Hummingbird Lane by Brown, Carolyn (good books to read for beginners TXT) 📕

call them happy tears.” Emma moved back a few steps. “Now, get dressed and go make a home and business with Teddy. Who all is coming to the commitment ceremony?”

“Teddy’s father, Jonathan, and Rebel are the only ones coming from outside the park family, so don’t go to too much trouble,” Sophie answered.

Emma sat back down in her chair. “Tell Filly that. This is like her daughter getting married.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Josh slipped his arm around Emma’s waist and pulled her close to his side that morning when Sophie and Teddy drove away in two separate vehicles. Arty and Filly came out of their trailers and waved from their front porches right along with Josh and Emma until the dust had settled back to the dirt road.

“Ready for a long inspiration walk?” Josh asked.

Emma leaned against his side. “Yes, but, Josh, I already miss her.”

“She’ll be back for the ceremony next weekend.” Josh dropped his arm and took her hand in his. If someone had told him five weeks ago that a beautiful brunette would come into his life and he’d be so comfortable with her that he would have a relationship with her, he would have thought they were bat-crap crazy.

“I don’t like change,” Emma said. “I didn’t realize it until right now. Maybe that’s why I let my mother dominate me for so long.”

“That’s because the big changes in your life turned out to be disastrous. Think about it, Em. First your mother decided to have you tutored at home, and you didn’t see Sophie anymore. You were isolated from all the people you knew at school. Even if they weren’t your friends, you were used to seeing them.” He kept her hand in his and stepped off the porch. “Then you went to college and the change you experienced there was really devastating. Don’t be afraid of change now. Sometimes it’s a good thing.”

“I’m not afraid of anything anymore. If Sophie had decided to have a huge church wedding in Del Rio, I would have gone to that. But I am glad she’s having her ceremony here. It’s a special place.”

“Yes, it is.” Josh squeezed her hand gently and then stopped and pointed to a turtle hiding in a clump of grass. “Take a picture with your phone. I can see one of your paintings of this old boy with hope written on his back.”

“Hope is the magic that heals hearts and souls,” she whispered as she took several shots of the turtle.

The sun was straight up overhead when Emma and Josh returned to the trailer park. Arty and Filly motioned them over to the picnic table, where they had laid out sandwiches, chips, and Filly’s homemade cookies for lunch.

“We were hoping you kids would be back in time to eat with us and talk about the wedding next week,” Filly said.

“I was thinkin’ maybe I’d make an arch for them to stand under when they say their vows,” Arty said. “They’ll pass through the arch to jump over the broom on the other side, and then we’ll have a big reception for them. What do y’all think?”

“Sounds wonderful.” Josh waited for Emma to sit down, and then he took his place beside her. He held her hand while Arty said grace, then passed the platter of sandwiches over to her.

“What do you want when you get married, Em?” Filly asked.

“The same thing as Sophie. My folks had the big wedding with the huge cake, big white dress, and a reception at the country club. That had to be the worst marriage in history, so I sure don’t want anything like that,” she answered.

“Smart choice,” Arty said.

“I’ll make a trip to town tomorrow for silk flowers. I’ll need to make two bouquets plus a few corsages and boutonnieres for everyone. Plus, we’ll need stuff to decorate the arch. Sophie left it up to me to pick the colors. I think red roses would be nice,” Filly said.

“Why go to town? If you made an order now, they’d all be delivered to your doorstep in two days,” Emma said.

“That’s a great idea. After we get done eating, Josh can bring his laptop out here, and we’ll get everything ordered,” Filly agreed. “That will save the whole day that it takes to go to town, shop, and come home.”

“What do we do if it rains?” Josh asked.

Filly glared at him. “It wouldn’t dare. Not on Sophie’s day. So, give me your opinion. Red roses?”

“Sophie loves this place so much,” Emma said. “Maybe we should think about using cactus flowers, and what do you think about some little hummingbirds on the arch?”

“I could dig up some blooming cactus and desert grass, plant them in a couple of big pots, and put them beside the arch,” Josh offered.

“I’m liking that idea.” Filly nodded. “That sounds like we should use sage-green tulle instead of white?”

“I believe you’re beginning to see the light.” Arty grinned. “This will be the ceremony of the century.”

Emma was already just a little jealous. This was exactly what she would want when she got married. This place and these people had saved her life. Maybe she could save all the decorations for the day when it was her turn to jump over the broom.

A rumble out in the distance took their attention away from the upcoming festivities. Emma shaded her eyes with her hand and stared at the dust boiling up behind a vehicle coming down the road. Sophie must have forgotten something, and Emma felt two ways about it. Part of her was excited that she could see Sophie again. The other part didn’t think she could bear another goodbye.

“It’s Leo,” Arty said. “I wasn’t expecting him just yet, but I do have a few things ready for him.”

“We can tell him about the new gallery while he’s here,” Emma said.

The truck came to a stop, and Leo crawled out. “Howdy, folks.”

“Come around and have some lunch with us,” Filly said.