The Diary of Jerrod Bently by J.W. Osborn (large ebook reader TXT) 📕

“You look like a cow hand,” Lillie criticized as she greeted her niece “A proper young lady should be....” Sam cut her off, “This is not Philadelphia, Aunt Lillie and I am not a “just a cow hand,” I own this ranch.” , she snapped. Lille was shocked into silence. “Esparanza will show you to your room.” , she added as she walked away, refusing to be angered by the woman. Lille stood on the porch alone, as we carried all that baggage into the front hall and then to the bedrooms upstairs. I decided that no matter what this old witch might have to say, I was not going to allow her to steal the joy and happiness of our wedding day. And in the future, if she never visited us again, I would be grateful.
Victoria , came to the door and on seeing Lillie standing there, approached her. Haughtily, Lillie turned to look at her. “Hello,” Victoria said a she sized up the situation “You must be Doc’s sister.” She offered Lillie her hand.
“Yes,” Lillie replied as she leveled a scrutinizing gaze on Victoria and the simple calico dress she was wearing under her long white apron. “And who might you be?”
Victoria had dealt with people like her new sister in law in the course of a day of business as usual at her bake shop. “Oh,” she said with an elegant smile “I’m the cook.”
“Then, get the housekeeper to show me to my room.,” Lillie replied in a condescending manner. Victoria was preparing with a hot retort for the woman just as her husband appeared at her side. Doc grabbed her and kissed her soundly right in front of his sister. “Elliot!” Lillie stated “That is inappropriate! We do not mix with the hired help.”
Doc broke away from his wife, leaving her momentarily breathless. “Oh,’ he said “It’s all right here in Texas as long as “the hired help” is my wife.”
Victoriously he watched Lillie’s face go scarlet as she stuttered out words in great embarrassment. Doc would not let up. “Lillie,” he said as he drew Victoria to his side, “I am proud to present my wife, Victoria Stevens.”
That was all the overbearing woman could handle, “Pleased to meet you,” she muttered as Brian came to her rescue and took her to her room. A moment later he was back. “I am sorry, Uncle Elliot,” he said “She is very difficult.”
“That ain’t nothing new, son,” Doc replied “She’s been like that since I can remember. “
Brian reached out to take Victoria’s hand. “You must be my new Aunt Victoria,” he said as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I am honored to meet you.”
Victoria did not need an introduction to know that this young man was Brian Dodge. His eyes reminded her very much of Doc’s. “I am sorry if my aunt offended you,” he said “Sometimes I think she does not know any better.”
“Oh, she knows better.,” Doc chimed in “and may be while she is here for your sister’s wedding, she can learn a few manners that ain’t got a thing to do with “Philadelphia.”
“Are you hungry, Brian?”, Victoria asked “I made some sandwiches while Doc was in town to meet the stage and Esparanza brought some fresh butter milk in from the spring house.”
“That sounds wonderful, “ Brian replied “And yes, I am half starved.” Come to think of it, so was I as I over heard them talking. So I followed my soon to be brother in law to the kitchen and Victoria fed us royally. She was a fine woman and we would miss her and Doc when the time came for them to go back to Portersville. I also knew that if anyone was going to knock Lillie Stevens-Black off her high horse, it would be Victoria. She had become a mother to Sam and in a way to me as well. Sam fully recovered from the accident under Victoria’s care and for that I would be eternally grateful. Sam had needed her in her life and once again I realized all that had happened was the work of the Lord.

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Now all the way home, Aunt Lillie Steven-Black had coddled that large box wrapped in white canvas as though it were a new born child. Essie sat beside Brian and I am sure they both had had a belly full of Lillie Stevens-Black. I know I had and I was sure Doc was of the same mind. That box held some kind of fancy high society wedding dress, and I knew before we even got all those thirteen bags into the house, that Sam would hate it. My Sam was not a fancy dress up kind of person.. To her, the dungarees made of denim from Levi Strauss out in California were the latest fashion, and she wore holes in her favorite boots long before she wore out her denims. This new fabric was a cowboy or girl’s dream come true and in those well fitting work jeans, that was how I always saw her in my thoughts. She was a cow girl, and I loved her just the way she was.

When Sam walked into her bedroom, there on the bed was a few things she did not recognize at all. Beside it was a large pile of lace and satin ruffles and a white hat box. “Surprise!” Aunt Lillie crowed. ”It is your wedding dress!”
Uncertain, Sam turned worried dark eyes to Victoria and trying not to look shocked or appear ungrateful. She crossed to her bed to look at the garments laid out there, waiting for her.
“Thank you, Aunt Lillie,” she said in her usual quiet way. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Queen Victoria wore a beautiful white gown such as this when she married Prince Albert.,” Lillie chattered on “And now it is all the rage. Why every bride in Philadelphia would kill to wear this gown on her wedding day!” Victoria could sense Sam’s distress. “Lillie,” she said “Why don’t you go down to the kitchen. Esparanza has made a fresh pot of tea. May be Sam would like to try on her dress. I will call you when we are ready.”
“Very well,” Lillie agreed, a smile of great self satisfaction crossing her face. “That dress was made by one of the finest dressmakers in Philadelphia,” she said “I chose it myself, and I knew you would just love it!”
Sam was trying very hard not to laugh out loud. “Thank you,” she said “It is very nice. I will put it on and then call you.”
“See that you do child.,” Lillie instructed “I know that dress is just perfect for you. Oh! I can hardly wait till Saturday to see you walk down the isle in it!” Twittering to her self, Lillie left Sam and Victoria alone in Sam’s room. Both of them heaved a sigh of relief. Sam picked up a fancy white bustle trimmed with lace. “What is this?”, she asked “It can’t be something I am supposed to wear? This all looks pretty complicated to me.” She then picked up the white satin whale boned corset, laces all tied up neatly down the back, and looked at Victoria with a question in her eyes.
“That is a corset.,” Victoria replied, “The other is bustle and you don’t need either of them.” She sat down on the edge of Sam’s bed and looked at all the fancy under clothes that were meant for holding up the wedding dress.
“I had not planned on this.,” Sam said disdainfully as she pulled off her linen shirt, kicked off her boots, then slid out if her dungarees. “I was going to wear the gauchos you gave me and my new boots.”
“I hadn’t thought of this either, Honey,” Victoria replied “and you will look fine in the gauchos, Sam, but your aunt has brought this and I guess you should at least try it on.”
“May be it will be too small,” Sam said hopefully.
Victoria looked at the dress. “My best guess is that it will be too big for you.”
“You words to God’s ears,” Sam replied.
It took Victoria a while, but she got all the lacing and tying done. Sam stood in front of the mirror looking at herself. “It’s awful!,” she said as Victoria prepared to drop the hooped petticoat on to the floor. “And very uncomfortable.,” Victoria added in agreement, then pointed to the hoops “You will have to step into that and I will pull it up for you,”
“It is hard to breathe in this thing,” Sam commented as she continued to look at her reflection. Victoria grinned “That’s why I don’t wear one,”she replied proudly as she smoothed her sides with both hands. “My waist has always been about twenty two inches,” she said “But with a baby coming, I am sure that will change.”
Sam did not comment right away, she was still looking at herself in the mirror. Then she grinned wickedly admiring how the corset enhanced the gentle curves of her body. “I think Jerrod might like seeing me in this,”she said. “But no bustle.”
“ I think he would love to see you like that,” Victoria replied as she lifted the hoops up and tied the strings behind Sam’s tiny waist “But he will have to wait until after you say your vows to see you in that get up,” she added.
Sam giggled “The waiting is the hardest