by Jenna Brandt
“Gray is a nice color on you.”
“I appreciate your noticing. I hoped you would like it.”
He escorted her down the stairs, and when they reached the bottom, Mark was waiting to go along with them as Becca’s chaperone.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Garrett inquired.
“I’m not sure; you haven’t told me where you’re taking me,” Becca teased with a laugh.
“After our last disaster of a night out, I decided my first instincts were correct. We’re going to have dinner in Yuma.” He opened the door to reveal a waiting carriage.
“You hired a carriage for the night? We could’ve just used my family’s,” she offered.
“No, it’s my job to take care of you, not the other way around. I don’t want you to feel like you ever have to pay for a single thing when we’re together.” It was important to Garrett that she didn’t think he cared about her money. Her income was of little consequence to him, and he made enough to take care of both of them comfortably.
On their carriage ride to Yuma, they talked about the latest knitting club meeting, Garrett’s first week at work, and the upcoming town social. The conversation flowed smoothly, and before he knew it, they were arriving outside the restaurant.
“You’re taking me to Blanchard’s? Are you sure you can afford this on your salary?” Becca asked with astonishment.
Garrett tried not to be offended by her second demonstration of concern about his income. “It’s the best in town, and you deserve the best. Don’t worry about how much it costs. I can take care of it.”
Garrett planned to pull out all the stops to make sure Becca had the best night of her life. He needed her to know how much she meant to him.
Once inside, the waiter guided them to a private room in the back set up with several tables spread across the large space. Mark took a seat at one of the tables in the far corner, giving them some privacy.
Garrett pushed in Becca’s chair after she took her seat, then came around to sit across from her. The waiter offered them drinks, then took their order before exiting the room.
“I haven’t been here in years. I forgot how beautiful this place is,” Becca observed, as she looked around the elegant establishment. It was decorated with rich tapestries and gold sconces on the walls, along with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
“Not as beautiful as you,” he noted, giving her a grin. “I can’t keep my eyes off of you.”
The meal arrived a little bit later. The food was delicious, but Garrett paid little mind to it. All he could think about was what was coming next.
“Are you ready to go to the next part of the evening?” Garrett stood from the table and came around to gather Becca to his side.
She nodded. “Where are we going now?”
“To the waterfront down by the river. I thought we could take a stroll along the boardwalk.”
“That sounds lovely.”
A few minutes later, they were back in the carriage and headed towards their destination. There were several routes to get to the waterfront, and the one Garrett expected the driver to take was blocked by a broken-down wagon. He had to change the route and go down several streets that Garrett vaguely recognized. What he didn’t expect was for them to pass right by the hospital. Instantly, Garrett could feel his heart seize in his chest. His hands started to sweat, and spots of bright color popped in front of his eyes.
“Are you all right, Garrett?” Becca inquired with concern. “You don’t look so good. Is something wrong? Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?”
He couldn’t take his eyes off the hospital and it was only when the carriage finally moved past it that he could finally utter a word. “That’s the hospital where they kept me after the attack.”
“Oh no, that must bring back such painful memories. The driver shouldn’t have come this way,” Becca admonished with irritation in her voice.
“Is there anything we can do?” Mark asked from beside him. “What do you need?”
“I’ll be fine. I just hoped to never see that place again. It kept me from everyone I cared about,” Garrett revealed.
“But you’re back now,” Becca countered, reaching across the carriage and clasping his hand. “And that’s all that matters. You got out of there, and you found your way back home to all of us.”
Garrett pushed the unwanted memories out of his mind, and focused on his time with Becca. He refused to let that hospital and his time there take one more thing from him.
A few minutes later, the carriage driver delivered them safely to the waterfront.
“I’ll follow behind you from a discreet distance,” Mark told them as he hopped out of the carriage after them. “I know I can trust the both of you.”
Garrett placed Becca’s hand in the crook of his arm as they walked side-by-side down the boardwalk. The night sky was clear and the moon was bright, with stars twinkling above them. The cool, fall air caused the skin on Becca’s hand to prickle, and he quickly realized she was cold. “Here, take my jacket,” he offered as he took his coat off and placed it around her shoulders.
“You didn’t need to do that,” she rebuffed.
“No, I insist. I want you to be comfortable.”
They walked in silence for several minutes, but it was a pleasant lull that didn’t turn awkward. Garrett knew that if he could be happy to simply be near Becca, she was the right woman for him.
When they reached the end of the boardwalk, Garrett turned to face her. “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I love you, Becca. I never stopped loving you. Even when I couldn’t remember anything about us, I knew when I looked at your picture, I loved you. That never went away, no matter what had happened to me. I want to pick up where we left off. I hope you will give me a chance to make up for the past couple of months by spending the rest of your life with me. Will you marry me, Becca?”
Tears filled her eyes, and for a split second, he thought she might say no. The possibility of that tore through him like a sharp-edged knife.
“Yes, yes, I will marry you, Garrett. I love you, too. Even when I thought the worst about you, I couldn’t shake my love for you. I knew I shouldn’t still love you. Everyone told me you didn’t deserve my devotion, but I couldn’t get over you.”
“That’s because what we have is real and true. We belong together, Becca.” Garrett leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. It was a gentle kiss, filled with forgiveness, promise, and hope for a life they both had wanted for a long time.
Chapter Eleven
Becca scoured the town square, confirming that everything was in its place for the social. The tables were draped with gingham blue and white tablecloths ready for the food the townsfolk would be bringing with them. Places for people to sit and eat were scattered throughout the space. An area was cleared for games, plus another section for the band and dancing that was planned for later in the evening.
Even though Becca knew Mary and her cronies would take credit for the entire event, she wanted to make sure everything went smoothly for her first night with Garrett since they recommitted to marrying each other.
“Everything looks wonderful, Becca. You guys did a great job,” Mark praised. “This is going to be the best social in Little Ridge history.”
“Thank you, Mark, that’s very sweet of you to say. I just want this to be perfect.”
“We’ve done all we can,” Julia said, coming up beside her cousin. “Ed should be getting here any time now, along with the rest of the town.”
Within a few minutes, people arrived in droves, filling up the area until the crowd was thick and buzzing with commotion. Garrett arrived at her side, a grin on his face, as he held out a bouquet of wild flowers. “I got these for you.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” she gushed, her cheeks tinging pink as she took the flowers. “What is everyone going to think?”
“That I love you and
we’re getting married,” Garrett explained. “I hope that doesn’t embarrass you.”
Becca reached out and placed her free hand on the side of his face. “I could never be embarrassed that you love me.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He glanced down at her dress and smiled. “I see you’re wearing a new blue dress. You look gorgeous in it.”
Becca had made a trip to the dress shop in town, wanting to splurge on a dress for the special occasion. She was immediately drawn to the satin, navy blue dress with white trim. She knew Garrett was going to love it. The fitted bodice and flared skirt would not only look great on her figure, but be perfect for dancing.
“Thank you; I bought it especially for today.”
“Well, you did an excellent job. It might be the prettiest dress I’ve ever seen, which means, it has to be documented for posterity’s sake,” Garrett glanced around, then gestured with his head behind him. “We should go have a picture taken of us.”
They made their way over to the large three-legged wooden square contraption. The man behind it explained what they needed to do. As they got situated in front of the camera, Garrett pulled her left hand up and turned it back and forth. “You put your engagement ring back on.”
“Of course I did. I told you I would marry you.”
“I’m just surprised you didn’t throw it away.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” she admitted with shame. “But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I put it in my jewelry box instead.”
“I’m glad for that. It was my mother’s ring. It’s one of the only things I have left from my family. I brought it with me from New York, afraid I might have to sell it to cover living costs until I found a job. I was grateful when I didn’t have to.”
“Me, too,” she said, looking down at the oval sapphire ring. “I love it.”
“We’re ready now,” the cameraman called out. “Please stand still until I tell you to move.”
A half hour and several attempts later, they had a picture to document the special night.
“What should we do next?” Becca inquired, glancing around the town square.
“Let’s get some food over at the potluck. I’m starving.”
They made their way over to the tables already stuffed full of stews, baked dishes, fried meats, various vegetables and fruits, cakes, pies, and even two flavors of ice cream.
“I don’t even know where to start. There’s so many delicious looking things to eat,” Garrett exclaimed, picking up a tin plate. He quickly moved down the line of food, heaping it as high as he could without it toppling over.
Becca took a plate, too, but decided to be a bit more selective with her choices. She ended up with about a third as much food on her plate as Garrett.
“That’s all you’re getting?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I have to fit into my wedding dress, don’t I?”
“Wedding dress? Does that mean the two of you have decided to try to make a go of it again?” Mary inquired with astonishment as she came up beside them. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“I don’t see how any of that is your concern,” Becca admonished with a frown. “You don’t know the first thing about our relationship.”
“I do though,” Jonathan interjected as he came up on the other side of them. “They definitely shouldn’t be back together, let alone getting married.”
“How many times do I need to tell you to stay away from us, Bosley?” Garrett seethed out.
“You should know by now, you’re never going to be able to get rid of me,” Jonathan threatened. “Becca belongs with me, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to convince her of that.”
“You’re wasting your time. I love Garrett and we’re getting married.” Becca set down her plate at the nearby empty table, then wrapped her free arm through Garrett’s to make the point clear. “You need to do what my fiancé told you and leave us alone.”
“Come on, Jonathan, you can escort me over to the games,” Mary suggested as she placed her hand on his arm. “You don’t need to waste your time with these fatuous people anymore.”
Jonathan looked like he wanted to object for a moment, but instead he let Mary guide him away to the other side of the town square.
“Never a dull moment around here,” Garrett joked in a lighthearted tone. “I should have known something like that was going to happen today and been prepared for it.”
“You shouldn’t have to be,” Becca countered with an irritated huff. “People just need to stay out of our affairs.”
“It’s a small town; that’s never going to happen.”
They spent the next hour eating and enjoying the company of their friends. Next, they made their way over to the game area where June’s son, Ben, entered several of the competitions with his stepfather, Daniel. The group of friends cheered and rooted them on. They won the wheelbarrow race and came in third in the three-legged race.
The families with young children slowly drifted away as the sun settled against the horizon, ushering in the night sky that provided a romantic ambiance for the evening activities.
The band took their place in front of the area reserved for dancing. They started with a fast-paced song that encouraged people to pair up and start to hop to the beat.
“Care to dance?” Garrett extended his hand to Becca, who gladly took it.
“I’d love to.”
They took a spot at the edge of the area and quickly fell into the pattern of the current dance. Becca enjoyed dancing with her fiancé, who was light on his feet while being steady in frame. The longer they spent moving to the music, the more in sync they became.
The music changed to a slower tempo song, urging Garrett to pull Becca closer as they evened their rhythm to the new pace.
“I always forget how good you are at this,” Becca praised, enjoying the feel of being in Garrett’s embrace.
“When I was sixteen, before my mother died, she made sure I knew how to dance. She said I’d appreciate it when I met the right woman.”
“She was right. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
“Not even me?” Jonathan inquired as he came over and tapped Garrett on the shoulder. “I think I can show you a thing or two he can’t.”
“You can’t be serious. Do you actually think I’m going to step aside so you can dance with Becca?”
“It is a town dance. It would be rude if she didn’t,” Jonathan countered with a wicked grin. “You wouldn’t want me to cause a scene, would you? What would everyone think? You just barely got everyone to trust you again.”
“I don’t really care what anyone else thinks besides Becca,” Garrett growled out. “Do you want to dance with him?”
She shook her head. “No, I only want to dance with you.”
“There you have it. Becca’s made up her own mind.” Garrett spun Becca away from Jonathan, leaving him on the other side of the dance area.
“He really doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Becca lamented. “I wish he would just leave us alone.”
“Let’s not focus on him; let’s focus on us,” Garrett said, dipping Becca backwards before pulling her up until her eyes met his hypnotizing brown set. “We love each other and we’re getting married.”
“You’re what?” a brunette woman Becca didn’t recognize yelled out as she came to stand next to them, her hands on her hips, an accusing glare in her green eyes.
Garrett’s own eyes grew wide with shock as the color drained from his face. “Cora, what on earth are you doing here?”
They moved away from the rest of the crowd that had turned to watch the interaction.
“Why did you come here?” Garrett asked a second time, this time more forceful than the last.
“I came to find out how you were doing and to see if you were ready to come back to Yuma. I didn’t expect to hear that you were getting married.”
“As you can see, I’m mending well. You did a fine job of tak
ing care of me at the hospital. As for returning to Yuma, that isn’t going to happen. I’m in Little Ridge where I belong.”
Cora stepped forward and placed her hand on Garrett’s arm. She moved it up until she pulled back the edge of his shirt, looking underneath.
Irritably, he reached up and yanked her hand away, saying, “I already told you, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about my wounds.”
“But this one was the most resistant to healing,” she countered, pushing her hand back towards his shoulder. “I want to make sure it hasn’t gotten infected. I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”
The way the other woman was speaking to Garrett made Becca wonder if she had been more than just his nurse while he was staying at the hospital. Not only did she seem to be overly concerned about his well-being, she traveled all the way here just to see him. Could they have been romantically involved while Garrett was recovering?
“I appreciate your concern, and I’m grateful for all you did for me back at the hospital, Cora. You’re a good woman and you’re going to make some man truly happy.”
“After you left, I couldn’t stop thinking about you and our time together. I want you to be that man, Garrett. I think you came back here because you thought that was the right thing to do, but you can’t commit yourself to a life you think you should live out of obligation. It’s not too late to change your mind.”
“That’s not what’s going on. I came back to Little Ridge because it’s my home. I’m with the woman I love, whom I’ve loved from the moment I saw her,” he stated adamantly as he draped his arm over Becca’s shoulders.
A look of hurt crossed Cora’s face when she realized she was defeated. “All I want is for you to be happy, Garrett.” Slowly, she turned away to leave, then over her shoulder, she added, “I wish you well with everything.”
Once they were alone, Becca turned to Garrett, hoping to put her doubts to rest. “Why would she go to so much effort to come see you? Was there something between you that you didn’t tell me about?”
“No, there was nothing like that. She showed a special interest in making sure I recovered, visiting me every day and reading to me, but I swear it didn’t go beyond friendship.”