Page 7 of My True Love Gave to Me

"You done got yer days mixed up, David. We ain't no lords a-leaping." Grandpa Joe waited for Anna to come to the porch railing then waved at her. She waved back, her grin radiant as she waited for him to proceed with his performance. And Grandpa Joe did love having an audience. "Ready, men?"

He gave a signal, and each man reached into their coat pocket.

"We're pipers," he exclaimed, loud enough for the milling crowd to hear. "And we're about to start piping."

Each man pulled out a tobacco pipe, producing a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Matches were struck, pipes lit, and puffs commenced until a haze obscured the air.

Anna laughed and proclaimed it wonderful. Men in the crowd guffawed. A handful of women shook their heads in disapproval. And Mr. King? Why, he actually cracked a smile.

Grandpa Joe walked straight over to the porch and positioned himself directly below where Anna's father stood at the railing. Mr. King swatted at the cloud that rose up to accost him.

"I thought you gave up smoking, Joe. Didn't the doctor tell you it was bad for that cough of yours?"

"Yep. I'm makin' an exception today, though. For Simeon." Grandpa Joe took the pipe from his mouth and pointed the tip at David King. "That's what we do for family, ain't it? Put our own needs aside to support those we love."

Mr. King turned to look at Anna, saw the pleasure on her face as she cheered on old Mr. Thompson while he blew lopsided smoke rings into the air. Her daddy's face softened, and he nodded, giving Simeon his first real glimpse of hope.

Two days before Christmas, Simeon's mother and sister led a group of eleven ladies of various ages in a dance. Papa played his fiddle as the ladies twirled and dipped in time with the music. With the odd number, they couldn't pair up, so they did a version of a maypole dance, weaving in and out of each other until the music stopped.

When Christmas Eve finally arrived, anticipation and nerves kept Simeon from eating. An icy wind blew in from the north and turned the weather cold. He prayed it wasn't foreshadowing the reception he'd get for his final gift.

As he and Gabe and the ten other little lords they'd recruited turned off the main street to make the walk down to Anna's house, Simeon wiped his palms on his trousers for what must have been the twentieth time. He wished he'd been able to come up with a more dignified final gift. A game of leap frog didn't really make a man look like a mature, responsible fellow, one ready to provide for a wife and children. It was too late to change things now, though. In for a penny, in for a pound, as Grandpa Joe liked to say.

When they neared the house, shock coursed through Simeon's midsection at the crowd of folks he found braving the inhospitable weather to line the street. It looked like half the town had turned out. His parents and sister huddled by a tree. Mary waved as they passed. Heloise and Beverly called out wishes of good luck. Grandpa Joe and his gaggle of geezers formed a line, each one spouting encouragement as they slapped him on the back.

The King family stood on the porch, waiting. Anna gripped the railing in the front while her parents stood arm-in-arm behind her. Herald Fielder hovered annoyingly close to Anna, but Simeon didn't spare him a glance. Once his gaze locked with Anna's, he couldn't see anything else. She lifted a hand to her lips and blew him a kiss—a hand sheathed in a white glove with a turtle stitched onto the cuff. The red ribbon he'd wrapped around a dried-out bunch of cockleburs adorned her hair. Instead of precious gems, she wore a rifle cartridge around her neck. And while he watched, she kicked her foot between the railing spindles to reveal a riding boot peeking out from beneath her skirt hem—one that jangled when she wiggled her ankle. Pride ballooned his chest. She'd even worn the spurs for him.

"Anna King," Simeon said in a voice strong enough to carry through the entire crowd, "I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I'll love you for all the days to come. And on this twelfth day of Christmas, I give you . . ." He swept a hand out to the path that led to the porch.

"One lord a-leaping!" Gabriel shouted as he jumped forward then bent down into a ball.

"Two lords a-leaping!" The next boy in line hopped over Gabe then crouched down and ducked his head.

Three lords, then four. They kept coming, each hopping over all those who had come before. Simeon moved into position at the end of the line, his pulse leaping higher than any of the young men in front of him.

When his turn finally came, he looked straight at his love. "Twelve lords a-leaping!"

Then he braced his hands on one rounded back after another, launching himself over each lord who had come before. When he vaulted over the last fella, he swept off his hat and bent forward in a deep bow. He slowly straightened, his gaze locking on Anna. She'd moved away from Herald to stand on the porch steps, directly in front of him. Tears sparkled in her eyes.

Simeon reached out and clasped her hands in his. The love he felt nearly knocked his feet out from under him, but he couldn't bask in her adoration. He still had one last task to complete. Releasing her hands, he mounted the steps and climbed past her to stand in front of her father.

She joined him, slipping her arm through his, her support palpable.

"Mr. King?" Simeon kept his voice low and the conversation private. "I love your daughter with everything that I am. I might not be as rich or as educated as some, but I promise to provide her with a good life, a happy life. I'll put her needs before my own and stand by her side through any hardships that come our way. I'll protect her with my dying breath and honor her above all others." Simeon held her father's gaze. "Please, sir. May I marry your daughter?"

For a long moment, no change registered on David King's face. His stony expression remained fixed. Then he stepped away from his wife and clamped a hand on Simeon's shoulder.

"Son, any man with the fortitude to wage a twelve-day campaign of utter ridiculousness to please his lady and not only see it through but garner the support of the entire town in the process is a remarkable fellow indeed. And one I would be honored to welcome to the family."

Anna squealed and launched herself into her father's arms. "Thank you, Daddy! Oh, thank you!"

Her reaction spurred the crowd into cheers and applause. Simeon, heart full of gratitude, accepted his future father-in-law's hand in a firm shake then shot a grin over his shoulder to his family. Grandpa Joe let out an ear-piercing whistle and threw his hat in the air.

Simeon laughed, the joy inside him too strong to contain. Then Herald Fielder stepped forward. Dread yanked on Simeon's midsection, but he faced his competition square on. No matter what the man said or did, Anna belonged to Simeon. Forever.

"Good show, Shepherd." Herald extended his hand.

Relieved at his rival's acceptance, Simeon shook his hand, a look of understanding passing between them.

Anna grabbed Simeon's hand then, and all thoughts of Herald faded like yesterday's news. Turning to his newly betrothed, Simeon swept her into his arms and spun her around in a circle. Their laughter melded together and spilled over into their audience.

The cheers doubled in volume, then morphed into chants of "Kiss her! Kiss her!"

Simeon slowed the spin, looked into Anna's glittering golden eyes, and kissed his true love. He might have orchestrated twelve days of crazy Christmas giving, but he'd just received the greatest gift of all.