T'on Ma (21 page)

"They should get married now, while we're all still here. I'm not going to have time to travel back across the country, and still get our crops in. It's either now or after planting, and I'm wondering if there will be any housing available for them then."

May frowned. She had always looked forward to helping her only daughter plan her wedding and to making the dress and meeting Lana's in-laws. Her dream wasn't going to happen, and her disappointment was too big to hide from Joshua.

"Fuss and fume at me all you want to, May," he offered, "but please, don't let Lana see you like this. It will tear her up."

The young couple looked at their choices for housing. Each living quarters was one part of a triplex. One sat at the end of a triplex on an east-west line with the front door opening to the north. The second sat in the middle of its triplex, on a north-south line, opening to the east.

As Lana and Liam stepped through the door of the second place, they found it almost identical to the first. The kitchen set to the right and a larger living room in the middle, with a bedroom on the left. The living room had a window on the back wall and the kitchen and bedroom had a window on the front and back walls. The stove, even though small, was more than Lana had at home. The floors were wood, not dirt, and real glass filled the windows.

"What do you think?" Liam asked.

"They're pretty much the same," she answered as she turned slowly in the middle of the living room. "Why don't we take this one? It faces east. If I plant flowers in the front, they'll get the morning sun. Plus, we'll have the sunrise in our bedroom window.
And,
during the winter, the blue norther won't blow the door in."

"My goodness," Liam grinned. "You ought to ride scouting missions for us. You're a natural!"

"Why, thank you, sir." She reached up to him and gave him a sweet, happy kiss. "Now, back to our original question. When?"

He contentedly wrapped her up in his arms as they talked. "If this is only available for two weeks, the wedding needs to be before then."

"Then it needs to be now," Lana added, reaching the same logical conclusion her father had. "While we're all still here."

"That suits me just fine. You've got your wedding dress."

"My party dress?"

"The very same. Or you could borrow Christina's. And, like you said, your family is all here."

"But yours isn't." She frowned when she looked up at him. "Shouldn't they be here?"

"I know they'd like to be," he agreed. "But they'll understand. Army life doesn't give me much room to accommodate other people's schedules."

"Oh, Liam, I just thought of something!" She sounded dismayed.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I don't have any dishes or quilts or anything to set up a home."

"Don't worry about it," he laughed. "We'll have fun getting those things together. That's one good thing about Army families. They're good at helping each other find what they need."

"I hope you're right."

"I just have to say the word, and by tonight, we'll have more quilts than we could ever use in a hundred years. And dishes, too. They might not match. They might even be chipped or cracked, but we'll have dishes." He smiled down at her. "Besides, I'm not broke. I'll take you to the supply store, and you can buy some new things. A skillet. A coffee pot. Oh, definitely a coffee pot." He felt her sigh in his arms.

"It's going to be all right, Lana. It's going to work out perfectly. A lot of people have started out together with a whole lot less than we've got right now standing in this empty house."

"You're right. I'm just a little overwhelmed thinking of all the things I need to do."

"A
little
overwhelmed?" He laughed at that and then grew serious. "I love you, Lana. And I am so proud that you'll marry me." Kissing her once, he then led her to the door. "We ought to tell your folks what we've decided."

"And the Quartermaster. And the Commander. And the chaplain." She chattered at him all the way across the compound.

After a family council, they decided the wedding would be held the next day. This time, there would be no large dinner or dance. This wedding would be a quiet ceremony with just the family and Liam's friends present. After that, Joshua simply had to get back home and start planting.

The rest of the day was busy. May instructed Lana to go through the things they had brought and pick out what bare necessities she would need to set up housekeeping. Joshua went to tell Nathan about the impending wedding. May insisted on a wedding cake and, with that in mind, she hunted down the cook.

"It's me again," she smiled brightly when she found Sgt. Billings in front of the cookstove.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cooper," he nodded. "Coffee's on."

"Thank you. I wanted to tell you how fabulous the meal was for the wedding. Especially the cake!"

"You liked the chocolate? I thought you might." He grinned, pleased with himself.

"You're never going to believe this," May said as she carried her coffee to the kitchen worktable and sat down. "But my daughter, Lana? You might remember her from the dance."

"Do I ever," he nodded. "The whole fort is talking about your daughter in that dress."

"Yes, well. It turns out that Lt. O'Connell proposed to her, and she has accepted."

"Really?" The sergeant stopped stirring the beans he planned to serve for lunch and sat next to her.

"Yes, and the wedding is going to be tomorrow."

"Oh." Sgt. Billings knew what was coming next, but still he waited for it.

"I was wondering…"

"You need another wedding cake, ma'am?"

"If you would be so kind," she smiled with pleading eyes.

"I'm out of chocolate," he warned.

"It doesn't have to be chocolate. Lemon crumb would be very nice."

"I could manage that," he nodded and stood up, returning to the stove.

"What can I trade for the ingredients? I'm all out of fresh eggs," May asked.

"Consider this my gift to the officer and his bride."

"You really are too kind. Thank you." With her mission accomplished, May returned to their camp.

That afternoon, Lana was sitting on a blanket by their tents when Christina walked up.
"There
you are. I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Well, you found me." Lana smiled and patted the blanket next to her. "Sit down and talk. I want to hear all about married life."

"I guess you do. I just found out you're getting married yourself tomorrow! I can hardly believe it."

"I can hardly believe it, myself."

"How did this all happen?" Christina asked. "Why didn't I know about it sooner?"

"You were too busy getting married," Lana teased.

"I suppose so." Christina pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. After all we've been through together, you can ask me anything."

"I don't want to upset you, but - I thought you loved Centas Yi and that he loved you. What happened? I mean, I know you had a fight, but to marry someone else so quickly just doesn't sound right."

"Oh, Christina, it's such a mess. I wonder if I'm going to wake up and realize this has all been some kind of crazy dream. I don't know where to start."

"At the beginning. What happened with Centas Yi?"

"We had a real eye-opener of a conversation about the differences between the way he and I live. I don't understand his ways, and he'd rather die than live in my world, so I told him goodbye. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I know I hurt him deeply."

"So you don't love him anymore?" Christina didn't understand how feelings that deep could change so quickly.

"Of course I still love him. Like I told Ma, I probably always will, at least a little."

"Then why Liam? That's hardly fair to any of you." Christina's pretty face wore a deep frown.

"There are so many reasons why." Lana sighed deeply before she went on. "We're from the same type of world. He loves me so much, I can feel it. My pa is crazy about him. He's got a college education and a good career with a real future. I think the world of him."

"Well, you've said a whole lot, but I haven't heard the most important reason. Do you love him?"

"In a way. And, before you fuss at me, he already knows how I feel. He's willing to give me time."

"He'll give you time to fall in love with him
after
he marries you? Isn't that a little late?"

"Christina, who else is out here? More Kiowa, a few buffalo hunters, homesteaders like us scattered over hundreds of miles, and soldiers. If you danced with any of them at your wedding, then you'll know what slim pickings those are."

"I didn't mean to make you mad," Christina apologized.

"I'm not mad. Not really. Just frustrated and scared." She picked at a loose thread on the blanket. "Were you scared when you got married?"

"A little. But I knew I was in love with your brother."

"Speaking of whom," Lana changed the subject, "how is your husband?"

"Grinning like a possum," Christina laughed, shaking her head. "He is so happy."

"Can I ask you something?" Lana looked over her shoulder at her.

"Yes. What?"

"What was it like the first time that, uh, that you slept with him?"

"What was it like?"

"Yes. Did it hurt? Does it hurt? Were you miserable or did you like it?"

Christina turned bright red and burst into laughter again. "Oh, dear! I don't know what to tell you. It's all so, so private and personal."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's just that I'm worried about that, too."

"Have you talked to Ma?"

"No."

"Well, let me try to answer you, then. Did it hurt? Only a little, at first. Does it hurt? No. Did I like it? I
love
it. Maybe I'm not supposed to. Maybe I'm wicked or something, but I truly love it."

"Oh, good." Lana let out a long sigh, not realizing she had been holding her breath. "That makes me feel so much better."

"You know, it's funny, but I'd always just assumed that you and Centas Yi had already - well, you know."

"Nope. Almost, but no."

"Well, then, that's good. I mean for you and Liam."

"Yes. For me and Liam." Lana looked across the horizon as a sadness passed over her heart.

A group of women walked up, interrupting their conversation. "Excuse me," one of them said, "Is Mrs. Cooper here?"

"Which one?" Lana laughed, glad for the interruption.

"I think she means your mother." Christina poked Lana in the side.

"Ma!" Lana yelled over her shoulder.

"What?" May stepped out from one of the tents where she was sorting through the bedding and smattering of dishes Lana had chosen to keep with her.

"Mrs. Cooper, hello again," the woman smiled. "We just heard that there is to be another wedding tomorrow."

"Yes, but on a much smaller scale," May nodded. "It's going to be very simple."

"Even so," the visitor turned to indicate the women standing with her, "we'd like to offer a potluck supper tomorrow night for the bridal party."

"You don't have to do that," May shook her head.

"We'd like to. We're all fond of our bachelor officers and we'd like to send Lt. O'Connell off right."

"Lana," May turned to her daughter. "It's your wedding. What do you want?"

Lana stood and straightened her skirts before she approached the small group. "I know Liam would appreciate that very much. So do I. Thank you for your kindness."

The spokeswoman stepped up to Lana and hugged her. "It's the least we can do. Welcome to the Army, Lana."

"Liam, son." Joshua knocked on the door of Liam's quarters late that night.

"Mr. Cooper, come on in." Liam smiled and stepped back so Joshua could enter.

Joshua looked around the small room. It held only four pieces of furniture: a bed, a desk, a chair, and a bureau, yet it was cramped.

"Please, have a seat," Liam gestured to the chair. "Whiskey?"

"Sure. We might both need it."

Liam filled up a shot glass, handed it to Joshua, and then splashed some into his tin coffee cup. Sitting on the edge of his cot, he looked at Joshua.

"I'm surprised you're stopping by so late."

"I apologize for the hour," Joshua said. "But this is something I need to talk to you about privately."

"All right. What is it?"

"I just had this talk with Nathan a few days ago, but that doesn't make this any easier," Joshua chuckled and then grew serious. "When I got married, my father never told me what to expect, but I was very fortunate that my father-in-law did. He sat me down the night before my wedding and gave me quite a talk." Taking a sip of whiskey to clear his throat, he then continued. "Since your father isn't here, I was hoping maybe you'd let me tell you what he told me."

"Of course. I'd welcome any and all advice about being married." Liam grinned, trying to hide how nervous he had just become.

"I don't know if you've ever lain with a woman," Joshua said, looking directly at him, "and I don't need to know. But I'm going to assume that you know the basics."

Embarrassed silence met his statement, so he bravely plunged ahead. "When a woman takes a man for the first time, there's going to be some blood."

"I've heard about that," Liam tried to sound casual.

"Don't let it frighten either one of you. It's just nature. But in order to - to make it - well…" Joshua stumbled around for the words, "In order to make it easier for her, take your time. Move slow. She'll let you know when she's ready." He took a large gulp of whiskey, draining the glass, and then handed it to Liam. "More, please."

"Yes, sir." Liam was glad to have something to do. After he refilled both the glass and mug, he handed Joshua his drink and sat back down.

"All right. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Getting ready. We men, well, all we need is a wink and a smile, and we're good to go." They both chuckled at that. "But women, they're put together differently. To make sure she's ready, you've got to excite her here," he touched his forehead, "and here," he touched his heart, "before you'll ever excite her physically.