“Terrified.”
She raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
“I am terrified that I’m messing this up so bad that you’ll walk out that door and I’ll never get another chance to make it right. I love you so much, it kills me every day to know I could lose you at any time. I need you like I need air.”
“Oh, Rusty.” She stood and came toward him, and for a moment he thought she was about to walk past him and out of his life. Then he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes, and the soft smile on her lips. “I love you. And I’m scared, too. Marriage to Billy wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do again. Don’t you see? We’re both taking a chance. But if we don’t take a chance, we will never have that air we both need to breathe.”
He pulled her to him, and buried his face in her shoulder, holding her tightly against his body. “Thank God.” He took a shuddering breath, and then leaned back and grinned. “I thought for sure I made things even worse.”
“Frankly, you almost did. But I think I saved you.”
“You will always save me.”
He slid his hands inside her coat and around her soft body. “Remember what I said about taking our clothes off?”
“Yes.”
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Well, how about it?”
“How about what?”
He put his mouth to her ear and whispered. “How about taking off our clothes and making use of that bed in the next room?”
“But it’s cold in here.”
“Oh, darlin’, trust me. You won’t be cold for long.”
***
Three weeks later
“Rachel, you look beautiful.” Amelia danced into the room, swirling around so her own dress flared outward. “You are a beautiful bride.”
“And you are a beautiful bridesmaid.” She glanced lovingly at her soon-to-be stepdaughter.
“I’m so happy you chose me to be your bridesmaid. I’m surprised you didn’t ask your sister, Ellie.”
Rachel chuckled. “Ellie doesn’t want to have anything to do with weddings. She says they make her itch. She’s much more comfortable with her life as a schoolteacher and women’s right advocate. In fact, it was all my aunt Tori and I could do to even convince her to come. She said something about me ‘succumbing to the enemy.’”
She turned to the mirror and smoothed her dress over the slight bump in her tummy. Uncle Jesse wasn’t too happy to learn his niece, whom he was giving away in marriage, was already in a family way. He’d groused until her aunt Tori reminded him that she was in the same condition on their wedding day.
With all the changes in her life recently it hadn’t occurred to her until a couple of weeks ago that she had missed her courses. She hadn’t had one since she and Rusty made love before their falling out. The doctor said she was probably about three months along.
“It’s time to leave for the church.” Aunt Tori entered the room, and stopped to stare at her. “Don’t you look beautiful!”
Rachel had selected a blue watered silk with cream piping for her wedding dress. She never would have spent so much money on a frock, but it was a gift from Uncle Jesse. She wore her mother’s pearls that she and Ellie shared and a cameo that Rusty presented her with two days ago. One final glance in the mirror and she was ready.
The church was a short ride by buggy. She, Uncle Jesse, Aunt Tori and Amelia rode together. This was so different from her first wedding. Then she had been a young girl, more in love with love than the man she was marrying. Even though her marriage to Billy hadn’t been what she’d dreamed about as a young girl, it had given her Will.
She had wanted to wait until Will was off his crutches to have the wedding, but neither Rusty nor Uncle Jesse would hear of any delay. She smiled at Uncle Jesse insisting she and Will move into his house until the wedding. Since she was already in a family way, there weren’t any consequences of misbehavior to be faced.
Uncle Jesse didn’t think it was funny when she pointed that out.
The cooler weather had already set in, and the ever present Oklahoma wind made the temperature that much colder. She was shivering by the time they reached the church. Uncle Jesse escorted her down the aisle, and within minutes she was no longer Rachel Stevens, but Rachel McIntyre. A moment of surprise arose when the preacher addressed Rusty as Flanagan McIntyre.