Chapter Fifteen
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WEREa whirlwind. The girls at the boardinghouse cooed with glee when Sophia told them of her upcoming nuptials. One of them—a shy girl from some city back East—offered to lend Sophia her finest dress for the occasion. It was a shimmering silk concoction, somewhere between the shade of pearl and champagne, and Sophia could imagine it swirling about a dance floor in New York or Boston.
She gratefully accepted. The two dresses she had ordered from the dressmaker wouldn’t be finished for a while, and showing up to one’s wedding in a dress that had been through a wagon journey, a kidnapping, and a long walk to civilization felt far too casual.
And then, before she knew it, Sophia was standing in Crest Stone’s only church, with Reverend Canton presiding and Matthew holding both of her hands in his. Mrs. Canton played the organ, while the girls from the boarding house and Matthew’s friends from town filled the pews.
For a moment, a wild feeling of regret raced through her. What was she doing? She hardly knew Matthew! He seemed to have decided she was trustworthy—thank goodness—but then there was the small matter of the money she’d inherited. He knew nothing of Mr. Durham’s claim on it.
His eyes caught hers in that moment, and her mind stopped instantly. He gave her a slight smile as his father talked about cherishing one another—and then it all felt right.
Her trip West had turned out this way for a reason. And perhaps she ought to trust in that. Once married to Matthew, she’d be safe from gossip. She would tell him about the money. What did it matter anyway if Mr. Durham thought it was his? He was in Kansas City, hundreds and hundreds of miles away, without a clue where she had gone.
She was safe here. She was safe with Matthew.
When Reverend Canton pronounced them husband and wife, Matthew’s hands tightened around hers. He leaned forward, and ever so gently, pressed his lips to hers. Sophia’s eyes fluttered shut, and everything around her fell away except for him. How could such a simple, gentle touch be filled with so much promise?
Sophia didn’t know, but she did know one thing—she never wanted it to end. Instead, she wanted to press herself closer to him, make him wrap his arms around her as he did when he proposed marriage by the pine trees on his land. But all too soon, it was over. He pulled away, and she opened her eyes, blinking away the light and the presence of so many people.
“Congratulations,” Reverend Canton said. He wrapped his son into a hug, and Sophia stepped back, marveling at the connection the two shared. It reminded her of her own family, and her heart simultaneously ached and leapt with joy over finding another family that was so much like her own.
“The girls from the boarding house brought your bag over,” Mrs. Canton said, appearing at Sophia’s elbow.
It was a wonderfully kind gesture, saving her from a walk back to the Darbys’. And as Sophia greeted each of the girls, she marveled at how she’d already come to make so many friends. Why, she had more friends here than she’d had when she left Kansas City, and she’d lived there her entire life.
Just as she caught her breath after talking with Mrs. Darby, Matthew brought her to meet friends of his. Her head whirled, trying to remember names. There were the Drexels, who Matthew had mentioned before, his boss Mr. Gilbert from the land office and his wife, Dora, a congenial couple whose last name was Hartley, Mr. and Mrs. McFarland who managed the hotel, a fellow who owned the livery and his lively, friendly wife, the town blacksmith, the banker whose wife had recently given birth to a baby, and so many more. Sophia feared she would never remember all their names.
Finally, the church had emptied, and all that remained were Sophia and Matthew. Even his parents had slipped out.
Exhaustion setting in, Sophia sank to the nearest pew. Matthew sat next to her and she looked up at him, her husband. It was such a strange thing to think about.
“My parents gave us a gift.” Matthew shifted as if the gift somehow made him uncomfortable.
“Oh?”
“They want to pay for us to stay at the hotel for a night.” He glanced at her as he pulled on his collar. “We don’t have to. I know it’s—”
A smile curved Sophia’s lips. “I think it sounds wonderful.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “After all it will be the same sort of situation when we come back to their home, won’t it?”
“I suppose.” He slapped his hands on his knees. “Well, I guess it’s settled. Shall we head there now?”
Sophia stood and took the arm he offered. Together, after collecting what they needed, they made their way down the road and then up the hill toward the imposing hotel. It was hard not to gasp in awe as they grew closer. How had such a place come to be built in Crest Stone? Why, there was even a fountain out front of the hotel’s entrance.
