Bride of Paradise (5 page)

“Five hundred at last count.”  She sighed.  She knew she’d overdone it, but she couldn’t leave anyone out.

“Five hundred?  I think I know what the first marital spat will be about.”  Laura sighed heavily.  “How could you invite five hundred people to a ‘small’ wedding?”
  The shocked look on Laura’s face told her that she had gone even more crazy with the plans than she’d thought.

“Well, I didn’t mean to.  I
t just happened.  One thing led to another.  I had to invite Molly because I invited Mary, and then I had to invite Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, because I invited Mary and Molly, and well…it grew from there.”  Kristen’s voice sounded small in the dark.  “You don’t think he’ll really be mad do you?”

“Probably.  He told you to plan a small wedding and you invited all of Dallas and half of Fort Worth.  How could he not be mad about that?”

Kristen laid in the dark staring at the ceiling.  She hoped Laura was wrong.  She didn’t want to start her marriage out with her husband angry with her.  She said a quick prayer for understanding and finally nodded off to sleep.  Tomorrow was her wedding day.

Chapter Four

Kristen wasn’t able to do more than nibble on a couple pieces of toast the following morning.  She kept thinking about her discussion with Laura and worrying that Samuel would be angry with her. 
She really didn’t want him to be angry. 

Her mother did her hair and while she was fixing it for her, she told her what she’d done, asking what her mother thought.  Ingrid shook her head.  “You need to learn to do what you’re told once in a while.”
  She paused for a moment before adding, “But only what you’re told.  Poor Samuel has no idea what he’s getting into.”

Kristen sighed.  “I just want the wedding to be perfect.”
  She wished there was some way she could fix things now, but she knew it was way too late for that.

Ingrid shook her head.  “Everyone has a different idea of perfect.  His idea of perfect may be a wedding with only fifteen people.”  She finished Kristen’s hair and looked at her.  “You need to realize that his opinions now matter just as much as yours do.”

“I know, Mama.  I hope he’s not angry.”  She would have asked him if he’d been closer, but with as far as he lived, she’d just jumped right into planning.

“He has every right to be.”  Ingrid kissed Kristen’s cheek.  “You look beautiful.  Are you ready?”

Kristen nodded.  They’d decided that she would walk to the seminary, because it was only a few blocks.  “I’m ready.  Thank you for helping me.”

Ingrid hurried out of the room while Kristen stepped into her dress, carefully buttoning the back herself.  She opened the door to find her father waiting for her.  “Did Mama already leave with Laura?”

Dirk nodded, staring at his daughter in disbelief.  “When did you become so beautiful?” he asked, his voice gruff with emotion.

Kristen smiled.  She knew that her dress suited her perfectly.  She’d worked hour after hour on it, taking breaks only to plan meals and write letters inviting people to the wedding.  Her entire life since she’d received the letter from Samuel had revolved around planning her wedding to him.  “While you were at work probably,” she said with a smile. 

“Probably.”  He took her hand and tucked it through his arm, leading her down the steps.  “I’ve already taken your trunks to the seminary.  Samuel said you’d be staying there tonight.  He thought about getting a hotel but decided to save the money.  He said something about needing it once he’s married to you.”

“He’s under the impression that I have to have everything around me perfect, and that I will want new clothes every day.”
  Kristen sighed, wishing he understood.

“How does he know you so well already?” Dirk asked with a grin.

“I’m not that bad, Papa.  I like to have pretty dresses, but I have enough for now.”

“For now.  What about next week?  Or next month?”

“I have a whole trunk full of fabric to use when I feel the need for new clothes.”  She had no idea how long it would last, but she would do her best to stretch it out.  It was her father’s wedding gift to her.

“I hope it’s enough,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.  They walked through the bustling streets on their way to the seminary.  “I’m surprised there’s anyone left in Dallas who’s not already at your wedding!”

“Papa!  I didn’t invite that many people!”  Kristen blushed, saying a silent prayer that Samuel wouldn’t be angry with her, or if he was, that he was at least able to wait until they were alone before he said anything.

When they reached the seminary, they walked around back to the private chapel used by the students and faculty there.  She could hear the voices inside talking and knew it was full.  Her father, dressed in his best black suit, poked his head into the closed doors to see if everyone was ready.

Immediately the crowd quieted, and Kristen could hear the strains of music.  They’d decided Laura would wait at the front of the church instead of marching down the aisle, because she was so nervous about people watching her walking, so Kristen immediately walked with her father.  She kept her steps small as she walked toward Samuel, wondering what he was thinking. 

Their eyes met when she was only about halfway up the aisle, and to her relief, he didn’t look angry.  Of course, she didn’t know him well enough to know his angry face, but she was certain he wouldn’t be looking at her the way he was if he was terribly angry.
  He had a big grin on his face and was watching her with what could only be termed affection.

They reached the front and her papa placed her hand in Samuel’s and took his seat at the front of the chapel with her mother. 
It was the first time she’d even taken his hand, and it felt odd.  For once she didn’t feel the need to turn and run to wash her hands.  She’d wear long white gloves to the reception, though, because people would constantly be shaking her hand, and she didn’t want to have to go through that.

Albert cleared his throat, and spoke as loudly as he could.  The church was overcrowded to the point where there were people standing at the end of each pew.  Albert said a prayer and began the long service that ended with her and Samuel being presented as Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Benner after he’d placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

The kiss opened her eyes wide.  She had enjoyed it more than she’d thought she would.  It seemed strange to Kristen that her first kiss was in front of all these people, but she’d been raised to believe that you didn’t kiss a man before you were his wife. 

She pulled her gloves on just before they went to greet everyone. 
At the back of the church, they shook hands with each of the people who had come to celebrate with them.  He introduced her to Joshua, and her eyes immediately searched the crowd for Ida.  She hoped the two of them would find one another at the crowded reception, which would be held in the dining room at the seminary.

During the long reception, they were never alone, and never really had a chance to talk.  She desperately wanted to apologize for inviting so many people, but didn’t get the opportunity.  It wasn’t until after they’d cut the cake and made a discreet exit that she had any kind of chance at all.  “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you and invited so many people.”

His eyes turned to hers then, and he was very obviously baffled.  “How could you interpret this many people as a small wedding?”

She shrugged.  “I was so worried about having the perfect wedding for me, that I failed to listen to what you wanted.  It won’t happen again.”
  She was embarrassed that she’d taken his small wedding and run with it, and it had turned into something so big.

He shook his head.  “I’m not angry with you, but I do hope you won’t make a habit of this sort of thing.  We cannot afford to constantly throw lavish parties for everyone we know.”

She stared down at her feet.  “I am sorry.”

“I know.”  He caught her chin with one finger and lifted her face to his, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.  “And I forgive you.  Let’s not get off on the wrong foot.  I’m happy we’re married.”

She smiled, relieved. “I am too.  I’m ready to go to Paradise and be the best wife I can possibly be.”

He smiled.  “And I’ll be the best husband I know how to be.”

*****

They were up early the following morning to pack up the wagon and start the journey back to Dallas.  For a moment, Samuel couldn’t believe the sheer number of trunks Kristen had packed to take with her.  He looked at her in shock.  “What’s in them all?”

She shrugged.  “Mostly dresses, but a quilt I made when I was a little girl, and sheets and everything I need.”  She knew it was a lot, but surely he wasn’t going to ask her to leave some of her things.  She’d carefully weeded everything down to just ten trunks.  He had to be able to see that she wasn’t taking much!

He stared.  “Which ones are important?”

“All of them.”

He shook his head.  “With that many trunks, it’s going to take us longer.  We’ll have to let the horses rest a lot more.”

“Then we’ll have to stay overnight somewhere.  It won’t hurt anything.”  She was going to be a submissive wife, she told herself, but she had to have her trunks.

“Staying overnight somewhere would mean either staying in a hotel, and I would rather not spend the money, or sleeping under the wagon, and I really can’t see you doing that happily.”  He pointed to the wagons.  “Which ones do you want to leave behind?”

She folded her arms across her chest, not believing he was being so stubborn.  How could he ask her to leave her clothes?  Or keepsakes from childhood?  He was being unreasonable.  “I can’t leave any of my things.  I need them all.”

He stared at her in disbelief.  “So you’d rather camp under the wagon on the way back than leave anything behind?”
  He shook his head.  What happened to the sweet docile wife he’d had yesterday?

She nodded.  “I would.”

“So be it.”  He didn’t know how she was going to react when she saw he barely had room for her trunks in his house.  She was definitely going to have to get rid of some things when they got to Paradise.

Samuel and Albert spent the next two hours loading her trunks onto the wagon.  They were heavy and unwieldy.  While they worked on the trunks, Kristen and Sally made enough sandwiches to last them for the two days.  Kristen didn’t say anything while they worked together, afraid that Sally would think less of her.  She didn’t care, though.  She needed every single thing in those trunks.

It was after seven when they finally pulled away from the seminary.  Kristen waved to Sally, smiling at her.  Inside, she was breaking.  She wouldn’t see her parents for a good long time.  “Can we drive by my house one last time before leaving Dallas?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Didn’t you say goodbye to your parents yesterday?”

She nodded.  “It didn’t seem quite so real yesterday, though.”  She didn’t want to cry in front of him on their first full day of marriage, but if she didn’t see her parents again, that’s exactly what she’d do.  She’d probably do it anyway, she admitted to herself, but this would give her a chance.

He took one look at her face and drove to her parents’ house, jumping down to help her get down.  They went to the door and she barreled through it, yelling for her mother.  “Mama?”

Ingrid hurried into the hall and hugged Kristen tightly.  “I hoped you’d come by before you left this morning.”

“We weren’t going to,” Kristen said.  “I just couldn’t imagine leaving without saying goodbye one more time.”  Laura hurried in and hugged her as well.

Dirk wandered out of the dining room and shook Samuel’s hand.  “Thank you for giving her one last chance to say goodbye.  It means a lot to all of us.”

Samuel hadn’t realized just how close she was to her family before that moment.  When he’d left his family farm the last time, he hadn’t looked back.  He wrote to his mother on occasion, but she rarely wrote back, too busy with her new life for him.  He wanted to have a relationship with his children like she obviously had with her parents.  “I wasn’t planning on it.  We already got a late start.”

Dirk nodded.  “Took longer than you thought to load all her trunks?” he asked.

Samuel just nodded wearily, watching as Dirk hugged Kristen, before pushing her toward the door.  “It’s time for you to go.”

Kristen nodded, her eyes filling with tears.  “I’ll write.”

“Of course you will.  We’ll write back.”  Ingrid stood wiping her tears with her apron.  “We
’ll make sure we see you soon.”  Kristen’s entire family followed them outside and stood watching as he helped her into the wagon.  She was turned in her seat waving as they drove away.

The tears rolled down her face for the first hour of their journey, and he didn’t try to talk to her.  He felt guilty for taking her from her family, but this was the arrangement they’d made.  He knew he’d done nothing wrong, no matter how many tears she shed.

About two hours into their journey, she turned to him.  “Are you starting to get hungry?”

He shook his head.  “I’d like to travel another hour or two before taking a break to eat if you don’t mind.  I’m still hoping we can make the whole trip in one day instead of two, so I’m going to push hard.”

She nodded.  “That’s fine.”  She honestly didn’t care how long it took them.  She was eager to start her new life, but every mile they traveled took her further from Dallas and the only home she’d ever known.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him to turn around and take her back or hurry so she could see Paradise and her new home.

She rested her head against his shoulder, needing the contact.  “Tell me more about Paradise.”

He smiled.  “It’s not big like Dallas.  We do have a mercantile and some other small stores.  I think you’ll find you have everything you need, but maybe not everything you want.”

She sighed.  “I’m bringing everything I need.  I don’t want to cost you much money.”

He eyed her skeptically.  Any woman who brought a whole wagon full of trunks with her when she married was bound to cost him a lot of money.  “I think the other women will welcome you.  Everyone there has made me feel very welcome.  I’m glad I was assigned to Paradise and not somewhere else.”

“It sounds nice.  I can’t wait to see our home.”  She watched the scenery pass by them, trying to be excited to see the new home, but knowing she was going to need a few days to stop being homesick.