Scandal at the Cahill Saloon - By Carol Arens Page 0,43

behind them. His boots crunched the dry grass. “Wedding’s ready to begin.”

“I’ll leave you to your men talk, then.” Dorothy turned and hurried for the house.

Cleve plucked his jacket from the tree branch and put it on. Silently, he walked beside Bowie toward the back door.

“Here’s what I have to say,” Bowie declared before they mounted the back steps. “I may be giving my sister away to you, but treat her wrong and I’ll damned well take her back.”

“You’d have to fight me for her.”

Bowie grinned and slapped him on the back.

Leanna stood at the top of the parlor stairs with Bowie, watching the scene below through a veil of ivory gauze.

The sun had set. Lamps cast a romantic glow over the parlor. Curtains fluttered inward on a breeze, damp with the promise of rain.

Cassie plunked out the wedding march on the slightly off-key piano that had come with the house.

In front of the hearth, Cleve stood beside the preacher. Only his smile, warm with promise, kept her from dashing back to her bedroom.

Maybe she ought to have revealed that she was a virgin before she recited her vows. She’d tried, a dozen times, but the words had remained stuck in her mouth, and her such a preacher for the truth.

Standing now at the top of the stairs, she wasn’t certain if she was making the best decision of her life, or the worst. Marrying Cleve with this secret between them might doom the young marriage from the start.

Whether or not she descended the stairs on Bowie’s arm came down to one decision.

How much did she trust Cleve?

Enough to let him discover the truth about her son? To put their fate in his hands?

The best thing might be to call the wedding off this very moment while there was still time. He didn’t love her so he wouldn’t be crushed. Maybe disappointed for a while, but he’d get over it. He’d find himself a decent woman.

He winked up at her. The crease in his cheek lifted with her smile.

And there it was… This truth hit her smack in the heart. She didn’t want him with a decent woman.

Glancing up at Bowie, she nodded. He escorted her down the stairs.

The parlor was speckled with people who loved her. And one who admired her…greatly.

They stood in a half circle around Cleve and the preacher. Massie leaned shoulder to shoulder with Sam Webber. Lucinda and Dorothy dabbed at their eyes. Cabe and Melvin shuffled from foot to foot, sweating in their Sunday best and their attention focused on the wedding cake in the corner.

She was relieved to see Merritt Dixon with the group. They had not been friends in the past. Merritt had been a grieving widow while Leanna had been busy in her shallow world of parties and pretty gowns. How, she wondered, would Bowie’s future wife feel about being her sister?

This concern flashed through her mind quickly. Her attention was all for her groom, grinning and waiting for her beside the preacher.

The holy vows took only a few moments to recite, but looking into Cleve’s eyes, she meant each and every one of them…for a lifetime.

She would love Cleve with all her heart, even if he never loved her back.

Standing here before God and all these witnesses, she silently prayed that her groom had been right. That love could grow.

She was pretty sure she hadn’t loved him last week, but right now, kissing him the second the preacher gave consent, she did. With blessings from above, and maybe a little help from Mama, her brand-new husband might come to feel the same way.

Dorothy rushed forward as soon as Cleve gave her a breath. With one hand still twined in her husband’s, she hugged her friend.

“Your mama would want this,” Dorothy whispered in her ear.

“I think so, too,” she whispered back, and kissed Dorothy’s cheek.

Next, Massie and Sam offered their good wishes. Lucinda and Cassie took turns embracing her while they sniffled and smiled.

Cabe and Melvin inched closer to the cake.

Last of all Bowie came forward with his intended.

Clearly, Merritt was no longer grieving. She was radiant with her hand tucked into the crook of Bowie’s arm, as if that’s the place she had belonged all her life.

Could she ever recall seeing that happiness on Bowie’s face before? She could not.

“Annie, you remember Merritt?” Bowie said.

Merritt’s eyes flashed a green twinkle and she opened her arms wide.

Leanna stepped into her hug. Already, she loved the woman who had put the joy in