Chapter Fourteen
The next day as they got dressed for church, Sally turned to Rick as he tucked his shirt into his pants. She put her brush down on top of the trunk and went over to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she kissed him. He lightly moaned and deepened the kiss. She wiggled against him, purposely teasing him now that she knew what she could do to arouse him. His hands traveled down to her bottom and caressed it.
She traced his lower lip with her tongue, and he opened his mouth to receive her. While she brushed his tongue with hers, she slipped her hand down between them and rubbed his erection. She ran her fingers down the length of him, loving how she could make him hard and ready for making love. Maybe it was a wicked thing to do, to tease him like this, but she couldn’t deny the sense of power it gave her.
He ended the kiss and groaned. “We can’t do this right now.”
Giggling, she kissed his neck and gave his erection a light squeeze. “You feel good.”
“You do, too.” He pulled her hand away from his arousal and sighed. “But we need to go to church. I might have asked your father for permission to marry you, but I’d still like to see him and make sure he’s alright with it.”
She smiled and gave him a pristine kiss. “I think that’s a wonderful thing you did.”
Returning her smile, he shrugged. “It was the right thing to do. I’m glad he said yes. We haven’t known each other for long.”
“You don’t have to know someone for long to know the person is right for you.”
“I agree.” He kissed her cheek. “Are you ready to go?”
She nodded and joined him as they left the room.
The walk to the church was a short one, but she figured after all the times she’d taken the buckboard from her parents’ place to church, a few blocks would seem quick. By the time they arrived there, she saw her family spread throughout the lawn, mingling with their friends.
“Do you want to talk to my pa first?” she asked Rick. “He’s right over there.” She pointed to where her father was talking to a couple of men.
“I should talk to him. I’ll see you in a moment.”
“Alright.”
She gave him a smile before she headed for her mother, excited to tell her all about how Rick abducted her from Ethel Mae’s so he could marry her.
On her way there, Joel ran over to her. “Is it true? Are you married?”
“Yes, I am,” she said.
“Oh good!”
To her surprise, Joel ran off toward Tom who seemed to be fixing something in the buckboard with David. With a shake of her head, she continued walking toward her mother.
When she reached her, her mother hugged her. “My little girl is all grown up.”
Though Sally rolled her eyes, she couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. “Did you know Rick planned to elope with me?”
“Of course, I did,” her mother said. “I was there when he talked to your pa. How was the wedding?”
“Wonderful! Judge Townsend married us in his home.”
“Rick said he had a surprise in mind for you in getting you to the judge’s house.”
“He did. He kidnapped me from Ethel Mae’s. It was so romantic.”
From beside her mother, Jenny frowned. “Kidnapped you? That doesn’t sound romantic.”
Their mother grinned at Jenny. “I think it was his intent that mattered, dear.”
“Ma’s right. At the time, it seemed like a goofy thing for him to do, but when I think about why he did it, I know he was being romantic in his own way.”
Jenny shrugged. “If you say so.”
Their mother laughed. “You’ll understand when you’re older.” Looking at Sally, she said, “I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen you this happy.”
“That’s because there’s never been a time when I’ve been happier,” Sally replied, glancing at Rick who was talking to her father. “From the moment I saw him, I knew he was the right one for me.”
“You said the same thing about Michael when you first met him,” Jenny pointed out.
“I was young and naïve back then. I didn’t know what love was all about,” Sally protested. “Now I’m older, and since I’m older, I know what it’s like.” Her smile widening, she turned to her mother. “Rick is much better than Michael ever was.”
“I can’t argue with that one. Michael was too concerned with himself. He couldn’t make a woman happy. It was long overdue for you to find a good man.”
“There’s no one better than Rick,” Sally gushed, trying to keep her excitement under control but finding it hard to.
Her mother chuckled. “Your pa and I liked him the first day he came to the house. You’ll have to come back out with him for supper.”
“We’ll come out soon.” She glanced at Ethel Mae who was with her family and Samuel. “I want to see Ethel Mae. I’ll talk to you after the service.”
Her mother nodded, so she turned to head toward her friend. As she did, she saw that Rick, who was still talking to her father, glance her way and smile. She returned his smile and continued over to her friend. When she reached Ethel Mae, she heard Joel’s laughter. Curious, she looked at her brother and saw Tom hand him a coin. What was that about?
“Is marriage everything you hoped it would be?” Ethel Mae asked, bringing Sally’s attention back to her friend.
“I’ve only been married for one day,” Sally replied.
“But you’re happy. I see it in your smile,” she teased.
“We’re happy for you,” Ethel Mae’s mother said, followed by a nod from Ethel Mae’s father.
“Thank you,” Sally said.
“I’m not surprised,” Vivian spoke up. “I knew he was going to marry you.”
Ethel Mae rolled her eyes. “Of course, you did.”
Vivian crossed her arms and lifted her chin high in the air. “I did!”
“Anyway, will you and Rick come over for lunch after church?” Ethel Mae asked.
“I’m sure he’ll agree to it, especially since you helped him abduct me,” Sally replied with a sly grin.
“You really didn’t suspect he was interested in you?” Samuel asked.
“She had no idea,” Vivian spoke up for her.
Sally nudged her in the side. “I can speak for myself.”
Shooting her a pointed look, Vivian asked, “But you didn’t, did you?”
“Is that Hugh heading over here?” Ethel Mae asked.
Vivian gasped and ran off.
Sally giggled and noted that Hugh was nowhere near them. “You always know how to get her to stop pestering someone.”
“All you have to do is mention Hugh.” Her friend shrugged and motioned to Joel and Tom. “You better be careful. Your brothers are up to something.”
Sally saw that Tom was heading in their direction. She sighed. “I thought once I got married, they’d leave me alone.”
“You’d have to move far away for that to happen.”
Apparently. After she said good-bye to them, she headed for Tom, deciding she’d rather not have anyone know why Tom owed Joel a coin. When she reached Tom, she glanced over at Joel who was showing his coin to David who rolled his eyes and walked away.
“You married Rick Johnson?” Tom asked.
“Is that why you gave Joel a coin? Did you two make a bet on whether I’d say yes or not?” she countered, looking back at her brother.
“I didn’t think you’d marry him. I mean, sure he came out a lot to see you, but I thought he wanted to be with that friend of yours.”
“But he asked Pa about marrying me.”
“I thought you’d say no because of your friend.”
“Who didn’t want to be with him.”
His face fell. “I didn’t realize that.”
She smiled, pleased he’d given her a compliment without realizing it. He knew she’d never marry someone if her friend wanted to be with him. She kissed him on the cheek. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”
With a shrug, he grinned. “Thanks, Sally.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. Ethel Mae prefers Samuel. See?” She motioned to Samuel who stood close to Ethel Mae while they talked to her parents. “I suspect he’s going to ask her to marry him before he leaves for California.”
“Think she’ll say yes?”
“Yes, I do.” She watched as her friend laughed at something Samuel said. “And I’ll miss her when she leaves with him.”
“Well, you still have us.”
Returning her gaze to him, she nodded. “Yes, that I do.” And she had Rick. Despite the heartache of losing her friend, she had others in her life who would complete it.
“At least I know Joel wasn’t lying.”
The church bell rang, signaling it was time for the service, so while Tom headed for her parents, she went to Rick. It was strange to go to church and not sit with them, but it was also exciting. She was a married woman, and she couldn’t think of anyone better to marry than Rick Johnson. She hurried over to him and joined him so they could enter the church together.
***
On Wednesday, Rick had adjourned from a hearing to research the court case he was presiding over when there was a knock at his chamber door. Leaving the book on his desk, he stood up and opened it. His eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
His parents entered the chamber, and his mother hugged him. “We decided to move to Omaha.”
He returned her hug and looked at his father.
“It’s true, son,” he assured Rick. “Your mother got to missing you, and we had no reason to stay back in Vermont.”
Releasing Rick, his mother grinned at his father. “You missed him, too, Harold.” While his father shrugged a silent admission, she motioned to Rick. “Just look at you in a judge’s robe! You really made it, didn’t you?”
Pleased by her approval, he nodded. “I did. I really like it here, Ma. I even got married. It’s a shame you two didn’t come here a week ago or you could have been at the wedding.”
His mother gasped. “You’re married? So soon?”
“I got married on Saturday.”
“So that Ethel Mae took a liking to you, huh?” His father winked.
“Well, no. I didn’t marry Ethel Mae.”
“But then…who?” his mother asked, her eyes wide.
His smile widened. “Sally Larson.”
“I don’t recall you mentioning a Sally Larson in your letter.”
“I didn’t know I was in love with Sally when I last wrote you.”
His mother pressed her hand to her chest and shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Rick chuckled. “It’s actually an amusing story. I did want Ethel Mae at first, but then I met her friend, Sally Larson, and took an interest in her. It was flattering, really. Ethel Mae wasn’t ever interested in me. Sally was, though, and she came up with this adorable scheme to get me to fall in love with her.”
“Oh?” his mother asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Yes, she said if I pretended to be interested in her, then Ethel Mae would take an interest in me. So I went along with it-”
“Because you knew what she was doing?”
“No. As a matter of fact, I didn’t. She had me fooled up until last week when Ethel Mae’s little sister told me the truth.”
His mother frowned. “And you weren’t upset?”
“No. Why would I be?”
She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “Because she lied to you.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Oh? Then what do you call it?” His mother crossed her arms and studied him.
Taken aback since he hadn’t expected her strange reaction, he let out a half-hearted laugh. “Ma, she didn’t mean any harm in it. Besides, she couldn’t just come out and say she wanted me to court her.”
“You did much more than court her. You married her.”
“Because I wanted to.”
“Because she manipulated things so you wanted to.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. “No. I spent enough time with her to get to know her, and I liked her more than I ever liked Ethel Mae.”
“I don’t understand how you—a grown man—could jump into marriage so fast, especially when the young lady in question lied to you.”
“You’re right. I am a grown man, and as such, I can decide who I want to marry.”
His father sighed. “Son, your mother isn’t saying you can’t know who you want to marry. But you have to admit it’s too soon for you to really know this girl. You’ve never courted anyone back in Vermont, so how can you know Sally is the right one, especially when she wasn’t honest with you?”
His mother nodded her silent agreement at his father’s question.
Rick glanced from one to the other, not sure of what to say. He assumed they would find humor in the way Sally handled the situation but they didn’t, and he didn’t know how to resolve their displeasure with his wife. Rubbing the back of his neck, he ventured, “I thought it was flattering she went through all the trouble she did to be with me.”
His mother shook her head, and a worried expression crossed his father’s face.
“Well, before you judge her, you should get to know her, especially if you plan to live here. She’s my wife, and whether you like that or not, there’s no changing it.”
After a tense moment of silence, his father said, “That’s true. There is no undoing what God has joined together.”
“Even if the Good Book forbids lying,” his mother muttered.
“Francine,” his father gently warned, “we owe it to our son to give this girl a chance.”
Despite her slight grimace, she let out a resigned sigh. “I suppose you’re right. We’ll give her the chance you’re asking for, Rick.”
He wasn’t sure whether to thank them or not. Granted, they were his parents and deserved his respect, but he wished they would trust him to make the right decisions for his life. Not knowing what else to say, he replied, “You’re welcome over to supper at our house tomorrow evening at six. We’ll have plenty of time to talk, and you’ll see she’s not the person you fear.” If they had been more welcoming of his news about his marriage to Sally, he’d be inclined to invite them to stay with them, but since they weren’t, he saw no reason to make the situation more awkward than it already was.
“We’ll see about that,” his mother said.
With a resigned nod, he turned his attention to telling them about his job.
Chapter Fifteen
Sally’s stomach was tied into a bunch of knots as she looked over the meal she’d prepared for Rick’s parents. She took off her apron and hung it on the hook by the kitchen door. How she wished she was better at cooking, but the best she could hope for was that the food wouldn’t taste too bland. Rick hadn’t complained about it, but then he was so nice, she doubted he would complain even if it tasted horrible.
The front door opened, and she hurried to it. Rick shut the front door and then turned to hang up his hat. She ran over to him so she could kiss him to welcome him home. He wrapped her in his arms and returned her kiss. She melted in his arms. How lovely it would be if they could remain like this forever.
When the kiss ended, she smiled. “How was your day?”
“Good. How was yours?”
“So far, so good. I made pot roast because you said that’s your father’s favorite dish, and I made apple dumplings because you said that’s your mother’s favorite.”
He brushed her hair from her face and gave her another kiss. “You’re wonderful, Sally.”
Pleased, she hugged him. “I hope your parents think so, too.”
He released her. “They should be here in about ten minutes. I need to get ready for them. I’ll be back downstairs in a couple minutes.”
She nodded and waited for him to go upstairs before she returned to the kitchen. She collected the plates and set them on the dining room table, tryi
ng to make sure they were positioned just right. She spent even more time setting out the utensils because she couldn’t remember if it was the smaller or larger fork that went on the outside. Her parents didn’t have forks that were smaller than the others. When she and Rick picked out the utensils, she didn’t think anything of the differences in sizes between the forks and spoons, but now she wished she’d asked Rick why that difference existed. But would he know? He was, after all, a man. She didn’t think men took note of such things.
Not sure what else to do, she placed the small fork on one side and the large one on the other. If nothing else, it made them seem less different from each other, and that being the case, maybe his parents wouldn’t notice. Content, she went to the kitchen and retrieved the cups and set the coffee pot in the middle of the table. After that, she set out the rest the food so everyone could take the portions they wanted.
By the time she was placing the neatly folded napkins beside each plate, Rick returned. She glanced up at him. “What do you think? Is this alright?”
“It’s perfect, Sally.”
“I don’t want your parents to be disappointed.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. Just be yourself.”
She wondered about his choice of words, but a knock at the door stopped her from asking him any questions. She quickly turned back to placing out the rest of the napkins. When she was done, she inspected the table, wondering if everything was in order. She adjusted one of the cups and nodded. Much better.
From the front door, she could hear Rick welcoming his parents into the house. She took a deep breath and wiped her sweaty hands on her skirt. Well, here went nothing. She put on a smile and hurried to the entryway where his father was asking Rick how his day went.
“Good,” Rick replied as his parents hung up their hats. “It was a productive day in court.”
“Was it?” Sally asked, standing beside her husband.
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