Elise placed a finger to her father’s lips. “That’s behind us. You’re a wonderful father and grandpa.”
“And David will be a good husband to you and father to Katie.”
Elise’s gaze moved up ahead to Callie, holding Commodore’s arm. Elise wasn’t the only one God had blessed. A few minutes earlier in Callie’s bedroom, she and Callie had made final touches to their hair, too excited to string together coherent words, but aware they would soon marry wonderful men.
Pastor Steele and their grooms entered the parlor from a door off the porch. As Pastor Steele nodded his head, the signal to begin, Commodore escorted Callie into the parlor. Elise and Papa followed in their footsteps.
Two handsome bridegrooms waited, hands clasped behind their backs, feet wide as if fighting for balance on a pitching deck. Elise admired Pastor Steele and loved Jake as a brother, but she had eyes for only one man.
David.
A huge smile on his lips and tears glittering in his gentle gray eyes, she’d never seen David look more handsome, nor loved him more. He still grieved Jillian and her baby, but those wounds had molded him into a more compassionate human being and doctor. A man she loved now and forever.
As the two couples stood side by side before the preacher, they met Pastor Steele’s kind eyes.
“This is a first for me,” he said. “Not only my first time to officiate at a double wedding, but also my first time to see two precious babies blessed with daddies.” Momentarily overcome, he cleared his throat. “Jacob and David, when you fell in love with Callie and Elise and proposed, you took on the responsibilities, not only for a wife, but for a family. A family not by blood but by adoption, as Christ adopted us into His family. Not a privilege to be taken lightly.”
David and Jake nodded, each glancing at the baby he would raise as his own. God had blessed their children with good men, good fathers.
Smiling, her heart overflowing with joy for her friend, Elise listened as Callie and Jake spoke their vows and exchanged rings.
Then Pastor Steele turned toward Elise. “Elise Louise Langley, in the presence of God and these witnesses, will you have Joseph David Wellman to be your husband, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?
Lost in David’s loving eyes and with a steadiness she didn’t expect, Elise promised, “I will.”
David promised the same to her then slipped a slender gold band on her finger, repeating after Pastor Steele, “I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, with this ring I thee wed.”
Tears welling in her eyes, she smiled at David then glanced at the ring. The ring David had bought weeks earlier, knowing he’d fallen in love with her, planning to propose at the reception.
Pastor Steele cleared his throat. “Inasmuch as you have pledged to the other your lifelong commitment, love and devotion, I now pronounce you husband and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” He glanced at the witnesses. “Those who God has joined together let no one put asunder.” Then Pastor Steele rocked back on his heels. “Gentlemen, you may kiss your brides.”
With a gleam in his eyes, David leaned down and kissed Elise, his lips gentle, lingering, a promise of forever love.
* * *
Outside Twite Hall, the banner David had rescued from the trash and hung over the entrance, Elise’s congratulations to the newlyweds, flapped in the breeze. When he’d hung it, David never dreamed the message would include him and Elise.
Outside the hall door, he and Jake stood beside their wives. The new fathers held their baby in their arms as they waited for an introduction Flossie had insisted on giving.
David couldn’t take his eyes off his bride. She was breathtaking in a dress that shimmered like a starry night and hugged her curves like a kid glove. The glow of her copper curls, the joy in her eyes, the smile echoing his. Oh, how he loved her.
Flossie clanked a knife against a pitcher of water.
“Doesn’t Flossie look great?” Elise said.
David chuckled. “When I invited her to the wedding, she said, ‘Reckon I could wear that fancy dress I’ve been saving to be buried in.’”
Elise stifled a nervous giggle. No one was quite like Flossie.
As the crowd quieted, Flossie motioned to the quilt hanging behind her. “When that went up, I thought Lenora Lucas’s suggestion to use a double wedding ring quilt would add a touch of class this old place could use. Had no idea that the quilt was prophetic. Double wedding, double joy, just what we got.” She waved a beckoning hand. “I promised myself I’d get to the point. So let’s welcome newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Mitchell and son Ronnie.”
Callie and Jake strolled in to cheers and applause. To everyone’s delight, Jake raised Ronnie above his head, like a prize he’d won.
When the room quieted, Flossie smiled at David and Elise. “Some of us call the groom David. Some Doc. Whatever you call him, after the honeymoon, he’ll be returning to his practice with his bride sitting at the front desk. Let’s welcome Dr. and Mrs. Joseph David Wellman and daughter Katie.”
Heart swelling with gratitude for the patience of the good people he doctored, David ushered Elise into the main room to stamping feet and applause. Grinning, Katie clapped dimpled hands, not one bit afraid of the hullabaloo.
The room he and Elise had bedecked in bridal white and pastels now had the aroma of ham drifting in the air. David’s gaze settled on a cake, three layers iced in white with pink frosting roses, slightly off-center yet absolutely perfect.
With candlelight giving off a soft, ethereal glow, David stood with Elise at his side, greeting friends and family. Inside his pocket, his hand sought the telegram from his family, conveying their congratulations and desire to host the newlyweds at Christmas. They were with them in spirit as surely as Jillian was smiling in heaven.
While the well-wishers had gone on to find seats, Lenora led both couples to the buffet table. He and Elise had planned and prepared for what they thought would be Jake and Callie’s reception. Now they were sharing the celebration. With Elise as his wife, who knew what other adventures lay ahead?
Once they’d eaten and with Katie sleeping in her grandfather Mark’s arms, David found a rare moment alone with his bride.
He tugged her close. “You’ve made me a very happy man, Elise Wellman,” he said. “I love you.”
“I love you, David Wellman.”
Jake and Callie strolled by, moving among their guests. “I’ve never seen Callie look more beautiful,” Elise said. “She and Jake are glowing with happiness.”
“We gave the Mitchells a lovely reception.”
“We did, didn’t we? Who knew we’d share the limelight.”
“Dear wife, I have eyes for no one but you.”
Elise slipped her arms around David’s neck. “You’ve made me the happiest woman alive. I’ve always loved spring’s promise of new beginnings. But now, spring is my favorite season. The season I married my hero, the man I love.”
“And I married the woman I’ve carried in my heart since the day I met her.”
With a kiss, they sealed their bond and their commitment—caring for one another, for Katie and for David’s patients here in town. “You know, Elise,” David said. “Peaceful has more than lived up to its name.”
She shot him a mischievous smile. “Don’t get too relaxed, Doctor. Your wife has a way of finding trouble wherever she is.”
“I’m just the man to tame her.”
With a sassy laugh, she tugged him back into her arms, the place that felt like home. “I look forward to a lifetime of taming,” s
he said, “with the man of my dreams.”
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Last Minute Bride in the “Brides of the West” anthology. I found writing a story that takes place in two short weeks a challenging adventure. I love weddings! I recall fondly my own wedding, our daughters’ weddings, those of family and friends. As I watch a man and woman commit to one another and begin a new life together, I make a fresh renewal of my vows.
I hope you enjoyed Elise and David’s story. They strived to be good enough and berated themselves for failing. At times I fall into that trap. When I do, I remember I can only do my best then learn the valuable lessons failure teaches.
If you would like to know more about Jake and Callie, you can read their story in Wanted: A Family.
I love to hear from readers. Contact me through my web site www.janetdean.net or write me at Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, New York 10279.
May God give you the peace that comes from His amazing love.
Blessings always,
Janet Dean
Questions for Discussion
Elise wanted to give Callie and Jake a wedding reception. What motivated her? What made preparations difficult?
Elise had issues with abandonment. Why? How did David magnify those feelings?
Elise struggled with guilt and feelings of inadequacy, of not being good enough. Why?
David shows signs of depression, guilt and anger as he grieved for his sister and her baby. Did his silence about what happened intensify his feelings? Why did he keep silent?
Elise was impulsive, outgoing and good-hearted. How did those characteristics both bless others and get her into trouble?
In many ways, Flossie shared characteristics of Elise. What has Flossie learned that she tries to teach Elise?
David was methodical, thorough and closemouthed, in many ways Elise’s opposite. Why were these two very different people good for each other?
David blames himself for Jillian and her baby’s death. Do you agree with his assessment? Do you think guilt impacted that opinion?
Why was David afraid to tell Elise the truth about his sister and baby’s deaths? What did he fail to consider?
Elise wanted siblings for Katie so she would not grow up to be an only child like Elise. What else might have motivated her?
Her Ideal Husband
Pamela Nissen
For Elias: A young man who dreams big
and works hard to realize those dreams.
You are a constant source of delight in my life.
Thank you for helping me to brainstorm this story.
Sincere thanks goes to Jacquie, Diane and Roxanne: for being such amazing and giving critique partners. To Tina: for pursuing me when I was still “breathing.” To my friends and family: for enduring my harried days of doubt. To MaryAnna, Noel and Elias: for being such beautiful sources of inspiration and encouragement. And to Bill: for revealing what it means to persevere in hardship.
Thank you for being my ideal husband.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
—Romans 15:13
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Dear Reader
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
Copper Creek, Colorado, 1893
“Mister, you have exactly five seconds,” the deep male voice rumbled, stealing Lydia Townsend’s next breath, “to tell me what you’re doing on Gentry land.”
Her heart shot up to her throat. She froze where she stood on the single step of the run-down cabin, its door hanging by a whispered prayer. Every nerve ending hummed at the sound of that voice. His voice. Deeper maybe—but as distinct as the mountains were strong.
Jebediah Gentry.
Jeb… .
She’d never, in a thousand long years, forget the crushing humiliation she’d endured when last she saw him five years ago. The way she’d thrown her heart on the line with a bold declaration of love.
Squaring her shoulders, she prepared to face him when something inside her snapped like the thunder crackling the moist air hanging in the overgrown meadow. The urge to bolt straight for the thick tree line where her chestnut gelding had wandered was nearly overpowering. She could almost feel her legs and arms pumping.
Yet pride nailed her boots to the crumbling steps.
“Your time’s up.” His footsteps, thundering over the Colorado soil, shattered her wilting confidence.
On a faltering yawn she stepped back, off the rotting step, the long duster coat she wore sagging almost as much as her resolve. Tears threatened to well up and she reached into her coat to fish her handkerchief out and scrub them away.
Strong arms wrapped her tight. Took her down with unyielding force.
The air whooshed from her lungs as she hit the rain-soaked earth. Her head spun and chest burned. She labored for a breath. Fought to wriggle free from his unrelenting grip.
Turning her face from the mud, she grappled for a lungful of air.
His big hands pinned her down. “I’m going to say this once. I don’t need a problem like you on this ranch,” Jeb ground out, unaware of how his words cut to the most tender place in her heart. Or that she was a woman. Or that she didn’t even own a gun, let alone have one holstered to her side.
Or that she was Lydia.
She couldn’t fault him for mistaking her for a man—given the long coat she wore, the way she’d tucked her waist-length hair into her Stetson, and the way she’d jammed her work dress into her boots.
“I better not catch you on my property again.” Irritation was loaded into each word.
She’d disappear right now. Poof! Just like that—if only she could. And he’d be left with his pride dangling by a prayer, just like the old cabin door.
When her lungs finally filled with a welcome breath, she grunted, fighting to free herself.
With effortless ease, he seized her upper arms and flipped her over as though she was a mountain trout to be filleted. Hovering over her, he pinned her shoulders to the ground and stared at her.
Lydia blinked away raindrops, or was it a sting of tears as she lay there, humiliated by her current predicament? “I was reaching for my handkerchief,” she finally croaked out, watching as recollection dawned in his face.
“For the love of—” He bolted up to standing as though he’d just been jerked back by a bullwhip. His perfectly squared jaw dropped. His rich chocolate brown eyes grew wide as he peered down at her for a lingering moment.
He pulled a quivering hand over his face, where masculine angles appeared far more pronounced than last she’d seen him. And where his nose cocked off to one side, unlike before.
No matter, he was decidedly more handsome than ever. And the fact that she noticed, aggravated her to no end.
“Lydia?” The tender way he said her name as he reached down and helped her up to standing did nothing to calm her racing heart.
She averted her gaze to anywhere but Jeb, keenly aware of the way he still grasped her arm and barely aware of the loud crack of thunder shaking the ground. “Who did you think I was?”
“There’s been a thief around the area. From the back, considering the way you’re dressed I thought—” His jaw ticked as he slid his gaze
, slow and steady, from her toes to her head. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I couldn’t. You knocked the air out of me.” Shrugging from his touch, she made a half-hearted stab at squaring her shoulders.
“Well, are you hurt?” Jeb dipped his head to catch her gaze.
“I’m fine,” she placated, struggling to ignore the dull pain at her side. She’d rather go headlong off a three-hundred-foot cliff than to let him believe otherwise.
His apologetic expression was wholly unsettling. As was the gentle way he set his hand to her back, nudging her to stand beneath the leaking porch roof. “I’ve never, ever tackled a girl—I mean, a woman, like that. I am so sorry.”
“There’s no need to worry. Really.” When she lifted her hat from her head, her dark wet hair collapsed down to her mud-coated duster. “You know me…I’m as rough and tumble as any boy.”
“You’re far from a boy, Lydia.” The hint of a grin tipping one side of his mouth sent her focus shooting to the rotted porch boards as unwelcome memories inched through her mind.
When she was younger, Lydia would tag along with Jeb, six years her senior, when he’d do his chores. She’d follow on his heels to school and back, and when she was older, she’d sit right behind him in church, watching his every move and listening for his deep and manly voice. She’d memorized everything there was to know about him. Prayed that God would see fit to unite her with Jeb in holy matrimony. She’d secretly adored him for as long as she could remember.
Jeb had always been so tenderhearted—that is until that very last crushing, humiliating encounter. From the darkest corner of her memory came a vision of herself, sixteen and vulnerable, running toward him, declaring her undying love. In her idealistic and completely naive thinking, she’d actually expected him to take her into his arms and never let her go.
She couldn’t have been more foolish.
His harsh words and actions had flattened her innocent hopes, singed her growing faith, and entombed her young love.
Brides of the West: Josie's Wedding DressLast Minute BrideHer Ideal Husband Page 17
