by Megan West
“There are currently 25 families living there,” he said. “We’re growing gradually. So far everyone gets along pretty well. We even have a doctor and a minister living there. Last year, the men got together and built a small church. Doc has a small office attached to his cabin. The women get together and put up food for the winter and do sewing and quilting. It’s a nice group of people and I’m sure that you will fit in just fine.”
“I hope you’re right, Luke,” Abby replied. “Now that I’m here and have met you, I’m excited to get started in my new life. Our new life together.”
“I’ve got to say that my future seems to be looking a lot brighter now.”
Smiling shyly, Abby looked down at her dessert. She was so relieved that things seemed to be going well so far. Following dessert, Luke walked her back upstairs to her room and told her goodnight.
Abby was still smiling when she got into bed that night.
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful with only a slight chill in the air. Luke and Abby had breakfast in the hotel dining room and he went to get the wagon and horses while she readied her things for loading. He had told her that it would take a couple of hours to reach his settlement and he had taken pains to make sure that the trip would be as comfortable as possible for her.
As they made their way along the dirt road, they continued to talk about various things in their lives. Abby learned that Luke had never been married although there had been someone in his distant past that he had fancied himself to love even though it had not worked out for him. He didn’t elaborate and she didn’t ask questions. She figured if he wanted to tell her details he would do it without her prodding. Besides, it was in the past.
The sun started to climb higher into the sky as they rode along, which made the weather feel pleasant. Abby actually enjoyed the ride and she really liked what she knew of Luke so far. She could see herself falling in love with this man. He seemed to be a good man and a kind one. Of course, he was also very nice to look at and she had not really expected that.
Abby could tell when they were getting closer to the settlement. She could see wisps of smoke escaping into the sky and hear the laughter of children.
“We’re almost there,” Luke announced, confirming her thoughts.
“It really is quite beautiful out here,” she commented as she looked around at the lush green trees and bushes lining each side of the road.
“That’s the main reason that we chose this place. It offers plenty of good, fertile farmland and that’s pretty important to the success of a living situation, as you can probably imagine.”
“Absolutely.”
Suddenly, they were surrounded by several cabins and people scurrying around. The cabins were far enough apart to provide privacy yet close enough to still be neighbors. As Luke steered the wagon through the settlement, he pointed out the church and the doctor’s cabin. He kept going past several more cabins until they reached a cabin that was on the far side of the settlement and a little more isolated than the rest. That is where he pulled up and stopped.
“Home sweet home,” he said.
“This is your cabin?” she asked.
“Yes, it is. Well, now it will be our cabin.”
Abby realized that he was waiting for her to say what she thought of it and she studied it carefully from where she sat.
“Luke, this looks like a very fine cabin,” she pronounced at last. “Did you build this yourself?”
“I did most of the work,” he acknowledged. “But I also had lots of help from some of the men here.”
“You are obviously a very talented builder. I can’t wait to see the inside of it.”
“Let’s not keep you in suspense, then,” he said, grinning at her.
He helped her down from the wagon and they walked toward the door of the cabin. Opening it, he stepped aside so that she could enter. When she stepped inside, she was even more impressed. Granted, it wasn’t like her huge home in back in Charleston, but it was certainly lovely and she felt it had great potential to be even nicer.
She was standing in the middle of one large room that was divided into three different areas. To her left was a kitchen complete with cupboards, a sink and a wood burning stove that she would use to cook. There also seemed to be a device that was used to keep things cold. In the next area, there was a long wooden table with benches on either side. Abby assumed that is where meals were served. Directly in front of her was a sitting area with a long sofa made from wood and cushions. There was also a rocking chair and an easy chair. These were placed at the fireplace, which took up most of the wall on the far side of the room.
“Oh Luke,” she breathed. “I really do love it!”
“Right through here is the bedroom where you will be sleeping,” he said. Then pointing up, he showed her a loft area with a ladder that led up to it. “That’s where I will be sleeping.”
“No, Luke,” she protested. “I cannot and will not kick you out of your own bedroom! Besides, we will be married and it is perfectly acceptable for us to share a room.”
“I just wanted you to be comfortable,” he said. “I know this is an odd situation to come into and I assumed you wanted us to get to know each other better before we… you know, shared the same bedroom.”
Shaking her head slightly, she moved to the doorway that led into the bedroom. Peering inside, she found it to be charming. In fact, she couldn’t quite fathom how a man had put together such a tasteful cabin.
“Some of the women came in and fixed the place up,” he said, as if he was reading her mind. “You can change anything that you don’t like.”
“Luke, I think it is all so perfect,” she said. “I can’t see anything that I want to change.”
“Well, I’m happy that you like it, but I want you to put your own touch on things, too. This is your home now and I want you feel as if you belong here.”
Smiling at him, she crossed the room and put her hand on his arm.
“I honestly do not believe that I have ever met a kinder man in my life,” she said softly.
“Well, we need to start off on the right foot if we are going to make a life together,” he replied as he placed his hand over hers. “I want you to be happy and feel at home here. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“I’m so glad that I came here,” she said as she smiled at him.
“Me, too.”
Suddenly, he looked as if something had just occurred to him.
“Oh! I need to show you where the outhouse is,” he said.
“Outhouse?” Abby inquired hesitantly.
“Um, yeah, that’s right. We don’t actually have indoor plumbing out here so all the cabins have an outhouse.”
“I see. Where do I bathe then?”
“There’s a small room right there at the back of the cabin where I keep a claw foot tub. When you’re ready for a bath, just let me know and I will make sure that you have plenty of clean hot water.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Abby murmured.
For the first time, the reality of her situation hit her. Back in Charleston, her parents had been one of the first families in town to install indoor plumbing with a proper toilet and tub. She saw that she would have no such luxuries living here.
“Plumbing is something that is at the top of the settlement’s priority list, though. So we should have it in another year or so.”
“Oh I’m sure it will all be fine,” she said and managed to smile at him because he had such a forlorn and apologetic look on his face. She didn’t want him to start thinking that she was sorry to have come here.
Before they could speak further, there was a slight tap at the door. Luke opened it to a man standing there with his hat in his hands.
“Oh hello, Pastor,” Luke said. “Please come in and meet my wife to be. Abby, this is the settlement pastor; Charles Haskell. Pastor Charles, this is Abigail Davis, my fiancée.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Pastor,” Ab
by said as she offered him her hand.
“Welcome to our little slice of heaven on earth, Miss Davis! We’re all so happy to have you here!” Pastor Charles said as he shook her hand.
Turning back to Luke, he said, “Everyone is waiting over at the church. You all just come on over when you’re ready.”
“Thank you, Pastor,” Luke said. “We’ll be right along.”
At that moment, there was another knock on the door.
“Oh I bet that’s my wife,” the pastor said. “She wanted to be available in case your bride to be needed any last minute assistance.”
Luke opened the door to a pleasantly plump woman with a kind face and motherly attitude.
“Come on in, Betsy,” Luke said as he stood aside for the woman to enter.
“Luke, your new bride is positively lovely! I’m Betsy Haskell, and you must be Abigail! We’ve all heard so much about you from Luke! Now you two get out of here! This is Abigail’s wedding day and we need some privacy to get her ready! Now go!”
“Well, Abby, I can see that you are in good hands for the moment,” Luke chuckled. “I’ve learned never to argue with Betsy. The pastor and I will head on over to the church.”
Just like that Abby was alone with this take charge woman.
“So Luke and I are to have a proper wedding?” she asked.
“Oh of course you are!” Betsy replied. “Everyone in the settlement will be there and you will not believe the food that has been prepared for your wedding feast.”
“That’s so kind of all of you,” Abby said a bit tremulously. “I truly don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything at all, honey. We’re all so thrilled that Luke has found you! Now, let’s have a look at the clothes you brought with you. I’m willing to bet you’ve got something in there that will be just perfect for your wedding!”
As it turned out, Betsy was right. Abby did have the perfect dress packed in her things. It was a lovely petal pink dress made from eyelet material. With a scooped neckline and puffy sleeves, it had a cinched waist and a full skirt. She pulled out her white shoes to go with it. Betsy helped her weave some wildflowers in her hair and fastened her favorite amethyst necklace around her neck.
“Now you are simply a picture!” Betsy exclaimed as she stood back and admired their handiwork. “Luke is going to just be bowled over by you!”
“Do you really think so?” Abby asked, suddenly shy and hesitant.
“I know so! Now let’s get over to the church and not keep him waiting any longer!”
“Yes, of course! You’re right. Men certainly do not like to be kept waiting, do they?”
As they made their way to the church, Abby couldn’t help but be somewhat sad. This was not the way that she had pictured her wedding day. Her fantasy wedding had her father giving her away, her sister as her maid of honor and several bridesmaids. She had imagined a ride to the church in a flower laden horse drawn carriage. Yes, she had imagined all of those things but she had also always believed that her wedding would be with a man that she loved.
While Luke seemed to be very nice and definitely handsome, she didn’t really know him. She was drawn to him in some ways but real love takes time to grow. A panicky thought suddenly flashed through her mind. What if she and Luke never fell in love with each other? Could they stay married if they were only friends that respected each other?
Well, it’s too late to worry about that now, Abby thought. As Papa would say, I’ve made my bed and now I will lie in it.
As if she could read Abby’s thoughts, Betsy stopped her just outside of the church. Putting her arm around the younger woman’s shoulders, she gave her an encouraging hug.
“Don’t worry, honey,” she said. “This might just turn out better than you ever imagined. Luke is a good man. Give him a chance to show you. I feel very strongly that you and he are a good match.”
Abby took a deep breath to calm her nerves and smiled shakily.
“Thank you, Betsy,” she said. “That is exactly what I needed to hear right now.”
“Good! Now are you ready to go inside?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Betsy went into the church ahead of Abby to alert everyone that the bride had arrived. Abby could hear the beautiful strains of the Wedding March played on violins. Once more, she had to fight back tears. She had not expected perfect strangers to be so kind to her. While she did wish that her family could be with her on this special day, she was happy that she was surrounded by these good people.
Everyone rose from their seats when Abby appeared in the doorway. She walked slowly down the aisle amid whispers of “Oh she is so pretty!” “How beautiful she looks!” and “Luke is a lucky man.”
She kept her eyes straight ahead and focused on her husband to be. Luke had changed into a clean white shirt and black dress pants. Abby thought he looked heartbreakingly handsome. She felt a warm glow spread throughout her when he smiled at her. To be honest, he actually did look at her the way she had dreamed her groom would watch her as she walked toward him on their wedding day.
The ceremony was traditional and ended with Pastor Charles giving Luke permission to kiss his bride. Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek and then hugged her. If that was odd to any of the wedding guests, they didn’t say anything.
The reception that followed was held in a meeting room just off of the main room of the church. Abby’s mouth almost fell open at the amount of food that was laid out on the long wooden table. There was a baked chicken as well as a baked turkey along with vegetables and fresh baked bread. Then there were pies, cakes, and cookies. However, the thing that made her start to cry was the beautiful three tier wedding cake. Luke put his arm around her and hugged her to him. She buried her face in his chest as the sobs that had been threatening to overcome her for some time now finally escaped.
“It’s ok, Abby,” he whispered to her. “It’s ok.”
When she was able to compose herself, she wiped away the tears and faced the people that would be a huge part of her life now.
“I’m so overwhelmed with the amount of kindness all of you have shown to me today. I have come here as a stranger yet you have accepted me as one of your own. Everything that you have done here today is simply wonderful. I could not have asked for a more beautiful and meaningful day. I just want to thank each of you for making this a perfect day.”
Everyone smiled and started to talk at once as they set about serving the food.
“That was really nice,” Luke said to her.
Gradually, her new neighbors all came forward to introduce themselves. Everyone was so nice and welcoming to her that she felt right at home already. Everyone, that is, except one young woman named Glory. She had come forward and introduced herself only after her mother had practically dragged her daughter over to Abby.
The young woman glared hatefully at Abby as she ground out her introduction.
“I’m Glory,” she said flatly. “It’s so nice for you that the women around here weren’t good enough for Luke.”
“Glory!” her mother admonished. “Apologize to Mrs. Hamilton right this minute!”
“No,” Glory said stubbornly. “I won’t. You know that Luke was supposed to be mine!”
“I’m so sorry for my daughter’s rudeness, Mrs. Hamilton. I assure you that she has been taught better than this! Come along Glory, before you embarrass me further.”
Betsy was standing nearby and heard the exchange. She quietly approached Abby and put a hand on her arm.
“Don’t worry about her, Honey. She has had the biggest crush on Luke since she was old enough to notice what a catch he is. For some reason, she had assumed that he would marry her when she got older. He never saw her as anything more than this little girl that used to follow him around. Luke is your husband now and you don’t have a thing to worry about.”
“Oh Betsy, I’m not worried about Luke behaving inappropriately. I’m just sorry that I have caused this youn
g girl so much pain. Do you think she will be alright?”
“Of course she will! She’s young and she’ll meet someone else soon enough. Don’t worry about her. Just enjoy your day with Luke.”
The reception ran well into the late afternoon and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. Riley Morris and his wife, Sarah Jane were the violinists and they were happy to keep the crowd dancing. Everyone ate, danced and had a great time but, soon, it was time to head back to their homes and take care of the evening chores. A few of the men had offered to look in on Luke’s animals that evening in order for him to have some time with his new bride.
When Luke and Abby approached the front door of what was now their cabin, he opened the door and looked at her.
“You’ll find that I’m a man that stands on tradition in a lot things. This is one of them.”
With that, he scooped her up in his arms and stepped into the cabin. Having effectively carried his bride across the threshold, he set her gently down on the floor. Abby was laughing now in pure pleasure.
I do believe that I can fall in love with this man, she thought.
“So it’s official, then,” she said. “We are husband and wife.”
“Looks that way,” Luke grinned.
“I’m going to go put on something a little less formal so that you can start showing me how to do things around here,” Abby said. “I’ll be right back.”
When she returned wearing a sensible denim blue dress and lace up boots, Luke still gazed at her appreciatively. Once again wondering how he had got so lucky, he shook his head.
They spent the rest of the evening with Luke explaining how to use the wood burning stove for cooking and how water was supplied to the cabin. Betsy and a few of the women were going to come by in the morning to help her get settled into a routine of sorts. They would show her how to take care of things around the cabin as well as how to make such things as soap, butter and other necessary things.
Together, the two of them heated some of the leftovers that their neighbors had insisted they take with them and enjoyed it by the fire. Soon, Abby was fighting to keep her eyes open. Luke noticed and smiled at her.
