"So the first wedding tomorrow will be the real one, and I won't have to wait?” He grinned. “I like it. We can get to church before the service and have the pastor marry us and no one will be the wiser," he said with enthusiasm.
"It is kind of last minute, though. Do you think the pastor would actually agree to do this?" Colleen worried that as much as she liked the idea, it did sound a little crazy.
"Pastor Ben and I go way back. I'm pretty sure that he'll be thrilled." David hesitated for a moment and then asked, "But are you sure you really want to do this?"
Colleen smiled. "Yes, I am sure. I've never liked being the center of attention, and I really do like the idea of a tiny wedding and a simple celebration."
"Well, it sounds fantastic to me. After dinner at my parents tomorrow, they'll all think that I'm driving you home, and I will be, but it will be to our home."He pulled her in close, and kissed her softly on the lips,
"I can't wait till tomorrow."
Colleen hardly slept that night. She packed a small bag with most of her clothes and set it aside. She didn't say anything to Julia and Liam yet. She wanted to wait until David arrived so they could both tell them together. Part of her was worried that he might change his mind. When he arrived, he looked a bit nervous and immediately pulled Colleen aside and asked, "Do you still want to do this? Today?"
Colleen smiled. It was sweet that he was so worried. "Yes, I'm sure. I've never been so sure of anything in my life."
"Well, that's reassuring. Have you told Julia and Liam yet?"
"No, I haven't said anything yet. I wanted to wait until you arrived, so that we could tell them together. I was a little bit worried that you might change your mind too," she admitted.
He reached for her hand and smiled. "No need to worry about that."
David filled Julia and Liam in on their plans, and they both approved. Liam was his usual, enthusiastic self. "I think that's a great idea. Don't you think so, Julia?"
"Yes, I love it. I will miss you, though," she added a bit wistfully.
Colleen gave her a hug. "I'll miss you, too, but I'm not going very far. And I'll see you most days at the pub as well."
"What about someone finding out?" Julia looked David's way. "You'll have to tell Paul, of course."
He nodded. "I'll tell Paul. But, no one else usually comes to the farm during the week. We should be fine. "
David took Colleen's bag and put it in the back of the buggy. They followed Julia and Liam into town and got to the church almost an hour ahead of the service. David went in to find Pastor Ben and ask if he'd be willing to marry them on such short notice. He was gone for about five minutes, and then came back wearing a grin.
"He's all for it," David said happily. "He said to come in right now, though, so we can get this done before people start to arrive."
They all walked inside, and the pastor motioned for them to come down to the front of the church. It hit Colleen then, that she was really getting married. She was excited and terrified at the same time. She looked at David for reassurance and he smiled back at her. He must've noticed the look of sudden panic on her face, because he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "We can wait, if you want."
Colleen swallowed hard. "No I'm ready."
They gathered around Pastor Ben and he started the simple service that would marry the two of them. They exchanged vows, repeating the words the pastor said first and then finally when they both said, “I do,” he pronounced them husband and wife. "You may now kiss the bride."
David leaned over and tenderly kissed her on the lips.
"Congratulations!" Julia and Liam said at the same time.
"Mrs. Donovan," David said. “I like the sound of that."
Colleen smiled at David and gave his arm a playful squeeze. "Me, too."
The rest of the day seemed surreal to Colleen. On the surface, it was the same as any other Sunday. Shortly after their wedding service, parishioners started to arrive, the rest of David's family among them. After church, as usual, they all headed back to Naomi and Jed's for dinner. It was a lovely afternoon. Jed was having a good day and everyone was excited about the upcoming wedding. Colleen did feel a little bit of guilt about that, but David reassured her that there was no need for her to feel guilty, because they were still going to go through all the motions of a full wedding again.
Elizabeth was looking forward to the wedding and especially the opportunity to wear her fancy new dress again, but she was even more excited about the fact that she now had three young men who had all expressed their intentions to court her. Naomi wasn't quite as excited about that. She still had some concerns about one of the men who, in her opinion, was much too old to be dating an eighteen-year-old girl, and she wasn't shy about expressing them.
"Jeremy Johnson is thirty-two years old. I just think that's too much of an age difference. I don't think it's a good idea." She looked at Elizabeth she spoke, and Colleen could tell she was hoping that she and the other girls would speak up and agree with her, so that Elizabeth would change her mind about dating him. But Elizabeth didn't wait for anybody else to weigh in with an opinion.
"Mother, I told you before, I like Jeremy. He's not too old for me. He's very interesting and successful." And then she giggled and added, “He's also extremely handsome and charming."
"It's the charming part that worries me," Naomi said.
"Oh, please, I'm just beginning to start courting and I'm not in any hurry to make any decisions. I just want to have fun."
Naomi just shook her head and then changed the subject back to the wedding.
"Do you know what kind of cake you would like?" she asked.
Colleen pretended as though she was thinking about it for a moment. "I'm not sure. What's your favorite flavor?"
"Chocolate, of course," Naomi said."What I like doesn't matter, though. It's your wedding."
Colleen smiled and said, "I love chocolate, too. Let's do that."
Colleen grew a little bit nervous on the way home. It wasn't that she wasn't excited to be married to David—she was. But she was a little worried about the physical part of being married. Suddenly, it seemed too soon. When they pulled into the drive and stopped at David's house, he helped her down and then brought her bag from the back of the buggy and they walked inside.
"Well, here we are." David set the bag down and closed the door behind them. He lit a gas lamp and then there was a somewhat awkward silence. Finally, he said, "Why don't I show you around, so you know where everything is?" He brought her into the kitchen first and showed her the general layout and where everything was kept. The kitchen was so spotless that it almost looked as though it had never been used.
"Do you cook at all?" she teased him.
He chuckled. "Not very much. Do you like to cook?"
"I don't mind it, but I do prefer sewing."
David smiled at that and led her in to the adjacent room which was like a small study with books along the walls. In the corner, there was something that made Colleen stop in her tracks.
"Do you like it?"
Colleen walked over to get a closer look, and marveled at the brand new sewing machine. "It's beautiful. Did you just get this? For me?"
He smiled shyly. "I know how much you love sewing, and how much you've missed it.”
Her eyes met hers then and Colleen felt something inside her shift. Neither one of them said anything for a moment, and then David spoke. “Besides, I needed to fill this room up. It was looking too empty. I actually bought it a few days after I met you. I was hoping it would be a good luck charm. Either that, or I was going to have to learn to sew."
Colleen walked over to him and put her arms around his neck."I can't believe you got me a sewing machine. That is the sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever gotten for me."
"I know that it makes you happy. I want us both to be happy." He brushed a stray piece of hair off her forehead and then kissed her again.
“I have something for you to
o, I’ll be right back.” She ran outside to the buggy and pulled the guitar out of the back. Julia had put it there while David had run into the church to find the pastor. She’d wrapped it in a blanket so that he wouldn’t see it until she was ready. A moment later, she was back in the house holding the guitar, still wrapped in a blanket.
“What is that?” he asked as she handed him the bundle. Once it was unwrapped, he was speechless.
“I know how much you love music and thought you might enjoy playing with this.” She hoped that he liked it.
“Thank you, it’s the perfect gift.” He ran his fingers reverently along the polished wood of the guitar. Then, he looked up, set the guitar down and pulled her toward him.
"I love you, Colleen," he said softly.
Her heart swelled as it recognized the truth of her own feelings.
"I love you, too," she said and felt as though she might burst with happiness.
"We haven't finished our tour yet," David said."You haven't seen the bedroom yet. "
Colleen blushed a bit at that, though she had to admit she wasn't feeling quite as terrified by the thought anymore.
David took a step back. "There is another bedroom. Two of them, actually, so if you prefer to sleep in separate rooms until you're ready to share my bed, that's okay."
Colleen thought about that for a moment, and then said "I don't think that will be necessary." David took her hand then and led her into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.
How's it going so far?" Julia asked on Tuesday when Colleen arrived to pick her up. Julia and Liam had told Colleen to take Monday off, so she could have the day to relax and get used to her new home. They had also decided that since Julia and Colleen were going to be working the same shifts on most days, it would make sense for Colleen to pick Julia up and they could ride in together.
"So far, so good." As Colleen pulled the buggy out of the driveway and onto the main road, she casually added, "He got me a sewing machine."
"He did? As a wedding present? That is so sweet."
"That's what I said, too. I thought that it was incredibly sweet of him. He is pretty amazing, actually." She felt herself blush again, as she remembered exactly how amazing their wedding night had been.
"So, you're not sorry that you are living on a farm instead of Ricky's plush house in town?"
Colleen shook her head. "No, not at all. I haven't given it another thought."
Julia smiled at that. "I had a feeling from the very beginning that you would pick David. He's perfect for you. "
The week flew by, and before she knew it, Saturday morning had arrived and Colleen was back at Julia's house getting ready for her "wedding”. She’d left the dress that she wore to the benefit behind when she moved in with David as she was planning to wear it again as her official wedding dress. Julia helped her to get ready, playing with her hair until it looked just right. She had set it in rollers earlier that morning, and Julia used two tortoiseshell combs to secure her hair away from her face and then arranged it in a tangle of pretty curls that tumbled down her back.
"Are you girls just about ready?" Liam poked his head into the room.
"Yes, she looks perfect," Julia said proudly.
The three of them rode into church together. As was customary for a wedding, David would be meeting them there.
Pastor Ben wore a mischievous smile as he recited their wedding vows and once again pronounced them husband and wife. As they left the church, he told them that he'd be along shortly for the surprise party as well. This time, as Colleen rode along with David on the way to the party, she felt nothing but pure happiness. She couldn't wait to see the looks on Jed and Naomi's faces when they realized everyone was coming to celebrate their anniversary as well as David and Colleen's wedding. All the women helped with the food, and Julia told Naomi that she would take care of the wedding cake. That way, she could actually write Happy Birthday and Anniversary across the top of it and it would be chocolate, Naomi's favorite. It actually was Colleen's favorite, too, so that was an additional bonus.
It was Elizabeth's job to stall her parents so that they'd be among the last to arrive. Her plan was to wait until after they’d left and were about ten minutes away before telling them that she'd left her shawl at the church and they had to go back and get it. It worked out perfectly.
When Jed and Naomi walked through the front door, everyone yelled, "Surprise!"
They looked around the room in confusion. "What's going on?" Naomi asked.
"Happy anniversary!" several people shouted, followed by “Happy birthday!” for Jed.
"Aren't we celebrating a wedding?" Jed asked.
Colleen and David stepped forward, and David spoke. "This was Colleen's idea. She wanted to surprise you. We actually got married last weekend, and then again today, but wanted this celebration to be about you and Dad. We can only hope that someday, we'll be celebrating our thirty-fifth anniversary, too."
“So, did it work? Are you surprised?” Colleen asked.
Both Naomi and Jed seemed speechless. Naomi looked around the room and when she finally spoke, her eyes were wet with tears. “I can’t believe you all did this for us!” She turned and faced Colleen and David. “I couldn’t be more surprised or more happy for the both of you. Thank you.”
They proceeded to have a wonderful afternoon. They celebrated everything, birthday, anniversary, and wedding. Colleen was on her second piece of cake when Elizabeth came rushing over.
"I meant to tell you this earlier. It totally slipped my mind." She seemed excited about something, but then again Elizabeth was always excited about something.
"Meredith loved the dress that you made for me and Cindy did, too. They both want you to make dresses for them.”
"They do?” Elizabeth had mentioned that she thought that would happen, but Colleen didn't really take it seriously.
"I knew they would. Meredith is going to New York City this summer with her family and Cindy just convinced her mother to get her a dress. She's never had one this nice before. Meredith said that her mother might even want one, too.”
Colleen was shocked. "That's wonderful news. Thank you so much."
"No need to thank me. It was your dress they fell in love with. I told you there would be a demand for your sewing services." Elizabeth looked very pleased with herself.
“Well, thank you anyway.” Colleen gave Elizabeth a big hug, and then she joined Julia and Emma who were sitting at the kitchen table.
"I can't believe we’re all together again, and married!” Emma said, looking at her two friends.
"I've been pinching myself all week," said Colleen."It still doesn't quite seem real.”
“Well, pretty soon you'll be following in our footsteps another way, too.” Julia smiled and patted her stomach.
“Not that soon! It's only been a week.” Colleen laughed.
“It's never too soon for more grandchildren," Naomi said with a smile as she joined them at the table.
Although she protested that it was too soon, Colleen really did look forward to eventually starting a family with David. How wonderful would it be to be a part of this big family and for their child to be a cousin to Emma and Julia’s children.
It was truly a magical day, and though she hated for it to end, eventually it was time for everyone to leave. She and David arrived home a short time later, and it hit her that she really was home now. David was her home.
David held her hand as they walked inside and then pulled her close to him.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Donovan."
"I'm very happy to be home."
David grinned. “Have I told you yet today that I love you?”
Colleen chuckled. “Maybe once or twice.”
“Are you sick of hearing it, then?" he teased.
“Never. I love you so much.” She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.
“I will never get sick of saying it. I love you, Colleen, my sweet wife.”
Epilo
gue
Two months later…
"Another sewing project?"David asked as he walked into the den where Colleen was so busy at the sewing machine that she hadn't even heard the front door open. She nodded.
"One of the regulars brought this into the restaurant today. He needs the waist let out a bit.” After the wedding, word had gotten around that Colleen was very good at sewing almost anything. At least once or twice a week, she came home from the restaurant with another item of clothing that someone had dropped off, or received a request to make something new. She stretched, and set the sewing aside for the moment.
"Are you hungry?" she asked as they walked towards the kitchen.
"I could eat. What's for dinner?" David set a stack of mail on the counter as Colleen checked their dinner that was simmering on the stove.
“Chicken stew. Do you want to slice us some bread? The butter is already on the table.” Colleen ladled the stew into bowls while David sliced the bread and brought it over to the table. While they were eating, Colleen looked at the mail. She recognized the handwriting on one of the letters instantly—it was from her friend Brianna in Boston. Eagerly, she opened the envelope and slid the letter out. She always looked forward to Brianna’s letters. She had such a happy marriage, and in her last letter, she had shared the good news that she was expecting.
This letter, however, was very different. Colleen read it silently to herself, considered what to do, and then said, “I’d like to read something to you.” As soon as David nodded, she began
“My dear Colleen,
It is with a very heavy heart that I write this letter to you. Something truly terrible has happened and I'm at my wits’ end wondering what to do next. Ted is dead. It happened very suddenly and they say that he didn't feel any pain. I do hope that is true. It was a regular day, and he was just crossing the street when a buggy swerved into him. Witnesses say that it seemed to come out of nowhere, and was going much too fast. He hit his head when he fell and there was nothing they could do for him. We only just bought this house a short time ago, and used all of our savings to do so. I put the house up for sale because I can't afford to make the mortgage payments on just my income. So I am debating what to do. If the house sells, then I'll have a little bit of money and can rent a room at the boardinghouse. But once the baby comes, I'm not sure what I'll do. So I'm asking your advice, as it's worked out very well for all three of you to move to Montana as mail-order brides. Do you think that there's a possibility that there could be a man there who would consider me as a mail-order bride, knowing I have a child on the way? It's difficult to even think about getting married. It's really the last thing that I want to do, but I need to think of what's best for the baby.
COLLEEN: A Sweet Western Historical Romance Page 10