Page 16 of Married in Misty Mountain

Chapter Seven

Shenna

It’s not every girl’s dream to get married in the magistrate’s office in the town hall.

So it’s good that I never really thought about my dream wedding. In my community, girls didn’t cut out pictures from magazines or pick out their favorite colors for matching bridesmaid dresses. Weddings were transactional deals between the bride’s father and the groom’s family.

Marriage was something women dreaded, not celebrated.

I wait on the oak bench outside the magistrate’s chambers and smooth down the wrinkles in the simple yellow sundress I bought second-hand at the local consignment shop off Evergreen Way.

I didn’t have much time to shop for a dress or flowers or rings after Hurley and I returned from the camping trip. The magistrate was only in town on Monday and Wednesday this week, and Hurley wanted to get this ceremony over with as soonas possible. Luckily, the general store doesn’t open until ten on Mondays, so we’re getting this over with.

Do I really want to do this? Do I really want to put my whole trust in someone I used to know? Someone I only ran into less than forty-eight hours ago? To an outsider, this would look absolutely insane.

Of course it does. It’s all very secretive and rushed, but that’s not even the thing that’s making me uneasy. There’s something else that’s bothering me.

Something from my childhood is nagging at me. My insecurities are telling me that maybe this whole thing is a prank.

Unlikely, but there’s a kernel of a thought.

Hurley still hasn’t arrived when the clerk who had us fill out our paperwork earlier today comes out of the office and walks up to me. “Where’s the groom?”

She beams at me but looks around the hallway in confusion.

My insecurity is enhanced when I see the questioning look on her face. Maybe this isn’t real. Maybe it’s one more letdown after a series of letdowns.

I try to smile and stay positive, though. “I don’t know. Maybe something came up…”

“Well, the magistrate only has ten minutes until the next hearing, so you might have to reschedule…”

But then, at 9 a.m. on the dot, Hurley strides in through the double doors of the town hall.

My breath is sucked from my lungs at the sight of him.

He’s so much to take in. Hurley has not only shaved, but he’s had a haircut, and the close-cropped cut shows off his high cheekbones and highlights the intensity of his blue-eyed gaze. He’s exchanged the flannel shirt, wind-resistant trousers, and hiking boots in favor of a button-up shirt, tie, and dress pants. My knees shake as I stand and stare at the man approaching me.

“You…look…different.”

A full grin brightens his face, the first big smile he’s given me since we first ran into each other two days ago. He smooths a hand over his shirt and chuckles, “Do I clean up good?”

I have always hated that expression, but I can only nod and squeak out, “You look like a groom.”

Hurley reaches for me but hesitates. “You look nice, too. I mean, you look nice in general, but…shit, never mind. Here.”

He shoves a small bouquet of white lilies at me. I smile at his awkwardness. Under the floral scent of the lilies, the scent of soap and light aftershave fills the space around us.

“Thanks,” I say, hoping it’s not apparent that my cheeks feel hot.

“What? No jokes today?” Hurley cracks.

No. I have no jokes. Just a lot of questions.

We stare at each other like a couple of dummies until the clerk clears her throat.

“You two look ready to get married,” she says.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask Hurley.

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