Chapter Seventeen – Frankie

“You look refreshed,” Ruth said as Frankie walked into the kitchen two days later. Her sister was icing a cake with Jenny and it would be easy to forget the last couple of days had been a dream.

“Thank you. I feel it.” She hugged her sister and took her hand. “Adam is talking to Michael in the workshop, but I wanted to show you my ring.”

“Adam proposed?” Ruth asked excitedly.

Frankie nodded and held out her hand, the diamond solitaire sparkled on her finger as it caught the light.

“It’s beautiful,” Jenny sighed wistfully. “I hope my mate gives me a ring like that one day.”

“I’m sure he will, Jenny.” Frankie put her right arm around Jenny and hugged her. “And what a lucky man he will be.”

“When you are much older,” Ruth said to the starry-eyed girl. “Well, maybe not as old as me, but at least as old as Aunty Frankie.”

“Are you going to buy a wedding dress?” Jenny asked, breaking away from Frankie to help smooth the icing on the cake.

“I am.” Frankie caught Ruth’s eyes and inclined her head toward Jenny. “Of course, I’m going to need bridesmaids, too.” Jenny’s eyes widened. “They will wear pretty dresses, and I thought maybe a tiara. What do you think, Ruth? Do you have any idea of who I could ask?”

“Hmm, I’ll have to give it some thought.” Ruth tapped her chin as she screwed up her face in thought.

Jenny practically burst as she said, “Me! Oh, please, can I be a bridesmaid?”

Frankie grinned widely. “You were the first person I thought of.”

“Thank you!” Jenny flung her arms around Frankie’s neck and kissed her cheek. “I’ve always wanted to be a bridesmaid.”

“Do you think Jason will be my ring bearer?” Frankie asked.

“If there’s cake in it for him,” Ruth replied excitedly, and then her expression sobered. “Who is going to give you away?”

“That’s the thing.” Frankie swallowed down the ball of emotion in her throat that made it hard to breathe. “I hoped that you would.”

Ruth reached out and steadied herself on the counter. “Me?”

“You were both mother and father to me, Ruth.” The two sisters hugged, holding each other tightly. Then another pair of arms circled around them and Jenny joined in.

“Of course I will.”

“Does that mean we all get pretty dresses?” Jenny asked.

“It does, yes,” Frankie promised.

“Where is the ceremony going to be held?” Ruth asked, drying her eyes on her sleeve as she went back to icing the cake.

“In the Gothic folly on the grounds of the hotel.” It had been Adam’s idea and Frankie was more than happy to go along with it. There was something romantic about the stone-built building with its gargoyles watching over the entrance.

“Have you asked Julius?” Ruth scraped the last of the icing out of the bowl and Jenny smoothed it over the cake.

“Adam asked him on the way here. Julius is going to be the best man.” Frankie scooped a small amount of icing onto her finger and licked it. “Mmm, tastes good.”

“I can make your wedding cake if you want?” Jenny asked.

Frankie smiled. “You know, I would like that.”

“Really?” Jenny asked in surprise.

“Yes, really. Ruth tells me baking is your favorite thing.”

“It is,” Jenny replied.

“And Julius said yes?” Ruth asked, steering the conversation back toward the practicalities of the wedding.

“He did.” Frankie went to the coffee pot and poured out two cups of coffee. “The only thing is, the hotel is so busy, the only time we can get married there is in three weeks’ time. Or else we’ll have to wait months.”

Silence fell in the kitchen, until Ruth forced out the words, “You want to organize a wedding in three weeks?”

“I only want a small wedding, family and immediate friends. And Elise.” Frankie sipped her coffee, waiting for Ruth’s response.

“Who is Elise? Is she a friend of Adam’s?”

“Sort of.” Frankie and Adam had discussed whether or not to tell people about their trip and what they’d uncovered. Frankie had decided to tell Ruth and Michael, while Adam would talk to Julius privately about the outcome.

“Go on,” Ruth encouraged. She had plenty of practice at getting Frankie to open up about things she didn’t want to talk about.

“Elise is the sister of my heart donor.” Frankie held her breath, waiting for Ruth’s reaction.

“So that’s where you two went.” Ruth took the bowl to the sink. “Does this have something to do with the way you were feeling about Adam, and if he really was your mate?”

“Yes, although it’s more than that.” Frankie sighed, not wanting to explain all the details. Keep it simple is what they had decided. “And it’s all okay now. The woman who Adam thought was his mate is the same woman whose heart I have. She had a mate who died with her. Her mate possibly donated blood, which Adam may have received in a blood transfusion. She also had a twin sister. Elise.”

“That makes sense. If any of it is ever going to make sense.” Ruth nodded. “You did what you had to do. And that’s an end to it?”

“Yes.” Frankie looked down at her engagement ring. “She’ll always be with us, but that is an end to it.”

“Good, it’s time to accept the past and look to the future, Frankie.” Ruth half turned but kept her wet hands in the sink.

“You’re right.” Frankie drank her coffee and took her cup to the sink. “We’re organizing a dog show.”

Ruth snapped her head around to look at Frankie. “We’re jumping from weddings to dog shows?”

“It’s on the same day as the wedding.” Frankie watched as Ruth approached an apocalyptic meltdown. “It’ll be fine.”

“You keep saying that,” Ruth said as she took a deep breath.

“Most of the people we’re inviting will be at the dog show anyway. And Julius has set aside some rooms where we can change clothes.” Frankie’s shoulders slumped forward. “I know I’m crazy. But unless we wait…”

“No, it’s okay, we’ll pull it off. I’ll organize the ladies of Bear Creek.” Ruth went back to washing the dishes. “Why a dog show?”

“I said I’d organize it before we went away. It’s for the animal shelter, to try to get some of their dogs rehomed. And other animals if at all possible.” Frankie leaned back against the counter and studied Jenny who was piping icing on her cake. “You know what Jenny and Jason need?”

Ruth pressed her lips together, stifling a smile. “I get the feeling you are about to tell me.”

“Dogs, Two of them. They need plenty of love and plenty of exercise. And you have three hundred acres of prime dog country right here on your doorstep.” Frankie cocked her head to one side. “Think about it. Kids need something to care about.”

“We never had a pet,” Ruth reminded her.

Frankie pushed a strand of hair back from her sister’s face. “I know, but I also remember when you wanted a dog more than anything else. And then you got to look after your brothers and sisters instead.”

Ruth stopped washing the dishes and looked out of the window. “You remember that?”

“Yes. I was about four and you were pushing me in a stroller to collect the others from school. There was this dog, I can’t recall the breed, I just remember it was big. You knelt down and stroked it, and I remember the way you told the owner you’d always wanted a dog. He said there were going to be puppies and you could have one. Even at four, I could read the look of longing on your face.”

“I remember.” Ruth looked down at her hands in the bowl of suds.

“They need a home. Just like Jenny and Jason needed a home. I also think it might break Jason’s sense of unwavering responsibility toward Jenny.”

Ruth looked over her shoulder at Jenny. She knew what Frankie meant. Jason had not yet managed to sever that sense of needing to be his sister’s protector against everything. Jenny was more than capable of coping on her own and risked being smothered by her brother. “I’ll talk to Michael about it. But promise me, you won’t talk about it in front of the children. This is not their decision and I don’t want to get their hopes up.”

“I won’t.” She kissed Ruth on the cheek. “I’m going to track down that fiancé of mine. Coming, Jenny?”

“I have to do the dishes with Mommy,” Jenny said, clearing up her equipment.

“I’ll do it this once,” Ruth replied. “You go and tell Jason he’s going to be a ring bearer.”

Jenny’s eyes lit up. “He’ll have to wear a suit and tie, won’t he?”

“He will,” Frankie said and reached for Jenny’s hand. As she slipped her small hand into her aunty’s hand, she looked up and smiled the biggest, brightest smile Frankie had ever seen. Her heart lurched, and then a dull ache of longing set in. She wanted children. Children of her own, children she would love in the way she loved Jenny and Jason.

“Will I carry flowers?” Jenny asked.

“You sure will,” Frankie replied.

“And definitely a tiara?”

“Most definitely.” Frankie squeezed her hand. “Are you happy here, Jenny?”

“Yes!” Jenny said. “Having Michael and Ruth as our Mommy and Daddy is the best thing ever. And having an aunty like you.”

“Thanks, Jenny. You and Jason mean a lot to me. You know I love you both, right?”

Jenny nodded. “We love you, too.”

Jenny stopped and pulled Frankie to a halt beside her. Then she put her hands on Frankie’s shoulders and got her to bend down. A quick kiss was planted on Frankie’s cheek. “What was that for?”

“Being you.” With that, Jenny ran off toward the workshop.

“Wait for me.” Frankie followed, slowing as she reached the door of the workshop. She wanted to spend a moment appreciating the view. And what a view it was. Adam was working with Michael and had stripped off his T-shirt, his muscles glistening as he lifted a large piece of timber and set it on the workbench. “What ya doin’?”

Adam turned around as she entered the workshop. “Michael is making us a wedding gift.”

“A wedding slash housewarming gift,” Michael told her cryptically.

“We don’t have a house yet.”

“Well, that’s something I was going to talk to you both about. A couple of years ago, I had some plans drawn up for a new house. I never did anything with them, even though I got all the permits to go ahead and build.”

Frankie’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean we’d live here, in the forest?”

“You know I’ve gotten used to having you around again,” Ruth said from the doorway.

“You knew?” Frankie asked, turning to face her sister.

“Michael told me about it the day you left for Reaminster.” She came into the workshop and Michael beckoned them over to another workbench, over which hung a set of plans for a large open plan cabin.

“It’s yours if you want it. I realize it will mean Adam traveling to work.” All eyes turned to Adam.

“I love it.” He broke out into a smile. “I can’t think of a better place to live.” He went to Frankie and wrapped his arms around her.

“Thank you all so much,” Frankie said and promptly broke down in tears. “Happy tears,” she sobbed as they all gathered around and hugged each other. “Very happy tears.”