Mariah's Hope by M. J. Conner

Author:M. J. Conner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2012-10-09T00:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Sherman Butler felt a small catch in his chest when he saw Mariah step through the door of the Cattlemen’s Association meeting hall with Hope clinging to her hand. There was something different about her hair, and she was wearing a rose-colored dress. She stood straight and tall as she gazed around the room. That was one of the things that attracted him to her. Most tall women slumped in an effort to look shorter. Not Mariah. She was tall, proud, graceful, and beautiful. Her eyes meet his, then quickly shifted away.

While he watched, a group of chattering women sur-rounded Mariah and Joanna. Tom walked away to visit with one of the local ranchers. Then Carrie and Lucas arrived. With his daughter clinging to his side, Sherman forced his attention from Mariah.

❧

Mariah saw Mr. Sherman Butler as soon as she stepped through the door of the meeting hall. Her eyes met his before she managed to look away. His daughter and son-in-law arrived shortly after that. Carrie was wearing a sparkling, emerald green dress that accentuated her auburn hair and flawless skin. She immediately took possession of her father, urging him toward the punch bowl.

Mariah tried not to look at them, but they were difficult to avoid. Even if Mr. Butler hadn’t been the tallest man in the room, his and Carrie’s copper-colored hair shone forth like beacons, distinguishing them from the crowd. She forced her mind away from the Butler family as a steady stream of her students and their mothers surged around to greet her.

Her cousin, Lucille Smith, and Lucille’s friend, Gretchen Racine, rushed over to compliment Mariah’s dress and becom-ing hairstyle. “Oh, Cousin Mariah, you look divine! I wish Mama could see you.” Lucille rolled her big, green eyes. “Mama insisted on staying home with her grandson tonight. She practically forced Jed and me out of the house.” She sighed dramatically and leaned close to Mariah. “She will be so happy when I tell her that I saw you tonight. Mama keeps saying that Kansas has been so good for you.”

Kansas had indeed been good for her. Mariah smiled warmly. “Tell Cousin Gladys that Hope and I will stop in to see her soon.”

For the next hour the friendly crowd mingled and visited as people gathered around the refreshment table. Promptly at eight o’clock the floor was cleared for the dance. This was the part of the evening Mariah most dreaded. She took a seat in one of the chairs that had been pushed back against the wall. Joanna sat on one side of her with Hope on the other, while the fiddler warmed up on a raised platform at the end of the room.

A tall, slender man Mariah recognized as the father of one of her first graders stepped up onto the platform. “Everybody choose your partner for the first set,” he announced.

Little Karl Braun came over and asked Hope if she would be his partner. Mariah looked into her daughter’s pleading eyes and nodded her permission.

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