Heat burned up her neck and filled her cheeks at his words. Convinced he teased, she missed the sincerity in his voice and the admiration in his eyes as he gave her a quick glance.
Mindful of her embarrassment, Rock changed the subject. “You never said what Sally mentioned in her last letter. And didn’t I see one come yesterday from your sister?”
“Sally’s doing very well and so is baby Drew. She said he’s already gaining weight and getting chubby little cheeks and legs.” Miko smiled at Rock. “He’s going to be a little chunk, but don’t tell Sally I said that.”
“She won’t hear a word from me,” he said, shooting a fun-loving smirk her way. “What about your sister? Did she say how things are there?”
“Ellen described everything in detail. I feel so bad for them, Rock. Winnie and Amy think it’s a grand game, but it has to be so hard on Ellen and Paul to be crammed into a tiny little space with two rambunctious children.” She turned in the seat to face him and pulled off her sunglasses. “I know you and Pastor Clark have been painting a rosy picture of the way things are at the Portland Assembly Center. Tell me the truth, Rock. What is it really like for my folks?”
He hated to ruin the day by sharing the stark reality of the situation with her, but he wouldn’t lie. “It’s similar to what you’ve said about the place where Ellen and her family are located. The rooms, if you could call them that, are small, and crowded. There is no privacy. They all have to share bathrooms and they eat in a big mess hall. It probably doesn’t bother your folks as much as most since they are very Americanized, but the food they serve isn’t traditional Japanese fare. The flies are awful. It’s smelly and hot, and boredom seems to be the worst problem. From what I’ve seen, though, your family is carrying on with strength, dignity, and honor.”
She sniffled and pulled a handkerchief from her handbag. He’d never seen her cry, not in all that had happened since the day they met. But the thought of her family suffering filled her eyes with tears and made her lower lip quiver.
“Miko,” he said, trying to keep one eye on the road and one on her. “They’ll be okay. It’s hard, but they will make it through and come home again.”
“I know, but it’s…” She dabbed at her eyes and released a choppy breath. “I should be there with them. It’s not fair that I’m the one enjoying all the good food I can eat and a comfortable place to sleep and…”
“Your family wouldn’t want it any other way. Even your mother has said how glad she is you aren’t there.”
“Mother is probably suffering ten times more than the rest of them. She… it must be so hard for her to have no privacy, no real space of her own.” She sniffled again. “There must be something I can do to help them.”
“I’ll keep taking them food. Although there isn’t much space, if there is something you think they’d enjoy, I’ll get it for them.” Rock gave her a tender smile that nearly broke her fragile hold on her emotions. “The best thing you can do for your family is to pray for them.”
Unable to speak past the tears choking her, Miko nodded her head and slid on her sunglasses.
Chapter Fifteen
“Are you ready to do this?” Rock asked. He took Miko’s hand in his and helped her out of her grandfather’s sedan.
A curt nod accompanied her quiet response of “yes” as she settled her hand on his good arm. Together, they walked across the park in Vancouver where they would exchange their vows in a few minutes.
“Did I forget anything?” Rock smiled at her, wishing she’d calm down. From the moment they’d left the house, tense anxiety had ridden her every move. She more closely resembled a woman sentenced to the gallows than a bride on her wedding day.
The dark blue dress she wore, sprinkled with a smattering of pink flowers and trimmed in lace, elicited his admiration. The black hat that hid her face so well on their last trip into town covered her head. In her hands, she carried the bouquet Rock had ordered from a florist and hid in the refrigerator in the barn after picking it up the previous afternoon.
“I believe you covered everything,” she said, lifting the fragrant blooms of pink and yellow roses accented with ivy closer to her face. The decadent scent mingled with the enticing aroma of Rock’s shaving lotion in a heady combination. “Petey said you asked his permission to marry me and it had been granted. His exact words were, ‘If you ain’t gonna wait for me to grow up, then I reckon Cap will do. He’s a dandy one, Miko, a real royal-stepping doozy, so you better treat him nice and be good to him.’” She glanced up at Rock and grinned. “He had several words of wisdom, but I don’t believe I care to share all the details.”
Rock chuckled. “I got a few of those words myself, along with a threat that if I ever made you cry, I’d have to take whatever punishment he dishes out and like it.”
Miko laughed, allowing herself to relax for the first time all day. “Petey is just an all-around about-right kind of boy.”
“I heartily agree,” Rock said, guiding her around a muddy patch in the grass. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind having a few boys just like him someday. Will you be up for the challenge?”
Miko stumbled. She would have fallen if Rock hadn’t slipped his arm around her waist and kept her upright.
“Rock,” she said in a low voice, “don’t tease me so. I know this isn’t a real marriage and I don’t expect you to treat me like a true wife. We will continue with things as they are until my family comes home. I’m sure we can get an annulment then, if you don’t ask for one sooner.”
Before he could refute her statement, before he could confess his love and undying devotion, she waved at Pastor Clark. The man waited beneath the branches of a weeping willow tree in a secluded section of the park.
After acquiring the marriage license, Rock had called the pastor and asked him to perform the ceremony that weekend. The pastor had agreed Sunday afternoon would be a perfect time for the wedding and suggested the location of the park. Most of the people in the park picnicked with children in an area where there was a slide and swings. Back by the weeping willow tree, there wasn’t another soul around, except for Pastor Clark, his sister, and her daughter. The two women had agreed to serve as witnesses.
Although Rock had purchased the bouquet for Miko and she’d baked a cake to enjoy later, the day didn’t seem like a real wedding to him.
Miko should have had an elaborate satin-and-lace gown with half a dozen attendants, and a church overflowing with flowers and friends. Her father should have walked her down an aisle strewn with rose petals. Music should have filled the church from a resonant organ. Rock should have stood, clad in his dress uniform, next to Zane and his other close friends, eagerly awaiting the appearance of his bride.
Instead, he walked with her across the lush grass of the park toward a man she considered an uncle and two strangers neither of them had ever met. At least the sun shone brightly around them. He would have hated for rain to pour down on their wedding day.
In spite of the fact Miko didn’t realize how much he loved her, Rock intended to make her his bride in every sense of the word. He vowed to keep the commitment he would soon make for a lifetime, not just until her family returned. Regardless of what the future might bring, Rock planned to remain faithfully by Miko’s side.
However, convincing her of that might require a great deal of effort on his part. He slid his hand down from her waist, resting it at the small of her back as they neared the pastor. She turned her head his way, but he couldn’t see her eyes through the veil and the dark sunglasses she wore.
He wondered if she planned to leave them on during the ceremony. The thought of not being able to see into her eyes didn’t set well with him. When she removed the glasses and stowed them in her skirt pocket, he released a relieved breath.
“Miko! You are lovely,” Pastor Clark said, stepping forward and enveloping her in a fatherly hug. He shook Rock’s hand, then motioned to the two women standing beside him.
Both of medium height, they l
ooked more like sisters than mother and daughter. A faint resemblance to the pastor was evident in their eyes and the mirthful lines of their lips.
“This is my sister, Bernice, and my niece, Hadley.” Pastor Clark smiled at his family, then at Miko. “I’d like you to meet Miko Nishimura. She’s been Sally’s best friend since the girls were old enough to walk, and like a daughter to me all these years. The fellow with her is Captain Rock Laroux. He recently purchased her grandfather’s farm.”
Politely, Rock tipped his head to the two women. “How are you enjoying America?”
“It’s wonderful,” Hadley said, grinning at her mother. “Everything here is so green and lovely. It’s nice to be somewhere we don’t have to worry about bombs going off.”
“It has been a welcome reprieve and we have settled in nicely at George’s house, for the time being.” Bernice motioned toward her brother. “He promised to take us to visit Sally next week. I can scarcely wait to see her and the baby.”
“He is a marvelous little thing,” Miko said, fondly recalling her time spent with Sally and the newborn.
“Shall we get on with things?” Pastor Clark asked, motioning for Miko and Rock to step beneath the tree. The branches drooped so low, they provided a private screen from the rest of the park.
Miko took her place on one side of the pastor while Rock stood across from her, holding her hand in his. Tension and fear radiated from her in a flagrant force.
Bernice and Hadley moved behind them, then Pastor Clark smiled. “Let us begin. Is there any reason either of you should not be joined in matrimony?”
Rock expelled a heavy sigh, drawing a worried glance from Miko as his face took on a repentant expression. “I suppose now would be as good a time as any to mention that this will be a mixed marriage.”
Four pairs of eyes glared at him as though he’d stated the obvious and to do so proved unforgivably inappropriate.
“Rock, if you…” Miko started to pull her hand away from his. Not giving it release, he held her fingers tightly in his and winked.
“Miko is Presbyterian and my family raised me as a Baptist.” Rock offered Miko a raffish smile. “For the sake of love, I suppose I can convert.”
Hadley hid a laugh behind a cough while Bernice smiled and Pastor Clark smirked. “That’s quite valiant of you, Rock. Now, shall we continue?”
“Yes, sir,” Rock said. His teasing served its purpose as Miko’s tension melted away and she smiled.
The pastor read a few verses from the Bible in his hand and asked them all to bow their heads in prayer. After the last amen floated away on the warm afternoon breeze, the pastor observed Miko and Rock.
Noisily, he cleared his throat, then spoke. “I realize the circumstances bringing the two of you together are far from usual. Life has a way of tossing storms and challenges at us when we least expect it. How we weather those storms makes all the difference. When you leave here today, you will have a partner who will help you face any adversity that comes your way. You’ll also have a friend with whom to celebrate every triumph and joy. Learn to lean on each other, to trust each other, to cherish each other every day. Most of all, love each other. There will be times when you don’t very much like your spouse. There will be times when you are ready to walk away and never look back. In those trying times, remember this moment. Remember the vows you’ve made to each other. Remember the love you feel in your hearts for one another.”
The pastor fell silent, allowing a moment for them to absorb his words.
Rock embraced the wisdom of the older man. He pondered how he could love Miko more tomorrow than he did right at that moment, but he knew he would.
“Do you have a ring?” the pastor asked.
Rock nodded and took a ring from his pocket.
Pastor Clark tipped his head toward Miko. “Rock, please take her left hand and repeat these vows after me.”
Rock said his vows in a strong, clear voice, then slid the ring onto Miko’s hand. She stared at the sparkling diamond set in a silver band accented with a flourish of roses and poppies. “It was my mother’s,” he whispered, offering her a soft smile.
The pastor handed Miko a plain gold band.
Gently, she lifted Rock’s left hand and held it as she repeated her vows in a voice that gained confidence as she spoke. She slipped the ring on his finger, giving it a nudge over his knuckle to slip into place. “With this ring, I thee wed and with it bestow upon thee my pledge of faithfulness and enduring love.”
Bernice and Hadley sniffled while Pastor Clark cleared his throat again and swiped at the moisture gathering in his eyes. He smiled at the couple. “Inasmuch as you, Kamiko Jane, and you, Rochester James, have thus consented in holy matrimony, pledged your troth to one another, and have witnessed the same before God, then, by the authority vested in me, I do hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Therefore, what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. May all your days together be blessed.” The pastor turned to Rock. “You may kiss the bride.”
From the moment Rock first considered marrying Miko, he’d thought about this kiss. The first kiss as her husband. Slowly, he lifted the veil, pushing it back over her hat brim before cupping her chin with his right hand and staring into her dark eyes. A flicker of heat burned in their depths, giving him all the encouragement he needed.
“My beautiful bride,” he whispered in a husky voice. His lips lowered to hers in a tender, emotion-filled kiss while his fingers trailed down her throat and settled on her shoulder.
Hadley and Bernice sighed at the romantic sight the couple made while Pastor Clark beamed with joy.
Rock raised his head, gave Miko a private smile, and kissed her cheek before pulling her against him in a tight embrace. “Thank you for marrying me, Miko.”
She nodded, her cheek pressed to his as he ducked beneath the wide brim of her hat. “It’s I who should thank you, Rock, and I do.”
The pastor clapped Rock on the back while the women both hugged Miko. Hadley produced a camera and snapped several photos, promising to get them developed soon.
The five of them spoke for a few moments. Rock invited the pastor and the two women to come out to the farm for dinner one evening when they returned from visiting Sally.
“We’d love to visit the farm,” Hadley said, giving Miko’s hand a friendly squeeze. “I want to see where those delicious strawberries we’ve eaten are grown.”
“Come anytime,” Rock said, taking Miko’s elbow in his hand, ready to escort her back to their car.
Sensing his plans, she slipped on the sunglasses and flipped the netting of the hat back down.
After taking one rose from the bouquet, she glanced behind her. “Heads up!” she called and tossed the bouquet.
Surprise followed by an exasperated glare settled on Hadley’s face as the flowers landed in her arms.
Bernice clapped in gleeful anticipation of seeing her daughter wed.
Hadley shook her head and cast a disparaging frown at Miko. “You have no idea what you’ve done!”
Miko laughed. “I can guess.” She waved at the two women. “Thank you for being here today.”
“Our pleasure,” Bernice said, brushing at more tears.
Rock waved again, then guided Miko toward the car. When they were halfway there, Pastor Clark called out, “Wait!” The couple stopped as he jogged to catch up. When he reached them, he took a key from his pocket and placed it in Miko’s hand.
“I almost forgot to give you this. Yesterday, when I saw your family, your mother asked me to give you that key. She said you are to open the red leather trunk as soon as you get home.”
Rock watched as Miko worked to control her emotions. She stared at the key in her palm for the length of several heartbeats before lifting her gaze to the pastor. “Thank you, Uncle George.” She wrapped her arms around him and held on as he patted her back and kissed her cheek through the netting.
“You haven’t called me Uncle George since you and Sally graduat
ed from high school. I like hearing it again.” He reached beneath the netting and brushed away the salty teardrops gliding down her cheeks. His eyes held moisture as he leaned close to whisper in her ear. “You go on home with this fine man, Miko. If I had to pick someone for you to wed, I couldn’t have done any better. He’ll take good care of you.”
“I know, Uncle George, but do you think he’ll ever love me?” Miko voiced the words that had relentlessly taunted her throughout the last week.
The pastor chuckled and patted her back, as though she was but a small child. “Oh, Miko, you are in for a surprise.” He moved away and shook Rock’s hand again. “Take good care of our girl, Captain. She’s one of a kind.”
“I know, sir. That’s why I plan to treat her like a rare and precious jewel.”
Pastor Clark took a few more steps back. “See that you do or you’ll answer to me.”
Rock chuckled. “And her father, and brother, and grandfather. Oh, and the neighbor boy has threatened to slather me with honey and feed me to the bears if I ever do so much as look cross-eyed at her.”
The pastor laughed. “We’re keeping an eye on you, young man. Now, go on, kids. Enjoy this blessed afternoon and have a wonderful life together.”
“Thank you, Pastor Clark,” Rock said, shaking the man’s hand again before settling his hand at Miko’s waist and walking to the car.
Once they settled onto the bench seat, Miko studied the ring on her finger. The diamond glittered in the sunlight and she lifted her finger to get a better look at the detailed flowers fashioned into the silver band.
“Do you like it?” Rock asked, staring at her with a hopeful expression.
“It’s beautiful, Rock. You didn’t need to give me a ring, especially not one that belonged to your mother.” She started to pull it off, but his hand closed over hers.
While holding her gaze, he lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed the back of them. “Leave it right there, Miko. You are my wife and I plan to keep it that way. I was going to have the ring sized, but it fits you perfectly.”
Garden of Her Heart (Hearts of the War Book 1) Page 18