“I’m sorry my parents insisted we stay in today,” Beth said as they followed the girls back to the house. “I know you wanted to go out to the ranch and see Dorinda.”
“It’s all right,” Les said with a shrug.
“No, it’s not. I want to see Chase, too, you know.”
Les patted her hand. “I know, but there’s always tomorrow.”
“This plan of yours had better work,” Beth said with a rueful grin. “I’m too young to be the mother of three children.”
“It’ll work,” Lester said. “It has to work.”
“Your daughters are lovely,” Beth remarked, watching Alice try to catch one of the barn cats.
Lester nodded, his expression melancholy. “In spite of the fact that they’ve got my coloring, they all look like their mother.”
“You loved her very much, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Shirley was a wonderful woman. A wonderful wife and mother.”
“What happened to her?”
“She died of pneumonia when Alice was three. It happened so fast.” He shook his head. “It was hardest on Polly. She doesn’t want to move out here. She says it’s because she doesn’t want to leave her friends behind, but I think it’s because of the house. She feels close to her mother there.”
“I hope you’ll all be happy here.”
“We will be,” Lester said, and there was no room for doubt in his voice.
* * * * *
Beth stood on a stool, her arms outstretched, while Mattie Kennedy made the final alterations on her wedding dress. Thank goodness, the wedding was only a few days away.
“I think you’ve gained some weight since the last fitting,” Mrs. Kennedy said. “Most brides lose weight due to nervousness.”
“Not me,” Beth said, forcing a smile. “When I’m nervous, I eat.”
It was a bold-faced lie. She’d hardly eaten a thing in the last week, and what little she did eat just came up again. Fortunately, her mother attributed her queasy stomach and poor appetite to a bad case of pre-wedding jitters and didn’t give it a second thought.
Beth fretted as Mrs. Kennedy turned the hem. It had been five days since she’d seen Chase. Five long, lonely, agonizing days. She needed to see him, needed to know he was all right, needed to feel his arms around her. But every day her mother found some reason why she and Lester had to stay home—she was having some of the town ladies over to meet Lester’s daughters, they needed to discuss last-minute details for the wedding, they needed to discuss the menu for the reception.
Yesterday had been her birthday. She had put on a smile and tried to pretend she was having a good time, but all she could think of was Chase, and how much she wanted to be with him.
Her father had taken her aside to wish her a happy birthday and had reminded her of her promise.
“I haven’t forgotten, Father,” she said. “I promised you that Lester and I would be married on the seventeenth, and we will be.”
Tomorrow was the seventeenth. She could only hope she had told her father the truth.
That night, lying in bed, she tossed and turned and tossed some more as she thought of all the things that could go wrong. She had visions of her father standing behind her with a shotgun, insisting she marry Lester or he’d shoot Chase. She imagined herself chained to the altar, watching helplessly as Lester and Chase and Ernest Toombs ran out the door, while Lester’s daughters laughed at her because no one wanted to marry her.
She was about to go downstairs for a cup of warm milk when she heard something strike her window.
Throwing back the covers, she jumped out of bed and ran to the window. And smiled. And waved.
Grabbing her robe, she ran down the stairs and out the back door and straight into Chase’s arms.
His kiss was long and hard and she gloried in it until, breathless, they drew apart. “Are you all right?” she asked. She lifted a hand to touch the bandage on his forehead.
“Fine, now,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you.”
“Oh, and I’ve missed you.”
His gaze moved over her face, his eyes dark and searching. “You have not changed your mind about marrying me?”
“Of course not! It’s just that my mother won’t let us out of the house.”
“I love you, Beth.” He caressed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles, then bent to kiss her once more. Five days without her, and every one longer and lonelier than the last. Five days of doubts, of being afraid she had changed her mind, that she had decided she would rather a man of her own race. Five days.
He groaned softly as he crushed her close. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you. I’ll always love you.” She kissed his cheek, her arms hugging him close. “Only you.”
“Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Probably not. But I’ll see you tomorrow, won’t I?”
“Do not doubt it.”
He held her close for a long while, wishing he could make love to her. His need for her burned like a dull ache, relentless, like a fire that could not be quenched.
Beth went suddenly still. “Someone’s coming.”
“It is Harbaugh.”
“Lester? What’s he doing out at this time of night?”
“No doubt he has been doing what I am doing.”
Beth frowned, and then grinned. “You mean he snuck out to see his girl, too.”
Chase nodded.
“Hey, you two,” Lester called with a cheery wave. “Tomorrow’s the day, Chase. Don’t be late.”
“I should go,” Chase said. He looked deep into her eyes. “If things do not go as planned tomorrow, will you leave here with me?”
“You know I will.”
“Rest well, beloved.”
“You, too.”
He kissed her once more. “Until tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
She smiled as she watched him disappear into the darkness. Tomorrow. Hugging herself, she ran back into the house. Tomorrow.
* * * * *
Ryder rolled over in bed and drew Jenny into his arms. “Well, today’s the big day. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine. How about you?”
“Lookin’ forward to it, actually. Should be quite a show.”
Jenny punched him on the arm, giggling as he rolled over on top of her. “Not now,” she admonished, “there’s no time.”
“You didn’t use to say that.”
“I’ve never had a son getting married before, either.” She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Ryder, look at the time!” She pushed against his chest. “Get off me, you big lump. We’ll be late.”
Chase and Dusty were already in the kitchen, drinking coffee, when Ryder and Jenny entered thirty minutes later.
“Anybody hungry?” Jenny asked, then grinned when all three men shook their heads. “Me, either.”
A moment later, Dorinda entered the kitchen. “Just coffee for me, Mom,” she said, then frowned as everybody else laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“I think we’ve all got a bad case of nerves,” Jenny said, patting Dorinda on the arm. “Well, if no one’s hungry, we might as well get ready to go.”
Forty minutes later, they were ready. Jenny looked at Chase, her eyes damp with tears. “You look so handsome,” she murmured. “Just like your father.”
“Thank you, cima,” Chase said, and loved her more in that moment that he would have thought possible.
“Well, let’s go,” Ryder said. “They aren’t gonna wait on us.”
* * * * *
Beth paced the floor of the small room outside the chapel. Was he here yet? She peeked out the door, wishing she could ask someone if Chase had arrived, but of course, she couldn’t do that.
For what must have been the fifth time, she opened the door and peeked into the church, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jenny and Ryder. If they were here, surely Chase was here as well.
“Calm down, Beth,” Dorinda said.
Rebecca grinned at Dorinda. “Right. Is my hat on straight?”
“You both look beautiful,” Beth said. As her maid of honor, Dorinda wore a floor-length gown of jade-green satin and lace. Rebecca wore a similar dress in a lighter shade.
Too soon, she heard the music that was her cue. Dorinda took a last look at Lester’s girls, then opened the door and Polly, Alice and Kathy began walking down the aisle. The girls looked like rosebuds in varying shades of pink. Even though she’d been against the wedding, Polly hadn’t been able to hide her excitement at being asked to be a flower girl at her father’s wedding.
“Here we go,” Dorinda said. She smiled at Beth and crossed her fingers. “Good luck.”
Beth nodded, her heart pounding as she watched Dorinda and Rebecca walk down the aisle.
Her hand was shaking as she placed it on her father’s arm.
“Ready, Elizabeth?” he asked.
“Ready.”
“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “You’re getting a fine man.”
“Yes, indeed,” she said. “He is that.”
And then they were walking down the aisle. She was hardly aware of the people rising to their feet as she passed by, hardly aware of the tears in her mother’s eyes, or the half-smile on Lester’s face as he awaited her in front of the altar. Dusty stood beside him. Both men looked elegant in black broadcloth suits and crisp white shirts.
As from a great distance, she heard the minister ask, “Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?” heard her father’s crisp reply, “Her mother and I do.”
With a smile that could only be called smug, her father placed her hand in Lester’s.
She stared at Lester. Her whole future depended on what happened in the next few minutes.
And then the fateful words: “If there is anyone here who knows just cause why this marriage should not proceed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”
There was a moment of silence, and then, in a voice that easily carried to the back of the church, Lester said, “I find that I must object.”
The minister blinked at him. “Excuse me? What did you say?”
“I’m afraid I can’t marry this woman,” Lester said, releasing Beth’s hand. “I don’t love her, and she doesn’t love me.”
Murmurs and gasps spread through the congregation.
“I say, this is quite irregular,” the minister said, glancing from Beth to Lester and back again. “I…uh…”
At that moment, Chase emerged from the side door and took Beth’s hand in his.
“I wish to marry this woman,” he said. And knew, deep in his heart, that he would never forget this moment, or the way Beth looked at him, her face radiant, her eyes shining with love. “And I wish to marry this man,” Beth said, squeezing Chase’s hand.
“And I wish to marry this man.”
Dorinda’s voice, soft yet clear, broke the stillness as she took her place at Lester’s side.
Beth smiled up at Chase. She could hear her father sputtering behind her, hear her mother trying to calm him.
“Well, then,” the minister stuttered, “I…uh, that is, will you please join hands? Oh, you’re already doing that…”
“Wait!” Dusty stepped forward and offered his hand to Rebecca. “How about it, Rebecca Lynn? Will you marry me today?”
With a grin, she placed her hand in his. “I’d love to marry you, Dustin. Today, or any day.”
“Dustin!” Chase grinned at his brother. “Dustin.”
Holding hands, Dusty and Rebecca turned to face the minister.
Beth choked back her laugher. Truly this would be a wedding they would never forget. She could hear her father muttering dire warnings under his breath, heard her mother’s voice rise as she tried to calm him. Murmurs of surprise and shock continued to ripple through the church.
Glancing over her shoulder, Beth saw Ryder stand up and offer his hand to his wife. “Would you marry me again, Jenny girl?” he asked.
Chase’s mother looked young and carefree as she smiled up at her husband, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
“And again, and again, and again,” Jenny replied.
Beth couldn’t hold it back any longer. Laughter bubbled up inside her like champagne as she held out her free hand to her parents. “You might as well join the party,” she said.
Face red, Ralph Johnson took his wife by the hand and led her to the altar. “You told me you’d marry Lester today,” he said under his breath.
“No, Father, I said Lester and I would be married today. I never said we’d marry each other.”
The minister cleared his throat. “Are we ready now?” His gaze moved over the congregation. “Perhaps every married couple here present would like to renew their wedding vows at this time,” he said. “If you would like to join in, please come forward.”
Beth looked up at Chase and smiled as the married couples took their places near the altar.
Truly, this was a day they would never forget.
Chapter Thirty-One
There was a resounding chorus of “I do’s” as the minister spoke the final words of the wedding ceremony.
There was a round of applause from the few people remaining in the audience, the sound of childish laughter as children ran down the aisle to join their parents.
Jenny kissed Ryder, then Chase and Beth, Dusty and Rebecca, and Dorinda and Lester.
“Well,” she exclaimed, “this has been quite a day.”
“I’ll say,” Ryder agreed. He put his arm around his wife and drew her up against his side. “I don’t know whose idea this was, but it was a good one.”
“Lester can take the credit,” Beth said, smiling at her former fiancé.
Ryder glanced down at Jenny. “Shall we tell them now, or later?”
“Now,” she said, her smile betraying her eagerness.
“Tell us what?” Dusty asked, glancing from his father to his mother and back again.
“We’ve got three hundred acres of prime land across the river, a hundred acres for each of you. The land is yours, free and clear, unless you decide to sell, and then I want first chance to buy it.”
“A hundred acres,” Dorinda murmured. She looked up at Lester and grinned. “Now we’ve got two pieces of land.”
Lester grinned back at her. “Maybe we’ll build two houses; one for us and one for the girls.” Lester shook Ryder’s hand, gave Jenny a hug. “Thanks.”
“Yes, thank you,” Dorinda said, hugging her folks.
“We’ll definitely build on ours, right, Rebecca?” Dusty remarked.
Rebecca nodded. At last, a real home of her own. “Thank you so much,” she murmured.
“Thank your mother-in-law. She was afraid you’d all leave town if we didn’t figure out a way to keep you here.”
“Well, it worked,” Dusty said, giving Rebecca a squeeze. “Thanks to you both.”
Beth looked up at Chase and smiled. “We’ll stay, won’t we?”
Chase shrugged. He had never owned land before, never considered the possibility. But then he looked into Beth’s eyes and knew he would stay if that was what she wanted. He was about to say so when he saw her parents bearing down on them.
Beth’s smile grew ragged around the edges as her mother and father approached, both looking grim-faced on what was supposed to be a happy occasion.
Hoping for the best, expecting the worst, she took a deep breath, grateful for Chase’s arm around her waist. His nearness gave her the courage to face her father. There was nothing he could now. She was of age, and, under the law, old enough to marry whomever she wished.
“Well, Elizabeth, what have you got to say for yourself?” Ralph Johnson asked.
“Congratulations, Mother, Father. You make a lovely couple.” And indeed they did. Her father looked quite handsome in a dark-brown suit and tie; her mother, dressed in a pale-yellow dress, looked younger somehow, less severe. Perhaps it was the bonnet she wore, a ye
llow-and-white confection made of lace and fake flowers.
A dull flush spread across Ralph Johnson’s face; Theda smiled at her daughter, then glanced at her husband.
“I trusted you,” Ralph said, his gaze fixed on his daughter’s face.
“I’m sorry you’re disappointed in me, Father, but I love Chase, and he loves me. I couldn’t marry anyone else.”
“I could disown you for this.”
“You must do what you think is best,” Beth replied, her voice and posture stiff with hurt.
“Ralph, don’t.”
“Be still, woman.”
“Listen to me, Ralph Johnson. I won’t let you drive Beth away. She’s our only child. For once in your life, think before you speak.”
Ralph looked at his wife, a stunned expression on his face. It was obvious that Theda Johnson rarely disagreed with her husband.
“My father didn’t want me to marry you, either, remember?” Theda said. “He said you’d never amount to anything. He was wrong, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts, Ralph. I want you to welcome Chase to our family. If you drive him away, drive Beth away, I’ll never forgive you. Never.”
The flush staining Ralph Johnson’s cheeks grew darker as he offered his hand to Chase. “Welcome to our family, young man,” he said, his tone bordering on belligerence.
Chase hesitated a moment, then took his father-in-law’s hand. “Thank you. Sir.”
Ralph Johnson nodded, then, with a sigh, he hugged his daughter. “Be happy, Elizabeth,” he murmured. “I shall expect you…and your husband…to visit often.”
“Thank you, Father,” Beth replied. “Please be happy for me.”
“I’ll try,” Ralph said.
“Well,” Jenny said brightly. “Shall we cut the cake and toast the newlyweds?”
Beth grinned up at Chase, happier than she’d ever been in her life. How handsome he was, this husband of hers. He wore a black suit and white shirt that emphasized his dark good looks. His long dark hair framed his face, a face she loved. She caressed his cheek as she imagined the years stretching ahead of them, good years. He would be there to kiss her good night before she fell asleep, to smile at her when she woke.
“I love you, Beth,” Chase whispered, placing one hand over the slight swell of her belly. “Both of you. And we will make our home here, if that is your wish.”
Chase the Wind (Apache Runaway Book 2) Page 29
