*****
Laura sat on the edge of the bed she shared with Kristen watching her sister pack the last of her things. Kristen’s wedding dress, a vision of white lace, hung on the back of the door, ready to be put on the following morning.
Kristen carefully packed everything that she wouldn’t need until she got to Paradise into the last of the ten trunks she had. She would put the things she needed to have tomorrow into a small carpet bag that she would keep with her instead of letting it be loaded onto Samuel’s wagon.
“Are you nervous?” Laura asked her.
Kristen shrugged. “A little. I’m more excited than anything, though. I’m ready for the wedding, but nervous about spending the rest of my life with a man I barely know.” She didn’t add that she found her fiancé very attractive. She wasn’t sure what it was about him, but now that he’d cleaned up so well, she was looking forward to life with him.
“He seems really nice,” Laura said.
“He does. We had enough time to talk alone together that I’m sure we’ll get along fine. We have similar goals and like a lot of the same things. It’ll just be awkward at first, I’m sure.”
“I can’t imagine marrying someone I barely knew. You had lots of men who wanted to court you here. Why are you marrying a stranger?”
Kristen shrugged. “I just never thought any of the men who wanted to court me were very godly. They were all more interested in their own lives than in serving our Lord. I wanted to marry a man who looked to God first the same way I do.” She put her spare nightgown into her carpet bag and snapped it shut before climbing into bed beside her sister and blowing out the kerosene light. “I hope I can sleep.”
Laura laughed. “I know I won’t be able to. My sister’s getting married tomorrow. I’m so excited. And did you know I get to be the maid of honor?”
“I heard that somewhere…”
“It’s going to be glorious!” Laura’s voice was filled with excitement. “Papa is nervous about walking you down the aisle. He says there will be too many people there, and he will fall and embarrass you.”
Kristen laughed. “He won’t fall.” She bit her lip. “Do you think I invited too many people? Samuel said to plan a small wedding…and…it’s not going to be very small.”
“How many people will be there?”
“Five hundred at last count.” She sighed. She knew she’d overdone it, but she couldn’t leave anyone out.
“Five hundred? I think I know what the first marital spat will be about.” Laura sighed heavily. “How could you invite five hundred people to a ‘small’ wedding?” The shocked look on Laura’s face told her that she had gone even more crazy with the plans than she’d thought.
“Well, I didn’t mean to. It just happened. One thing led to another. I had to invite Molly because I invited Mary, and then I had to invite Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, because I invited Mary and Molly, and well…it grew from there.” Kristen’s voice sounded small in the dark. “You don’t think he’ll really be mad do you?”
“Probably. He told you to plan a small wedding and you invited all of Dallas and half of Fort Worth. How could he not be mad about that?”
Kristen laid in the dark staring at the ceiling. She hoped Laura was wrong. She didn’t want to start her marriage out with her husband angry with her. She said a quick prayer for understanding and finally nodded off to sleep. Tomorrow was her wedding day.
Chapter Four
Bride of Paradise: Book 1 in Mail Order Ministers Page 13
