It was a wedding such as the town had not seen before and most likely would never see again. The bride’s stepmother as well as her father had blackened eyes as well as bruises on their faces. Odette walked to the front of the church on her father’s arm and met her husband-to-be in front of a bank of blossoms placed there by her future father-in-law. Ben stood beside the preacher and repeated his words silently. The bride watched her father’s mouth, and when it came time for her to speak her vows, they were loud and clear.
James kissed his bride long and hard when the ceremony making them man and wife was over, and he walked her to the door, where they stood and accepted the congratulations from the guests as they filed out.
Chip was one of the last. He looked his tall son in the eye and offered his hand.
“Congratulations.”
James took his hand. “Thanks.”
“I’m going to kiss my new daughter-in-law whether you like it or not,” he said in a low tone.
“I don’t like it, but there’s not much I can do… now.”
Chip clasped Odette’s hand and kissed her cheek. “Pull in your horns. Bucko,” he said aside to James.
“If you call me Bucko one more time, I’ll flatten you out like a flapjack.”
Chip ignored him and touched his finger to Odette’s nose. “Keep a tight rein on this wild man.”
Odette wasn’t sure what he had said, but she knew he was teasing James.
“Thank you for the flowers. Mr. Malone. Dory told me,” she added.
“You’re very welcome. Where will you live, James?”
“In Steven’s cabin, for now.”
“I’ll ride over to see you.”
“Don’t hurry.”
Chip laughed as he left the church. Life had suddenly become a lot more interesting. He stood with the others and watched his son and his new bride drive away.
By the middle of the afternoon the wagon was loaded and the two couples were ready to leave Spencer. Dory and Odette had changed back into their more serviceable clothing. Pinned to Dory’s dress was the cameo Ben had given her for a wedding gift. In the back of the wagon were several mysterious bundles McHenry had put in at the last minute after a whispered word with Ben.
All the McHenrys stood on the boardwalk in front of the store to say good-bye. Jeanmarie clutched a book Ben had bought for her and waved to her friends.
James and Odette had said their good-byes and were standing at the end of the wagon when a handsome buggy decorated with flowers and ribbons and pulled by a high-stepping mare came around the corner. Chip stepped down and handed the reins to Odette.
“Oh, no you don’t!” James protested. “I’m not taking—”
“Back off, Bu… James,” Chip said. “This is for my daughter-in-law.”
“We don’t need anything from you.”
“I’m sure you don’t, but I can give her a wedding gift if I want to. Now stop being an ass.”
Odette’s eyes went from one to the other. She accepted the reins and placed her hand on Chip’s arm.
“James and I thank you. Don’t we, James?”
“I guess so.” He lifted her up into the buggy and then got in beside her. “Let’s go. I’ve had about all of him I can take for a good long while.” He slapped the reins against the back of the mare and she took off in a trot.
“It’s going to take James a while to… ah… get used to the idea that you’re… related,” Dory said, turning to Chip.
“I’ve got plenty of time.” Chip reached down and picked Jeanmarie up in his arms. “Bye, little red bird.”
“You’re a red bird,” she said and giggled.
“I’d like to come see her sometime.” Chip sat her down on the pile of hay Ben had placed there for Wiley’s comfort. He continued to gaze at the child.
For a second Dory saw the same wistful look on his face that she had seen on Mick’s.
“We’ll be at the homestead… for a while, I think.” She glanced at Ben and he nodded.
“I’ll find you.” Chip stood back. “Bye, little red bird.”
“Bye, big red bird,” Jeanmarie called gaily.
Ben lifted Dory up over the wheel and onto the seat. “You settled, Wiley?” he called, before he climbed up beside her.
“Yup. It’s jist like ridin’ on a featherbed.”
“Bye, girls.” Dory waved. “Bye, Mag, and thanks for everything. We’ll be back to see Steven before he leaves.”
“It won’t be fer a week or two. Howie be takin’ him to Coeur d’Alene in the buggy.”
Jeanmarie’s cheerful shout was answered by a chorus from the McHenry brood.
The buggy carrying James and Odette was out of sight by the time the wagon left town. The plodding team pulling the wagon wound its way through the knee-deep grass in the valley before starting the upward grade. The sun was warm. Birds, disturbed by their passing, flew up from the tall grasses. White clouds billowed in a blue sky.
It was a perfect day.
Dory moved over and tucked her hand in her husband’s arm.
“Ben, I never imagined when we left home the other day that things would turn out the way they have.”
“Fate stepped in and lent a hand, honey.”
“Are you as happy as I am?”
“I’m as happy as a drunk hoot owl.” He grinned at her. “As soon as we get to that big tree up there on the hill, I’m going to kiss you.”
“You don’t have to wait till then,” she whispered, her eyes shining with love.
He glanced over his shoulder at Jeanmarie and Wiley lounging on the hay. When he looked back at her, his eyes shone like polished silver.
“I’m hoping by then they’ll be asleep.”
“For shame!” Her hand slid from the crook of his arm down to pinch the inside of his thigh. “You’ve got only one thing on your mind.”
“Yeah.” He captured her hand and held it tightly against him.
“This is no way for a prospective grandfather to act,” Dory said primly, and tried to withdraw her hand.
“Good Lord! I never thought of that. If I had, I’d never have let her marry that—”
“—Hot young buck with only one thing on his mind.”
Their joined laughter reached the old man in the back of the wagon. He smiled and yawned and shifted the head of the sleeping child to his knee.
Sins of Summer
Amid the lonesome pines of an Idaho logging camp, young Dory Callahan was like a burst of bright sunshine—even when she had to tolerate the scorn of her wealthy, mean-spirited half brothers each day of her life. Dory was proud, not ashamed of her toddler, even though the child’s father was the son of a rival mill owner and had died before Dory could marry him. Now, big, rangy Benton Waller rode into her life. He was a man with secrets, a face that showed too much sorrow, and a shy, silent daughter, who clung like a shadow to his side. But even as he offered his love, Dory felt fierce emotions gathering like a summer storm. For soon there would be gunfire set off by hatred, greed, and fear—and passion’s fire between her and the one man who could help her fight for her dreams.
DOROTHY GARLOCK
“A gifted storyteller.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“There is a word for a Dorothy Garlock novel and the word is irresistible.”—“Ann’s World,”Hearst Cablevision
“Dorothy Garlock writes about love in such a way one could almost believe she coined the word.”—Affaire de Coeur
National bestselling and award-winning author of thirty-one romances that often feature the exciting backdrop of the Old West, Dorothy Garlock is one of America’s—and the world’s—favorite novelists. Her books, all enthusiastically reviewed, now total almost seven million copies in print with translations in fifteen languages.
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