A Dream to Call My Own (26 page)

Cubby nodded. “He wants to help me get some schooling.”

“You have a quick mind, Cubby. An education would be a marvelous thing. Think of all you could do with a little more book learning.”

Pushing back from the porch rail, he walked to the bench where he’d been sitting. “I don’t know. What if I’m no good at it? I haven’t been to school in a long time.”

“Cubby, I know without a doubt that you will accomplish anything you set your mind to. Just like tonight.”

“I never wanted to kill anyone.”

Lacy came to sit beside him. “I know. But you saved our lives, and I’m so very grateful. Wyman really didn’t give any of us a choice.”

“Pa was just . . . well . . . he was a bad person.” Cubby’s voice broke, and Lacy slipped her arm around his shoulder as he fought to continue talking. “He . . . and Wyman . . . they didn’t care about folks. He didn’t care . . . about me.” He shook as an uncontrolled sob consumed him.

Lacy pulled him against her and let him cry. “Some people are damaged so much they don’t know how to care for folks or to love. I think your pa loved you, or you wouldn’t still have been with him. You know as well as I do that he was perfectly able to get rid of anyone he didn’t want to be bothered with.”

Cubby stilled and then straightened. “You’re right.” He sniffed back tears but didn’t even attempt to move away from Lacy. “He could have gotten rid of me.”

“He could have, but he didn’t. I think he loved you, Cubby. I just think he didn’t know how to show it.”

“Pa never told me he loved me. Not even once.”

“I’m really sorry about that. It makes me sadder than I can say.”

A gentle breeze blew across them, chilling Lacy. She didn’t move, however. It seemed important to stay right where she was. Cubby needed to talk, and he needed to know that someone cared enough to listen.

“I was so afraid tonight—afraid that you’d get hurt,” Cubby admitted. “I’m glad you didn’t. When I saw Wyman pointing that gun at you, I couldn’t think of anything but to keep him from killing you.”

“It was truly a selfless act, Cubby.”

“So was throwing yourself in front of Dave. I guess that’s when I knew how much you really loved him.”

“Lacy? Is that you?”

Cubby pulled away at the sound of the door opening. It was Beth. Lacy got to her feet. “Yes, it’s me.”

“She’s here!” Beth called over her shoulder. “Get in here. You’ve worried us half to death. Are you all right? Are you hurt?” She came out to the porch and half dragged Lacy into the house.

Squinting, Lacy could see Gwen’s worried expression as Beth pushed her forward. “Lacy, we were so scared.”

“I’m no worse for the wear,” Lacy assured them. She looked back to see if Cubby had followed her into the house. He hadn’t. “Things got pretty ugly, and Dave was beaten within an inch of his life. But we’re both safe now. Thanks to Hank and Nick, but especially to Cubby.”

“Cubby?” Gwen asked. “Is he all right, too? Have you heard that Rafe is dead?”

Lacy nodded solemnly. “Yes. Cubby knows, too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

O
CTOBER 1, 1881,
S
HEPARD RANCH

Cubby shifted nervously. “I don’t much care for dressing up. Don’t know why I have to be in the wedding, anyway.”

Hank laughed and tossed him a hat. “Sometimes dressing up is necessary. Besides, you’re the best man.”

“I still can’t believe Dave actually asked me to stand up with him.”

“You saved his life. A man doesn’t forget a thing like that. Besides, I think Dave admires the way you’ve handled yourself these last weeks. You were good to the wagon train folks, seeing to it that they got their money back.”

“Didn’t seem right to do much else. I know it’s not what Pa would have done, but I’m not my pa.”

Hank smiled. “No. You aren’t. You’re a good, upstanding young man, even if you don’t like dressing up.”

Cubby pulled at the neck of his shirt. “This collar is too tight.”

Laughing, Hank helped Cubby into his suit coat. “Besides, if you go back East to school, you’ll have to get used to it.”

“I don’t know about that. Seems to me a lot of fuss and nonsense,” Cubby admitted. “I like learnin’ and all, and you’ve been a good teacher, but I don’t think I want to go away.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Hank told him. “I just don’t want you to make a decision based solely on hating to dress up.” He brushed a thread off Cubby’s shoulder. “There’s a lot the world has to offer a smart young man like you. I’d hate to see you pass it up.”

Cubby crossed the room to look at himself in the mirror. He pulled on the lapels of the coat and turned first one way and then another. Hank could see he was pleased with the outcome.

“Don’t break your neck trying to see yourself,” Hank teased.

“I just can’t believe it’s me,” Cubby said. “I haven’t ever been this gussied up.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Hank opened it to admit Nick and Justin. They both looked equally uncomfortable in their Sunday best.

“Beth and Gwen are fussing over Lacy. You can hear them clear at the other end of the hall. I’m afraid if they don’t calm down, there’s going to be a fight between the Gallatin girls,” Nick declared.

“What are they fussing about?” Hank asked, certain he’d be sorry to even know.

“Well, as best I could tell,” Nick began, “Lacy just wanted to leave her hair down, and Beth insisted she had to pin it up. Then Gwen got in on the conversation and said it should be fixed a certain way. Then, just when that whole thing started to calm down, the issue of some gloves came up. That’s when Justin and I decided it would be best to stay as far away as possible.”

“What about the gloves?” Cubby aked.

Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems Gwen thinks Lacy needs them, but Lacy disagrees.”

“They ought to be glad they even got her to wear a wedding gown,” Hank said, laughing. “Knowing Lacy, she would have been just as happy to marry in britches.”

“Nobody your age wears their hair down,” Beth insisted. “Goodness, but you’d think you were still wearing short dresses.”

“I wouldn’t be wearing dresses at all if I could get away with it, and you know that full well,” Lacy protested. “Honestly, I feel like I did when we were little and you two would clean me up for church.”

Gwen came forward with a hairbrush. “Well, this has been nearly as difficult. This is your wedding day, Lacy. Don’t you want to be beautiful for your groom?”

“I really don’t think Dave is going to notice whether I wear gloves or not,” Lacy replied with a giggle. “In fact, years from now I’ll bet he won’t even remember the gown.”

“He’d better. We put a lot of work into it,” Beth countered.

“And it’s lovely.” Lacy held out her hand to stop Gwen and Beth from their fretting. “Both of you just need to calm down. This is a simple family wedding. No one will care whether my hair is up or down.”

Gwen and Beth exchanged a look that suggested Lacy had gone quite mad.

“I’ll go find the gloves,” Beth said. “You fix her hair.”

“Where are the hairpins?” Gwen asked, beginning her own search.

“Oh, I think I left them in the other room,” Beth replied. “Come. I’ll show you where.”

Lacy stood in bewildered amazement. It was as if she weren’t even in the room. Her sisters were determined to continue with their primping as if she had no say in the matter whatsoever. “Well, they can’t fuss over me if I’m not here,” she stated.

Lacy made a mad dash out of the bedroom and down the back stairs. The Shepards’ ranch had been busy all day in preparation for the wedding, and Lacy was relieved to see that no one was working in the kitchen when she made her escape.

Exiting out the back door, she gathered her wedding silk in hand and ran at full speed across the barnyard. She wasn’t sure what she was doing or where she was going, but Lacy knew one thing—she had to get away from her sisters and their demanding ways.

She hurried into the barn and closed the door behind her. Light shone in from the other open end, but at least she couldn’t be seen by anyone in the yard or house. Breathing a sigh of relief, she let the silk gown fall into place and prayed it wouldn’t get too dirty. She was really quite fond of the gown—impressed by the way it made her look all grown up, with its bustled skirt and lace-edged bodice. Her sisters had copied it out of
Harper’s
Bazaar
and were proud of the way it had come together.

“You aren’t running away again, are you?”

She looked up to find Dave stepping out of the shadows. “The thought crossed my mind, but I wouldn’t have gone without you.”

He stepped forward, and Lacy smiled at the dashing figure he cut in his new suit. He made her heart skip a beat and her knees grow weak. Dave grinned as if reading her mind. “And just where was it you were planning to go?”

“Anywhere my sisters couldn’t follow. They’re treating me like a doll to be dressed up and played with.”

“Well, I have to admit they did a fine job. I’ve never seen you lookin’ more beautiful, unless it was that night in the cabin when you saved my life.”

Lacy felt her breath catch in her throat as he continued to advance on her. “Beth wants my hair pinned up one way, and Gwen wants it another. Then Gwen wants me wearing gloves, but Beth misplaced them.”

Dave stopped inches away and touched her face. “And what do you want?”

Lacy could barely breathe. “Just you.”

He kissed her passionately and pulled her close. Lacy wanted to melt into the floor. Goodness, but this man had some kind of special power over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and encouraged him to never let go.

“I heard it was bad luck to see each other before the ceremony,” Dave whispered, trailing kisses to her earlobe.

“I don’t believe in luck—bad or good.”

He chuckled low and kissed her neck before pulling away from her. “Well, I think we’re going to be in trouble anyway if we don’t behave ourselves.”

She felt the loss of his arms intensely. “Are you sure we can’t just elope?”

“It would break my mother’s heart. Then there’d be your sisters to contend with, not to mention Pastor Flikkema. He hurried back from out East just to perform the ceremony.” Dave gave her a sultry wink. “Besides, it would take hours to reach another preacher, and I’m not waiting that long to marry you.”

“I guess I’d better go back, then, and let them finish me,” she said with a sigh.

“I have a better idea,” Dave said, reaching out to take hold of her arm. “Let’s just march in there and tell them to get on with the ceremony.”

Lacy smiled. “Do you mean it?”

“I certainly do. The sooner we get in there, the sooner this will be over.”

“Where did she go?” Beth asked, casting a glance around the room.

Gwen shook her head and looked behind the dressing screen. “She’s not here. She’s gone.”

“Obviously if she’s not here, she’s gone,” Beth declared. “Honestly, you are making no sense today.”

“I’m making as much sense as you are,” Gwen countered. “You’re the one who lost the gloves.”

“I didn’t lose them. I simply misplaced them. Besides, many people marry without gloves.” Beth put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room once again. “I guess we’ll have to go look for her. You don’t suppose she’s run away? If she’s done that—”

“Who’s done what?” Patience asked, entering the room. She held up a pair of gloves. “I found them.”

Gwen stepped forward and took the gloves from Patience. “Well, now all we have to do is find the bride.”

“What?” The color seemed to drain from the older woman’s face. “Lacy’s gone?”

“We left her for just a few minutes,” Beth said, “and when we came back she wasn’t here.”

“Maybe she went to the outhouse.”

Gwen and Beth looked at Patience in horror and replied in unison, “In her wedding dress?”

“Well, even brides must visit the necessary from time to time,” Patience answered. “Or she could have simply gone downstairs to see if things were ready. I didn’t see her there, but maybe she was in the kitchen.”

Beth went to the window and glanced out. The sky was crystal clear blue, without a hint of clouds, and the landscape was a mottle of golds, greens, and oranges.

“There she is!” Beth called out. “Oh no! She’s with Dave!”

“Well, they are getting married,” Patience said with a shrug.

“But he’s not supposed to see her yet. He’s supposed to wait until the ceremony,” Beth protested.

Gwen became the voice of reason. “I think we’re fortunate she didn’t run away. I’m afraid we haven’t made things very easy on her.”

“If you’re gonna be a part of this wedding,” Dave bellowed from below, “you’d best come join us now.”

Patience’s eyes widened. “Oh my! We’d better hurry. He sounds serious.”

“But she hasn’t fixed her hair,” Beth said.

“And she doesn’t have her gloves,” Gwen said, holding them up.

Patience began to laugh. “I don’t think she cares about either one. She’s got Dave, and that’s really all she came here for.”

“I must say this has been the nicest wedding I’ve attended in a long while,” Pastor Flikkema said, polishing off a second piece of cake.

“It was a very nice ceremony,” Gwen agreed.

Beth sighed. “And Lacy made such a beautiful bride. She was positively elegant.”

“It’s probably the last time you’ll see her that way,” Hank mused.

“Hank, that wasn’t kind,” Gwen reprimanded.

“Maybe not, but it was true,” Nick said with a laugh.

“I thought her perfectly radiant,” Beth said dreamily. “She was just like a princess in a story, and Dave made a very handsome prince.”

Cubby scratched his neck. “I’m just glad to be out of that suit.”

“Me too,” Dave announced from the stairs. He had changed into more comfortable clothes, as had Lacy. She now wore a split skirt, cream-colored blouse, and brown riding jacket.

Everyone laughed and got to their feet. “Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night at Gallatin House?” Hank asked. “We could make it a most memorable night of song and revelry.”

Dave shook his head. “I prefer to make it memorable in other ways.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell us where you’re heading?” Hank asked. “That way if something happens, we can find you.”

Laughing, Dave shook his head again. “We don’t want to be found.”

Lacy blushed, and Gwen and Beth only laughed all the more. Jerry Shepard stepped forward and motioned to his son.

“I’d like a word alone with you—outside, if you can spare it.”

Dave looked at Lacy and nodded. “I guess a few more minutes won’t matter.”

Gwen took Lacy by the arm. She had wanted to speak to her younger sister earlier—before the wedding, but Lacy had disappeared and given her no chance. “I want to talk to you, as well.”

“Me too,” Beth said, following them into the kitchen.

Gwen embraced Lacy as soon as they were away from the others. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.”

Lacy smiled as she glanced from Gwen to Beth and back again. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Thank you for this wonderful day and all that you did to make it so perfect.”

“We’re going to miss you,” Beth said, her eyes welling with tears. “We’ve never lived apart. Not really. Even before Nick’s house burned down, we weren’t that far away.”

“We still won’t be,” Lacy assured them. “The ranch is only four miles from town. Besides, I have a feeling we’ll all be too busy to even worry about missing one another.”

“And we’ll see each other at Sunday services,” Gwen said, wiping her own wet cheeks.

“You two are being silly. We’ll probably see each other all the time. I’ll be bringing you eggs, milk, and butter throughout the week,” Lacy said, shaking her head.

“It’s just that for so long, it was the three of us,” Gwen said. “We’d have never made it if not for each other.”

Lacy sobered. “I know that, too. It’s like God knew we would need each other more than anyone else in the world.”

“And He knew we would always work through our differences,” Beth said, sniffing back tears.

“It hasn’t always been easy,” Lacy said, reaching out to Gwen, “but you were a mother to us both, as well as a sister. You sacrificed so much to take care of us. Don’t think I don’t know it. I might have been the youngest, but I always knew that you were giving more of yourself than you should have had to.”

Gwen bit her lip and told herself to be strong. Lacy turned to take hold of Beth with her other hand. “And you taught me the blessing of laughter and seeing the lighter side of even the worst problem. I couldn’t have asked for better sisters or friends.”

The trio embraced, and Gwen knew that even though things would change forever after this, the three would always remain close. They had been, and would always be, an intricate part of each other’s lives.

“You’d better go on now,” Gwen said, pulling back. She wiped at her tears again and smiled. “I’m sure Dave is anxious to go.”

Lacy nodded and headed for the door. She glanced back over her shoulder. “Good-bye for now, Mrs. Bishop, Mrs.Lassiter.”

They smiled and waved. “Good-bye, Mrs. Shepard.”

“I’m going to kill her!” Lacy came bounding out of the bedroom at the small mountain cabin Dave had secured. She held up her nightgown. “Look what Beth has done.”