by Leah Atwood
She nodded and closed her eyes as she smelled the flowers. “They’re beautiful. Thank you. These take me straight home to Malawi.”
“I hoped they would.” With the pad of his thumb, Matt gently wiped away the tears hanging in her eyelashes.
Rayne found a crystal vase for the gardenias and made sure there to leave feed and water for the pets while Matt took Mister for a short run in the yard. When they were ready, he held her dress coat while she put it on.
“I’ve booked our dinner for -thirty,” he said as he shut the door behind them and rotated the key. “So why don’t we do some shoppin’ first?”
“Shopping?”
“Mm!” He took her left hand and tapped the third finger. “This digit is lookin’ much too bare for my peace of mind. Without a ring on there, some guy might try to latch onto you real quick!”
“Would this fictitious ‘guy’ be acting like someone else we both know?” Rayne peered up at him through her eyelashes.
“Exactly like that.” Matt took a deep breath—a not quite steady breath. “And if you keep glancin’ up at me like that through those long golden eyelashes I’m goin’ to find it very difficult not to kiss you in public.”
Rayne giggled. They went down the stairs together arm in arm. Matt held open the door of a newer-model, light-beige Mercury sedan.
“Did you rent a car for this occasion?” She stepped inside and eyed the creamy leather interior and the burl-wood detailing.
Matt opened the driver’s door and settled behind the wheel. “Nope. It’s mine,” he said. He started the car and put it into gear. “I bought it last night. I just made it in the dealership door before closing time.”
“Rather a sudden purchase?” she teased tipping her head to one side. “Can Cowboy Matt afford to own a car?”
“Well, I’ve been dickerin’ with a dealer for a week. Last night I decided a prospective groom needs a coach in which to carry around his prospective bride.”
Rayne leaned her head against the leather headrest. “You did, huh?”
“I did. And, furthermore, I need wheels with which to carry my prospective bride to Montana to meet my parents.”
“Mm. And when do you plan to go?”
“On Friday. I need to see my dad again. And you need to meet him and Mom for the first time.”
“I’ll be glad to meet them,” she said, smiling. Suddenly, her smile dimmed and her hands flew to her mouth to cover a little gasp.
“What?”
“My parents! They don’t know we’re engaged—way over there in Malawi.” Tears sprang into her eyes.
Matt pulled over to the curb. He took Rayne into a warm hug and whispered, “Shall we phone them after dinner?”
Rayne nodded. She hunted in her purse for a tissue and dabbed at her face.
An hour later, they’d managed the snarl of evening traffic. Matt stopped in a parking garage in downtown Seattle. “Let’s go,” he said. “It’s only a block from here.”
He led her into a jewelry store with case after case of glittering jewelry—necklaces, brooches, bracelets and rings. Matt headed straight to the case housing the wedding sets.
“You seem to know your way around Seattle, Cowboy Matt.” Rayne sent him a teasing smile.
“Absolutely! Get acquainted fast—with cities and one gorgeous girl. That’s my style. Besides, a guy has to have somethin’ to do while he waits for his appointments.” He threw a teasing smile of his own over his shoulder. “I was sure hopin’ I could make use of this store—from the first day I met you.”
“You don’t believe in love at first sight, do you?” Rayne teased.
Matt’s face sobered, and he clasped her shoulders. “I do. It happened to me, you see.”
Rayne blushed.
“I love you so much, Rayne. I’d kiss you right here and tell the whole world we’re engaged, but I might embarrass you. A man who’s in love can breathe in the scent of lilies in winter and hear angels singin’, too.” He gazed deeply into her .
Tears stung and Rayne blinked hard.
“We men just don’t talk about it so much.”
Rayne took a deep and steadying breath.
“Now look at this set.” Matt pointed to a large square-cut solitaire in a gold setting. “It’s not elaborate, but there’s no need to gild the lily. You’re so beautiful you don’t need lavish ornamentation—just a diamond big enough to make it obvious to all other men that you’re taken.” He winked.
“I never dreamed—It’s so big, Matt.”
“But do you like it?”
She couldn’t say a word around the lump in her throat, so she just nodded while happy tears slipped to her cheeks. When she could speak she said, “I would have been happy with a little diamond, Matt, and just as engaged.”
Matt signed the credit-card receipt, slipped the jewelry box into his pocket, and guided her outside. He stopped beneath a hanging flower basket under the streetlight at the corner. “If I gave you a diamond the size I think you deserved, Rayne,” he said looking down at her, “you’d never be able to lift your hand again.”
She cherished what he’d said. “You speak extravagantly, good sir.” Would the inner glow in her heart radiate in her face? Still she had doubts—doubts she hated. He just bought a car. And now he’s buying me a diamond? How can a poor cattleman from Montana afford all this?
They dined for an hour in The SkyCity Restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. A small poinsettia plant decorated each table. They sat near the windows at a table on a section of the floor which rotated to give a complete circular view of the city—a fairy city glittering like diamonds on the crown of the hills and the sea. Afterward Rayne couldn’t remember what they’d eaten or what they’d talked about—at least until they found a secluded corner on the observation deck and Matt folded her in his arms.
“Tell me again you’ll marry me, would you Rayne?” Matt whispered into her hair.
“I will marry you, Matt, with all my heart!”
In the halo of lights beaming onto the Space Needle, Matt slipped the diamond solitaire onto her ring finger and kissed her fingertips. The diamond winked. It fit, just right.
“Hello, Mama. This is Rayne.”
“Are you all right, Rayne? You never phone without letting us know ahead of time through an e-mail.” Worry tinged her mother’s voice.
“I’m fine, Mama. In fact, I’m blissfully happy. Matt’s asked me to marry him, and I’ve said ‘Yes.’”
“Who’s Matt?” Now Dad’s voice sounded worried, and Rayne thought she heard a dining room chair fall over in Malawi.
“He’s a wonderful Christian man from Montana, Dad.”
“I thought you were living in Seattle?”
“Yes, I am, Daddy. I met Matt here.”
“I thought you said he is in Montana?”
“He owns a cattle ranch in Montana, Dad. He came to the Seattle area to try to sell cattle from his ranch.” Rayne chuckled a bit hysterically. “He’s very nice. You’ll love him when you meet him. In fact, you already know him. He’s Matt Hayes—the one you’ve been writing to.”
“But he’s just a kid!” Dad’s voice sounded even more alarmed.
“We’re both level-headed adults, Dad.”
“How long have you been dating him, Rayne?” Mom chipped in. “This seems rather sudden, don’t you think?”
“Yes, Mama, I do. It’s been sudden for both of us, but we love each other very much.”
“Are you sure, Rayne?” Her mother’s voice sounded on the verge of tears.
“Yes, I am, Mama.” I won’t doubt him. I won’t! “He’s just given me a lovely diamond. We’re talking to you from the observation deck of the Space Needle where we’ve just had a wonderful engagement dinner. Here, talk to Matt.” She passed her phone to Matt.
“Hello.” Matt just listened for a minute. Then he said, “Yes, sir. I’m the Matt Hayes you’ve been writin’ to. You gave me Rayne’s phone number to contact when I came to Se
attle. I promise to take care of her to the best of my ability.”
Matt listened for a long time. Rayne could hear her dad’s voice speaking rather sternly. Finally, Matt said, “Yes, sir. I promise.” Then he handed the phone to Rayne.
“’Bye, Mama and Daddy. I’ll send you an e-mail soon with all the details.” Rayne closed her phone and looked up to find Matt soberly staring over the city. “What’s wrong, Matt?”
“Nothin’s wrong. I’m just goin’ over what your Dad said to me. He gave us his blessin’, and then he gave me an earful. He asked us to wait for six months to be married. He said if I broke your heart, I’d have to answer to him and I should take care of his darlin’ girl.”
Tears again sprang into Rayne’s and Matt blinked rather fast as he shied away to the view of the city.
The next morning, while Matt had business in town, Rayne decided to shop for a wedding dress. After walking from shop to shop for most of the morning, she finally found the perfect dress, a froth of creamy fabric shot through with threads of gold. Rayne tried it on, checking her view from one side to the other in front of the triple mirrors in the salon. She gasped when she looked at the price tag. “I had no idea a wedding dress could cost so much!” she whispered to herself. “But, I plan to marry only once in my lifetime, so I’m going to get it and enjoy buying it and wearing it!”
When Rayne told the lady she rented from about her engagement and their prospective trip to Montana, her landlady offered to care for Mister and Mama & Co. At the end of the week Matt and Rayne set off for Montana at an unearthly hour of the morning. They wanted to avoid an overnight stay on the way.
Rayne told Matt about her childhood growing up in Malawi. With no brothers and sisters, it had been a bit lonely until she’d gone to boarding school where she had lots of friends. Matt reciprocated, sharing with Rayne some of his high school escapades, and how he’d worked hard each summer, until graduation, and full time afterwards to make the down payment on his first ranch.
“It wasn’t much, but it was mine,” he told her. “I hated to do it, but I finally sub-divided the land and sold it to a community developer and to make enough for the ranch I own now.”
Rayne’s widened when he altered their course into the winding, tree-lined drive of a huge ranch. The trees were bare and snow covered the ground, but the house set on its knoll as sweetly as if it had grown right out of the ground like a mushroom.
“Wow! What a gorgeous place! Whose is it, Matt?”
“It’s mine, Rayne. I’ll take you to my folks’ place in a bit, but I wanted you to see my place first. Shall we go inside?” Leading her into a beautiful, modern home with minimal furnishings, he turned toward her. “I’ve mostly lived at my folks’ place. I bought this ranch a year ago, but I it seemed too lonely to live here alone. I’ve kept up the ranch with the help of a ranch manager.” He stopped in front of the huge fireplace, its glass doors winking in the weak winter sunlight.
“Why didn’t you tell me it would be so big?”
He looked at her under lowered eyebrows. “I did say ‘ranch,’ didn’t I?”
She stepped to the window and perused the spread of barn, corrals and outbuildings. “Yes, you did, but this is huge. I had something smaller in mind.”
Matt’s hands went to his hips and he gave her a mock scowl. “How much smaller?”
“Well, small.”
“Right, really small, I bet.”
She peeked at him from under her eyebrows and dipped her head a couple of times.
“You, my girl, are goin’ to be a handful, I can tell.” He twirled her around in a merry-go-round whirl and stopped her with a kiss. “We don’t have to live here if you don’t like it, Rayne. I can sell it and we can live somewhere else, if you’d rather.”
“Not like it? It’s absolutely beautiful.” Her arms twined around his neck. “But can we bring Mama and Mister?”
“And the kittens, too. If you’re happy, I’ll be happy.”
“No cats in the barn?”
He winked. “No cats in the barn. At least if there aren’t too many.”
“We’ll find homes for the kittens before we come. They’re so cute, it won’t be hard.”
No one said anything for a minute or two. Words weren’t needed—or wanted.
“I was hopin’ to bring my bride to this ranch even though it seemed impossible when I bought it. Seems strange I’ve known you for such a short time, Rayne. I feel like I’ve known you for ages. Am I rushin’ you too fast?”
“No, I’m very happy.”
When they were in the car again, Matt leaned over and touched her cheek. “I wish you could marry me while we’re here. But I’ve promised to honor your dad’s wishes. So why don’t we take an engagement trip to Malawi?”
Her hand took a startled leap toward her heart. “A trip to Malawi? We can’t afford it, can we?”
“Well, I’m not exactly a pauper. I sold five hundred head of cattle the last day before we left Seattle and I do own this ranch, you know.”
“Five hundred?” She gave him an ecstatic hug.
“Yep. And the buyer intimated he’d buy another five hundred a few months from now if I had ‘em.”
“Wonderful! I didn’t mean I thought you were penniless. I just thought you didn’t have much money—like me. Our apartments in Seattle are not very up-scale.”
“I told you I was apartment-sittin’ for my friend while he had business out of town, so it was his apartment, not mine. I’d love to take you to Malawi, if it will make you happy.” Matt kissed her fingers.
“If you make me any happier I’ll—well, I don’t know what, but something drastic would happen.”
The following week went by like a whirlwind. Meeting Matt’s parents for the first time was a bit stressful for Rayne. She noticed them watching her closely from time to time. I wonder if I’m measuring up to the bride they wanted for Matt. And their home is more lavish than Matt’s. Will I fit into his family? I don’t want him to be sorry he married me.
She phoned her mother and father again. “Merry Christmas, Mama! We’re coming to Malawi in a few days. It’s our engagement trip to see you. You’ll love Matt!” Her mother started to cry.
“We can stay for a month, Mama. Now give the phone to Daddy. I’ll give him the details of our flight.”
“I’m already on, Rayne.”
“Merry Christmas, Daddy.” She gave him their flight plan. “I’ll send you all this in an e-mail in case you missed something.”
“I love you, my sweet Rayne.” Her dad’s voice sounded husky. “We’ll see you soon.”
When they stood in line to get on the plane the week before Christmas, Rayne felt so tired. She leaned against Matt’s shoulder as they inched forward.
“I promise to bring you safely home, sweetheart,” he murmured.
“You’re taking me home now,” she said.
With the pets safely established at the Montana ranch, the trip to Malawi went perfectly except for having to run like mad through Heathrow airport to make the connection to their next flight. “And all our luggage arrived with us,” Rayne exclaimed, when they were finally seated in her parents’ living room. “For a trip to Africa, that’s a major feat. And except for my hair conditioner leaking in my suitcase, we had no mishaps at all.”
“We’re taking you for dinner to the hotel,” Dad said, “so Matt can become re-acquainted with ‘chambo’ and chips.”
“Absolutely, sir.” Matt placed his hat beside his chair. “It’s been far too long since I’ve had some of Malawi’s famous fish and chips.”
Rayne took Matt to all the spots in Malawi that meant ‘home’ to her: Zomba Plateau, Lake Malawi and a tour of the mission hospital at Dedza with Dr. DeMarco. “It’s so big now, Daddy. I’m glad you’ve been able to add more wards and a new operating theatre.”
Dad and Mom DeMarco introduced them at the local church on the following Sunday. When they announced Matt and Rayne’s engagement, the congregation bro
ke into thunderous applause.
Even though there were many happy occasions, Rayne had trouble falling asleep almost every night. A raven-haired beauty named Skye paraded through her mind’s vision as she stared at the moonlit Malawian night out her bedroom window. I wonder who she really is!
“We must have a final picnic on Dedza Mountain,” Rayne said one afternoon. “That has to be part of Matt’s Malawi experience.”
On Monday, only the cawing of crows and the blowing of the wind up the Rift Valley escarpment broke the pulsing silence when they bowed their heads to pray over their picnic lunch.
“There aren’t enough big trees for the monkeys and baboons to want to come up here,” Rayne explained to Matt after their alfresco meal. “I’m sure we’ll see some when we go down into the forested area on our way home.”
Since Christmas Day would be celebrated in church with a service, a play, a meal and another service in the afternoon, the four of them exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. Rayne and Matt gave Dr. and Mrs. DeMarco a china tea set they’d purchased when they had a layover in London. Then Dad cleared his throat rather importantly and they both looked his way. “Our Christmas present to you both is this: Mom and I will be coming home for your wedding.”
Rayne squealed and hugged her mother.
“I’ve already bought the tickets,” Dad added with a satisfied smile. He shook Matt’s hand. “I’ll give you our itinerary before you fly home.”
On the plane home to the States, Rayne and Matt talked about their up-coming wedding.
“What will I wear for a wedding dress, Matt?” Rayne exclaimed. “I guess I’ll have to be married in my new Malawian dress. I really like it.” She gave Matt a teasing look and smiled to herself remembering the lovely dress in her closet at home.
“You’ll still be my sweet Rayne no matter what dress you wear,” Matt replied.
“I should have asked someone to be my maid of honor long before now, but all my friends from boarding school are scattered all over the world. I haven’t really made friends here in the States, yet.”