Free Where the Wild Rose Blooms by Lori Wick Page B

about my sisters. Lord, but this is so special. He brings out the best in all of us. I
don't know how I'll stand it when he leaves in the morning.
    With that Eddie slowly made her way inside, determining to throw off any hint of sadness. This was Roberts last night, and she needed to make the best of it. After all, she had only a week of memories to carry her for the next six months.

    "Now," Addy spoke with determination. "I decided to get you a Christmas gift from the catalog, Eddie. It won't arrive before Christmas, and I'm going to have it mailed
directly to Robert because its for your new home." Addy set a Montgomery Ward catalog in her daughters lap. "You choose which mantel clock you want.
    "A mantel clock? Oh, Mother, are you certain?"
    "Indeed I am. With the changes happening in the economy, I'm sure things are going to be tight in the days to come, but your father and I discussed it last night and he said you're to have the one you want. It can go over the fireplace in your bedroom, the one in the living room, or that wonderful fireplace you wanted in the en try way. "
    Eddie gave the older woman a hug before they bent their heads over the pages.
    "Which one do you suppose Robert

would like?"
    "
I

don't know, Eddie," she said thoughtfully. "You could pick out a few you like—you know, circle them and then tear the pages out and send them to Robert. He could mark the ones he likes and send them back. I know its supposed to be a Christmas gift, but you won't be married for three more months, and that's more than enough time to pick out what you like."
    "All right," Eddie agreed, and again both turned to the pages before them.
    "That's pretty," Addy said

as she pointed to one of the clocks.
    "Oh, Mother, that's a Seth Thomas, and it's almost $7!"
    "Your father said you were to have the one you wanted, Eddie."
    Eddie chewed her lip. "I really should mark more than one."
    "Not if you only like one."
    "I like this one too, but it's $8."
    "Mark them both," Addy said decisively and stood. "I have a dozen things to do before the girls come home from school, so you go ahead and take care of it, Eddie. I'm sure Robert will be pleased either way."
    Addy left the kitchen then, but Eddie just sat. It was hard to imagine how their home would look and even harder to see the clock on a fireplace that existed only in her mind, but it wasn't at all hard to see that she and Robert were going to be very happy.

    "Now, Jacqueline," Miss Bradley spoke clearly. "Its your turn to recite the original 13 colonies in the order they were admitted to the union, and also their capitals. Please come forward and face the class."
    Jackie did so without fuss or nerves. She had

worked long and hard with this memorization, and she knew them all by heart. However, Jackie didn't count on the way she would feel when every eye in the class was trained on her. It wasn't the admiring looks she received from some of the boys; it was the looks of dislike that many of the girls gave her. In order to get started, Jackie dropped her &yes to the floor in front of her.
    "The capital of Delaware is Dover. The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. The capital of New Jersey is—"
    "Look at the class, please," Miss Bradley interrupted from the rear.
    Jackie raised her eyes and swallowed hard. "The capital of New Jersey is Trenton. The capital of Georgia is ..." Here she faltered. She tried to keep her eyes glued to her teacher, but they kept darting about the room. Jackie felt her face turn red, and Miss Bradley suggested kindly that she begin again.
    Jackie thanked her with a smile and started out all right, but faltered again at Georgia. She knew all of these, but her mind had suddenly gone blank. She wanted to tell the teacher, but she couldn't find those words, either. Her heart sank when after several strained minutes Miss Bradley rose and moved to her desk.
    "Come here, Jacqueline." Her voice was stern. Jackie turned, thankful at least that her back