Courting in Custer

by Kari Trumbo

  She glanced over her shoulder at Beau and Ruby and warmth filled her heart. The minister read a few passages, then glanced up at them and smiled.

  “I know that you both have been married for almost two weeks, according to the State of South Dakota, but a covenant is precious in the sight of the Lord. This ring,” he held up a gold band that Daisy hadn’t realized he had, “symbolizes to the world, that you are together, unbreakable. Elias, place this ring on your bride’s finger as a testament to the world that you are one flesh, one body, with you as the head. Just as we are all one body of Christ, with the Lord Jesus as the head.”

  Elias, with shaky fingers, slid the cool ring on her finger. Though she’d legally been his before the ceremony, she now felt like he was her husband before God. Elias leaned forward and gently brushed his lips over hers. Like everything else that night, though it was an action he’d done before, it felt new, exciting, thrilling.

  They shook hands with the minister and he left shortly thereafter. Elias led them to a large table that the hotel had set aside just for them. The conversation was light as they reminisced about Deadwood and all the changes over the last twenty years, how the world had changed.

  Beau smiled and took Ruby’s hand, then glanced around the table. “Ruby and I have been talking. Aiden and Hugh have the Ferguson place well in hand. They don’t need me anymore, probably haven’t for years. Joseph is almost a man now and Barton has offered to take him on over in Belle Fourche.”

  Daisy’s head swam. Before Beau and Ruby were married, Beau suffered from terrible wanderlust. “What do you have planned?”

  Ruby beamed. “We don’t know where we’ll go. But we stayed in South Dakota long enough to see you all married and happy. I asked that of Beau, and though it nearly killed him to stay put, he has.”

  He leaned over and nuzzled her ear. “Not that it’s been easy.”

  Now that she’d seen them, it was as if she was losing them all over again. “You will write, and let us know where you go?”

  Beau’s smile took over his face, she hadn’t seen him that happy since he became a father. “Postcards. It’s the only way we can send to all of you. Wherever we go, we’ll send some out. If we plan to stay anywhere long, we’ll let you know.”

  Ruby slid forward in her chair, her eyes wide with excitement. “I’m truly looking forward to it. I’ve only ever seen the area around Cutter’s Creek and the hills of South Dakota. I’m ready to see what this great nation has to offer.”

  The rest of the meal was spent chatting about the best places to go, but Daisy couldn’t concentrate. Her own mother, Maeve, had left Cutter’s Creek years before and gone off. She’d also said she would write, but letters became more and more rare until they stopped, and when Daisy had tried to write to her, the letter was marked return to sender. Hopefully Ruby would be better at keeping up a connection.

  When they finished, Elias paid the bill and took Mr. Laury and Beau to the front desk to get the keys to their rooms.

  Margaret clasped Daisy’s hand. “You be sure to have that talk with him when you get home. No time like the present.”

  Ruby sat silently, and did not inquire, though Daisy could feel the questions in Ruby’s mind by the slight tilt of her head and the set of her shoulders. She would not bring up such intimate details at the table, but Ruby need not worry.

  “Elias and I need some time to catch up. All that matters, is that I’m home now and my ordeal brought Elias and I closer together.”

  Ruby nodded, but she was not placated. Though, of all her children, she only bore Joseph, Ruby had had to raise seven daughters and she could read each one as if she were their parent.

  The men returned, and they shared warm, though strained goodbyes.

  “I’ve let my client know that I’m only available tomorrow in an emergency. Tomorrow, we will spend the day together, all six of us as a family.” Elias gently placed her hand around his arm and her heart did a little flip.

  They would be home shortly, and again, newly married.

  Chapter 25

  They didn’t talk as Elias drove home from the hotel. He had a lot to say to Daisy but didn’t want to talk to her there, in the open car. Home was more intimate, more private. Though no one could hear them over the rumble of the engine, he also didn’t want to have to yell what he had to say. It was for her to hear, and no one else. Though part of him did want to whoop like a boy who’d just been kissed for the first time. Because that’s what he felt like.

  He parked the car and came around to Daisy’s side, opened the door for her and waited for her to gracefully climb down. She was a beauty, even in the moonlight. The soft breeze played with her hair and her beautiful face turned to him.

  He closed her door, then lifted her in his arms, carrying her across the lawn.

  “Elias, what are you doing? The neighbors!” Daisy laughed as she hid her face in his neck. His body thrilled at the heat of her breath and the tickle of her hair against his skin.

  “I’m carrying my bride across the threshold. The only time I got to do that before was after your abduction, and I’d prefer to not remember that time.”

  She clung to his shoulders and he held her tighter. Once they were inside, he kicked the door closed with his foot. He considered whether he should set her down, or just carry her back to the one place he would feel comfortable revealing everything to his wife. She sensed his hesitation and leaned back, looking him in the eyes.

  “Elias? What’s the matter?”

  His heart was the matter. He’d thought all day about his mother and his original hope that she would turn Daisy’s mind, but a fear had poked to the surface he hadn’t wagered on. A fear that Daisy might actually listen.

  He strode with purpose to their bedroom, flicked on the dim gas light, then laid Daisy down on the bed. Her blue eyes were so soft, warm, welcoming. His mother hadn’t succeeded.

  “I’ve got so much to talk to you about, but I’ve wanted to hold you all day.” He slid his suit coat off and draped it over the chair, then his tie and vest met the same fate. Daisy propped herself on her elbow and watched him with a hunger in her eyes that he couldn’t help but appreciate.

  He went around the bed and slid in behind her, pulling her flush with his body and kissing her in the spot he loved, right behind her ear. Her hair was soft and smelled better than the most luxurious perfume. She sighed and leaned against him.

  “Daisy, I left this morning angry, and I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave you. I promised to work hard to provide for you for the rest of our lives and I didn’t want to do that today. I also promised to take care of you when we said our vows at the courthouse, but I didn’t do that, either. Because of my failure, you were taken.”

  “But Elias—”

  He covered her sweet lips with his, just long enough that he could feel her relax once again. “Darling, let me finish.”

  Her eyes burned even hotter. If he didn’t finish his talk soon, he never would.

  “That was why it was important for me to say our vows tonight, in front of witnesses and God.”

  “Elias, it was never you. I was taken because I didn’t listen to you. We were married, but I didn’t feel like your wife, and Alma needed my help, so I chose her over you. I thought you’d never know. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

  He wasn’t about to hold it against her, not when he’d been the one to foster her inaccurate feelings. He hadn’t treated her like a wife. Had hoped she’d feel anything but. “I love you. I don’t ever want you to doubt that again.”

  She rolled to face him and rubbed her cheek against his. “Your mother spoke to me this morning.”

  He tensed, his mother had been quicker and more efficient than he’d thought.

  “She explained to me that when you were born, you were of average size. You weren’t the reason she almost died. You weren’t too big then, and I’m not frightened of you now.”

  Her nuzzling brought their bodies flush. “My dea
r wife. I think it’s time you were mine.” He kissed her, and she buried her hands in his hair, drawing him closer to her. Within minutes, all her hairpins were lost to the pillow and her lips were plump with his kissing.

  “Say the word, Daisy. I need to hear that you’ll have me as your husband. Because I’ve never wanted anyone but you.”

  She drew his face gently down to her lips once more and mouthed the words against his. “I do.”

  Epilogue

  Custer, SD, June 1915

  Daisy walked down to the mailbox and flipped open the front. Four postcards waited, and she smiled as she glanced at the pictures on each one. She waved to Alma Spanner, her retired sheriff husband close at her side. He’d championed her during Mr. Payton’s murder trial. With both Saunders and Peyton gone, they could focus on each other and Alma had finally found happiness in marriage.

  Beau and Ruby had left in September of 1910, for parts unknown within the United States. They’d gone back to visit Cutter’s Creek first, then Oregon and California. No one had heard anything from them for months. Just when Daisy had started to worry, she’d gotten three postcards from Nevada. Now, the postcards always came in batches.

  Beau and Ruby were staying in a little town named Dry Bayou, Texas, making new friends, but they would move on soon. Though they’d said they would let the family know if they planned to stay anywhere long, they never did, always on the move.

  Daisy rubbed the swell of her belly, a habit that had just begun as her womb stretched her abdomen wide out in front of her. Elias was a tender and loving husband, but he’d insisted on avoiding intimacies during her most fertile times, however the Lord had other plans.

  Six months before, her cycle had shifted unexpectedly. Even the doctors couldn’t explain it, and she’d conceived. Her lack of a child had been a heartache she hadn’t shared with anyone, not even Elias, but the Lord knew her heart and heard her cry. Now, she just needed to prove to her dear man that she wouldn’t break if he looked at her wrong.

  She strode back into the house and Elias sat in his favorite chair, old Gracie, gray in the muzzle, lifted her head for a moment, then laid back down when she saw who it was. Daisy smiled and sat next to her husband, handing him the postcards.

  “Well, it looks like they will travel until they see every last inch of this nation. I don’t know how they do it.”

  Daisy did. Beau was a master at adapting quickly and finding work wherever he went. “He was built to roam, and Ruby was made to follow him.”

  “So be it. I hope you don’t mind that I would much rather stay right here.” He took her hand and rubbed it gently.

  “As would I, as long as I’m right here with you.”

  The little one inside gave her a hearty kick and she rubbed her belly once again. She’d just received a letter from Hattie, whose womb had been closed for many years. She was now pregnant with her first child, as well. Hugh had decided that she wasn’t to lift a finger for the entire pregnancy, no matter how simple. Hattie was near to pulling out her hair in exasperation with him but was overjoyed.

  Joseph, Beau and Ruby’s son, was in Belle Fourche, and Barton, along with his brothers, was keeping him in hand. Jennie and Aiden had two children, both boys, and they stayed close to the Ferguson Ranch. Nora was the best at keeping in contact, though, they were the closest in age. She and her sheriff were happy in Hot Springs, with two children of their own. She’d started making her hats from their home after they had started a family. Her creations were in high demand.

  Patches leapt onto Daisy’s lap and waited for attention. Her life would change in a few months when her own baby came, but the more things changed, the better they seemed to get. South Dakota would always be her home, no matter which part she visited, because with seven sisters, her little family was always welcome in any part of the state.

  Historical Elements

  Dear Reader,

  You’ve made it to the end of the Seven Brides series! Congratulations. This story was a little different for me in that I wanted my couple to be married from the very start. What would it be like for two people who had agreed to marry when they were young and what sort of story could I come up with?

  This story plays on a common misconception, all people prior to the current age were short. I’ve heard all the fallacies, poor nutrition, genetics, etc. It’s just not true. Go to any museum and take a look at the extant clothing. Most of it looks to be of average height. So, would people be shocked by a six-foot-tall man? Yes, I have a couple friends well over six feet tall and they assure me they still get stares. Some things never change.

  Cars: We discussed cars in Hearts in Hot Springs, but they were even more prevalent by 1910, so much so that I wanted to include on on the cover of this book. By that time, you would’ve had some folks, especially city folks, who had never had a horse.

  The Custer Courthouse: The building, as described in this book, is still there today for you to walk through. It’s open during the summer and “tour season”. I highly recommend you take a walk through there on your next trip to the Black Hills. There are a number of wonderful exhibits. As to the story, I described the main courtroom as best I could, and looked through the blueprints, which were available online, but I could find nowhere a court reporter would have an office. There are no little alcoves like the one I describe.

  Court Reporters: I had a lot of fun looking up the Steno machines of that period. They were small, portable, typewriter-like devices that came with their own case for carrying. The paper could be fed through it in a long roll and it typed in shorthand, allowing a handy court reporter to type an average of 300 words per minute. The fastest could type up to 600 words per minute on those devices. Pinterest is a great place to find images of these old machines.

  I want to thank you for spending the last 8 books with me (if you read Ruby’s story in A Ruby Glows). I hope you have enjoyed them. If you’re interested in a spin-off series, Izzy Lawson, Lula’s best friend, gets her happily ever after in the first Brothers of Belle Fourche book, Teach Me to Love.

  Blessings,

  Kari

  Loved this book? Leave me a review!

  Don’t miss the spin-off series, Brothers of Belle Fourche

  starting with Teach Me to Love, Izzy Lawson’s story

  Can a widow find love in the arms of a man so different from her husband?

  Looking for another series? Try Millie and the Marksman

  Find my complete list of titles at www.KariTrumbo.com

  Kari Trumbo is a writer of Christian Historical Romance and a stay-at-home mom to four vibrant children. She does freelance developmental editing and blogging. When she isn't writing or editing, she homeschools her children and pretends to keep up with them. Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing with the worship team, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband of eighteen years, two daughters, two sons, and two cats.

  Thank you, dear reader, for joining me on this adventure. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and that you’ll continue reading the other books I have available.