back up at the judge. “Please, I want my father here.”
“Very well.” The judge beckoned at one of the uniformed guardsmen. “Go fetch Mr. Nelson. Waste no time. We’re starting in a half hour whether he’s here or not.”
“And my cousin, if you see her!” Amanda called at the departing man.
Askup’s face was livid right down to his jowls. “Do I have the court’s permission to withdraw?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“No, you do not.” The judge’s smile was anything but friendly. “You will stay and witness this marriage. That way, I and all of Omaha, will know that you cannot be ignorant of the union. And you do recall, don’t you, that the punishment for interfering with a marriage can be anything up to and including death?”
Terry Askup subsided, his color now sickeningly pale. But Sand couldn’t care less about that. Amanda stood at his side, holding his arm with that brilliant smile on her face. In only a few minutes she would be his wife, and nothing else mattered to him.
Chapter 8
Outside the courthouse the sky was brilliant blue, the sun a gleaming disk slanting light over the gold ring on Amanda’s left hand. She couldn’t help but lift her hand to smile at the familiar wedding band. She had seen it on her mother’s hand until she died, then her father had worn it on a chain around his neck.
Sand took her hand to kiss her fingers. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a ring for you,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ll get one as soon as I can.”
“Okay, if you want to. But I’m glad to have this one. Dad says we can keep it.”
She glanced back over her shoulder at her father, thin and stooped and rather dirty in his city sanitation uniform. Her cousin stood beside him in her plain gray cotton novice’s uniform she wore to work in St Joseph’s Hospital. She couldn’t imagine anyone less like a nun in training than her cousin.
“Your mother would have been happy for you to have it.” Tears brightened her dad’s blue eyes. “She would have been happy to see you safely married. And to a man who will take good care of you.”
Sand looked like he might blush, but he shook her father’s hand heartily. “I will,” he said fervently.
“Well, that’s all settled,” Sky said. “Let’s all go back home. We’ll have a nice dinner to celebrate the wedding.” He must have caught the shadow that passed over her dad’s face. “Unless—” Sky’s voice sounded careful “—you think a house like mine isn’t the right place for your niece?”
“No, that’s not it. My niece is only training with the Sisters of Mercy. She hasn’t taken her vows yet. It’s that I’m not fit for company. I would need to go home and clean up first, and that will take quite a while. I very much doubt the newlyweds will want to wait that long.” He smiled, and for a moment Amanda saw her father as he had been when she was young, a bright and fun loving man with an impish sense of humor. “No. Instead why don’t you come to dinner on Tuesday night? Sara and I will splurge and fix a nice dinner for you. Will you come?”
Completely ignoring the fact that his uniform was filthy, she gave her father a big hug. “Yes, Daddy. I love you.”
He hugged her back. “We’ll see you on Tuesday night at 6:00,” he said.
Sand shook his hand gravely. “We’ll be there.”
The only thing that disrupted the joy of the moment was the sneer on Terry Askup’s face as he pushed by them. Amanda wondered if her hand on her new husband’s arm was the only thing that kept Sand from attacking. Joe Sullivan nodded at them all with his quiet smile as he walked behind Terry.
She walked home with her hand held tightly in Sand’s. With Sky walking at a fast pace a few feet in front of them, they arrived home in record time. Not that she or Sand had wanted to dawdle. In fact, she was ready to skip supper and drag Sand right up to her bedroom, but Sky smiled evilly and gave a slow shake
“Very well.” The judge beckoned at one of the uniformed guardsmen. “Go fetch Mr. Nelson. Waste no time. We’re starting in a half hour whether he’s here or not.”
“And my cousin, if you see her!” Amanda called at the departing man.
Askup’s face was livid right down to his jowls. “Do I have the court’s permission to withdraw?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“No, you do not.” The judge’s smile was anything but friendly. “You will stay and witness this marriage. That way, I and all of Omaha, will know that you cannot be ignorant of the union. And you do recall, don’t you, that the punishment for interfering with a marriage can be anything up to and including death?”
Terry Askup subsided, his color now sickeningly pale. But Sand couldn’t care less about that. Amanda stood at his side, holding his arm with that brilliant smile on her face. In only a few minutes she would be his wife, and nothing else mattered to him.
Chapter 8
Outside the courthouse the sky was brilliant blue, the sun a gleaming disk slanting light over the gold ring on Amanda’s left hand. She couldn’t help but lift her hand to smile at the familiar wedding band. She had seen it on her mother’s hand until she died, then her father had worn it on a chain around his neck.
Sand took her hand to kiss her fingers. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a ring for you,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ll get one as soon as I can.”
“Okay, if you want to. But I’m glad to have this one. Dad says we can keep it.”
She glanced back over her shoulder at her father, thin and stooped and rather dirty in his city sanitation uniform. Her cousin stood beside him in her plain gray cotton novice’s uniform she wore to work in St Joseph’s Hospital. She couldn’t imagine anyone less like a nun in training than her cousin.
“Your mother would have been happy for you to have it.” Tears brightened her dad’s blue eyes. “She would have been happy to see you safely married. And to a man who will take good care of you.”
Sand looked like he might blush, but he shook her father’s hand heartily. “I will,” he said fervently.
“Well, that’s all settled,” Sky said. “Let’s all go back home. We’ll have a nice dinner to celebrate the wedding.” He must have caught the shadow that passed over her dad’s face. “Unless—” Sky’s voice sounded careful “—you think a house like mine isn’t the right place for your niece?”
“No, that’s not it. My niece is only training with the Sisters of Mercy. She hasn’t taken her vows yet. It’s that I’m not fit for company. I would need to go home and clean up first, and that will take quite a while. I very much doubt the newlyweds will want to wait that long.” He smiled, and for a moment Amanda saw her father as he had been when she was young, a bright and fun loving man with an impish sense of humor. “No. Instead why don’t you come to dinner on Tuesday night? Sara and I will splurge and fix a nice dinner for you. Will you come?”
Completely ignoring the fact that his uniform was filthy, she gave her father a big hug. “Yes, Daddy. I love you.”
He hugged her back. “We’ll see you on Tuesday night at 6:00,” he said.
Sand shook his hand gravely. “We’ll be there.”
The only thing that disrupted the joy of the moment was the sneer on Terry Askup’s face as he pushed by them. Amanda wondered if her hand on her new husband’s arm was the only thing that kept Sand from attacking. Joe Sullivan nodded at them all with his quiet smile as he walked behind Terry.
She walked home with her hand held tightly in Sand’s. With Sky walking at a fast pace a few feet in front of them, they arrived home in record time. Not that she or Sand had wanted to dawdle. In fact, she was ready to skip supper and drag Sand right up to her bedroom, but Sky smiled evilly and gave a slow shake
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