Elm Creek: A Readymade Family, Volume 2

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FOUR

Charity and the boys played three rounds before she noticed how much time had passed without Missy and the older girls returning. When she looked around, there was no sign of them. She wondered how far they’d gone to find flowers and what was taking so long.

Voicing her thoughts, David spoke up, “What happened to the girls? It’s been a long time since they left.”

“I guess there won’t be a wedding today after all,” James snickered. He cast a glance in Charity’s direction. “I hope you’re not too disappointed. We can do something more fun.”

“I don’t mind,” she said honestly. The wedding games were always Missy’s idea. Charity just went along with it like Jake did since Missy was hard to say no to.

David jumped up and brushed off his jeans. “Let’s go see what they’re doing.”

Jake and James got up, and so did Charity.

“Charity, your butt is brown,” Jake snickered after a glance at her backside.

She sighed. She’d completely forgotten her mother had told her not to sit in the grass and dirt in her white dress. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be too upset about it.

David dusted her backside helpfully. “It looks better, but it’s still brown,” he said when he finished. “I’m sure Aunt Serenity will wash it out. I get my white shirts dirty all the time and Mom always gets them cleaned.”

Charity hoped he was right.

The boys set off with David in the lead, and Charity followed. They didn’t find Missy, Rachel, and Stephanie anywhere in the yard or the house. After several minutes of futile searching, David approached Missy’s mother.

“Aunt Anna, we can’t find Missy, Rachel, and Stephanie. Do you know where they are?”

Anna, in the middle of a conversation with Serenity and Jake and David’s mother, looked down at them. “They went to the flower field.”

A few blocks away from Missy’s house, there was a large flower field that reminded Charity of the flower field in Alice in Wonderland. Of course, she and Missy were only allowed to go there if accompanied by one of the older kids or an adult.

David led them away from the adults. “Let’s go see what they’re doing. They should have found enough flowers a long time ago.”

As he set off, Charity and the others followed. When they reached the flower field, it was easy to spot the girls. They were the only ones in the field, sitting together in a circle as they played with flowers.

As they approached, Missy looked up. “Hey, Charity! Come join us. Stephanie is showing us how to make flower crowns.”

“Told you there wasn’t going to be a wedding,” James murmured.

“Don’t remind them,” David hissed.

“Let’s play somewhere else, Charity,” Jake said, grabbing hold of her hand before she could join the other girls. “David brought his train today. We’re gonna put it together. Isn’t that more fun than making flower crowns?”

Charity moved her gaze to David.

He smiled. “It is pretty cool. You can help put together the train tracks if you want.”

Charity had only seen those moving trains through toy shop windows. She’d never had the opportunity to play with one before. It was more attractive than learning how to make a crown from flowers.

“Okay,” she agreed. “That sounds fun.” Then she called back to Missy, “I’m going to play with David and Jake.”

Missy didn’t look bothered. She shrugged and turned her attention back to Rachel and Stephanie.