Minnie Read online

  “You have to tell us, Minnie!” Theresa pleaded.

  “Please, please, Minnie!” Hattie joined in, coming into the entry. She was assigned to help with the evening’s dinner and had flour smudged across her cheek.

  Minnie wiped the flour off Hattie’s cheek. “Well, maybe I’ll tell you a little . . .”

  “Yes!” Katie shouted.

  “First of all, after work, a very unusual thing happened. I was locking up, and Abner—”

  “Abner? Ew! Why would you want to be seen with Abner?” Theresa made a face.

  “Let me finish, Theresa!” Minnie laughed. “He asked me if I would go on a date with him!”

  “What did you say?” Hattie was hanging onto Minnie’s every word.

  “I said ‘No,’ of course.” Minnie explained. “I told him I need a man who only cares about me and no one else. But then . . .”

  “Then what?” Alice was practically giddy with excitement.

  Minnie continued her story. “On my way home, Troy Jacobs asked if I needed a ride.”

  Martha wandered into the entry way after hearing her sisters’ excited voices. “Troy Jacobs? He’s so nice.”

  “Yes, he is,” Minnie agreed. “While he was driving me home, he asked me if I would go out on a date with him!”

  The girls squealed in delight.

  “You’re going to marry him! I know it! I just know it!” Katie jumped up and down.

  Minnie laughed. “Slow down a little, Katie. He has to ask me first!”

  “I wonder where you’ll go on your date,” Alice said dreamily.

  “That’s a good question. We haven’t talked about that yet,” Minnie replied.

  “I can’t believe two men asked you to court on the same day!” Theresa pointed out.

  “It certainly was an eventful day,” Cletus boomed as he walked into the room. He had been in his formal parlor, resting.

  “Cletus, Abner and Troy both asked me if I wanted to go out with them! They said they both asked you for your permission, and you said yes.” Minnie told her father about what had happened after work.

  Cletus smiled. “And what did you tell them?”

  “I told Abner ‘no’ and Troy ‘yes.’ I know I’m only starting out, but I just don’t think Abner is the right match for me.” Minnie looked at Cletus nervously. She hoped he didn’t secretly approve of Abner over Troy.

  “That’s my girl!” Cletus shouted. “I thought as much, but I wanted to give you the chance to make the decision for yourself. Troy Jacobs is a fine man. You didn’t mention John David whatever-his-name-is, though. The one with three first names.”

  Minnie was confused. “What about John David?”

  Cletus put his hand over his mouth. “Oops.”

  “What are you talking about?” Martha wondered.

  “Let’s just say, Abner and Troy won’t be the last men in the town of Nowhere to ask our Minnie for a date. That’s all I’ll say. Now, what’s for dinner?” Cletus rubbed his hands together. “Do I smell a pot pie?”

  Minnie was torn. On the one hand, she had secretly wished that John David would ask her on a date. But now she had a date with Troy. She didn’t want to be like Abner, going out with a different person practically every day of the week. She also didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

  Minnie walked into the kitchen with the rest of her family and sat down at the kitchen table. It seemed like things were going her way. So why did she suddenly feel bad?

  Chapter 5

  The following day, as Minnie was walking to work, she heard the familiar chug of John David’s engine.

  “Would you like a ride?” John David cried over the smoke.

  “That would be great.” John David opened the door for Minnie, and she climbed into the car. “How are you doing, John David?”

  John David smiled at her. “I’m doing very well. How are you, Minnie?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” Minnie felt a little sick to her stomach. She had a feeling she knew what was going to happen next.

  Sure enough, John David took a deep breath and launched into his question. “Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with your father. I asked for his permission to court you, and he gave his blessing. Minnie, I’d like to take you out on a proper date sometime. What do you say?”

  Minnie felt like there was no right answer. On the one hand, she genuinely liked spending time with John David. He was smart, attractive, and kind—all qualities she was looking for in a husband. However, she had also agreed to go on a date with Troy. She didn’t think it was fair to either of the men to agree to dates with both of them.

  Minnie had learned about honesty and the importance of personal integrity from Cletus and Edna Petunia. She was glad they had instilled their values and work ethic into each and every one of their daughters.

  Minnie decided to explain the truth to John David. “I really enjoy spending time with you, John David. I’d like to go on a date with you, but I want to be honest. Troy Jacobs asked me on a date yesterday, and I agreed. I’d like to go out with him and then if that doesn’t work out, I’d gladly go on a date with you. I hope you’re not offended. I’m simply trying to be forthright and honest.”

  John David looked a little taken aback but nodded his head. “That makes sense, Minnie. Thank you for trusting me enough to be honest with me. I’m not happy to hear it, but I appreciate that you were honest about it.”

  “Okay, good. I was worried you’d be upset with me!” Minnie explained.

  “No, I could never be mad at you, Minnie.” John David smiled ruefully. “I will admit, though. I hope you and Troy have a terrible date!”

  Minnie playfully swatted at John David. “That’s not nice!”

  “But it’s true.” John David pointed out, then pulled up next to the mayor’s office.

  Minnie rolled her eyes. “Thank you for the ride, John David.”

  “Any time, Minnie. Any time.” John David watched her walk into the mayor’s office, then pulled away.

  As hard as she tried, Minnie was unable to focus on her work. Agatha had to call her name several times to get her attention.

  “Minnie, are you feeling all right, dear? I’ve explained this to you three times, and you don’t seem to understand.” Agatha frowned. They were putting away books, and Agatha was instructing Minnie on how to decide where each book should go.

  “I’m so sorry,” Minnie apologized. “I’ve been a little distracted, but you have my full attention.”

  Minnie struggled to focus on her work for the rest of her day. She kept worrying she’d made the wrong choice. Troy was kind and handsome, but John David was, too. She also couldn’t shake the thought of Timothy Parker. She still secretly wished he would ask her on a date, too.

  At lunch time, Minnie went to visit Cletus and sat down with Cletus and Timothy in the judge’s chambers.

  “Minnie, my dear, did you decide what to do about your problem?” Cletus asked, beaming proudly.

  “What problem?” Timothy asked, concerned.

  Minnie felt her face turning bright red. She wished Cletus hadn’t said something in front of Timothy. She didn’t want Timothy to know. “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing!” Cletus cried. “Three young men from Nowhere have asked my permission to court Minnie. Timothy, you know I have many daughters. But this is the first time three different men have asked for one of my girls to court them at the same time!”

  Timothy couldn’t believe it. He found it hard to swallow the bite of sandwich he was eating, and his heart began racing harder than it ever had before. He couldn’t think of anything to say. He knew Minnie was something special. He just didn’t expect that the whole town would feel the same way.

  “I told John David no because I had already told Troy that I would go out with him,” Minnie explained.

  “Well, that’s very considerate of you. Isn’t it, Timothy?” Cletus boomed.

  He tried to remain calm and act as if he didn�
�t care. “Yes, that’s considerate.”

  “I’m not sure.” Minnie looked up at Timothy. “Sometimes I think that the right man for me is a different man entirely.” Timothy nearly choked on his sandwich.

  Cletus patted Timothy on the back until he stopped coughing, then looked over at Minnie, confused. “What do you mean by that, Minnie?”

  “Oh, nothing. I should get back to the mayor’s office. Thank you, Cletus. Good day, Timothy.” Minnie rushed out the door before Cletus and Timothy could give her a proper goodbye and returned to the mayor’s office.

  Minnie walked leisurely back to the mayor’s office. She wasn’t actually running late. She had just known that she needed to get out of Cletus’s office before Cletus or Timothy figured out what she was thinking.

  She was looking forward to her date with Troy, but there was still a part of her that wished Timothy had been one of the men who had asked for Cletus’s permission to court her. She knew that would never happen, especially with Timothy working for Cletus, but she couldn’t help the way she felt.

  Minnie tried to focus on the positives. She considered herself extremely lucky that even in her small town, she had been asked out on dates with three different men. Well, two, if you didn’t count Abner, who had asked out almost every eligible young woman in Nowhere.

  That afternoon, all Minnie could think about was where Troy would take her on their date. Courtship was all a very new world for her, and she didn’t know what to do or how to behave. From everything she knew about Troy, though, she expected that he’d be a perfect gentleman.

  Agatha had to scold her twice that afternoon because her head was in the clouds, imagining what her life might be like if Troy continued to court her.

  “Minnie! You’re normally so responsible. Where do you drift off to?” Agatha looked baffled.

  “I’m sorry, Agatha. I promise, I’ll do better.” Minnie continued dusting the bookshelves so the mayor’s office kept its sparkling appearance.

  Agatha only sighed and moved on to the next task.

  Once Minnie had locked up for the afternoon, she decided that a visit to her sister Evelyn was in order. Troy worked for Evelyn’s husband, Frank, and lived on their property. Evelyn would know what Troy liked and didn’t like so Minnie could make the most of their time when they went on their date.

  Minnie accepted a ride home from Cletus that afternoon, and as they made their way back to the Sanders’s house, Cletus tried to figure out what was going on in his daughter’s brain.

  “You seemed . . . distracted today at lunch. Everything okay?” Cletus tried to remain neutral. He didn’t want his daughters to think he was overly interested in their personal lives. He just wanted them to know that he loved and supported them, and he was a little worried about Minnie.

  Minnie smiled at Cletus. “Yes. I am looking forward to my date with Troy. I will admit, I am a little nervous.”

  “That’s to be expected. You’re a good girl, a girl who thinks with her head. So I know that all will be well in the end,” Cletus tried to reassure her.

  Minnie beamed. “Thank you, Cletus. I sure hope so!”

  It was Minnie’s turn to help prepare dinner, so she went straight to the kitchen.

  Edna Petunia was standing in the pantry, staring down an empty sack of flour. “Now where did you disappear to?”

  “Excuse me, Edna Petunia?” Minnie said cautiously. Edna Petunia looked like she did not want to be disturbed.

  Edna Petunia jumped up and spun around. “Minnie! Where’d you come from?”

  “Cletus just brought me home from work. I’m ready to help with dinner.” Minnie gestured to the flour sack. “What exactly is going on in here?”

  “I was sure I had more flour. And somehow, I turned my back, and it was all gone!” Edna Petunia cried.

  Cletus came in just then and walked up to Edna Petunia. “My, my, you look more and more beautiful each day, my dear.” He grabbed her around the waist and planted his lips firmly on her mouth. Edna Petunia kissed him back with equal passion. “I’ll be in the parlor.” Edna Petunia sent Cletus off with a pat on his bottom.

  Minnie noticed another sack of flour on the table behind Edna Petunia. “Excuse me, Edna Petunia—is this the flour you were looking for?”

  Edna Petunia jumped again. “That’s the very one! I’ll be darned. Thanks, Minnie.” Edna Petunia ripped open the sack of flour and began pouring it into a large bowl. “Now, tell me about what’s going on with you and this harem of men that’s suddenly interested in you!”

  Minnie blushed, taken aback. “Oh, Edna Petunia, it’s not like that.”

  “Nothing wrong with it, Minnie. I’m just making conversation, don’t go getting your blusters in a fluster!”

  Minnie was confused. What does that even mean? Then she spotted Edna Petunia’s hip flask sitting on the kitchen table. She lifted it up, and sure enough, it was mostly empty. Minnie’s sisters thought that Edna Petunia might keep something a little stiffer than cough syrup in the flask, but they left her to her own devices.

  “I’m not getting my . . . blusters . . . in a fluster!” Minnie tried to speak Edna Petunia’s language. “I’m just trying to deal with these men one at a time. Well, except for Abner.”

  “Lord knows what goes on in the mind of that young man.” Edna Petunia looked up to the sky. “I’m glad you made the decision that he was not a good match for you.”

  “I did feel a little bad about it.” Minnie admitted.

  Edna Petunia stopped mixing and stared Minnie straight in the eye. “Minnie Sanders, you never, ever need to feel bad about standing up for yourself! You hear me?”

  Minnie nodded. “Yes, Edna Petunia.”

  Edna Petunia patted her daughter on the shoulder. “That’s good, dear. Now, let’s get this pork in the pan!”

  Minnie helped Edna Petunia place the pork chops in the frying pan. “Tonight, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to eat dinner at Evelyn and Frank’s.”

  Edna Petunia frowned. “And why would that be?”

  “Well, I haven’t seen Daniel or little Frances in a while.” Frank had a son with his first wife, who had died in childbirth. Evelyn and Frank had met because Evelyn was the assistant-teacher for Daniel’s class, and he was a real handful. Evelyn had somehow found a way to get through to Daniel, and she and Frank had fallen in love in the process. Now, their family also included a beautiful young toddler named Frances.

  “So you’re just trying to be a good aunt, is that it?” Edna Petunia continued. She pointed a whisk at Minnie. “What about your other nieces and nephews?”

  “Well, uh . . . ” Minnie tried to think of an excuse, but then Edna Petunia burst out laughing.

  “I’m teasing you, girl. I know you want to ask Evelyn and Frank questions about Troy to get ready for your date. Am I right?” Edna Petunia showed off her full set of pearly-white dentures.

  Minnie had to laugh a little, too. “You figured me out, Edna Petunia. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  “I knew it!” Edna Petunia gloated. “It’s a long walk to the Keifer’s place. Why don’t you have Cletus drop you and pick you up? I can finish up here.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t ask him to do that. I wouldn’t want him to miss a minute of dinner.” Minnie knew Cletus tended to get a bit agitated when he was even the slightest bit hungry.

  “Nonsense. Cletus!” Edna Petunia called into the formal parlor, where Cletus liked to read his newspaper.

  “Yes, love?” Cletus called back.

  “Minnie needs to go to the Keifer ranch. You need to leave now and drop her there so you’ll be back in time for dinner,” Edna Petunia explained.

  Cletus poked his head into the kitchen. “What’s all this about?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Cletus. It’s between us women.” Edna Petunia put a finger to her lips and looked at Minnie. Minnie giggled.

  “All right, then. We’d best be on our way, Minnie.” Cletus went outside to prepare the wagon to g
o out again.

  Minnie looked around the kitchen. “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

  “Get out of here before I change my mind!” Edna Petunia shouted.

  Minnie didn’t need to be told twice. She rushed out of the kitchen and out the front door. “Thank you, Edna Petunia!”

  Cletus didn’t speak much on the way to the Keifer ranch. Minnie thought he might have dinner on the brain. Edna Petunia was an excellent cook, and she hated to miss dinner herself. But she knew the reason she was going to see Evelyn and Frank was a good one. If she had to miss one delicious home-cooked meal, she was glad it would be for an important cause.

  When Cletus pulled up in front of the Keifer ranch, he tipped his hat to Minnie. “Give my regards to your sister and her husband, please.”

  “I will, Cletus. Thank you.” Minnie gathered her skirt in her hands and climbed down off the wagon.

  “I’ll be back in two hours to pick you up.” Cletus told Minnie as he prepared to set off for the Sanders’ home again.

  “Thanks, Cletus. That’s perfect.” Minnie watched as Cletus, the horses, and the wagon disappeared from her view. She walked over to the front entrance to the home where Evelyn and Frank lived and knocked on the door.

  When Evelyn answered, she wore a surprised look on her face. “Minnie! We weren’t expecting you.”

  “I’m sorry, Evelyn. I just got an idea in my head I couldn’t stop thinking about,” Minnie tried to explain.

  “I understand how that goes. Come on in.” Evelyn held the door open so Minnie could enter. Evelyn, Frank, and their children lived comfortably on the Keifer ranch. Frank had given up a high-paying job in the state of Georgia before moving to Nowhere and becoming a rancher. He could have done anything he wanted, but he chose to remain on the ranch, working with the animals each and every day.

  Minnie walked through the house and spotted her niece, Frances, in the corner. She approached the young girl and made cooing sounds. “Hi, Frances!”

  The baby giggled in response.

  Just then, Frank Keifer strode through the door. He walked up to Evelyn, put his hand to her face, and kissed her deeply. “Hi, Minnie.”