took a reluctant step back.

Parker drew her back to his chest and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “See you later.”

She watched him leave and then tried to sneak past the archway leading from the wide foyer into the living room. Luck was not hiding in her pocket. Her twin sister caught her as she was tiptoeing toward the stairs.

“Hey, get on in here,” Luna called out. “Mama has twice as much mistletoe as usual, and you tie the mistletoe bows prettier than I do.”

“Will do, as soon as I make a trip to the bathroom,” Endora replied and raced up the stairs. To keep from having told a lie, she checked her hair in the mirror. Then she hurried into Luna’s old bedroom and slung open the closet door. Luna’s wedding dress was still hanging there, and her silk bouquet was lying on the shelf.

“Getting married after the Christmas program would be doable,” she muttered. A visual popped into her head of how gorgeous the church had been when it was decorated for Luna’s wedding. The same place would already be all decked out for Christmas if she and Parker got married then.

All the wedding planning that was supposed to get into full swing right after Christmas could be eliminated—no worrying about picking out a dress, no working for hours on floral centerpieces, bouquets, and corsages, or even deciding whether to have the reception at Paradise or in the church fellowship hall.

But right now, you have to go tie bows, the pesky voice in her head reminded her.

Endora patted the clear garment bag that held the dress. “You hang right there and don’t go anywhere. I may need to borrow you in a few weeks.”

***

“The prodigal daughter has finally arrived,” Rae teased when Endora made it to the living room.

“I don’t see a fatted calf roasting in the backyard, and Mama didn’t give me her ring,” Endora shot back.

“Bravo!” Rae gave her younger sister a thumbs-up. “The smart-ass that we all used to know has kicked the moody Endora to the curb.”

Endora did a perfect head wiggle. “That’s right, and it took a good man like Parker to do the job.”

“Whoa!” Rae shook her head. “I believe you’ve got half a dozen sisters who helped with that.”

“And a mama who was happy to let all of you move back into the Paradise,” Mary Jane reminded them.

Endora took a deep bow. “To all of you, I am grateful, and I love you more than words can say. Now, let’s get on with this decorating. We need to get as much as we can done today, because we’re all going to the parade in Saint Jo tomorrow.”

“And we have to get up early to wave goodbye to Aunt Bernie and Gladys,” Rae said. “I’m still not comfortable with Aunt Bernie driving all the way to Galveston.”

Endora plopped down on the floor and picked up a roll of red ribbon. “That woman could drive to Alaska and still have the energy to do battle with a grizzly bear. She’s got the stamina of a teenager, but I’m glad Gladys is going with her. If either of them needs help, the other one can call us. Too bad her whole crew couldn’t go with them.”

“Vera and Dolly said they didn’t want to leave their husbands for that long,” Rae told her. “But truth is that Vera probably can’t bear to be away from baby Clayton that long. Dolly and Walter have family coming in and out all during this month.”

Endora whipped up a red bow to tie to the first bunch of fresh mistletoe that Joe Clay had brought in the previous week. “What do you want to bet that she gets into matchmaking on the ship?”

Rae raised her dark brows. “I’m not losing my money on a bet like that. How about the rest of you?”

“Not me,” they all chorused together.

“Whatever got her into that business anyway?” Endora asked.

Ursula raised her hand. “That would be me. Since she couldn’t bring Endora out of her funk, she zeroed in on me and Remy. And that gave her the matchmaking bug. Luna was already seeing Shane when I came home, but Bernie still takes credit for that too.”

“Shame on you,” Rae said with a giggle.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter to me if it was Aunt Bernie or Fate, I’m glad that Remy and I are together,” Ursula declared.

Mary Jane handed baby Clayton to Ursula. “This baby is hungry. You’ll have to take care of that. And back to Aunt Bernie, I understand that she did help Luna get past a pretty big argument she had with Shane.”

“Yes, she did, and I’m very grateful for her advice,” Luna said.

Tertia and Ophelia finished hanging lights around the picture window and then headed out of the room.

“Where are y’all going?” Rae asked.

“We’re on food duty,” Tertia answered.

“Can’t expect us or all those big strong men out there to get this place ready for Christmas on an empty stomach,” Ophelia added.

“What are we having?” Rae asked.

“Chili for dinner with crackers, or else folks can make a Fritos chili pie. Hot rolls stuffed with ham for break time at around three o’clock, and lasagna for supper,” Tertia answered.

“I’m going to gain ten pounds over the holidays, but I don’t even care.” Rae groaned and thought about all the years that she had worked nights on the police force. Breakfast was usually at a small diner on the way home from her shift at seven thirty or eight in the morning. Lunch was when she woke up, usually around midafternoon. Dinner—or supper, as it was called in Texas and Oklahoma—was a quick burger or sandwich, sometime in the middle of the night. Adjusting to sleeping at night and having what she called a normal schedule was still a work in progress, but she loved it.

By the time the guys came in from outside at noon and her two sisters yelled that dinner was buffet-style on the bar, Rae was starving. They had gotten a lot done that morning—lights and garland were on the tallest artificial tree that could still fit in the living room, and there were bows on every single sprig of mistletoe.

“Our jobs after we eat are decorating the tree on the front porch, putting garland up the staircase banister…” Mary Jane said as she led the way to the dining room.

“I’m here,” Aunt Bernie butted in from the front door. “I’m ready for the cruise, and Pepper is pouting, so I left him at home. I can help decorate all afternoon, or I can help in the kitchen. Just put me wherever you need me.”

Rae threw her arm around Bernie’s shoulders. “We never turn down help. Did you remember to pack a bathing suit and an outfit for fancy night?”

“Yep, I did, and a cute little red lace teddy”—Bernie’s wide grin deepened every wrinkle in her cheeks—“just in case I might need it.”

“Aunt Bernie!” Endora scolded.

“That’s at least twice today that you’ve talked to me in that tone,” Bernie snapped at her. “One more and I’m going to refuse to be in your wedding party.”

“You wouldn’t do that, would you?” Rae asked.

“Yes, I would,” Bernie declared. “I might need a little excitement to hold me over until I get home and get busy finding you and Bo each a boyfriend. No, that’s not right. I need to find you each a decent husband.” She cocked her head to one side. “I can hear your biological clock ticking away. Baby boy Clayton needs cousins to play with as he gets older.”

“Ophelia, Tertia, and Luna can take care of that,” Rae told her.

Bernie narrowed her eyes and shook her finger under Rae’s nose. “Yep, but you can contribute to the next generation when I find the right man for you. The Paradise needs lots of children to fill it with laughter, like it had back when you girls were little.”

“Okay, if you find the right man—one that I can fall in love with, and who loves me just the way I am—we’ll have that conversation,” Rae assured her. “But until then, let’s focus on planning Endora’s spring wedding, and all this holiday stuff.”

“Deal!” Bernie smiled so big that the wrinkles around her mouth disappeared. “But after Endora’s wedding, all bets and deals are off.”

“Joe Clay will say grace, and then we’ll start serving,” Mary Jane was saying when Rae and Bernie made it to the kitchen.

Rae stopped at the door and bowed her head, but she didn’t close her eyes. Four of her sisters were married and holding hands with their husbands. She wanted what they had—like she had just told Aunt Bernie, a man to love her without wanting to change a single thing about her. She was independent, headstrong, and could take care of herself. She didn’t need a man to do any of those things or to complete her. She just wanted someone to love with her whole heart, and who would return that love in equal amounts.

“Amen,” Joe Clay said.

All four of her brothers-in-law gave their wives a quick kiss on the cheek before they lined up at the bar to fill bowls with chili. Yep, that’s exactly what she wanted, and no matter what Aunt Bernie said, she would have it, or she would simply be the old maid aunt that all the nieces and nephews loved the most.

And every now and then you can take a lacy teddy and go on a cruise, the voice inside her head whispered. After all, what happens on a ship stays on the ship.

Endora nudged her with an elbow. “What are you thinking about? I could almost hear a giggle behind your smile. Do you think Aunt Bernie really has a red teddy?”

“Without a doubt,” Rae answered, “and I was thinking about life. Want to share what was on your mind right then?”

“Wedding dresses,” Endora whispered. “I think I have one picked out, but can we keep it a secret between us until after the holidays?”

“My lips are sealed,” Rae replied in a low voice.