A Mid-Summer's Mail-Order Bride (18 page)
Read A Mid-Summer's Mail-Order Bride Online
Authors: Kit Morgan
Epilogue
One week later …
“You may kiss the bride,” the preacher announced.
Warren smiled, pulled Bernice into his arms and did just that. Nellie Davis gasped but was quickly shushed by her husband.
When Warren finally broke the kiss, it was Bernice’s turn to gasp. “Mercy!”
“Indeed,” he whispered.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wantin’ to get married as bad as you two,” Tom Turner, acting as best man, drawled then smiled at Warren. “Just think, if I hadn’t gone fishin’ the day the Weavers showed up, ya might not be standin’ next to yer bride right now.”
A few folks in the front row laughed at that. Tom was right, of course. If the Weavers had arrived the following day as expected, the twins and Daniel would’ve been glued to his side wanting him to regale them with stories about his hometown of Clear Creek. But they’d showed up early, and Tom had taken the day off to drown a few worms. With Tom around, Benjamin, Calvin and Daniel wouldn’t have got riled up about hunting for the missing women and wouldn’t have gotten everyone else (especially Warren) as riled up either.
Once they’d started talking about getting their guns before continuing the search, Warren had almost gone around the bend with worry. All he could think about was Bernice’s welfare – had she been hurt? Was she lost? His urge – no,
need
– to protect her had overpowered every other concern. Protecting her against a family of skunks and failing was one thing, but a potential band of outlaws was quite another.
Thankfully, the only thing he’d found her threatened with that afternoon was the Weavers’ overzealousness in rushing into the dressmaker’s shop pointing their arsenal all over the place.
“What’s the matter?” Warren asked Bernice, his voice gentle. She was crying.
“I’m just so happy, I never thought this day would come. I can’t believe I’m really a bride.”
“Well, it’s not only now – you get to be a bride the rest of your life.” He pulled her in for another kiss.
The townsfolk cheered and the congratulations started. Everyone in town was in attendance – even the Weavers (Arlan and Samijo excepted) had stayed in Nowhere for the occasion.
And speaking of the Weavers …
Calvin and Benjamin had slipped out of the church and, once they made sure no one was looking, headed straight for Warren’s wagon where Daniel was waiting. “Ya got it?” Calvin asked him.
“Yep, but I’m a-tellin’ ya, I don’t like doin’ this to Warren and his new bride.”
“It ain’t gonna hurt ‘em none,” Calvin said, his face beaming as he stared at the burlap sack in Daniel’s hand.
“What ain’t gonna hurt who none?” a voice asked from behind.
The twins spun around. Old Man Johnson stood there, looking threatening.
“M-M-Mr. Johnson, sir,” Benjamin stammered. “We didn’t know you was there.”
“I can see that. What’s in the sack?”
Daniel very slowly put the sack behind his back. “Nothin’, sir – that is, nothin’ special.”
“Uh-huh,” Old Man Johnson eyed him with suspicion. “Is it a weddin’ present?”
The three looked at one another. “Er, ah … well …,” Calvin stammered.
“Let me see it.”
“Oh no!” Benjamin said and held his hands in front of him as if to wave the older man off. “It ain’t nothin’.
“Well, if it ain’t nothin’, then there’s no harm in lettin’ me see it. Or maybe you’d like to just put it back in your wagon where I saw young Daniel here get it from.”
Daniel swallowed hard. “Yessir.”
Old Man Johnson looked the twins over. “It’s hard to believe that you two are gonna be married soon. If you pull a prank like this on each other, your brides are gonna up and hightail it back to wherever they came from.”
“Oh, we ain’t pullin’ no prank,” Calvin assured him.
“You ain’t, huh? Then you won’t mind reachin’ into that sack and pullin’ out what’s inside.”
Calvin stared at him, eyes wide, and gulped.
Benjamin smacked him in the chest. “Yeah, Calvin, go ahead! Reach in there and pull out what ya got.”
“What
I
got? You and Daniel were the ones that done the catchin’.”
“Son,” Old Man Johnson said with a put-upon sigh, “I suggest you take that skunk and turn it loose before it gets it in its head to make a ruckus.”
“How’d you know …?” Benjamin began.
“’Cause I’ve been around the smell long enough to tell.”
“How’s a little ol’ skunk gonna cause a ruckus?” Daniel asked.
“Cause when your brother Arlan and your ma find out, they’ll start one. You three caused enough trouble around here last week.”
“Yeah, but Warren’s married now ‘cause of it.”
“And I’d like him to stay that way. Get rid of it.”
Calvin chuckled nervously.
“Ain’t no laughin’ matter, son.”
Daniel shoved Calvin in the shoulder. “You heard him, ain’t no laughin’ matter!”
Calvin stopped and shoved back.
Daniel brought the sack around to the front, too quickly. It hit Calvin, bounced off him and back to Daniel.
Benjamin and Grandpa both scrambled away as fast as they could as the sack slipped out of Daniel’s hand. The smell was already making their eyes burn, but once the critter was out, he blasted them with everything he had.
It was then Warren and Bernice came out of the church, along with the rest of the townsfolk. Nellie Davis took one look at the men running this way and that, the skunk between them, screamed and swooned.
“Somebody get my gun!” Mr. Davis cried, not bothering to catch her.
Some of the townsfolk laughed at the sight, other shook their heads. Most were smart enough to flee. Bernice watched Grandpa Sam get himself a safe distance away before he pointed at the Weavers and burst out laughing.
“Just another typical day in Nowhere,” Warren muttered, shaking his head.
Bernice looked at him and smiled. “I can handle it.”
“Really? What if we have children and they turn out like them?”
She watched the skunk lumber toward one Weaver, then another. Each roared with laughter when one of the others got “hit” – then roared in disgust when they did. “That’s what a barn is for, isn’t it? The real question is, what are their wives going to do with them?”
Warren shook his head. “Lord help them.”
“The women or the men?”
He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. “Both.” He turned her so she was facing him. “Welcome to Nowhere, Mrs. Johnson. Are you still glad you came?”
She gave him a warm smile. “Very glad.” She drew closer. “I love you.”
He smiled. “And I love you.”
The chaos continued as the skunk now wandered toward the church. Screams and shouts rent the air as the people still there ran hither and yon. Warren and Bernice, however, had a better idea. They slowly backed into the church, and closed the door behind them. They’d learned their lesson.
In more ways than one.
The End
The Christmas Mail-Order Bride (Book One)
The New Year’s Bride (Book Two)
His Forever Valentine (Book Three)
Her Irish Surrender (Book Four)
The Springtime Mail-Order Bride (Book Five)
Love in Independence (Book Six)
Love at Harvest Moon (Book Seven)
The Thanksgiving Mail-Order Bride (Book Eight)
The Holiday Mail-Order Bride (Book Nine)
The Valentine Mail-Order Bride (Book Ten)
The Easter Mail-Order Bride (Book Eleven)
About the Author
Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, loves a good Western. Her father loved them as well, and they watched their fair share together over the years. You can keep up-to-date on future books, fun contests and more at Kit Morgan’s
facebook page
– or by checking out her website at
www.authorkitmorgan.com