A Bride to Heal His Broken Heart

by Melynda Carlyle

  Arm-in-arm with Brian, she continued walking until she was standing directly in front of Darren. Brian kissed her cheek and then released her hold, transferring her hand to Darren’s. He then stepped to the side and took his place next to June on the front pew.

  Pastor Johnson cleared his throat and addressed the guests. “Everyone may be seated.”

  Darren squeezed her hand, and they slowly climbed the two stairs to the small platform. The pulpit had been moved to the side, and Pastor Johnson now stood back a few feet, but right between them, his Bible held in his hands.

  “We are gathered here today to witness the marriage vows of Lorna MacPherson and Darren Wilson. If anyone here wishes to object, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

  Lorna wasn’t worried that anyone would speak up. The entire town had been thrilled with the announcement of their engagement. She smiled at Darren, wishing they could just get the ceremony part over with. Knowing everyone was watching them was making her nervous once more.

  Pastor Johnson continued speaking, quoting Scriptures and talking about the gift of marriage. Lorna tried to listen, but she was so caught up in Darren’s gaze she barely heard a thing.

  Darren seemed to know she wasn’t listening and he whispered, “Are you happy?”

  Lorna’s smile grew as she whispered back, “Yes. Are you?”

  Before Darren could answer, the preacher took a small step forward and whispered for their ears only, “Now that everyone is happy, can I finish the ceremony?”

  Lorna blushed and dropped her eyes, doing her best to hide the giggle that wanted to break free. Darren wasn’t that in control and he coughed to cover up his chuckle as he whispered, “Sorry, Pastor.”

  Pastor Johnson hid a smile and then stepped back and started talking aloud once more.

  “Darren, what token do you give Lorna as a symbol of your love and fidelity?”

  “A ring. It belonged to my late mother and I know she would have wanted Lorna to wear it.”

  Pastor Johnson held out his hand, and Darren placed the ring in his palm. “Let us pray for blessings.”

  After a short prayer, Pastor Johnson handed the ring back to Darren. “Place the ring on her finger and repeat after me:

  “I, Darren Wilson, take you, Lorna MacPherson, to be my helpmate and wife. I promise to stand beside you, forsaking all others, till the day I die. In sickness or in health, I will be by your side. Through good times and bad, I will love and honor you.”

  Darren repeated the words and then slid the ring on her finger. Lorna felt overwhelmed with joy and love for this man.

  “Lorna, now it’s your turn. Repeat these words after me:

  “I, Lorna MacPherson, take you, Darren Wilson, to be my husband and my protector. I promise to stand beside you, forsaking all others, till the day I die. In sickness or in health, I will be by your side. Through good times and bad, I will love and honor you.”

  Lorna repeated along with the pastor, her voice nearly shaking with nerves and joy. Pastor Johnson smiled. “Darren and Lorna, marriage is a sacred covenant and not one to be taken lightly. Folks who have come here today to witness this momentous occasion, you are hereby commanded to help these two as they embark on a life together. Offer them your support and your wise counsel. Let not that which God has brought together be tampered with.

  “Darren and Lorna, by the power invested in me by God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Darren, you may now kiss your bride.”

  Darren stepped closer and then turned Lorna slightly so that all their guests could see was her back. Darren smiled before he cupped her jaw with one hand, holding her still for his gentle kiss. It was brief, but when he drew away, their audience was clapping enthusiastically.

  Lorna felt her face grow warm as she blushed. She glanced out at the pews, and even the Paiute were clapping for them. She felt so happy in this moment.

  She’d made many mistakes upon first arriving in Virginia City. She’d come here to try and get away from her past and the horrible things that had happened to her and her family. She had wrongly laid it all on the shoulders of the Indians.

  She gazed at them now, amazed at how easily these beautiful people had become her friends. Her eyes included the townsfolk and residents of the ranch. She was truly blessed.

  She’d arrived from Nova Scotia, homeless, without a family to call her own, and broken in spirit. She’d longed to create a new life for herself.

  She looked back at Darren and knew she needed to look no further. She’d gained family, friends, and most importantly, she’d gained a home: a place where she could grow older and put down roots.

  “Wife,” Darren murmured to gain her attention.

  Lorna smiled. “I like the sound of that, husband.”

  Darren grinned broadly at her and dipped his head again. He kissed her, taking his time while their family and friends cheered them on.

  Lorna kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and silently thanking the powers that be for this beautiful moment. She had come to Virginia City to become Mrs. Wilson, and that’s exactly what she’d done.

  Not quite in the way she’d first imagined, but she couldn’t fault the outcome; not when a man who adored her and who she loved intensely was holding her close amidst their family and friends. She’d found the place where she truly belonged – a place to call home.

  Epilogue

  One year later…

  Darren was cleaning brushes at the corner of the corral when he heard Lorna cry out. He dropped the brushes in the dirt, not caring that they would need cleaned all over again.

  He raced toward the open door of the barn, not stopping until he was standing over her bent form. “Lorna?”

  “It’s time,” she gasped, holding her protruding stomach and breathing slow and deep.

  Darren felt his pulse increase. “Ethan! Come quick.”

  Ethan ran into the barn, took sight of the situation, and immediately led Darren’s horse out of his stall. “I’ll get the wagon hitched up; you get her in the back.”

  In preparation for the arrival of Darren’s first child, he and Ethan had converted one of the wagons to a makeshift bed with blankets and pillows. Lorna had told him yesterday that she felt today was going to be the day, and he’d been sticking close to her all morning.

  “Sweetheart, can you walk?”

  “The contraction is over, so I have a few minutes, at least,” she told him with a smile. “Help me into the wagon?”

  “Come with me.” Darren led her out of the barn and into the sunlight. The air was still crisp, but the first breath of spring was in the air: the perfect time for a new life to enter the world.

  Ethan was waiting at the back of the wagon, and together, they helped Lorna climb up and get settled. Darren immediately climbed into the buckboard and tipped his hat back on his head. “Tell Pa and Aunt June we’re headed for the camp.”

  Ethan nodded. “I will. I can’t wait to meet your son or daughter.”

  “Son,” Lorna replied.

  Darren chuckled and fired back, “Daughter.” He and Lorna had been debating whether the baby was a boy or girl for weeks now. He wanted a little girl with bright green eyes and an adventurous spirit. She wanted a little boy who was the spitting image of his pa.

  They’d both agreed that whether their child was a girl with an adventurous spirit, or a boy who liked to rope and ride, they would love them unconditionally, and would keep trying to fulfill the other’s wishes with more children in the future.

  Darren directed the wagon toward the Paiute camp, which in recent weeks had become more like a small village. He once again marveled at the change that had come over Lorna where the Indians were concerned. She spent as much time at their camp as she did in town at Dr. Ellsworth’s office.

  When she’d discovered she was pregnant, her visits to Pamahas had only increased in number and length. The tribal healer and Lorna had developed a very strong bond, and Darren had been pleasantly s
urprised when Lorna had expressed her desire to have the healer deliver her baby.

  “Doing okay?” He turned his head and gazed at his wife.

  “I’m doing fine, but if you could try to miss the ruts, that would be much appreciated.” Her voice rose on the last syllable as another contraction gripped her body like a fist.

  Darren slapped the reins on the horse’s rump, moving the wagon even faster along the dirt trail. Ten minutes later, the Paiute camp came into view.

  The tall teepees, with tendrils of smoke rising from their centers, were a welcome sight. As soon as they heard their approach, a cry went up and people came out to meet them.

  Pamahas was there when the wagon came to a stop and began issuing orders to several of the other women Lorna had befriended. “Lorna, welcome.”

  “Pamahas, the baby is coming today.”

  “I can see that.” She turned to Darren and motioned with her hand. “Bring her into the teepee.”

  Darren climbed into the back of the wagon and then helped Lorna to a sitting position. “Ready to get out of the wagon?”

  She nodded and he helped her to the edge, grateful when Tenaya offered his assistance to lower her to the ground. She held onto his arm as he led her to the healer’s tent and helped her get settled on the bed of blankets that had been laid there in preparation for this day.

  “Are you doing okay?” he whispered to her, brushing her sweat-dampened hair back.

  Lorna nodded, concentrating on keeping her breathing slow as another contraction gripped her.

  “The babe comes fast,” Pamahas told him. “You leave now. You can do your worrying outside.”

  Darren nodded and then kissed Lorna on the forehead. “Holler if you change your mind and need a hand to hold.”

  She gave him a tremulous smile as she breathed and nodded. Darren left the teepee, only to find several of the braves, the chief, and Tenaya waiting for him.

  “Pamahas kicked me out.”

  “She never lets the fathers stay. She says if they watched their children being born, there would be no more children.”

  Darren nodded. He’d helped birth horses and cattle and could only imagine how traumatic human childbirth was – and yet, women went on to have many children, so it couldn’t be too bad.

  He tried sitting around the fire with the others, but staying still wasn’t working. He then paced back and forth in front of the teepee, wincing every time he heard Lorna cry out. His hands were tired from clenching his fists after only an hour.

  The noon hour arrived, and Wanekia brought him some stew to eat. “You will need your strength to help Lorna and the new babe.”

  “Thank you.” He watched Wanekia’s little one and found himself growing impatient to meet his own little boy or girl. He ate. He paced. He worried.

  * * *

  “Push, Lorna,” Pamahas instructed her.

  Lorna did so, biting down on the piece of leather Pamahas had given her almost an hour earlier. “You must help Darren remain strong and not cry out unnecessarily.”

  She’d placed the leather between her teeth and followed Pamahas’s advice. The healer hadn’t left her side since Darren had left. She wiped the sweat from her brow and helped her sip a honey-sweetened tea made from the bark of the willow and oak trees.

  When the contraction was over, Lorna collapsed back on the pile of blankets and tried to control her breathing.

  “The babe is almost here. You must push hard to expel the babe from your body on the next contraction,” Pamahas told her quietly.

  Lorna nodded as another contraction started up. She pushed up on her elbows and tipped her chin to her chest. She rode the wave as her stomach muscles tightened, then she pushed down as hard as she could while holding her breath. The contraction was still going when she gasped, and she repeated the process.

  “That’s it, Lorna. Push. The baby’s head is almost out. Don’t stop yet.”

  Lorna nodded and continued to push with all of her might. She could feel her teeth sinking down into the leather as she fought the urge to succumb to the pain wracking her body.

  Then, suddenly, it was as if a door had opened and everything that had been causing her muscles to tighten released. The pain dissipated, and she saw Pamahas lift up her baby and place it on her stomach.

  The healer cleaned the baby’s nose and mouth and then the small, red bundle gave an angry cry. “Ah. A strong child.”

  Lorna gently touched the thatch of dark hair on the newborn’s head. She touched the perfect little fingers and counted the tiny toes and felt her heart overflow with love for this tiny little one. When she lifted her head, she couldn’t help but smile. “I win.”

  Pamahas gave her a curious look as she set about wiping the infant off and then tending to Lorna. “Win? What did you win?”

  “Darren and I have been having a small bet over whether the baby was a girl or a boy. I chose boy, so I win.”

  “He will become a great warrior one day,” Pamahas predicted.

  Lorna watched as she cut the cord and then wrapped the baby in a clean cloth. She cradled the little one to her chest while Pamahas finished straightening up and removing the evidence of what had just taken place.

  “I will tell Darren the good news,” she murmured, leaving Lorna alone with her child.

  “Could you leave the flap open so that I can see his expression?” Lorna asked.

  “‘Tis best to keep the child warm…”

  “I know, I just want to see his face when you tell him it’s a boy.”

  “Very well. Just for a few seconds.”

  Pamahas pulled the flap of the teepee back and secured it with a piece of leather. She walked to the center of the opening and then waited for Darren to draw near.

  “How is she?”

  “She is fine. The baby is fine.”

  Lorna watched Darren’s shoulders sag and she guessed he was feeling relieved. “Can I see her?”

  “Of course. Come and meet your new son,” Pamahas told him, stepping aside.

  “Son? It’s a boy?”

  “The baby is a boy,” Pamahas agreed. “Come, Lorna waits to see you.”

  Darren stepped inside and Pamahas closed the flap, giving them both a little privacy for this first meeting between father and son.

  Darren came to her side and settled on his knees. “He’s so little.”

  “And for that, I am eternally grateful,” Lorna told him.

  Realizing what he’d said, Darren flushed. “That’s not—”

  “It’s okay. Come and meet your son,” Lorna told him. She pushed the cloth aside and watched as Darren gazed up at his son’s face for the very first time. “He’s perfect.”

  Darren’s eyes filled with tears as he gently brushed a finger over the small cheek. When the infant automatically turned toward the touch, Lorna smiled. “Would you like to hold him?”

  Darren removed his hands and looked uncertain for only a moment before he nodded. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

  “You won’t.” Lorna carefully transferred the infant to Darren’s large hands and then smiled tiredly at both of them as Darren held the baby against his chest.

  She yawned and tried to hide the fact, but Darren’s eyes didn’t miss anything.

  “You’re tired.”

  “Yes, but happy. Blessed. Relieved. So many things, I don’t know where to start.”

  Darren leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, then on the lips. “You did a great job. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Lorna sighed and nodded. “I’m a little sore, but that is to be expected. Pamahas was wonderful, and it was comforting to have her by my side.”

  “I’m so proud of you,” Darren told her, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

  She reached up a hand and cupped his jaw for a moment. “We have a son, but he doesn’t have a name. We should probably rectify that.”

  Darren nodded and gazed down at the now sleeping infant. Lorna watched him, knowing what she wan
ted to name their child. They hadn’t discussed baby names, agreeing to wait until they actually met their child.

  “Darren?”

  “Hmm?” He met her eyes. “What?”

  “The baby needs a name and I was thinking…how would you feel about naming him Mark?”

  Darren’s eyes went wide with happiness and he immediately nodded. “I think that would be an excellent name. After all, it was Mark who first brought you into my life. Without him, we wouldn’t be here right now.”