dusty prairie such a thing wasn’t possible, but Weston had surprised her by reaching into his vest pocket and producing one. She’d exhaled, breathing normally again, until she saw it. Crafted in silver and rose-gold, no less than a dozen small rose cut diamonds were mounted in the intricate repousse setting. It was exquisite and very old, a family heirloom possibly, and undoubtedly what he’d been scouring the wagon for earlier.
Her eyes rose to his in question.
“It was my grandmother’s, darlin’,” he said in a hushed murmur as he slipped it on her finger, and her eyes welled with tears. Moved by the sentiment, despite the suddenness of the ceremony and the less than romantic and very rustic setting, some of the onlookers had been moved too, sniffling and dabbing at their eyes while softly tittered words of approval rippled through the assembly.
That evening while they made camp, all the ladies of the train surprised the newlyweds with an impressive wedding meal.
There was a savory pork and vegetable stew, trail beans seasoned with wild onions and ham hocks, soda biscuits with freshly churned butter that melted in her mouth, and for dessert, sweet apple dumplings along with a vanilla cake one of the women had baked in her Dutch oven. She was also introduced to something called ‘spudnuts,’ a sort of doughnut made from potato flour. They were lighter and fluffier than the ones from her favorite bakery back home.
When she complimented the women who prepared the feast, she received offers to give her recipes or cooking lessons. These offers hadn’t come when she was struggling at the skillet while married to Elliott, so she figured being married to the trail master gave her more clout. It smacked of apple-polishing, although she wasn’t too proud, or stupid enough not to accept their help.
It was getting late when everyone returned to their own wagons, leaving Mina and Weston alone. She was packing away the extra food the women had left for them, when his shadow fell over her where she knelt by the fire.
“When you finish there, make up our bed under the wagon tonight. It’s too warm to sleep inside. I’m going to ride the perimeter and check in with the first watch, then I’ll be along directly.”
“Our bed,” she repeated. It came out as a whisper before she could stop herself. She hadn’t told him one important thing about her marriage to Elliott. “But—”
She stopped abruptly, feeling his strong hands wrap around her upper arms firmly and haul her to her feet. He wasn’t rough, his fingers not pinching or bruising as Elliott’s were wont to do. She knew he meant business, however, by him first putting her exactly where he wanted her to be, and second, from the intense expression on his face. His dark eyes simmered with resolute determination.
“Get any ideas of this not being a real marriage out of your head, Mina Carr. You’ll go where I go, sleep where I sleep, and bear my children. I’ll also expect you to work by my side, with me teaching you what you need to know about what will be your new life, and you’ll learn to mind me better than your last husband, that’s for certain. I’m no milksop, mealy-mouthed, citified fop posing as a man. I’m the real thing. Now, I’ve got a job to do before I come to you as your husband in truth. You get settled in as I asked and I’ll be along soon.”
He then pulled her up on her toes and planted a searing kiss on her lips. Once she was too dazed to think straight, he let her go, spinning her around and, with a small nudge to her lower back, sent her on her way. She took four stilted steps toward their wagon, before her head cleared and her temper flared to life. When she whirled back to face him, a set down on the tip of her tongue, she could only make out his shadow as he rode out. Fists clenched, she stamped her foot in frustration. If she’d had Vanessa’s ugly green and orange vase within reach she’d have hurled it at him,
Her eyes rose to his in question.
“It was my grandmother’s, darlin’,” he said in a hushed murmur as he slipped it on her finger, and her eyes welled with tears. Moved by the sentiment, despite the suddenness of the ceremony and the less than romantic and very rustic setting, some of the onlookers had been moved too, sniffling and dabbing at their eyes while softly tittered words of approval rippled through the assembly.
That evening while they made camp, all the ladies of the train surprised the newlyweds with an impressive wedding meal.
There was a savory pork and vegetable stew, trail beans seasoned with wild onions and ham hocks, soda biscuits with freshly churned butter that melted in her mouth, and for dessert, sweet apple dumplings along with a vanilla cake one of the women had baked in her Dutch oven. She was also introduced to something called ‘spudnuts,’ a sort of doughnut made from potato flour. They were lighter and fluffier than the ones from her favorite bakery back home.
When she complimented the women who prepared the feast, she received offers to give her recipes or cooking lessons. These offers hadn’t come when she was struggling at the skillet while married to Elliott, so she figured being married to the trail master gave her more clout. It smacked of apple-polishing, although she wasn’t too proud, or stupid enough not to accept their help.
It was getting late when everyone returned to their own wagons, leaving Mina and Weston alone. She was packing away the extra food the women had left for them, when his shadow fell over her where she knelt by the fire.
“When you finish there, make up our bed under the wagon tonight. It’s too warm to sleep inside. I’m going to ride the perimeter and check in with the first watch, then I’ll be along directly.”
“Our bed,” she repeated. It came out as a whisper before she could stop herself. She hadn’t told him one important thing about her marriage to Elliott. “But—”
She stopped abruptly, feeling his strong hands wrap around her upper arms firmly and haul her to her feet. He wasn’t rough, his fingers not pinching or bruising as Elliott’s were wont to do. She knew he meant business, however, by him first putting her exactly where he wanted her to be, and second, from the intense expression on his face. His dark eyes simmered with resolute determination.
“Get any ideas of this not being a real marriage out of your head, Mina Carr. You’ll go where I go, sleep where I sleep, and bear my children. I’ll also expect you to work by my side, with me teaching you what you need to know about what will be your new life, and you’ll learn to mind me better than your last husband, that’s for certain. I’m no milksop, mealy-mouthed, citified fop posing as a man. I’m the real thing. Now, I’ve got a job to do before I come to you as your husband in truth. You get settled in as I asked and I’ll be along soon.”
He then pulled her up on her toes and planted a searing kiss on her lips. Once she was too dazed to think straight, he let her go, spinning her around and, with a small nudge to her lower back, sent her on her way. She took four stilted steps toward their wagon, before her head cleared and her temper flared to life. When she whirled back to face him, a set down on the tip of her tongue, she could only make out his shadow as he rode out. Fists clenched, she stamped her foot in frustration. If she’d had Vanessa’s ugly green and orange vase within reach she’d have hurled it at him,
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