Wade hesitated. He’d come here to be married, not pay a social call. And what could Miss Hartneedover at the church, other than to say her vows so they could get in the wagon and return to the ranch in time for supper?
Reverend Canton watched him with a restrained grin. “I like to get to know the people I marry, Mr. Pierce, before agreeing to bind them to a lifetime commitment.”
It wasn’t unreasonable—only frustrating. Wade gave a tight nod and stepped into the pastor’s entryway. He removed his hat as he took in the small but comfortable home.
Reverend Canton stepped past him, into a parlor that sat just off the hall. “Come in and sit. I’ll fetch my wife and return in just a moment.”
Wade perched on the edge of a wing chair, hoping his clothes weren’t leaving dust or dirt on Mrs. Canton’s furniture. He’d barely had time to ponder the situation he’d put himself in when the reverend returned.
“Now,” the man said, taking the seat across from him. “Tell me why you wish to marry that girl in the church, Mr. Pierce.”
Wade swallowed. And he feared this would be the longest afternoon of his life.
Chapter Four
This was all a terribleidea.
Hazel glanced at the silent man next to her on the wagon seat. The man who’d barely spoken two words to her since she’d quite literally run into him at the depot. The one who hadn’t even told her he was taking her to the church. The one she’dmarried.
Mr. Pierce—she could hardly think of him asWade, much less call him that—sat there, slouched into his seat, eyes straight ahead. He was certainly handsome enough. And he was colder than the ice that covered the ponds back home in the dead of winter.
Hazel wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilly in the summer sun. He looked over at her then. She could feel his eyes on her, lingering for a moment, but when she dared meet them, he’d faced forward again without a word.
In fact, she was quite certain that if he could have gone through their marriage ceremony without speaking, he would have.
The Reverend and Mrs. Canton were perfectly lovely people, warm and welcoming. Mrs. Canton had offered her refreshments and a few moments to tidy her hair and face. She’d even gone so far as to gently ask if this marriage was something Hazel had chosen—and wanted.
Quickly attributing Mr. Pierce’s silence to nerves, Hazel had told the pastor’s wife that yes, she wholeheartedly wished to marry him. Mrs. Canton had then smiled at her and led her back to the church for the ceremony. The ceremony in which Mr. Pierce had hardly looked at her, said nothing but that which he was instructed to say, and had barely grazed her lips, his mouth landing on her cheek, in a kiss to seal his vows.
Hazel pressed her lips together. She’d hardly expected a heart-stopping moment of passion, particularly in a church, but she’d hoped for something slightly more romantic than what Wade had given her. Why, it was the sort of kiss a son might give his mother!
Afterward, the reverend and his wife had wished them hearty congratulations. Wade had said nothing to her as he led her out of the church and back into the wagon. And nothing again as they’d taken this journey north of town. She’d attempted to make conversation, asking about the stunning mountains off to the west, the other ranches and farms they’d passed, and his own piece of land, but he’d given her the most concise answers possible until she’d gotten the distinct impression that he didn’twantto talk to her.
The knowledge sat like a fire inside Hazel, flames sputtering and growing, fed by his continued silence.
He turned onto a dirt path that led away from the road they’d followed along the railroad tracks from Crest Stone. Hazel bit her lip, trying to squelch the urge to ask if they’d reached the ranch.
