The Brides of Chance Collection Part 15

"What?"

"Right out there in the barn in front of my brothers, I grabbed those straws and ground them into the dust." He let out a rueful chuckle at the memory. "t.i.tus teased me about volunteering, and I shocked him out of his socks when I said I couldn't stand to let you go to anyone else-that you were mine." He spread his hands. "If you're wanting fancy courtin', I'll do my dead-level best, but I'm warning you here and now, I'm liable to make a mess of it."

"Yup, he is," Bryce called.

"Hush and get in the house." Gideon didn't even bother to look over his shoulder. He continued to look her in the eyes. "I've got me five pesky brothers and a busy ranch, but that's just the world G.o.d set me in. It wasn't 'til the day you arrived that I came to life. You challenged me to be the man G.o.d wants me to be. You brightened each day."

"You feel that way about me?"

"Sweet pea, you marched in here and stole my heart before I knew what happened. I love you. Now I was hopin' to take you on a nice stroll under the moon and declare my undying love, but you're skittish of poison oak. Where's a fellow to take his gal so's he can propose?"

She stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "You can take me in your arms, Gideon. That's where I'd really love to be."

Two weeks later, Gideon and Paul rode out to check on fencing. t.i.tus went to town, and Gideon suspected he'd be there awhile. He'd nicked himself shaving, borrowed Paul's bay rum, and gladly accepted Miriam's offer to iron his shirt.

"t.i.tus is sweet on Priscilla White," Paul said.

"I figured as much. A man's got a right to pick his mate. Can't say I'd be thrilled if he marries her, though." Gideon eased back in the saddle. "Her pa calls her *Prissy' for good cause."

"Her mama wants her to catch the banker. Rovel has more money than anyone else hereabouts. Expensive as all of Priscilla's dresses are, I reckon she'll want a man with wads of money."

"Don't tell t.i.tus that. He'll figure it out soon enough."

Not long thereafter, t.i.tus rode up. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "You're never gonna believe this."

"What I believe is, you'd best better use your bandanna instead of your sleeve." Gideon scowled at him. "Miriam's already busy enough without having to do extra laundry."

"That's what I'm talking about."

"Laundry?"

"No. Miriam being busy. She's not going to be in the least bit happy, Gideon. It's going to upset her."

"What's going to upset her?"

"I saw the circuit rider."

Gideon's eyes narrowed. "Where? When?"

"He stopped through here to announce he's takin' on a regular pastorate and won't be coming through anymore."

"Not yet, he can't! The wedding's in two weeks."

t.i.tus slapped his hat back on his head. "Well, that's why I'm here-to tell you that he'll come out to the house at breakfast tomorrow to do the wedding. It's either that, or you and Miriam will have to go into San Francisco alone to get hitched properlike."

Gideon turned his horse toward the house. During the half hour it took to ride there, he tried to figure out how to break the news to Miriam. From the evening she'd accepted his proposal, she'd been working on plans for a storybook wedding. Every evening, she'd chatter on about what she'd done that day. A whole hive of bees couldn't come close to matching such industry. Their honey wouldn't be half as sweet, either.

A newly made wedding shirt awaited Gideon. Miriam had sent all of the brothers out with fancy handwritten invitations. She'd gotten Paul to build an altar and Bryce to polish Mama's silver candlesticks. By transplanting clumps of wildflowers, she had the yard looking downright fancy. Come winter, those flowers would die out, but he didn't have the heart to tell her so. As long as she was happy and they'd make for her fairy-taleperfect wedding, everything suited him just fine.

The problem was, if they got married tomorrow, she wouldn't have the fancy cake all baked or her dress finished. She thought she had fourteen days; she had fourteen hours.

Chapter 18.

Hitching Splotch outside the house, Gideon rehea.r.s.ed what he'd say. Reba White stood in the door like an avenging angel and made him lose his lines when she dramatically struck a pose very much like a starfish holding fast to the doorjamb and squawked, "Get back on your horse this very minute! You're not allowed here."

"I need to see Miriam."

"Absolutely not!"

Gideon headed for the door, fully expecting Reba to calm down and yield. "Reba, this is important."

She looked as belligerent as a just-saddled feral mustang. "Nothing is more important than your future."

"Yup. That's why I need to see Miriam." He stepped forward, figuring Reba would cave in and back up so he'd get by her. He was wrong. Toe-to-toe with her, he glared down. "I don't have time to waste here."

"You've got a lifetime, cowboy. Whatever you have to say can just wait 'til supper." She whispered, "We're working on Miriam's dress. You can't see it."

"I don't care about the dress; it's Miriam I need to see."

"She's in it-or what we have started of it. I have her pinned into the bodice, and it's taken us all morning to get it just right."

"Good. So it's done." That boded well. Relief flooded him.

"Done?" Reba laughed. "Gideon, it's just pinned. We have to sew it together and-"

"Miriam." He raised the volume slightly without letting the dread show. His bride set lots of store in having this pretty dress, and he was going to have to tell her- "Yes?"

"Come here, sweet pea." Rustling told him she'd be there in a minute.

Wrapped in the tablecloth, she appeared just behind Reba. An area about the size of his fist got singed on the tablecloth when he'd wrapped her in it to extinguish the fire. He didn't tell Miriam he could see airy white material through the hole. She'd already listed crocheting a tablecloth as something she needed to do before the wedding. One more reason for her to get in a dither.

Reba waggled her finger under his nose. "No peeking." She scuttled into the other room to give them some privacy.

"You're beautiful." The words slipped out of his mouth, and Miriam's smile was ample reward. Lord, let it all go this well.

"It's taken hours, but we have the design all set, Gideon. I want my gown to be beautiful for you-and for our daughter to wear on her wedding day."

"That's what I have to tell you-our wedding day. It's tomorrow."

Merry laughter bubbled out of her. When he didn't join in, her laughter died out. Her eyes grew huge.

"The circuit rider will be here in the morning. He's taken a regular pastorate, so he's not available for our original date." There. He'd said the lines he'd planned, and he'd gotten them out quite smoothly.

"We'll just have to wait for the next circuit rider, then."

"We are not waiting." He gave her the glower that always made his kid brothers toe the mark. "It took us two years before we got that parson. There's no telling how long it'll take before we'll have another man of the cloth to officiate. We're getting married tomorrow."

"But that was before this area became civilized and so well populated, Gideon." Completely unaffected by his glower, she gave him her I'm-being-practical smile. "We're bound to have a parson arrive in a matter of months."

"Months!"

She bobbed her head, and her eyes brightened. "Why, it's actually a blessing, Gideon. It'll give me more time on my gown, and-"

"We're getting married in the morning, Miriam. I don't care if you're in your nightdress or Bryce's britches. You'll be my bride tomorrow." Her face went pale as he thundered those words, and Gideon wished he'd been more diplomatic. "Swathed in a tablecloth, you're beautiful, Miriam. I couldn't care less about what you're wearing. I just want you to be mine."

She held the tablecloth tightly about herself and squared her shoulders. Moments pa.s.sed, and several expressions flitted across her face. Her voice quavered. "You're marrying me, not my dress. I understand. A sound marriage is more important than an elaborate wedding."

"We can still celebrate in two weeks-make that date a fancy reception." There. That qualified as a good compromise.

Miriam nodded slowly.

He trailed his fingers down her cheek. She'd lost her sparkle, and he knew he'd just destroyed her plans for a dreams-come-true wedding. "I'm sorry it worked out this way. You had it all planned out. Our only other choice would be to go to San Francisco and get married there."

"Would everybody come with us?" Hope flickered in her eyes.

"No. Too much to be done around here."

"I don't want to go off and get married among strangers. A wedding is all about love and family."

Reba called out softly, "I don't mean to be rude, but time's a-wasting, and these girls are going to wake up from their nap soon."

"Come on out," Gideon said. "Maybe you and Miriam can fix something she can wear. Things got moved up. The wedding's in the morning."

Reba gave a yelp. "Tomorrow!" She gave Gideon an outraged look. "Impossible. She doesn't have a dress. The netting I ordered for her veil isn't even here yet!"

Why do women put store by such silly fripperies? But Gideon saw the wince Miriam hadn't managed to hide at the mention of a veil. He could solve that problem. "Veils are wretched things. A man ought to have the pleasure of seeing his bride's radiance. Given my druthers, I want flowers in her hair."

"Well now, there's a fine plan." Reba perked up.

Miriam managed a wobbly smile. "I used up all the eggs this morning. Could you go rustle up a few more? I'll need them for the cake."

"Cake?"

Her brow arched. "You don't think we're getting married without a wedding cake, do you?"

Laughter bellowed out of him. She'd do without a gown and veil, but she was still going to make this an event. Miriam always made the best of things, and he prized that trait in her. "Woman, I'm so glad you're mine."

Admitting defeat didn't come easily. Miriam rolled over in her bed and stared at the white heap on the floor. She'd tried her best to st.i.tch together the bodice while Reba whipped together the skirt. Even then, they'd come to the disappointing realization that if they had four other women here to spend all night sewing with them, the wedding gown wouldn't be finished.

Lord, You've blessed me with such a fine man. Help me to let go of little-girl dreams and be a woman who appreciates what she has instead of mourning the inconsequential things that might be missing.

She rolled out of bed and stoked the fire in her potbelly stove. Wedging the sadiron next to her teapot, she mentally listed what she'd need to get done in the next two hours. The men were supposed to have ham and a coffee cake she made last night-she didn't want to risk having Gideon catch a glimpse of her this morning. She'd iron her green paisley dress, then do Polly's hair....

"Hey, Miriam! You awake?"

"Yes."

"Open up! I'm hauling over the tub."

She scrambled into her robe and eagerly opened the door so Paul could deliver that luxury. "Oh, thank you!"

Water splashed as he thumped the big galvanized tub down. "Glad to. Hang on. t.i.tus is bringing a couple buckets of hot water to add." He grinned at her.

Self-consciously, she reached up and touched one of the rags in her hair. "It's a good thing the groom can't see the bride before the ceremony. Gideon would run for the hills if he saw me like this."

"He was teasing Polly about her rag curls just a few minutes ago."

Miriam gave him a startled look. "I didn't put her hair up."

"Dan did," t.i.tus said as he arrived with the hot water. Laughter filled his voice. "If he weren't so grouchy this morning, we'd tease him unmercifully."

"Don't you dare. He was being a good daddy. I'm proud of him, and I'm going to tell him so just as soon as I see him."

Paul chortled. "You might want to wait until you see how Polly's hair turns out."

The brothers left, and Miriam gratefully slipped into the tub. She wished she had time to soak, but she still needed to iron her dress. Dried, powdered, and wearing everything except her dress, she laid the ironing board across her bed and draped the green paisley on it. Fingering the lace, she smiled. Gideon bought that lace for her. In fact, he bought the material, too, saying it would match her pretty eyes. It was the first compliment he'd paid her. The memory made the dress seem dearer.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside her doorstep. After a prolonged hesitation, someone knocked. Miriam slipped back into her robe and opened the door. "Daniel!"

He stood there, his face gaunt and eyes glinting with tears. "Hannah would have wanted you to have this." He shoved a bundle into her arms.

Miriam looked down. Mama's wedding gown. "Oh, Daniel-"

He cleared his throat. "I'm happy for Gideon. You'll make him a fine bride."

"You don't know how much it means to hear you say that."

"I can't be at the wedding. I can't see-"

Miriam pushed the dress back into his arms. "I'd rather have you there than wear the dress. You matter far more-"

"Don't ask that of me, Miriam. It's not just Hannah's gown. I can't listen to the vows." He shook his head as he rasped, "I just can't."

The anguish in his voice tore at her. Tears spilled from her eyes.

Daniel rasped, "Don't. Gideon's already furious that I'm not attending. If he knows I made you cry..." He hitched a shoulder.

"I understand. I'll make things right with Gideon, Daniel."

"I'll be at the reception when you have it." He shoved the dress into her arms again and wheeled around.