North Dakota Weddings (44 page)

“You know…I want you to have it.” Amber offered it back.

“Oh no, I couldn’t take that from you.” An odd expression came over her face as she stared at the book. “But I’ll buy one as soon as I can.”

“I have several at my apartment in Grand Forks. This is my gift. I’m afraid I’ve been a failure at sharing my faith with you.”

“You’re wrong about that. I don’t think I could have been so strong if I had to deal with everything you did. Maybe you struggled, maybe you even questioned God, but you never lost hope, never stopped believing, never gave up on your faith.” Muriel smiled then took the Bible back. “Thank you for this.”

Amber’s throat grew tight, Muriel’s words touching her deeply. Amber held Josh in her lap, running her fingers through his soft fur. Since it was her last night in the cabin, Muriel agreed she could bring him out. “You’ve got my number, right?”

Muriel nodded. “I’m going to miss you so much. Maybe I can just transfer to UND.” Muriel had been the one to cry today.

Amber laughed. “I already have two roommates.”

“At least we’d be at the same school, chickadee.” Muriel hopped up from the sofa. “I’m making a shake. Want one?”

“Love one.”

In the kitchen, Muriel began assembling the blender and ingredients. “Any news?”

Amber knew Muriel referred to Brandon. Rumors had made their way around the museum. He and Amber were an item now. For all the good that did. Tomorrow, she’d be gone. “No,” she said, her voice breaking.

Maybe she should take Gladys’s advice and tell him how she felt. Find out where they stood. While Muriel ran the blender, Amber put Josh back in his cage and retrieved her cell. Sitting on her bed, she debated what to say even if she made the call. It was already nine thirty in the evening.

Palms sweaty, she found his number in her cell and pressed S
END
.
What am I doing?
Heart racing, she ended the call after only two rings.

Muriel appeared in the doorway, holding her milkshake. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Her cell rang and startled her. She dropped it.

Muriel picked it up and answered. “Amber’s phone.” A smile spread over her face. “Dr. Selman. Just a sec.” She thrust the phone in Amber’s face.

Oh no…he’d seen her call. What now? She took a sip of the creamy chocolate shake then traded it for the phone. She’d taken the advice from Gladys. Now, if she could just see things through. Muriel left, giving her privacy.

“Hello?”

“Did you call?”

I’m an idiot
. If he was available to call her back, why hadn’t he called her in the first place? “I—I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

“No, not at all.”

Oh, this was ridiculous. “Listen, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Yes, I know. I was just about to call you when my cell rang. It was you.”

“And?”

“And do you have plans tonight?”

What was he thinking? It was already late. “What have you got in mind?”

“There’s something I want to show you.”

“Okay.” Amber wished there was something he wanted to tell her, or…maybe even ask her. That was hoping for too much. She knew that now.

“Can you be ready in thirty seconds?”

“What?” Amber hurried out into the living room to see Brandon standing there.

He smiled, and when he spread his arms wide, she ran to him.

“Oh Amber.” He kissed the top of her head. “Something came up, and I couldn’t get away. Change into some jeans and grab a jacket.”

Brandon gripped Amber’s hand as he led her along the trail that looped through the woods near the Little Missouri River Badlands. The trail where they’d first met.

“Can you at least tell me why we have to do this at night? It’s a little eerie out here in the dark. Aren’t there coyotes or wolves?”

Chuckling, he said, “I’m glad you weren’t worried about the coyotes and wolves the night you saved me.” Shining his flashlight to guide the way, he squeezed her hand and tugged her behind him.

This wasn’t going like he planned. He could tell she was irritated. Maybe he’d read her wrong all along. But there was no other way to do this.

He reached the spot he’d been searching for. “Now, follow me closely and watch your step.”

“What are we doing?”

“You’ll see.”

“Okay. I have no choice but to trust you.”

He led her through the trees and brush into a clearing. “Okay, stay close to me and watch your step.”

“Have you forgotten my family heirloom?”

The playfulness was back in her voice. He loved it. “How could I forget?”

Drawing near the rocky edge, he decided that was close enough. “Okay, this will do.”

“What did you want me to see?”

“Remember the first time we met, and I told you about the ancient ruins?”

In the light of the full moon, Brandon could see Amber nod and search the rolling and rocky badland formations. Her eyes slowly grew wide. “Oh Brandon, it’s beautiful. Thank you for this. I couldn’t have imagined it.”

“From the first moment I met you, I’ve wanted to show you this.”

Amber turned her face to him, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. “And now?”

And now, would Brandon experience the rejection he’d doled out years before? A thick knot constricted his throat. Would she or wouldn’t she?

“I couldn’t think of a better place to propose to you.”

She gasped, the liquid gold in her eyes muting to silver in the moonlight.

With his thumb, he lifted her chin, searched her gaze, and saw the answer to his unspoken question waiting there. “Amber McKinsey, you are rare and precious—you stand out from all others. I love you. Though I don’t deserve you, would you become my wife?”

“Yes, oh yes.” Lips trembling, her whispered answer resounded through the Badlands of North Dakota.

Brandon smiled, consumed with relief and joy. And her trembling lips…he’d looked forward to kissing them all day long. He leaned toward her, feeling her warm breath against his face. Gently he pressed his lips against hers. Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck, drawing him closer. Deepening the kiss, he surrendered his heart completely.

Amber was the one to break the moment, pulling away. A slight frown broke into her lips.

Brandon had yet to recover from the kiss, but the look on her face worried him. “What’s the matter?”

“But how will we do this? Me off at school and you managing your museum?”

“Not to worry. I plan to accept a teaching position at UND. Dr. Young contacted me.”

“But I thought you loved directing the museum.”

“I do, but I love mentoring and had put in my application to UND in case I couldn’t make the museum successful. The accreditation should be approved within the next few weeks, and once that’s done, well then, I’ve accomplished that goal. A change of scenery is in order.”

“But you only just hired Michael,” she said, the ring of concern still in her voice.

Brandon pressed his nose against hers. “What’s with all the questions? Michael knows what he’s doing and what he doesn’t know, I’ll teach him. All I need to do now is work with the board to find a new director.”

Amber sighed, seemingly content with his answers. “Just one more question.”

“You’d better hurry. I’m seriously close to kissing you again.”

“How did you know I’d marry you?”

He considered her question, slowly. “I didn’t, actually. I waited for a sign.”

“A sign?”

He tilted her chin slightly. “Sign number one, the way you look at me.”

Her eyelashes fluttering, she giggled.

“Sign number two…” Brandon leaned in and kissed her again, thoroughly. When he released her, his voice was gruff as he said, “The way you respond to my kisses.”

She smiled up at him, her face aglow from the moonlight, or was it his kiss?

“And sign number three?” she asked, her voice a whisper.

“You risked your life for mine.”

S
tanding in the foyer of Harrington Christian Fellowship, Amber prayed she wouldn’t cry from the sheer delight of the occasion. Though it took thousands of years to create fossils and only time could produce ancient artifacts, she had found something far more valuable in Brandon, and it had only taken a few short weeks.

In the same time, God had restored her relationship with Him and with her brother. Her joy was profound.

“You’re the most beautiful bride in the world, Amber.” Michael lifted her hand and kissed it. “I’m more than privileged to walk you down the aisle.”

The special moment came and someone opened the double doors, exposing Amber to the small gathering—signaling her to begin the once in a lifetime walk. Familiar faces—Cams, Muriel, and Gladys—smiled from the pews, as well as other friends. Claire from Brandon’s Bible study played the wedding march on the organ as Amber took the customary rhythmic steps alongside Michael.

In her wildest dreams, she couldn’t have imagined that her summer would end with a proposal. Wearing a tuxedo, Brandon stood at the end of the aisle, looking handsome beyond words.

She’d been packed and ready to leave for the fall semester at UND, but she and Brandon decided they wanted to marry as soon as possible. So, she’d taken the fall semester off to spend time with her new husband. Brandon had been invited to teach at UND in the spring, an offer he accepted once she had accepted his proposal. She recognized it as a sacrifice of sorts that he’d made for her, to be with her. She had a feeling—or maybe she’d seen the signs—that they would both end up back in paleontology, a love they both shared. She liked the idea of digging in the dirt with their children.

Before she realized it, she stood next to Dr. Brandon Selman. In her peripheral vision, she could see his sweet, elderly parents sitting in the first row, smiling, his mother wiping her tears.

They spoke their vows, and finally, Pastor John said, “You may kiss the bride.”

Brandon’s lips held the promise of his love, and Amber knew that a lifetime together, refined by time and pressure, would produce a marriage beyond price.

Thank you to Roger Weinlaeder of the Weinlaeder Seed Company for sharing his expertise in North Dakota farming, and to Deborah Vogts, dear friend and critique partner, for her assistance in making the farm scenes resonate. A very special thanks to another dear friend, Shannon McNear, for her commitment and dedication in helping me to polish and edit my manuscripts and for helping me take the stories deeper. Thanks to friends and writing buddies Lynette Sowell and Lisa Harris for being there with me from the beginning, and to Ellen Tarver for her exceptionally keen eyes.

S
ymmetrical curves and spiraling waves rained over the cornfields and danced across the page.…
.

“Rayne Carolyn Flemming.” Hands on hips, Rayne’s mother stood in the doorway, matching perfectly the antique fixtures in the old farmhouse. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Rayne allowed her a slim smile, thinking that her mother appeared much older than her age. At forty-five, she’d never dream of putting color on her hair to hide the gray or dressing in anything that she hadn’t kept in her closet for fifteen years. Even when her clothes had been nice and new, they had still looked frumpy.

Hating her negative thoughts, Rayne tugged another drawing from where it was pinned to the yellow-and-blue floral wallpaper—a design from years gone by. She sighed. “You make it sound like I’m ten, Mom.”

Her mother strode all the way into her daughter’s bedroom and placed a hand on the drawings Rayne held then tugged gently. “Let me have those.”

Rayne held on. “I need them.”

Her mother gave up in exasperation. “What on earth for?”

“I can use these at work.” Rayne thumbed through the various sketches she’d pinned to her bedroom wall over the years. Noticing one of her favorites, she slipped it from the stack to peruse more closely. Spirals and waves stared back at her—maybe nothing special to anyone else, but Rayne saw beauty in the patterns. She saw water designs she could use in her job at FountainTech.

Standing next to her, her mother appeared to study the sketch as well. “I know I don’t understand what your pictures mean, but they remind me of you. I want to keep your drawings on the wall.”

Her mother made it sound as if Rayne had died and the wall was her memorial. Rayne put the sketches on her bed and opened her briefcase to place them inside. “You don’t have to keep this as my room, you know. I’m a big girl now. You might even consider redecorating with something new and fresh, make it into a guest room. Dad could use it for an office.”

“Nope, I couldn’t do that. Your father would never agree. He hopes…”

Rayne heard the trembling in her mother’s voice. Would they ever let their only child go? “I know. He hopes I’ll come home.” She wished she’d received news about the promotion she expected before she’d come home for the Christmas holidays. Her success would go a long way to convince her parents she was serious about her work. And maybe, just maybe, they’d believe in her.

“That, and he hopes you’ll reconsider Paul’s offer. We’re farmers, Rayne. This is the life you know. And your father worries about you all alone in the city.”