Debra Ullrick

  “The other night, I re-read the note in my mother’s Bible and now I’ve accepted God as my Heavenly Father, and I belong to Christ now.”

  “Really? Oh, Harrison! That’s wonderful!” She threw her arms around him, rejoicing that God had once again heard her prayers. “I’m so happy for you. It’s the best decision you’ll ever make. God is sooo good.” She continued to prattle on until she realized where she was and that her arms were still around him. She clamped her mouth shut, dropped her arms from around him and stepped back.

  “That means,” he said, tilting his head to look at her. “One of the reasons for you not to marry me no longer exists, so what is the other reason why you can’t?”

  Abby took another step away from him and placed her back to him. He deserved to know the truth, but she couldn’t bear to see the look of repulsion on his face when she told him. She yanked all the courage she could to herself before speaking. “I can’t have children.” She spoke so low the words were a mere mumble, but loud enough that they rang out with a painful jolt in her spirit.

  “What did you say? I didn’t hear what you said.”

  “I said, I can’t have children,” she said an octave higher.

  His presence closed in behind her, but he made no response.

  Furious with herself and the whole situation, she whirled on him. “I said I can’t have children!” she yelled, watching his face for his reaction and dreading it at the same time.

  But he only looked at her with worry and incomprehension. “What do you mean you can’t have children?”

  As hard as it was for her to explain, she might as well finish what she started and tell him all of it. “A few years ago, I found out I have a dead womb. It means there is absolutely no chance of my ever conceiving a child.” She kept her eyes on his face, challenging him to throw her on the trash heap of life, but no repulsion materialized. “I know how much it means to you to have a houseful of your own offspring, so that’s why I can’t marry you.”

  For a long minute he said nothing and then the scowl on his face deepened. “Is that it? Are there any other reasons why you can’t marry me?”

  What was wrong with him? “Didn’t you hear me? I said I can’t give you the children you want.”

  “Yes, I heard that.” The scowl slid away, replaced by something very close to mirth and amusement. “I have children already. And we could adopt if we want more.”

  Exasperated, she huffed. “I don’t think you get it, Harrison. My fiancé, ex-fiancé, David, made it very clear to me that no man would want me because I can’t give him children. That every man wants a woman who can bear him a child. You yourself said you wanted more children of your own. And I can’t give them to you. Don’t you see that? I’m defective! I’m worthless as a woman!” she shouted at him, letting all the anger she’d had pent up inside her over this issue explode out of her.

  The mirth on his face grew until Harrison laughed out loud.

  Abby couldn’t believe it. He actually was laughing.

  She didn’t see one funny thing about what she’d just said. Of all the nerve. Here she’d poured her heart out to him, and he was laughing. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. A half second more and she would have let him have it with both barrels and the cannon; however, he didn’t give her that chance.

  Instead, he stepped up to her, took her hands in his and pulled her into a hug.

  “Harr-i-son. Let me go.” She tried to yank free, but couldn’t. “What—what are you doing?”

  “Abby, do you love me?”

  She whooshed out a long breath of frustration. “What does my loving you have to do with anything?”

  “So you admit, you do love me, right?”

  “Yes, I love you. You know that. I’ve said it. I love you. I’m in love with you. I’m miserable without you, and I’d give anything for you to stay. There. Are you happy?”

  He backed up from her, letting her go and retaking her hands in his. “No.”

  “What do you mean ‘no’?”

  “No, as in not yet.” His twinkling eyes forced hers to stay fixed on his. Unfazed by the mud and dirt he was sure to get on his pants, he knelt and gazed up at her. “Abby, I’m asking you again. Will you marry me?”

  Abby stared down at him. The man wasn’t running away? He wasn’t repulsed? And most of all he still wanted to marry her? Could this even be happening? “Do you mean it, Harrison? Even knowing I can’t give you children?”

  “Abby, listen to me. When you heard me say I wanted a houseful of my own, that was true. I already have two beautiful sons of my own. But even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. My life would be nothing without you in it, Abby. I love you so very much. Please say you’ll marry me.”

  “Oh, Harrison.” She threw herself at him so quickly, he almost didn’t have time to get to his feet before she was in his arms. “Of course I’ll marry you. I love you so much!”

  Their lips met in the sweetest, dreamiest kiss of her life. Even dreamier than the ones she’d constantly dreamed about. One thing was for certain—reality was so much, much better than her dreams ever had been.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Come on, you guys. Please, for me?” Abby pleaded with her brothers. She was the last of the Bowen siblings to marry and she wanted it to be befitting of who she was. “It won’t hurt you to wear a costume just this one time. After all, your baby sister only gets married once.” She batted her eyes at them with all the flare she had accumulated and then some.

  Being the baby of the family had its advantages. She could see all three of them weakening. Just as she had when she had begged them to let her name all the ranch animals. She had named a pig Kitty, a cat Miss Piggy, a bull Taxt, a cute little mule deer Fawns, a horse Lambie and on and on. To this day her brothers still took a razzing over the names from anyone who stepped foot on the ranch. Hey, what did people expect from a little girl?

  She eyed each of her brothers and gave them that same pathetic puppy-dog look she’d given them all the other times she’d gotten her way. It was only a matter of time before they would crack and give her everything she wanted.

  Haydon, the oldest of Abby’s brothers looked over to her other brothers, Michael and Jesse, who looked back at him for his decision before they dared voice their own. Haydon raked his hand through his blond hair and let out a long breath. “What do you say, guys? Surely we could do it just this once.”

  “Costumes?” Michael spiked a brow.

  Jess shook his head. “I suppose we could. But only because it’s you, Abby.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Abby threw herself at her brothers and gave them each a great big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I love you guys. Thanks!” With that, she whirled and bolted toward the main ranch house. She couldn’t wait to tell her mother. She was thrilled that Harrison didn’t mind them getting married on her family’s ranch. In fact, he thought it was a great idea.

  So, she and Harrison, Josiah and Graham had boarded a train shortly after the fire that had destroyed her shed with all her props for the upcoming production of Pride & Prejudice. They wouldn’t have gotten to come here if it hadn’t been for all the townspeople, including the mayor and the town committee members getting together to help rebuild all the props. Once they were finished, Abby and Harrison felt free to go. Especially since everyone knew their routines to keep the theater running while they were gone. She and Harrison felt confident leaving Staimes and Veronique in charge until they returned from the home she grew up in—Paradise Haven in the Idaho Territory.

  Abby rushed through the door of the main house. “Mother! Rainee! Selina! Leah! Hannah!” Abby hollered as she strode inside. She would have hollered for the children, too, but the older cousins had taken them on a scavenger hunt to keep them occupied so that she and the ladies could head into town to take care of more wedding details.

  Before Abby found where they were, all five of them came barreling in from the direction of the living room, concern and fe
ar marching across their faces.

  “What’s wrong?” Mother asked, her voice covered in panic.

  “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong, Mother. Why?”

  “What do you mean, why? You came running in here hollering like the house was on fire. Merciful heavens, child. You gave me such a fright.” Her mother pressed her hand to her chest and took several deep breaths.

  “Sorry, Mother. I didn’t mean to. I’m just so excited is all. I finally talked the boys into wearing the costumes for my wedding. Bless their hearts.” Abby smiled with pure delight that they were willing to do that for her. She couldn’t wait to go pick the costumes out. So with a dramatic swing of her arm outward toward the direction of the front door, in her strong, mock British accent, she said, “Come now, my dears. Make haste, make haste. Let us away to town to Father’s theater where there we may obtain said costumes with which to clothe everyone.”

  Leah, Abby’s only sister, darted a glance toward the ceiling before settling her gaze on the other women. “Abbynormal hasn’t changed one little bit, has she?”

  “Now why would she wanna up and go do that for?” Selina, Michael’s wife, asked. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with her the way she is. God done a right fine job with her.”

  “I know that, Selina.” Leah smiled. “I was just teasing her, and she knows it.” Her gaze softened toward her sister. “I wouldn’t want her to change who she is for anything in the world. I love her just the way she is. Drama and all.”

  “I love you, too, Lee-Lee.” Abby hugged Leah but not too close. Abby didn’t want to hurt her sister’s protruding belly. For the first time since Abby had discovered she couldn’t bear a child, seeing one of the women in her family with child didn’t bother her. She was certain it had to do with the fact that in three days’ time, she would become the mother of two of the sweetest, most precious boys in the world.

  “Well, are we going, or are you just going to stand there all day with that silly grin on your face?” Hannah’s voice broke through Abby’s happy thoughts.

  “What? What did you say?” Abby asked Hannah, her brother Jesse’s wife.

  “Don’t mind her, Hannah. She’s a woman in love.” Leah wrinkled her nose at Abby, and Abby returned the gesture.

  Mother shook her head at them. “We’re wasting time, ladies.” She looked at Abby. “Lead the way, daughter.” Mother gestured toward the front door. Abby led the procession out into the hot August sun.

  “How ever did you get them to consent to this?” Rainee, Haydon’s wife, asked from behind Abby.

  “The same way I got them to let me name all the animals.” Abby peered over her shoulder at Rainee and smiled with a wink.

  “How come that never worked for me?” Leah looped Abby’s arm through hers. The two of them strolled arm in arm toward her mother’s landau.

  “You just don’t have my knack and my flare for getting your way, that’s how come.”

  They laughed.

  Everyone climbed into the carriage, and all the way to town the five of them chattered about the wedding, about children, about husbands and everything else women talked about, and Abby was loving and enjoying every moment of it. She didn’t think something like this would ever happen to her. But it had. God had taken care of it. Because of that, in just three days, she would become Mrs. Harrison Kingsley. Oh, how she liked the sound of that.

  * * *

  This was the day Harrison had dreamed of. Today, he would marry the woman of his dreams. One who loved not only him, but his boys, as well. She was going to make a great mother for Graham and Josiah, of that he was certain.

  Harrison tugged downward on the red, silk stripe running down the outside of his pant legs. The costume pants were a tad too short, but he wasn’t about to complain. It was either them or leotards, and he wanted no part of those. Harrison shuddered just thinking about wearing those stretchy, leggy things. He still couldn’t believe that he almost had to wear them. Even more unbelievable, however, was that he would have, just to see the joy on her face. After all, how could he refuse Abby? How could anyone, for that matter? His fiancée had a knack for getting people to do things they didn’t want to do. Like wearing theater costumes to a wedding.

  Not just any wedding, either, but his own wedding.

  Harrison had no idea how Abby talked everyone into the things she did, but he figured he’d better find out soon or he had a feeling that during their marriage he would be doing a lot of things he didn’t want to.

  He glanced down at his prince costume. He felt like an idiot in the red jacket with shoulder pads and gold cords looped under his arms and over them. The royal-blue pants with the red stripe down the side wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t a tad short. His wasn’t the only costume that didn’t fit just right, he thought, trying to make himself feel not so self-conscious about it. One thing that helped him not to was the fact that at least he wouldn’t be the only one wearing one. Besides, who knows? It might even be fun. It would certainly be an adventure, and life with Abby was always that, if nothing else.

  Haydon, Jess and Michael, Abby’s brothers, along with her brother-in-law, Jake Lure, all of whom he had liked immediately upon meeting them, strode up to Harrison. Wearing those knee-length baggy pants, knee-high boots and puffy-sleeved-shirted peasant costumes and peasant vests took guts. What took even more guts to wear were the white wigs they all had on. Now there Harrison had drawn the line.

  Haydon placed his hand on Harrison’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  Harrison’s eyes scanned the length of each one of them. “Are you?”

  The men laughed, then headed over to take their places in the ranch yard.

  Rows of neighbors dressed in costumes ranging anywhere from Roman guards to sheriffs to outlaws to soldiers to nurses to maidens to princesses and everything else in between graced the yard. Some of the women even had masks on. Abby’s mother included. Her royal-blue velvet queen costume, complete with a jeweled crown, suited her. Not that Abby’s mother acted like a queen or anything, but she was a very lovely, caring lady who had all the style and grace of a queen.

  The whole thing was quite a sight to behold. Unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Then again, it fit his Abby perfectly.

  Harrison’s gaze traveled to the front where the pastor stood wearing a white wig and a knee-length medieval white robe that looked more like a dress to Harrison, with a huge red cross down the center of his chest, and a white cape that hung midway down the calves of his legs. A man in a skirt? Now that costume took real guts to wear. Again, Harrison shuddered, thankful he didn’t have to wear a skirt, too. What he had on was bad enough. Well, he refused to dwell on it. He was doing this for Abby because he loved her.

  His line of vision slid down to Graham and Josiah who stood directly in front of the pastor wearing royal blue caps with a single white feather fanned out from each one, white shirts with puffy sleeves, royal blue knickers and white stockings. Each of the twins held a small, white-satin pillow with a tied blue ribbon that held his wedding ring on one and Abby’s on the other.

  Behind his sons and off to the minister’s right, stood Abby’s sister, Leah. Beside Leah was Rainee, Hannah and Selina. To the minister’s left stood Jake, Haydon, Jesse and Michael. All costumed to perfection. Well, almost. Harrison smiled.

  The sound of a bell clanging rang out across the yard, and a loud voice came from the direction of the barn drawing Harrison’s attention to it.

  Abby’s stepfather, Charles, dressed in a town-crier costume, rang the hand bell and cried with a boisterous voice, “Hear ye, hear ye. All rise. Here comes the bride.”

  With that, Abby came into view sitting sidesaddle atop a white horse wearing a white satin dress and white slippers. On top of her head sat his mother’s diamond-and-sapphire tiara. The matching necklace graced Abby’s sleek neck.

  Harrison smiled. He’d never seen a more beautiful bride. His bride. His heartbeat kicked up, and a passel of butterflies flutte
red about in his stomach.

  Today, the lovely Miss Abigail Bowen would become his wife.

  * * *

  Abby’s eyes sought out Harrison’s and locked onto them. Her soon-to-be husband stood at the beginning of the aisle looking like a real-life prince. Her very own prince. And this wasn’t one of her dreams, either. Well, it was, but it was about to become a reality. Her heart skipped.

  She reined the horse to a stop in front of Harrison. His strong arms reached up to help her down while Charles held the horse for them.

  Harrison held her securely while he helped her off the horse. As soon as her feet were settled on the ground, the pastor’s voice boomed, “Who here gives this woman to this man?”

  Charles spoke up in a strong, commanding voice. “Her mother, her brothers, her sisters and I do.”

  “Very well, then you may come forward.”

  Abby was so proud of everyone and so grateful. It was exactly as she had envisioned it for so many years.

  Harrison looped Abby’s hand through his arm, and they strolled up the aisle between their wedding guests whose smiles lit the pathway to the preacher.

  When they reached the front, Abby leaned down and gave Josiah and Graham a quick hug, careful not to tip the ring pillows they held in the process.

  Strands of Pastor James’s red hair peeked out from under his white wig. He opened his Bible and started to read about how a man should leave his father and mother, and two people should become one flesh, and how no one should enter into the marriage union lightly. Abby breathed it all in and exhaled as joy filled her heart. The vows were coming when they would commit to love one another all the days of their lives. She had to force herself not to tell the pastor to hurry up.

  Finally, he closed the Bible and looked first at her.

  “Abigail Bowen...”

  Abby wanted to correct Pastor James and tell him it’s Abby, not Abigail and that Abigail sounded too stuffy, but she held her tongue. Now was not the time nor the place.

  “Do you take this man, Harrison Kingsley to be your lawfully wedded husband?”