Page 21 of A Steadfast Heart
Kindness is a part of our agreement.It’s a business arrangement, and I’d do well to remember that.
“Thank you. I’ve got my balance.”
He nodded once, then moved to the wagon bed to lift the kids out. Kaitlyn examined the boardwalk from one end to the other. No crowd walked her direction. No unease prickled the back of her neck. Any apprehension she felt arose solely from doubts about fulfilling her job, not from what her brother might do to her. For the first time since her father died, she felt free. In just a few minutes, Michael wouldn’t be able to touch her ever again.
She followed the short path that led to the pastor’s house, then entered. The inside felt dim until her eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight outside.
In moments, Mrs. Carson showed her to the parlor. Drew, the kids, and Pastor Carson entered soon after. The kids shed their coats and hung them on hooks by the door. Drew followed suit, leaving his hat as well.
Drew shifted to face her, and Kaitlyn had to swallow hard. He’d dressed up. Her gaze traveled from his white shirt and black vest that emphasized his broad shoulders to his well-shined boots and back to his dark hair that curled a bit at the back of his neck. But when her eyes caught his, he looked away, flushing. A muscle ticked in one cheek. What had she done wrong? Shouldn’t he want his bride to appreciate his efforts to dress up?
A rock formed in her stomach. What was she doing? He’d probably loved his first wife, and she’d left him. Maybe she’d had good reason. Kaitlyn should have kept running, found a job—anything other than marrying a stranger.
Drew tapped David’s hat, and the boy hurriedly placed it next to his father’s. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed his lapse, and Drew ran a comforting hand along his son’s back. David shrugged away. Tillie reached her hands up, and Drew stared at his son’s back for a long moment before looking to his youngest and slowly lifting her, pretending she had grown too heavy for him since yesterday.
His love for his children couldn’t be clearer.
The tightness in Kaitlyn’s chest eased. Drew needed her. The children needed her. Partnerships had thrived on less.
Drew had said little on the trip into town, but he showed no hesitancy as he crossed the room to stand next to her in front of the pastor. He took her hand, tucked it once again into the crook of his arm, and a sense of safety flooded her. He’d steadied her steps when her legs had protested the long wagon ride. Somehow, she knew he’d stand beside her come what may.
The pastor cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God…”
Kaitlyn’s stomach squirmed. In the sight of God? How was it she had never listened to the words of a wedding ceremony? What would God think of the promises she was about to make?
Drew’s arm shifted, and she looked up to see a question in his eyes.Are you sure?they seemed to say, and the tightness in her chest relaxed just a bit. Besides, God was the one who had left her with Michael in the first place.
“Will you, Drew, take this woman, Kaitlyn, to be your wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep only unto her, so long as you both shall live?”
“I will.”
The certainty in his deep voice seeped into her soul. He was making those promises to her, no one else. Kaitlyn released the breath that had been stuck in her chest. So what if he’d told her he’d never love her, if he only wanted her to take care of his children? He still wanted her, Kaitlyn Montgomery.
“Will you, Kaitlyn, take this man, Drew, as your wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep only unto him, so long as you both shall live?”
As long as you both shall live.
The pastor’s words settled in her chest like a heavy weight. This was a life sentence. Her mind winced, then settled on the image of facing the same sentence with Brian in place of Drew. Michael would find her eventually. A marriage certificate was her only protection.
She forced a breath past the weight in her chest. “I will.”
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Kaitlyn swallowed hard, then looked up to meet her new husband’s eyes. They hadn’t talked about this. What would he do?
“Kiss her, Pa.” Tillie clasped her hands in front of her, her eyes shining. David and Jo watched from nearby.
Kaitlyn’s heart thundered in her chest as Drew lowered his head. His hand still clasped hers. Kaitlyn twisted her free hand into her skirt. Drew’s lips barely grazed her cheek. As Drew let her go and turned away, expression inscrutable, Kaitlyn lifted one hand to the spot his lips had brushed. She felt as if his touch had been a red-hot branding iron.
She was still trying to catch her breath when Tillie wrapped her arms around Kaitlyn’s legs. “You’re my mama now.”
* * *
Drew led Jo and Tillie toward the lumberyard while David showed Kaitlyn to the telegraph office. His bride wanted to notify her lawyer of their wedding as soon as possible.
His bride.
He’d felt nauseated when her gaze had raked him head to foot, but then he’d caught uncertainty, not scorn in her eyes. Her hand had trembled when he’d tucked it into the crook of his arm, but she’d moved closer. Closer to the man she’d first seen covered in mud and muck. The man who couldn’t manage his kids.
