"We'll do just fine." Nick walked past with a heavy burlap sack over his shoulder. "There's three more of these in the buckboard," he told Heath as he deposited his burden beside the piano.
Heath put aside the tools he was sorting. "Well, I'll give you a hand." He exited.
"Nick, what's in those sacks?" Michelle inquired.
"Rice."
"For what?"
Nick gave her an exasperated look. "To throw at the bride and groom. I thought you knew these things."
Michelle watched Heath reenter with a sack over his shoulder which like Nick he deposited by the piano. He headed back out.
"Yes, I know you throw rice at the bride and groom," Michelle said. "But you throw all this you're apt to give the happy couple a couple of bruises."
"We need enough for all the guests," Nick told her.
Michelle moved to the piano and stooped. "Fifty pounds quality rice." she read. She rose. "You've got enough rice here for every member of the family to get married."
Heath came in again and dumped fifty more pounds of rice by the piano.
"Where do you want this?" Adam Cartwright entered with the last sack of rice over his shoulder. He had arrived a day ahead for the wedding and had rode up just in time to help unload the wagon.
"By the others," Heath said.
Adam paused to kiss Michelle's lips before depositing the sack on the floor. "Did someone hire Hop Sing to cook for this affair?" He put his hands on his hips. "You've got enough rice to feed every Chinaman in San Francisco."
Jarrod who had been silent through the rice exchange was studying blueprints for the archway. "This doesn't look too hard," he said as Nick and Heath approached him to look. Jarrod traced a line with his finger. "See we just make sure to anchor it here so it doesn't tip."
"What's that?" Adam inquired of Michelle.
"They're going to try to build the archway for the bride to walk through. One of Janet Templeton's great ideas."
Adam removed his hat and set it on the piano. "To have the archway... or to have your cousins build it?" He could hear the faint talk of the brothers still discussing the plans.
Michelle stooped to contemplate the abundance of rice. "I wish they would wait for Heath's friend. He does this kind of thing all the time. I mean these things are better left to people who know what they're doing. Don't you think? I'm just glad you're not foolish enough to join them on this." There was no response. "Adam?... Adam?" She rose to see Adam standing beside Nick and Heath.
"You know I studied architecture in college..."
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Michelle told her cousin Gene. She was now on the porch taking periodic glances through the window.
Gene gave Michelle a kiss before asking, "Why? Or do I want to know?"
"It's about the bride's archway..." she began.
"Walker came to help with that. Didn't he?"
"He's not here yet."
Gene paled. "Don't tell me. My well-meaning, over exuberant brothers are handling it."
"I'm afraid so. And as much as I hate to admit this Adam is in on it." Michelle folded her arms and sighed.
Gene eased her aside and peered through the window. What he saw made him groan. "Nick just spilled paint on the sofa. Hmm Mother's going to love that." Luckily she and Audra were in town with Laura and Mrs. Templeton.
"Paint?" Michelle moved to look with him. "They couldn't possibly be at the painting stage yet."
"They're not," Gene told her.
"Boy Howdy, Nick, watch what you're doing!" Heath admonished.
"Look, there's too much stuff lying around! I can't help it if I lost my footing."
Adam looked at the sofa. "Do you think we should wipe up this paint?"
Jarrod shook his head. "No time now. We'll get it later."
Nick lifted a bag of nails but he'd grabbed it from the bottom. Nails scattered all over the floor. Attempting to retrieve them he stepped on some pieces they had already put together.
"You are a regular bull in a china shop, brother Nick," Jarrod said.
Nick's temper rose. "I TOLD you there's too much stuff lying..."
Adam placed a hand on his arm. "Nick," he said calmly, "why don't you let us handle the archway. You can...um...Why don't you sit over there... out of the way and put the rice into the little mesh bags."
Nick was exasperated then relented. "Fine. But when you three mess it up don't blame me." He roughly grabbed a sack of rice. It ripped open spraying fine grains in every direction. Much of it sticking to the paint that had been spilled earlier.
Gene turned and brought his hands to his face. He shook his head. "Oh, no. Michelle, what are we going to do? My wedding's tomorrow. It could take a week to clean up the mess they're making."
Michelle took him by the wrists and lowered his hands. Looking him in the eye she said. "Bunkhouse four is still empty right?"
Gene nodded. "Yeah, but..."
Michelle spoke firmly. "Gene, listen to me. Go get all the hands that are available and get that bunkhouse cleared and cleaned out. When Walker gets here I'll send him over there to build the archway. And my mother and some of the other ladies can decorate... We'll just change the venue."
Gene smiled gratefully at his cousin. "Okay." He stepped off the porch.
"Oh, Gene."
He turned.
"Whatever you do don't tell your brothers what's going on."
Michelle stood with her mother Rosalie Kaufman in the doorway of bunkhouse four. The work had progressed nicely. Walker had arrived and with the help of a couple of the hands who did wood working the archway was up. Rosalie and some of the hands' wives had made the place look fine.
Walker approached the ladies. "Well, how's it look? Is that about what they wanted?"
Michelle smiled. "I think so. Thanks again."
Walker grabbed his hat. "Well, I best be going. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."
Michelle and her mom watched him leave. "So how are you going to explain this to the "boys?" Rosalie asked her daughter.
The "boys" were to be thankful for all they had was a mess. And when the blaming each other ended Heath was heard to say, "Boy Howdy, why didn't my friend Walker show up?"
THE END