Arlen clenched his jaw. How dare this weasel of a man imply anything less than flattering about Josie’s character? He opened his mouth, prepared to defend her honor, when Josie spoke instead.
“Forgive me for having high standards, Pastor,” she said, her voice sharper than the knife Arlen noticed she’d left at home. “I would have thought you’d want us ladies to choose men of quality, and not simply the first ruffian who came along.”
“Oh, I—yes. Yes, that is correct,” the pastor stammered. And if he hadn’t been such an oaf of a man, Arlen might have felt sorry for him. “Well, I suppose you’ll want me to conduct the ceremony. I always believe the sooner the better in times such as these. Tomorrow would be just fine, or perhaps later this afternoon?”
Arlen pressed his hand tighter onto Josie’s. “I’m sorry, but I believe we might journey to Grand Platte for the ceremony. Mrs. Gresham has her heart set on a big church, you see.”And a kinder, more thoughtful pastor, he added in his head.
Pastor Collins glanced at Josie, his mouth slightly open in an expression of surprise. Arlen dared to look at her now. She’d been ready to tell him exactly what she thought of his mentioning marriage, that he’d known without looking at her. But now, she gave him a tiny conspiratorial smile before turning her attention to the pastor.
“Oh, yes,” she said with such enthusiasm that any bystander might have thought she was being utterly truthful. “I daresay that although I love our little church here in Last Chance, all my life I’ve dreamed of a large wedding with many attendants in a big, airy church. Perhaps one with stained glass, don’t you think?” She looked up at Arlen.
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “I would never dare deny you your dreams, my sweet.”
Josie patted his arm with her free hand. “Mr. Thomas is so very thoughtful and so good to me. Why, just yesterday he agreed that twenty children sounded just perfect. Can you imagine, Pastor?”
Pastor Collins’s eyes grew round. “No—Yes—” he stammered before clamping his mouth shut for a second. When he spoke again, it was simply to say, “Children are a blessing.”
Arlen coughed, hiding a laugh. Josie glanced at him, her face lit in amusement. “That they are,” Arlen said. “Particularly twenty of them. Mrs. Gresham—or should I say the future Mrs. Thomas—asked if we might name our firstborn son Barnaby. After you, of course, Pastor. She has so appreciated your counsel, after all.”
The pastor beamed. “If you so choose,” he said. “I’d be flattered.”
“We would, of course, want him to follow in your footsteps. We would send him to study under you, at what, sweetheart? Age five?”
“No, I believe four might be more appropriate. Wouldn’t you say, Pastor?” Josie said with the most angelic smile.
“Four? I’m not sure—”
Josie cut off the pastor’s protestation. “Oh, but, Pastor! You simply must hear what Mr. Thomas will do while I’m in confinement. As I will be often, given how many children we’ll have.”
Pastor Collins paled at the mere mention ofconfinement. “I don’t know if—”
“Why, he’s going to take up all the ranch work and the burden of caring for our older children! Can you imagine? Those will be such long, exhausting days for him, but he doesn’t mind one whit, do you?” She peered up at him with an impish grin.
He laughed then, unable to keep it inside. “If you’ll pardon us, Pastor, my future wife and I need to discuss this arrangement a little more. It was good to meet you.”
The befuddled pastor looked extremely relieved. “Oh, yes, by all means, please do.”
Arlen tipped his hat at the man before leading Josie away. As soon as they reached the wagon, they glanced at each other and burst into laughter.
“What did I miss?” Cummings asked, joining them at the wagon.
“Nothing much, only your sister putting that pastor in his place,” Arlen said.
“Oh, I had help in doing so,” she said. She smiled then, just for him, and it warmed Arlen from head to toe.
“Fantastic,” Cummings said unenthusiastically. “I imagine this is something I’ll hear about the next time he corners me in conversation.”
Arlen held out a hand to assist Josie into the wagon, and instead of ignoring him and clambering in herself, she took his hand.
It was a small step, but it was something. As was their shared amusement in making Pastor Collins more uncomfortable than he’d likely ever been in his life.
And as they drove home, Arlen found his gaze straying again and again to Josie. Her hair fell in pieces from its pins and whipped about her face. She’d already pulled the hat from her head, and the sun shone down, adding more freckles to her skin as she closed her eyes and basked in its warm.
Never had he met anymore more fearless or more at peace with the world around her. She was part fire and part earth, as if she’d somehow arose from this land and consumed all that threatened her place on it. Josie didn’t need him, he knew that.
And that fact somehow made him want her even more.
