Page 31 of A Groom for Lauren
She rolled her shoulder as if shrugging off some invisible demon. “I love my daughter Christopher. And I thank God that you were there to save me that fateful day. I think God purposefully put you in my path because he knew you were just what I needed. This is my chance to repay the favor.”
He tugged at his collar. the last thing he wanted was her gratitude. “Lauren, you aren’t indebted to me…”
She placed her fingers against his lips. “Shh.” She moved her hand around to cup his cheek. “This is my way of saving your and your inheritance. Perhaps, even your livelihood, if you are going to open an animal clinic here in Last Chance. I want you to have the best animal clinic anywhere west of the Mississippi. You hear me?”
“There is a school opening in Iowa for Veterinary medicine.”
“Then we’ll find a way for you to study there. Maybe we can split our time between locations.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course. I’d do anything for the man I love.”
“You love me?” He tugged on her waist pulling her closer.
She nodded her head. “I think I do. If not, now, then I soon will. I think we have a chance to start again, Christopher. I would be proud to be your wife.”
He lowered his head and captured her lips in a soft kiss. When they broke apart, he looked into her eyes and for the first time saw something there he longed to see.
Happiness.
“Let’s not delay. We can go find Pastor Collins.” He needed to get the papers signed so he could send a wire back to the attorney in Richmond.
“We need to get Esther.”
“Of course. And you need to meet Mrs. McAllister.”
“And we need to get your things from the livery. After all, this will be your home now.”
Christopher smiled and spun her around. Their future looked bright.
Chapter Twelve
Lauren watched as Pastor Collin stared at them skeptically. For someone who was so fired up about the women in the town getting married, she expected more… excitement from him.
"Are you sure you both want to be married?" he asked.
"We do," she affirmed with a nod. Even saying the words felt strange to her. She wouldn't say that she was in love with Christopher. However, there was no doubt that she was well on her way to feeling a love greater than she could imagine.
She enjoyed the kiss that they had shared and wondered if ever they would do more than that. Tonight was going to be her wedding night.
Her feelings were so different from what she had experience with Jonah. With Jonah, she had been sucked away by her feelings. Cast upon the sea of emotionalism without the reality of who they were as individuals.
She didn’t regret marrying Jonah and she had his daughter to remember him by. With Christopher, it was completely different. He was slow. Steady. Safe and secure.
Sometimes she thought of what Ruth had told her. That marriage was only meant to satisfy a man's desire. Maybe some of that was true in the case of her marriage to Jonah. But she sensed with innate female intuition that marriage to Christopher would be different.
That was something she was looking forward to.
"We can perform the marriage next month on—"
Christopher interjected, "Pastor Collins we need to be married sooner than that."
The minister looked at him with suspicious eyes. "Am I to take it that you have anticipated vows that did not belong to you?"
It took all her will not to roll her eyes at Pastor Collins’s ever-present suspicions.
"Pastor Collins," Christopher said squinting his eye at the man. "My inheritance that I'm supposed to receive hinges on my married state. As Mrs. Hale is gracious enough to assist me in this matter by becoming my wife, I will have access to what rightfully belongs to me."
