Whatever Tomorrow Brings

by Lori Wick

  My prayers are with you and I look forward to the time we can speak face to face.

  Sincerely,

  Marshall Riggs

  Kate read the letter and smiled through her tears. “Thanks Rigg. He’ll be so pleased.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I meant every word.” He hugged Kate for a moment before taking her hand. Heading out the door, Rigg had one cryptic comment.

  “That’s one down, and two to go.”

  fifty-seven

  Just as he’d hoped, Rigg found Sean at the house. He was eating supper and, with a mouthful of chicken, he stared at his sister and his employer. Sean noticed a marked difference about both.

  Rigg’s eyes, although always kind, held a certain tenderness that Sean had never seen before. And Kaitlin. She looked as if she needed a piece of string to keep her on the ground.

  “I have a question to ask you Sean,” Rigg stated quietly. “I just wrote to your father and asked if I could marry Katie. Now I want to ask you and then Marc. Do you mind if I marry Kaitlin?”

  Sean wiped his mouth and hands on a napkin and then looked up at the two with an expression that was older than he was.

  “I just have one thing to say to you Rigg,” Sean paused and smiled slightly. “It’s about time.”

  Kate laughed and moved to hug her brother. The two shared a long embrace before Rigg came to claim him. He held Sean by the upper arms and looked him in the eye.

  “I love you Sean,” Rigg told him honestly. “And I want to thank you for what you did to bring Kate and me together. I know you’re disappointed about your father and I’m praying that he’ll come home soon.

  “But I want you to understand that you still have a home. I think Marcail will probably want to be downstairs here or have you upstairs with her. Whatever you both want. If you’d like to be upstairs, go up and pick out a room. Or better yet, do that later and come to my folks with us now, so I can ask Marcail.”

  Sean’s eyes were shining with happiness and when Rigg finally hugged him, he held on tight. Being offered a home and a choice on a bedroom might have seemed a small thing to someone else but to a boy whose life had been so unsettled of late, it was a lifeline in a stormy sea.

  As it was they all went upstairs together, a first for Kate and Sean. There were three bedrooms and Sean, surprisingly enough, chose the smallest. It had a large bed, dresser and a standing full length mirror.

  “It’s cozy,” he told them. “And I like the view.”

  Sean planned to move his gear in the morning so they headed back to Kaitlin’s so she could get a sweater and then on to the farm. Rigg was careful to hide his disappointment once they arrived and found both Jeff and Gil gone. A friend of Jeff’s, who’d been away from the area had returned so he was at her house for supper. Gil, May informed Rigg, was coming back anytime. He’d just had some errands to run.

  Rigg knew that his parents were suspicious with the way he and Kate asked Marcail to go for a walk but they stayed quiet even though they were more than a little curious.

  “How was your day, Marcail?” Kate asked as Rigg sat quietly and watched them. The three had climbed into the loft in the barn.

  “It was okay. I wrote a letter to Loni and one to Father. I think you need to read the one to Father though, Katie, because I told him I want him to come home. I don’t want to send it if you think it will hurt his feelings.”

  “I can read it for you, Marc, but I got a letter today and Father said he wouldn’t be coming until sometime after Christmas.”

  “But Katie, Father said he was coming in the fall.” The little girl’s face showed her disappointment and Kate didn’t know what to say. Too much more of this and Marcail would begin to doubt her father’s honesty. As Kate searched for the right words to reassure her, Rigg stepped in and saved the moment.

  “I’ve only known you for a few months, Marcail. But even though it’s only been since March, I really like being with you and talking with you. I can only imagine how much your father likes to be with you because he’s known you your entire life.

  “You can believe, honey, that if he can’t be here, it’s not because he doesn’t want to be.”

  Marcail nodded and both adults could see she was relieved.

  “You know Katie,” Marcail stated a moment later in a logical tone, “you should marry Rigg, he’s very nice.” Marcail’s hand flew to her mouth as she stared in horror at her sister.

  “I’m sorry Katie, I’m so sorry.”

  Rigg rolled from his sitting position to lay in the straw, until he was nearly nose to nose with Marcail.

  “I’m glad you brought that up Marc,” Rigg told her. “Because today I wrote to your Father and asked if I could marry Kaitlin. Now I want to know if it’s all right with you?”

  “What did Katie say?” Marcail asked cautiously, not wanting to make another mistake.

  “She said yes.”

  “Did you ask Sean?”

  “He said yes.”

  Kate had been doing fine up to that point, letting Rigg handle everything. But Marcail’s next words were her undoing.

  “I knew this would happen Katie, I just knew. Rigg looks at you just like Father looked at Mother.”

  Kate reached for her sister then and held her tight. She couldn’t stop the tears that fell and Rigg gathered them both in his arms as Kate sobbed. Finally he pressed his handkerchief into her hand and she made an attempt at containing herself.

  “I told you she does this a lot,” Marcail informed Rigg seriously.

  Rigg thanked his young, future sister-in-law for the reminder giving her a conspiratorial wink.

  “We were at my house when I asked Sean, and I told him he would be living with us, as will you. He decided to take another bedroom upstairs so you can have his old room on the first floor or pick one of the other ones upstairs.

  “Sean’s new room has a bed and so does one of the other bedrooms. If you want the room that doesn’t, then we’ll just move furniture around.”

  “Thanks, Rigg.” Marcail smiled at him. “Katie, are you going to teach school or work with Rigg?”

  “Oh!” Kate said in surprise.

  “We haven’t talked about that yet,” Rigg informed the little girl. “But we’ll let you know what we decide. How about we go down now and tell everyone else?”

  “How come you asked Sean first?” Marcail suddenly asked, frowning at her sister as though she’d been betrayed.

  Rigg scooped Marcail up and planted a kiss on her cheek, effectively wiping the scowl from her face. He also stole a kiss from Kaitlin as they were climbing down the ladder. Before Kate was even back on the ground, Marcail was running for the house and shouting at the top of her voice that Rigg and Kate were going to be married.

  fifty-eight

  Gil had returned while the three were in the barn and he was as excited as everyone else to hear the news. May was ecstatic and couldn’t stop hugging Rigg and Kate. She brought out her good dishes for the cake she’d just baked and coffee.

  “What date have you picked?” This question came from a beaming Bill and Rigg told him they hadn’t talked about it. May had more questions and everyone did a lot of laughing over how many times Rigg was forced to answer, “We haven’t talked about it.”

  Gil asked how the whole thing had come about, and Kaitlin learned for the first time how Sean had been in the kitchen and emerged to translate what she’d said. She thanked him from across the room with a grateful look.

  As the evening grew long, Kate began to wilt. She wondered if it was normal to tell people so soon. Everyone had very logical questions for them and they had no answers. Kate hoped they would leave a little early so they could talk. She hadn’t even had a chance to tell Rigg that she loved him.

  Feeling teary all over again, Kate mentally scolded herself. He’ll change his mind Kate, if you don’t pull yourself together. Kate never took into account that she was tired for several good reasons. It was the end of the week, the emotional uph
eaval of hearing her father was being delayed again and going to Rigg to tell him how she felt only to make a mess of the whole thing.

  She told herself that Rigg’s proposal and her acceptance just might have a bearing on her physical and emotional state as well. And if all that wasn’t enough, she had completely forgotten to eat supper!

  Bill noticed that Kate hadn’t touched her cake or coffee and his voice came softly to her from his place next to her on the couch.

  “Katie, are you all right?”

  “I don’t think I am, but I don’t know why.” She felt tears at the back of her eyes, but she was too tired to let them fall.

  Rigg had heard his father’s question and Kate’s answer. He was feeling rather drained himself and, even though he knew his family would be disappointed, he said it was time to go.

  Sean had to work in the morning but said he wanted to stay at the farm with Nate. Marcail wanted to stay, too, and Rigg was quietly thankful to get his intended alone.

  “We didn’t eat supper,” Rigg commented when they were almost to the house.

  “No, I guess we didn’t.”

  Kate was silent as Rigg stopped the wagon and helped her down. She wondered why she wasn’t out of her head with excitement. They were leaning against the side of the wagon and Rigg had his arm around Kate. She let her head fall against him.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “We’re both tired. There are a million things to talk about, but I think they’ll wait until morning.”

  “I think so, too.” Kate moved from his embrace and stopped just out of reach. “You’re probably too tired to kiss me, so I’ll see you in the morning. Good night Rigg.”

  Kate’s hand was on the doorknob when Rigg’s hand covered her own, stopping her retreat into the house. She tipped her head back to look at him and he could see she was smiling.

  “I said I was tired, Kate-love, not dead.”

  Kaitlin laughed and said softly, “I love you Marshall Riggs.”

  “And I love you Kaitlin Donovan.” He smiled and kissed her in such a way that Kate didn’t doubt his words at all.

  Kate woke up feeling rested and refreshed. She turned to some of her favorite Bible verses in the book of Lamentations. Chapter 3:22-26 said, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.”

  Kate prayed after she read these verses, taking time to thank God for His saving love and say that she had accepted that gift.

  Spending such a long time praying for her loved ones, Kate was late for work. She hurried along the boardwalk rehearsing her apology only to find Rigg waiting out front for her.

  “Good morning.”

  “I’m late,” Kate stated, her planned apology melting away the minute she set eyes on Rigg. August was hot so Rigg was in simple dark slacks and a crisp white shirt, already rolled at the wrists with no vest or coat.

  “Did I forget to tell you last night not to eat breakfast?”

  “Yes, you did forget to tell me.”

  “So you’ve eaten?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry. Maybe you’d like a cup of coffee while I eat?” Rigg took Kate’s arm and led her up the street. She naturally wanted to know where they were going.

  “To the hotel. I’ve told my clerks that I’ll be out for a while. You and I need to discuss a few things and since there’s nothing pressing today, I think this is a good time.”

  Saturday mornings were busy in the hotel dining room but Rigg found a secluded table for two and led Kaitlin to it. He’d been carrying something under his arm and as soon as they were seated he pulled it out: It was a calendar.

  “I think the first thing we need to do is pick a wedding date.”

  “I already have. I checked my calendar this morning, just before I left the house.”

  “Great,” Rigg grinned. “What’s the date?”

  “December second. It’s a Saturday.”

  “October seventh is a Saturday, too,” Rigg stated, having also checked the calendar. Kaitlin blinked at him.

  “October? I don’t think that’s enough time.”

  “For what?” Rigg asked in all honesty and Kate looked a little frustrated. “You are marrying me, aren’t you Katie? I mean, you don’t need more time to decide, do you?”

  “I am definitely marrying you, but doesn’t it take a while to plan a wedding?” Kate had never participated in one before but when they had been in San Francisco, Aunt Maureen had helped with one and the way she carried on you would have thought the Queen was coming. She was also hesitant to tell Rigg that she needed time to save for what was sure to be a major expense.

  Rigg watched Kate’s face and spoke honestly. “Katie, I wish we were already married, so October sounds good to me. But if you want to wait until December, I’ll go along with your plans.”

  A harried young woman appeared at their table and splashed some coffee into their cups. Rigg told her what he wanted before she moved off in the direction of the kitchen.

  Kate studied her coffee cup a moment. She didn’t really know what she wanted, except that she wanted it to be special. Other than that, and thinking a white dress might be nice, she didn’t have any other desires. But she knew from weddings she’d attended in Hawaii that there was always plenty of food. Sean didn’t have a decent suit and Marcail would certainly want a new dress; although the one May had made her was very pretty.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I’m thinking that it’s different in Hawaii. I don’t know as many people here as I did there. In Hawaii, dozens of people would have come forward to offer their help, their food, their homes, or whatever was needed.

  “Along with the fact that I have almost no trousseau and I’ve never done this before—”

  “Money!” Rigg broke in, suddenly understanding. “You’re worried about the money.”

  Kaitlin wouldn’t answer him.

  “I don’t know if talking here was such a good idea,” Rigg said after they’d been interrupted by the arrival of food. Kate was looking so uncertain that Rigg wanted to hold her.

  “How would you feel if we found my mom as soon as I’m done eating, and talked some of this over with her?”

  Kate nodded and tried to drink her coffee.

  May was at home with Marcail. Rigg sat in the living room with Kate at his side, his hand engulfing hers. When May had given Marcail a job in the kitchen, she joined them. Rigg’s explanation was brief and May listened silently until he was through.

  “Tell me, Katie, when do you want to be married?”

  “I wish we already were.”

  “So, your wanting a December date is not because you’re unsure about marrying Rigg?”

  “No, I’m not at all unsure about that. But this is August nineteenth, and I can’t imagine having everything ready for a wedding by the seventh of October.”

  May spent the next hour reassuring Kate about her wedding. Kate learned that the church had a special group of ladies, of whom May was one, to handle wedding arrangements. May also told her daughter-in-law-to-be, that she would love to make her a wedding gown. Kate was feeling like the sun had broken through on a cloudy day. She was actually going to be married seven weeks from today.

  “Are you ever a hard guy to track down!” Jeff stood at the entrance to the room and spoke to Rigg, “I understand congratulations are in order.” Rigg stood up and Kate watched the two men embrace.

  “I can’t think what you’ve done to deserve her,” Jeff commented as he leaned to kiss Kate’s cheek.

  “You’ve got some nerve, insulting me and then kissing my woman,” Rigg laughed.

  Kaitlin and May fled on that note, both thinking tha
t the two of them were hopeless. They joined Marcail in the kitchen and filled her in on the news.

  Kate and Rigg did end up going to the mercantile just after lunch, but Kate was in a fog. She couldn’t have told anyone what she’d done that day if her life depended on it.

  fifty-nine

  Kate found it delightful to be greeted with a morning kiss. It was Sunday. She had stayed with the Taylors and when Rigg had come to take her to church, he’d kissed her as he helped her into the wagon.

  They talked as they rode, and Kaitlin brought up a subject they’d completely forgotten to discuss the day before.

  “Burt Kemp is going to want an answer from me today and, in all fairness Rigg, I need to give him one. Do you mind if I teach again this year?”

  “I have only one problem with your teaching and that is the chance that you’ll be pregnant before the year is out.” Kate thought her face would flame it was so hot.

  “I wonder how many years we’ll be married before you stop blushing in front of me,” Rigg remarked softly.

  “You took me by surprise,” Kate explained without looking at him. She took a deep breath and continued.

  “You’ve got a valid point, though. Mother taught when she was carrying Sean and Marcail. In fact Marc’s delivery was so easy that Mother’s labor began about an hour before school was to let out, but she didn’t tell anyone. And then she sent for Father after she dismissed. We were only home about two hours before Marcail was born.

  “There is, of course, no guarantee that things will be the same for me but I don’t think the possibility of my having a child should keep me from teaching.”

  They were not yet within sight of the church and Rigg pulled the team to a stop in the middle of the deserted road. He put his arms around Kate and she looked up into his face, so near her own.