As Love Blooms Read online

  Charlotte patted Tessa’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll find something else to catch your fancy. After all, you’ve already passed through the journalist, photographer, librarian, and Pinkerton agent phases.”

  “Horticulture is not a phase!” Tessa set her cup down so hard some tea swished out onto the saucer. First Mr. Nussbaumer and now her sisters? Didn’t anyone understand? “This is the profession I’ve chosen, and you both need to realize I’m not a child anymore. I’m almost twenty years old, and in case you’ve forgotten, when Mother and Father passed away, we promised to help each other achieve our dreams.”

  Hannah shared a knowing look with Charlotte, then came round the back of the divan and placed her hands on Tessa’s shoulders. “You’re right. We did. But is this really your heart’s true desire?”

  “Yes, Hannah, it is.” She shrugged her sister’s hand away, stood, and squared her shoulders. “But I don’t need your help. I’ll make my own dreams come true—with or without you.”

  3

  Refreshed after her suffrage meeting, Samantha Phillips entered her home and passed her wraps to the butler. Raised voices from the parlor drew her attention. She turned toward the French doors only to see Tessa storm out of the room.

  Oh dear. What had upset her niece?

  Her lips curled in a smile. She truly thought of all three of the Gregory girls as her blood relatives even though they were not. It was only because her true nephew Lincoln Cole had married Hannah that she’d even been blessed to have the three delightful young ladies in her life. Thank goodness Tessa had agreed to stay with her during her summers home from college. She’d missed the young woman’s pluck and creativity a great deal during her time away, and now that she was back, this massive house felt like a home with her flitting about.

  Sam swung the French doors wide as she entered the parlor. Charlotte looked up. “Aunt Sam, you’re early.”

  Hannah stuffed a tablet beneath a pillow—a sure sign the two ladies were up to something. “How was the meeting? I hated to miss it.”

  “I believe the women’s suffrage parade in Washington last March has infused the cause with new vitality. The ladies were positively bubbling over with ideas.” She picked up a stack of envelopes from a small writing desk in the corner and thumbed through them. “Now, would the two of you like to explain why your sister left the room in such a huff?”

  “You saw that?” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “You know how Tessa is.”

  “No, I don’t think I do know.” Sam sliced through one envelope with a letter opener.

  “Well, today she’s enthusiastic about securing a position as a gardener in the public park system, but you know tomorrow she’ll probably want to be a ballerina.”

  Sam sat down on the divan, unfolded the missive in her hands, and smoothed the creases in the paper. “A ballerina?”

  “Or a butcher,” Charlotte added.

  “Or a pilot.” Hannah gathered Ellie into her arms and chuckled.

  “Oh my, don’t let her hear you say that.” Charlotte glanced toward the door as if she expected Tessa to appear any minute and lowered her voice. “It’ll only give her ideas.”

  “I’m ashamed of you two.” Sam looked up from her letter. “Your sister has worked hard at her horticultural studies. Do you blame her for wanting to use her education?”

  Hannah stroked Ellie’s hair as the girl nestled against her shoulder. “Of course we don’t blame her, but we all know how Tessa doesn’t exactly have a history of sticking to one thing for any duration.”

  “Even if that is the case, did you not all promise to support one another’s dreams?” Sam drew in a deep breath as she watched both women nod. “I know Tessa is young, and I know you have always been the older sisters. I also realize Tessa is a dreamer, but will you support her only in the dreams you believe are worthy? Do other people think it’s fitting for you, Hannah, to work as a lawyer? And Charlotte, I remember all too well how difficult it was for you to enter the man’s world of being a chef.”

  “But Tessa lacks a single-minded purpose.”

  “Does she?” Sam walked to the vase of tulips Tessa had picked and placed on the mantel, and fingered the cut glass. “Ever since I met your sister, she’s worked in my garden as if it were her own. Even when she wanted to be a photographer, then an actress, and then a Pinkerton agent, she never stopped gardening. By the way, I talked her out of learning how to fly an airplane.” Sam turned toward the two sisters. “She told me your mother liked to garden. I believe becoming a horticulturist is her connection to her mother. In her world, where flights of fancy are a regular occurrence, working with the earth literally and figuratively grounds her.”

  Charlotte swiped at the tears gathering in her eyes. “Aunt Sam, you’re right. Hannah, remember Mother’s roses and how Tessa insisted we dig them up when we left the farm?”

  Hannah nodded. “She’s worked so hard to keep them alive so we each could have one of the bushes.”

  “We owe her an apology.” Charlotte stood and shook out her dress. “But I’m afraid it will have to wait. If I’m going to be home when Alice Ann gets home from school, then I need to leave.”

  “Then go, dear. You can speak to Tessa later.” Aunt Sam walked over to Charlotte and took hold of her hands. “You two have blessed that child of yours more than she’ll ever know.”

  “Adopting her has been my greatest joy, but she might be the only child we have.”

  Sam patted the back of Charlotte’s hand. “Give it time. I’m sure a baby will come.”

  “We’ve been married for two years. That seems like plenty of time.”

  Hannah eased a sleeping Ellie down onto the divan and whispered, “What does Joel say? He’s the doctor.”

  “He said as advanced as medicine is today, doctors still don’t have all the answers. But he also reminds me that God does. So we keep praying. If I’m not with child by the end of the summer, though, I’m going to speak to him again about adopting a sibling or two for Alice Ann. She’s already seven, and I want her to have sisters. I can’t imagine growing up without them.” She smiled at Hannah, then turned to Sam. “I’ll speak to Tessa tomorrow and see what we can do to help her.”

  “I can go up now,” Hannah offered.

  Sam shook her head. “No, I think Tessa might need some time to calm down. Besides, actions speak louder than words. Perhaps you two can come up with a way to demonstrate your support.”

  Charlotte kissed Sam’s cheek and hugged her sister before leaving the parlor. After Sam was certain she was out of earshot, she turned to Hannah. “When are you going to tell her your news?”

  “I can’t. Not yet.” Hannah placed her hand over her abdomen. “I can’t bear to see the disappointment on her face.”

  “She loves you. She’ll be happy for you—in time.”

  “It’s not fair, Aunt Sam.”

  “Life seldom is.” Sam glanced at the photograph of her husband beneath the rounded glass of a mahogany frame. How she missed him, but God had filled her life with a new family. Lincoln and Hannah, Joel and Charlotte, and of course, the effervescent Tessa.

  She cupped Hannah’s cheek. “But as a woman whom God did not bless with her own children, I can assure you that you can come to love those not born to you as your very own.”

  “Thank you, and I feel the same.”

  “But you need to tell your sister. Eventually, news like this has a way of making itself obvious, and the fact that you’ve kept it a secret will hurt her all the more.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. I simply need to find the right time.” Hannah sighed. “Please don’t tell Tessa yet either.”

  “I won’t, but if anyone can sniff out when someone is keeping something from her, you know it’s our Tessa.”

  The long, mournful face stared back at Reese with accusing eyes.

  “What? You need to wait your turn. This is my supper.” Reese forked the last bite of pork chop and tossed the bone to the bloodhound, Lafaye
tte.

  “You spoil him.” Mrs. Baxter, the owner of the boardinghouse, took his empty plate. “He’s more your dog than mine now, you know? Someday when you leave, you’ll have to take him with you.”

  Reese stood and grabbed the remaining dishes. “I’m never leaving you, Mrs. Baxter.” He gave her a wink.

  “Cheeky young man.”

  A ruckus in the foyer drew their attention, and Mrs. Baxter frowned. “Dear me, it sounds like the Henderson boys are home, but they must be in a sorry state.”

  Peachy. Those two had been nothing but trouble since they’d moved in, but Mrs. Baxter, God bless her, believed they’d been put on her doorstep for a reason, and she intended to save their sorry souls.

  Reese put a hand on her arm. “You should send them both packing. This is the second time they’ve come home like this.”

  “But at least they joined us for evening prayers the other day. What if God sent them here for a reason?”

  Reese couldn’t argue with that, nor could he dissuade the kindly older woman. She might seem like she was made of marshmallows, but Reese had learned she was as tough as leather deep down.

  They both jolted at the sound of glass breaking. Lafayette raised his head and barked.

  “Stay here. I’ll see to them,” Reese said.

  “Reese, you’re a good man.”

  “God just puts me in the right places at the right times.” He flashed her a smile. “At least that’s what you’ve been telling me.”

  With a set of garden plans once again tucked beneath her arm, Tessa left the house early and headed for Como Park. Mr. Nussbaumer was not going to turn her down without at least taking a look at her work, and she’d keep coming back every day until he took her seriously. She had to secure this position. It was the only way to keep her secret.

  The streetcar ride gave her time to put her plan together. She would go to his office and introduce herself again. After a few minutes of park flattery, she’d get down to business. If he turned her out today, she’d return tomorrow. Eventually, he’d look at her work either out of curiosity or to be rid of her, and then he’d see the promise in her garden designs.

  She’d be the first to admit she still had much to learn, but her professors had praised her work and encouraged her to continue—right up until that unfortunate curfew breach. And when she finally was an employed horticulturist, people—especially her sisters—would start to take her seriously. No one would ever have to know what really happened.

  A spring breeze kissed her cheeks as she stepped off the streetcar. The paved walkways throughout Como Park made traversing the rolling hills quite easy. Despite being tempted to stop and take in some of the current displays, she made a beeline for the park office. There’d be time enough for looking around once she secured the position.

  “Whoa!” The gardener from yesterday stepped in her path. Mr. King, wasn’t it?

  “Excuse me, Mr. King, but I’m headed to speak with Mr. Nussbaumer.”

  “Call me Reese, and that’s what I was afraid of.” He tugged his cap out of his back pocket and pulled it in place. “What’s your plan?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Mr. King.” She had no intention of becoming familiar enough with this gardener to call him by his given name. Reese? A different name, but she liked it. At least his parents showed some creativity. She’d met enough Johns, Walters, and Franks to last a lifetime.

  The man nodded. “It may not be any of my business, but you seem like a smart, resourceful young lady, and given that, I figure you’re willing to accept the counsel of those who might know Mr. Nussbaumer better than yourself.”

  “If you think because I’m not a man, I should stop trying to work here, you’ve got the wrong idea.”

  “Are you finished?” He smiled, revealing slight dimples like parentheses around his mouth. A jolt of anger fired through her. He was too cute, and way too distracting.

  “No, I’m not a bit finished.” She pointed to him with her rolled-up plans. “I am not going away until Mr. Nussbaumer sees what I can do, and no one—and that includes you, Mr. King—is going to stop me.”

  “I have no intention of stopping you.”

  “And I’m going to come back every day until he looks at these.” She jabbed him in the chest with the plans.

  He snatched the roll and held it aloft. Tessa swung at it, but her feeble attempt did not yield results. Short of kicking him in the shin, she had little recourse than to wait for him to give back the plans—and then she could make him wish he’d never touched them in the first place.

  “You cad!” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Taking a lady’s belongings is beyond ungentlemanly. I insist you return them this instant.”

  “After I look at them.” He lowered the papers but kept a firm hold. “I want to see your work. If your plans are any good, then I’ll see what I can do to help you get Mr. Nussbaumer’s attention.”

  “You want to help?”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” He tapped her nose with the cylinder.

  She batted the plans away. “But you said Mr. Nussbaumer wouldn’t . . .”

  “Never mind that. Let’s go have a seat and take a look at these, Miss Gregory.”

  “Tessa.” She fell in step beside him. Her sisters would be mortified. “You can call me Tessa.”

  They stopped at a walled planter. Mr. King—Reese—unrolled the plans and spread them on the bricks. He leaned over them, securing the sides with his arms.

  Tessa held her breath. If she couldn’t impress this gardener, one of Mr. Nussbaumer’s underlings, how would she ever impress the master gardener himself?

  Without a word, Reese moved on to the next page. After what seemed like an hour, he finally turned to the last set of plans. Still, he said nothing.

  Tessa couldn’t wait any longer. “Well?”

  He rolled up the plans and turned to her. “There’s only one thing I can say, Tessa.”

  Like a cactus, disappointment pricked her. Now what would she do?

  “These are amazing. You have the ability to look at a garden like a blank canvas, but . . .”

  “But?”

  “Mr. Nussbaumer still won’t take you seriously. He’s too old-fashioned about what women should do.”

  Anger threatened to erupt, but she held it in check. “That’s not fair.”

  “No, it’s not.” He paused and seemed to study her for a while. “But I’ve got an idea. I said if you had talent, I’d help you, and I will, but you’re going to have to trust me.”

  “Trust you?” Her father always said you could tell if someone was trustworthy by looking in their eyes. The famous detective Allan Pinkerton said that too. She gazed into Reese’s blue eyes and noticed the color matched the faded denim trousers he wore. Mesmerizing. She blinked. Focus. Yes, he had pretty eyes, but was he trustworthy? Could she trust this man with her future? What if he had ulterior motives?

  If she made the wrong choice, what would her sisters say when she had one more thing to explain?

  4

  Reese was insane. Somehow being around this fiery little redhead had made him completely loco. He looked past her toward the mosaic garden and thought of how many hours he had spent working on the carpet bedding display. Sure, it lacked Tessa’s artistic flair, but Mr. Nussbaumer had expressed pleasure with his work. After that, Reese had been given even more responsibilities, and then finally he’d been offered the chance to prove himself. Some had even started to refer to him as Mr. Nussbaumer’s second in command. So what had possessed him to offer to help Tessa Gregory? He could be risking everything.

  While his mind screamed for him to withdraw the offer, his mouth had other ideas. “What do you say, Tessa?”

  “I’d like to hear your plan before I fully commit. It seems only sensible.”

  He nodded. Smart girl. “All right. Here’s what I’m thinking . . .”

  For the next hour, Reese had Tessa walk with hi
m. As he performed his morning duties, they discussed his ideas, which entailed using Tessa’s plans on an area Mr. Nussbaumer had recently assigned him to create a garden of his choosing. When the work was done and Mr. Nussbaumer seemed pleased, he’d give Tessa the credit, thus opening the door for her work to be taken seriously by the German park superintendent.

  Tessa agreed to the plan but insisted he allow her to come help plant the garden. Keeping her presence a secret would be quite difficult, but he had to admit having a working companion would be a nice change. Seldom were the other park gardeners assigned to the same area, and when they were, he usually had to work with Nels, a man who seemed intent on making himself look good by pointing out every fault he could find in Reese’s work. But what would Mr. Nussbaumer do if he found out Reese was letting Tessa work at Como?

  “Um, Reese, I think that hole is deep enough.” Tessa’s voice broke through his thoughts.

  He leaned on the handle of his shovel. Yep, she was right. This little bush didn’t need the crater he’d dug. She reached for a gunny sack filled with soil, and Reese laid a hand on her arm. “Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t mind if you dig in the dirt and plant things to your heart’s content, but as long as I’m around, you don’t need to be lifting anything heavier than a rosebush. Agreed?”

  “I could manage.”

  “I’m sure you could, but it doesn’t feel right. Give me that, okay?”

  She grinned. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Your best not to carry things or your best not to let me catch you doing it?”

  She shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see. Can we start now?”

  “Not until tomorrow.” He glanced at her fancy outfit. “And I hope you have something more appropriate for a lady gardener.”