Married in Montana
Book One in At the Altar
By Kirsten Osbourne
Copyright 2015 Kirsten Osbourne
Savannah is tired of the dating scene, even though she wants to get married and have a family. She knows her mother will never move on with her own life as long as Savannah is single. Savannah goes to see a matchmaker, specializing in setting up couples who meet at the altar. At first, she thinks Scott is a dream come true, but his blundering soon makes her crazy.
Scott, a Montana bison rancher, doesn't have time to find a wife. His work is all-encompassing. Besides, he tends to have a hard time getting women to go out with him more than once. When he runs into a matchmaker he's known all his life, he tells her about the problems he's had to see if she can help him. When he meets Savannah at the altar, his heart stops for a moment. She's exactly what he's looking for. Will their diverse backgrounds keep them apart? Or will they be able to work through their differences to make their marriage a loving relationship?
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Prologue
Dr. Lachele Simpson sighed and ran her fingers through her purple hair as her last client for the day left her office. Why did no one listen to her? She not only had a doctorate in relational psychology from one of the best universities on the East coast, she also had intuition that far exceeded most. She knew when people were right for each other and always had.
When a client came to her and talked about whomever they were dating or thinking of dating? She knew the instant they mentioned their love interest's name whether that person was right for her client or wrong. She wanted the whole world to be happy, and she'd once thought her psychology practice would change things for people, but it just wasn't enough.
She'd been toying for some time with starting a new business. She wanted to find people who needed mates and match them up. Too often, though, people would meet and not be impressed with one another immediately, even though they would be excellent life partners. No, she needed people to agree to marry before ever meeting, so their initial reaction to each other wouldn't color their chances at happiness. She'd have to think on it, but she knew she could make it work.
She smiled to herself. She would find people who would agree to marry at the altar. There were so many people who desperately wanted to marry, but were too afraid.
She stood to pace her office, thinking about it more and more. She could advertise in newspapers in the West. There were still too many men in ranching areas and too few women. There were men in a lot of places who were just too busy to worry about dating. She could accommodate.
So many women were sick of the dating games. Men were just out for what they could get. Women would enjoy meeting a man knowing he was marrying her. Yes, she could make it happen.
Lachele's eyes lit up as she came upon the perfect name for her business: Matchrimony. She didn't care if she never made a dime. People would be happy, and that's all that really mattered.
Chapter One
Savannah sat across from her mother, struggling to find the right words to make her understand. "It's not a traditional dating service, Mom. We're not even going to date. We're getting married the moment we meet. We seriously will see each other for the first time as I'm walking down the aisle." She knew it sounded crazy, but she absolutely loved the idea. She may have read a few too many mail order bride romances, but it seemed perfectly logical to her.
"But that's preposterous! How could you have agreed to such a thing? Have you lost your mind?" Mrs. Blyton rarely liked what Savannah did.
Savannah had been raised to do what she was told. She'd rarely opposed her mother in anything, except her career choice. Her mother had wanted her to be a nurse. Instead, she'd chosen to teach. She hadn't told her mother about her major change until right before her college graduation though, because she knew her mother wouldn't approve.
"Every man I've met since high school has made it clear that he only wants one thing. I'm sick of playing dating games. I'm just done. I'm ready to marry. The woman that's running the business has a doctorate in psychology. She's put a lot of time and effort into finding the perfect match for me." Savannah took a deep breath, saying a silent prayer her mother would agree. "Please come to the wedding."
"Wedding. You're marrying a man, and you don't even know his name! How on earth can you call that a wedding?"
"No, I don't. And I don't know where he lives either. I know he lives in the continental US, and he's a Christian. I know he wants to marry. And I know that he's been specially chosen by a trained psychologist to be my husband. I'm going to go through with this. I'm not asking for your approval. I'm asking for your support." Savannah had rarely spoken to her mother in that tone of voice, and she held her breath waiting for the hammer to fall. She had a great deal of respect for her mother, but she needed to be able to live her own life.
Mrs. Blyton shook her head. "You don't have my approval. But I'll be at your wedding if it's important to you. I think you're crazy, but I'll be there. I'll have your old bedroom all fixed up and ready for you, so when you need to run away from him, you have somewhere to go."
Savannah ignored everything except her mother's agreement to be at the wedding. "Thank you. I do appreciate it!"
"Do you have a dress yet?"
Savannah shrugged. "Not yet, but the wedding's not 'til next weekend. I figured we could go look really quick after lunch." She had been toying with the idea of doing this for most of the past semester. After meeting with Dr. Simpson at the beginning of April, she'd informed her principal she wouldn't be back for the fall semester. She'd burned her bridges, and she was ready to follow through.
"You want to shop for wedding dresses after lunch. Do you think you can just walk into a dress shop and find something that fits? It's not that easy!"
"If God means for me to marry this man, then it will be that easy. Don't you think?" Savannah's mother had always taught her that faith was the most important thing a woman could have.
Mrs. Blyton sighed. "How could God possibly mean for you to marry a total stranger?"
Savannah ignored her mother's protests as they finished up their meal. "The wedding will be here in New York, but I need to be prepared to go anywhere. I just hope wherever I do go there's a need for teachers." She didn't want to give up her career just yet. Maybe when children came...
"What if you end up somewhere terrible? What if you end up in Texas? Even little old ladies carry guns in Texas. You'll end up getting murdered for making someone angry in traffic!"
"I'm sure people in Texas say the same thing about New Yorkers. I'm not worried." Her mother had always been worried about everything she didn't understand. Savannah was more than willing to experience something different. Living in a city her entire life had left her feeling as if there was something missing.
After lunch, they went to a small wedding shop around the corner from the restaurant. "So do you promise me you'll reconsider if we can't find a dress today?" her mother asked as they walked in.
"I promise I will think about it and pray about whether me doing this is really God's will." That was all Savannah was ready to agree to. She didn't think her mind would be changed, but she was willing to open herself to God's will. Of course, she'd been praying about it for months, and she believed what she was doing was God's will or she never would have agreed to it to begin with.
"Fair enough." Mrs. Blyton opened the door to the shop and held it for her daughter. Savannah's father had died when she was a small child, and she'd never had a desire to marry again. The man had b
een the love of her life, and she couldn't imagine that another man would make her happy. The idea of losing her daughter was petrifying.
Savannah walked automatically to a rack of clearance dresses. Most were styles from the previous year, but really? How much did dress styles change in that short of a time. She flipped through the dresses in her size and was about to agree that her mother was right when she got to the last dress. It was exactly what she was looking for. It was modest for a wedding dress, not showing too much cleavage and the skirt was flared, showing less than most. She hated the mermaid style dresses, thinking they clung too tightly to a woman's form.
She held the dress in front of her, and her mother's eyes softened. "If it fits, that will be the perfect dress for you," her mother admitted.
A saleswoman walked over. "That dress was returned last week. The bride found one she liked better, and it had already been altered."
Savannah bit her lip. It was her dream dress. "Do you mind if I try it?" she asked.
"Of course not! Do you need help?"
"Yes, please!"
Savannah and the saleswoman disappeared into one of the fitting rooms, and Savannah stripped down to her bra and panties.
"You'll have foundation garments under it, of course. When is the wedding?" the saleslady asked.
"A week from Saturday," Savannah said, waiting for the woman's reaction. She knew she'd left wedding dress shopping too long, but she wanted her mother to go with her, and truly? The shorter period of time her mother had to worry about the wedding, the better.
"Oh, that's fast. We can't get any major alterations done that quickly. Let's hope it fits!" While the saleswoman held the dress up, Savannah moved her arms into the short sleeves. Once they had it over her head, Savannah turned her back so the saleswoman could fasten the back of the dress.
Savannah took one look in the mirror, and tears popped into her eyes. It was perfect down to the last detail. The saleslady stood behind her, pulling at different places and making certain it didn't need to be altered much. "It's like it's already been altered for you!" she exclaimed. "I think we should have it hemmed about an inch, but other than that, it's perfect!"
"I think so too. I love it!" They walked out of the changing room, and Savannah stopped in front of her mother, who was sitting on a chair waiting. "What do you think?"
Mrs. Blyton blinked a few times. "I think you've found your dress."
Savannah looked at the saleslady. "Now for the scary question. How much?"
The saleslady smiled. "This is a return from last year's collection that's already been altered. It's less than half of its original price." She named a figure that had Savannah wincing, but only slightly.
Savannah nodded. "I want it. What about head pieces?"
An hour later, Savannah left the store with everything she needed. The dress would be ready Friday afternoon for her final fitting.
As they walked along the busy sidewalk in the middle of Manhattan, Mrs. Blyton sighed heavily. "You're not changing your mind, are you?"
Savannah shook her head. "No, Mama." She rarely called her mother mama, but there were times when she knew her mother needed it. "I'm not."
*****
Scott Ward did something extremely rare for him. He left his ranch in the middle of the day and went to his buddy Jake's house. He and Jake had been best friends since they were small boys, and he talked to him about everything. That day, though, he needed a favor. A big one.
Jake was a writer, and spent his days in his living room staring at a computer screen. Scott couldn't imagine how any man could stand being cooped up inside on a beautiful early summer day, but he knew his friend wasn't like him. Jake thrived on working, just as Scott did, but their jobs were as different as night and day.
Scott ran up his friend's front steps and pounded on the door, wondering why the man hadn't moved. His parents had left him their small house when they'd taken off in their RV to explore the US. They'd made it clear he could do whatever he wanted with it, because they were never coming home. Scott thought he should have sold it and moved somewhere bigger and nicer. His friend was a successful science fiction writer, and there was no reason for him to stay in the small three bedroom house he'd grown up in.
The door opened wide and Jake walked back to his computer after holding up one finger. Scott knew what that meant. His friend needed to finish the scene he was writing before he forgot what he was writing about. Jake had been doing that for as long as he could remember. Even in elementary school, he'd been scribbling away at stories every chance he got.
Scott wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for something cold to drink. He found a root beer in the back and grabbed it, popping the top and taking a swig. He was hoping he could talk Jake into grabbing a bite to eat with him before he had to get back to work.
Jake called from the living room. "I'm finished. Bring me a Coke!"
Scott grabbed a second drink from his friend's refrigerator and carried it to him in the living room. He handed it to him before he sat on the couch, leaned back, and took another drink of his root beer. "Want to break for lunch today?"
Jake sipped his Coke, eyeing his friend over the top of it. "Sure. What's going on?"
Scott shrugged. "Just have something to talk about. Nothing major."
Jake finally nodded. "Sure. What are you in the mood for?"
Scott shrugged. "Probably just the diner. I don't feel like driving into the city." 'The city' was Billings, the biggest city in the area. They lived in the small town of King, Montana which had been named for a man who had ranched there over a hundred years before.
"Diner it is." The diner was the only restaurant there in King, and where they usually went to eat. Occasionally, if one of them had a hankering for a different type of food, they'd drive into Billings, but that didn't happen often.
Jake threw back the rest of his Coke before getting to his feet. "You came at a good time. I just finished my chapter and was about to figure something out for lunch anyway."
Scott grinned. He knew better. When Jake was writing he rarely took breaks to eat. He'd write for twelve hours straight and then wonder why he was so hungry.
Jake didn't bother to lock up when they left his house, just as Scott had left his house unlocked. In King everyone looked out for everyone else. It was one of the best things about the area.
Scott asked about his friend's book while they drove. "Is it another book in your dragon universe?"
"Yup. I keep wanting to write another mystery, but the fans want dragons, and they're my bread and butter. So I give them dragons."
Scott pulled into the diner parking lot, and they got out. Jennifer, a girl they'd known in school, seated them when they walked into the small diner. "Hi guys. Just the two of you?"
"Unless you're planning on joining us," Jake answered with a grin.
"Yeah, let's not poke a stick in the boss's eye today. He's in a bad enough mood already." She winked at them and led them to a booth along one wall. "This all right?"
"It'll work," Scott told her. He'd dated Jennifer in high school. When you graduated in a class of thirty-two, most of the boys had dated most of the girls.
She put menus on the table in front of them. "I'll get your drinks. Usuals?"
The men nodded, and she wandered off to put in their order. They'd both have the Tuesday special. While they waited on their smothered elk steaks, Scott brought up the subject he wanted to discuss with his friend. "You willing to take a trip with me next weekend?"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "I guess. Where're we going?"
"New York." Scott waited for his friend's reaction, knowing it would be a strong one. Jake wanted to travel everywhere, but Scott always refused to go with him, citing his ranch as the reason he couldn't leave Montana.
"You hate cities. You think Billings is too big. Why on earth do you want to
go to New York?"
"Thought I'd fly out there and get married." Scott sipped at his water, keeping his eyes on his friend's face.
"Who are you marrying?"
"No idea." Scott tried not to laugh when Jake's jaw dropped. "Seriously. Listen. You remember Lachele King?"
"Sure. She graduated ten years before us, didn't she? Didn't I hear she's already married?"
"Well, she went to school in New York. She married Sam Simpson out there and got a doctorate in psychology. She has her counseling practice, but on the side she's doing some matchmaking. She's opened a business she's calling Matchrimony. Part of the deal is, you have to agree to marry whoever she matches you up with on the spot. So I won't meet my future wife until we get to the altar."
"And you're doing this why?"
Scott grinned at his friend's question. One of his favorite things about Jake is he didn't sugar coat anything. If he thought you were being stupid, he told you flat out.
"I don't have time to date, and I want a girl who's looking to marriage, not just one who wants to play games." Scott rested his weight on his elbows, leaning forward earnestly. "She's only matching up Christians. She does extensive interviews with each person before they're even allowed to be part of it. Really, unless I want to waste a lot of time, I can't think of a better way to find a wife."
"You can't just go to church and meet someone, like a regular guy would do?"
"There are four single women in our church. There's Ashley Mason. She's eighteen, and way too young for me." At thirty-three, Scott wasn't looking for a young girl. He wanted a woman who knew herself and what she wanted in life. "There's old lady Dixon." He didn't need to say anything more there. She was a great grandmother several times over. "There's Tina McElroy, and we both know she's not up to marriage." Tina was mentally challenged and not capable of doing for herself. "And then there's Annette." He and Annette had dated a few times before he realized there was just no spark between them. He wasn't looking for love at first sight, but there had to be something there.
"There are churches in Billings," Jake suggested.
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