The Mayor had given Jeff the opportunity to browse through the loot the town had seized from Ruger’s camp, which had included quite a stash of jewelry, most with price tags still attached. The captain had selected a stunning but simple engagement ring, which Melly had shown off at dinner and a pair of gold bands.
The ceremony was taking place at the Mayor’s official residence and Melly and Tamsyn descended the sweeping stairs in the foyer. Melly was on Mike’s arm and Tamsyn walked alone. Cody was at the makeshift altar as best man. Jeff and the others were in their black tee shirts and camouflage utilities as there was no other wardrobe but that fit the situation and made Melly seem ethereal as she stood next to her soldier. There was no music and the only guests were the mayor’s wife and baby, the woman who’d obtained the dresses and Ryan, Zach and Trent. The Mayor was authorized to perform weddings and led the couple in the recitation of the standard Sectors civil ceremony vows.
“You may kiss the bride,” he said at the end although Jeff barely waited for the words to be uttered before he had Melly in a passionate embrace that set the soldiers to whistling their approval, Buddy adding his barks of agreement.
“May I present Captain and Mrs. Jeff Pearson,” the mayor intoned as the kiss ended.
There was applause and Melly handed her bouquet to Tamsyn in lieu of tossing it. She blushed and tried not to look in Cody’s direction as she made a show of sniffing the somewhat drooping flowers.
There was a lunch, at which each of the soldiers made a heartfelt but mercifully short speech about how happy they were to see Melly and Jeff married. Tamsyn had to wonder if the captain had issued a private order to keep their toasts and comments brief. It was something she could see him doing.
Melly thanked them all and added, “I’m thrilled to be Mrs. Pearson, of course, but professionally I’ll still be Dr. Jericho. I worked too hard and too long to earn the title and I intend to keep it attached to my maiden name to honor my late parents, who always supported my dreams.”
Tamsyn wiped away tears, as Melly was also doing. They’d all lost so much in this disaster they were living through. Her parents had been long gone mercifully, but there had been her ranch hands and Rasty, the foreman, who had been like a second father to her.
The newlyweds took themselves off to the house where the team was staying, in order to have a short but private ‘honeymoon’ afternoon and evening.
Cody took Tamsyn by the hand and led her away from the dining room toward the stairs. “You’re beautiful,” he said. “This color suits you.”
She was blushing but didn’t care. “I’ll be glad to change into normal clothes. I feel out of place in a fancy dress. Especially nowadays. Where are we going, by the way?”
“The mayor has a nice rooftop garden which he’s letting us use exclusively so we can see the sunset,” Cody said.
After ascending three flights of stairs, they reached a corridor which opened out onto the roof and sure enough there was a small seating area with patio furniture and planter boxes of sadly deceased greenery.
“I guess no one has time to water the plants anymore,” she said with a chuckle, touching one brittle leaf with a fingertip. “It’s pretty up here though, if you concentrate on the hills and the sky.” She kicked off the scavenged heels and sank onto a gaily patterned couch. “My feet are so much happier now. I never had much use for anything but my boots on the ranch. Wore heels to my senior prom and I think that was about the last time until today.”
Cody went to his knees in front of her and as Tamsyn blinked in astonishment he held out a small black velvet box, open to reveal a stunning gold and gemstone ring. “I wish I’d known you then,” he said, “But I’m grateful to know you now. I want you in my life for always. Will you marry me?”
She was at a loss for words but quickly recovered her poise and said, “Of course, I will. Now, today?”
Cody extracted the ring from the box. “I don’t want to overshadow the captain’s and the doc’s special day but for sure we need to take advantage of the Mayor’s hospitality. Jeff wasn’t the only one who was allowed to go through Ruger’s stash of gold and jewelry.” He slid the band onto her ring finger and it was a close enough fit. Tamsyn moved her hand this way and that, admiring the way the light made the colors within the large gemstone ripple and shine. “Do you know what this is?” she asked in awe.
“No idea,” was his prompt answer. “I hope you won’t tell me it’s glass. When I saw this one it reminded me of your ranch and the colors in the hills there and the sky. I thought it was a perfect stone for making you a promise.”
“Oh it is, I love it.” She gave him a hug and a kiss. “But this is a Randalian opal, found only on this planet and so rare, I can’t even fathom owning one. It must be worth a fortune.”
Examining the ring as it sat on her finger in its golden setting, Cody shrugged. “Nothing’s worth anything these days except for the value you and I place on it as a symbol of our love. That’s priceless.” He joined her on the couch, pulling her into his lap. “We can ask the Mayor to marry us this evening, privately, if you want. Never know when we might run into another person certified to perform marriages. I picked up a pair of gold bands too.”
“The Mayor must be feeling really grateful,” Tamsyn said. “To share his stash of trade goods.”
“Oh he is and he should be. Without us and the firepower of the APC’s his town would have fallen to Ruger and without Melly—and you—a lot of people would have died, not to mention his baby might not have made it into the world. Kid may not thank her if things don’t improve.” He made a wry face. “It’s a risky enough world for us, let alone a baby.”
“Do you want children?” she asked, realizing they’d barely discussed the topic. “I guess that’s one of a million things we probably should have compared notes on in more detail before we decided to get married. I know we both said we wanted kids but in this world everything is so unsettled.”
“We’ll figure it all out,” he promised. “Having children wasn’t on my sensors. Hell, being lucky enough to find a woman I loved and wanted to settle down with wasn’t a prize I ever expected to win. But yes, I’d like children if we can get the world here straightened out.”
“I feel the same,” she said, staring into the ring and watching the fires of color dance. “Growing up I expected to get married and have children—more Wendovers to carry on the legacy of the Double Comets ranch, you know. But then the years passed by and I never met anyone I could love, much less have a family with. Then you came along.”
A rush of love and desire spread through her. Pulling him closer, she said, “I think we should have a preview of the honeymoon right now and then later we can track down the mayor and make it all official. How does that sound to you, husband?”
“Like a perfect plan, Mrs. Wayne.” He took her lips with a demanding force, holding her tight. They kissed, tongues dancing, savoring each other and their love. After the kiss ended, he said, “By the way, I have no idea who my father was or if I have any of his family anywhere. I know the Wendover name means a lot to you—all that unbroken history going back to the First Landing. If you want, I could change my name to Wendover, so our kids could be little Wendovers.”
Tamsyn couldn’t speak for a moment and her eyes filled with tears. “That’s the most beautiful offer I’ve ever had. It’s probably silly but yes, if my children could be Wendovers I’d be so happy.”
“Consider it done then. We’ll explain to the Mayor when we have him do our ceremony later.” He raised one eyebrow and asked in a teasing tone, “Wait a minute, are you saying my taking your name is a better offer than me asking you to marry me?”
She slapped his chest playfully. “Of course not. The proposal stands by itself above all else. But the name means a lot to me.”
