Chapter Twenty-One
Carol had been right. Kaitlyn certainly didn't look like a woman who belonged in a brothel. She barely recognized herself as she stood in front of the full length mirror at the doctor's.
Her long golden tresses were intricately styled upon the back of her head and Carol had woven pearl beads throughout them. She had left several long tendrils hanging around Kaitlyn's face and neck and had added curl to these so they twisted and caught the sunlight.
The white satin and lace dress Kaitlyn wore, fit her much like a second skin in the bodice, accentuating her tiny figure. It flared out at her hips and flowed to the floor, making her feel every bit a princess. The neckline of the dress had swooped dangerously low so Kaitlyn had added a lace inlay to save her modesty and her father's heart.
"You look beautiful," Rose whispered, coming to stand beside her.
"I'm nervous mama," Kaitlyn admitted.
Rose fastened a dainty gold chain around Kaitlyn's neck. "Why?"
Kaitlyn folded her trembling hands in front of her. "What if he changes his mind?"
"My dear, a man would have to be deaf, blind and dumb to change his mind about marrying you after seeing you beauty today," Carol assured her comfortingly as she sprayed a bit of perfume on Kaitlyn's wrists.
Kaitlyn rubbed wrists together absentmindedly as she studied herself in the mirror. "I look so different."
"It's called happiness, sweetheart, and every woman should look like that on her wedding day," Rose replied. Kaitlyn saw her mama fiddling with the cameo necklace she had worn around her neck everyday since Kaitlyn had known her. Marston had given that to her on their first Christmas together and Rose never took it off, though usually she wore it hidden beneath her dress.
Kaitlyn knew her mama must be a bit sad because she always plucked at that necklace when she was thinking hard about something.
"Where is pa?" Kaitlyn asked.
"He'll be along shortly," Rose assured her.
"I'm gonna get married when I grow up," Lucy announced as she bounced into the room with a cinnamon stick clutched tightly in her hand. She sat on the edge of the bed and dangled her feet.
"You better not get that candy on your dress," Rose warned.
Lucy glanced down at the white lace. "I won't mama. Do you want to know who I'm marrying?"
"Who are you marrying?" Kaitlyn asked with a smile as she sat down beside her sister.
"Pa. He's the handsomest man in the whole world," Lucy boasted.
"Thank you, nugget, but I think you mama might just want to keep me for herself," Marston warned as he stepped into the room, looking much different than his usual self in his fancy suit and vest.
Rose winked at her youngest child. "I'll share." She kissed Marston's cheek. "Come on ladies. Let's give these two a bit of alone time."
Marston turned to Kaitlyn when they found themselves alone. "You look awfully pretty."
Kaitlyn smiled and hugged her pa tight. "Do you think Pete will like it?"
Marston grunted as he pulled away and laid his hand on the worn revolver resting in the aged gun belt that contrasted sharply with his fancy clothes. "He will if he knows what's good for him."
***
Pete paced the stage of the large empty building as the crowd inside grew. The din of conversation was loud in the air but Pete heard no details. The building was vast. The townsfolk used it for weddings, funerals, annual dances and the occasional church service if a preacher happened to be passing through.
Today it was all decked out for a wedding. His wedding. Fabric sashes draped the ceiling and stage. Chairs and tables had been brought in and the tables were covered with soft red cloth. Food and refreshments lined the back wall and a band was waiting in the wing to provide entertainment once the wedding was over.
Pete looked at the white satin runner that Kaitlyn would soon be walking down to him and he swallowed hard.
Married. Pete was getting married. It was times like this when Pete missed his family the most. He stopped backing, put his back against the wall and closed his eyes. His pa and Marston would have hated each other. Pete's pa had been a man with a firm belief of right and wrong. In his opinion life was black and white. Marston was most certainly a shade of gray.
But Pete's mama would have loved Kaitlyn. In many ways Kaitlyn was a lot like his mama had been. Soft spoken but strong and a natural caretaker.
"It better be my sister you're thinking about with that smile on your face," Langley's good natured voice teased.
Pete opened his eyes. "This thing should be starting soon, shouldn't it?"
Langley grimaced and laid his hand over his rumbling stomach. "I sure hope so. That food over there looks awful good and I'm awful hungry."
Pete laughed. Langley was always hungry. "Go eat," he insisted.
Langley's blue eyes lit with amusement. "Hell no! Do you see those little old women over there? They're guarding that food table the way a mother hen guards her babies and they ain't afraid to bust a man's shins with those canes of theirs."
Pete laughed but his humor was short-lived. At that moment, Blanche stepped up to the piano and said it was time. Pete tugged at the collar of his shirt which suddenly felt too tight and prayed like hell that Kaitlyn wouldn't change her mind about him.
***
"Do you Pete Mears take this woman Kaitlyn Marston to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Paul Sanchez asked as they stood together beneath the archway.
Pete looked into those deep green eyes he loved so much and nodded. "I do," he vowed proudly for everyone to hear.
"And do you, Kaitlyn Marston, take this man Pete Mears to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Her voice was soft but sure when she replied. "I do."
"Then by the power given to me by the city of Windfall, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
Pete needed no further urging to do just that. He took Kaitlyn into his arms and gave her a long, slow kiss that would have been highly inappropriate had this been a church wedding. Whistles filled the air and when Pete pulled away, Kaitlyn was blushing from top of her head down to the bodice of her dress.
"I love you, Kaitlyn," he whispered in her ear and she was smiling as she echoed his statement.
Soon they were swept away by the crowd. Most folks were just happy to have a chance to dress up and break the monotony of a Dakota winter but there were those who were genuinely happy for the newly married couple.
Pete danced with the old ladies who'd been guarding the food table and he realized with amusement that Langley used that opportunity to load a plate down with every last crumb it could hold and take cover in a back corner. He watched Kaitlyn dance with Marston, Doctor Rankin and eventually Langley.
Finally, Pete managed to get ahold of her and he held her tight as they spun together. "I got us a room at the hotel for tonight," Pete whispered in her ear.
"You did?" she asked, trembling as his lips brushed her ear.
"Yeah," Pete grinned. "I figured our wedding night would be a lot more comfortable without having your pa's ear pressed against the door."
Kaitlyn's light laughter filled the air. "You're probably right."
"You look beautiful, Kaitlyn."
"Carol did my hair," she admitted.
Pete wrapped a loose tendril around his finger. "I can't wait to watch it fall down your back tonight."
Kaitlyn leaned in closer to him and then she let out a yelp of pain when his boot come down on her foot. "Sorry!" Pete gasped as he pulled away. "I never was much of a dancer."
Kaitlyn simply laughed and threw her arms around his neck.
The wide, double doors to the building were suddenly thrown open and the winter gusted in with a vengeance. The draperies and decorations blew wildly and the crowd gasped.
"Are we late for the party?" Jeremiah asked with a laugh.
Kaitlyn smiled, released her hold on Pete and ran to her uncles. She hugged them each in turn and when she saw the surprise on their faces, Kaitlyn realized it was the first time she'd ever hugged them.
"Outside now," Marston grumbled as he grabbed Duke and Jeremiah by the arm and dragged them out the door. Rose, Kaitlyn, Pete and Langley followed close behind.
"What the hell Marston?" Jeremiah demanded. "It's cold out here."
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Marston snapped, releasing his hold on them.
"Nice suit," Duke mused with a grin. "I thought we were welcome anytime?"
"You are," Rose assured them.
"There has to a reason you showed up here in the middle of January," Marston growled. "Something brought you up here. What is it?"
"It's actually closer to the end of January than the middle," Jeremiah corrected.
Duke quickly intervened before Marston's fist could connect with Jeremiah's nose. "There's nothing going on that can't wait until after the celebrations are over. This looks like a wedding and it surely looks like Kaitlyn is the bride."
Kaitlyn smiled, her happiness too great to be diminished by the trouble her uncles might have brought news of. "I am!" she said brightly.
Duke studied Pete carefully. "You the groom?"
Pete's arm slid around Kaitlyn's waist and he gave her a squeeze. "That's right."
"I remember you, I think." Duke nodded. "Yeah I remember seeing you before minus that mess on your face. You're that damn lawman from Millerton."
"A lawman?!" Jeremiah exclaimed, his face reddening as his fists clenched. "You let my damn niece marry a lawman?!"
"I love him, Uncle Jeremiah," Kaitlyn said quickly as she attempted to place herself between the two brothers. Pete pulled her back because as far as he was concerned both brothers seemed ready to kill one another.
"Jesus H. Christ, Mary and Joseph and the fifteen apostles!" Jeremiah blustered. "What the hell is going on with this family?!"
"I don't think there were fifteen," Langley muttered. Rose threw him a glance that made it clear she expected him to hush.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing up and making a scene at my daughter's wedding," Marston warned.
"You have lost your mind!" Jeremiah insisted, tossing his hands in the air. "First you settle down and start obeying the law, then you start adopting kids and you leave me high and dry to fend for myself without my brother by my side anymore. Now Duke is talking like he's tired of roaming and Kaitlyn is marrying a damned lawman! Am I the only one who hasn't gone completely crazy?"
"Can I just..." Pete tried to speak up but the brother's glared at him.
"No!" they spat in unison.
"What the hell is wrong with these two?" Pete whispered to Rose.
She rolled her eyes and dragged her hand across her face. "They're idiots when they get around one another. All they want to do is hit, choke and shoot each other."
"They're always like this?" Pete asked.
Kaitlyn sighed. "Yes. At least until they get it out of their systems."
"It's cold out here," Duke addressed those currently not ready to throw fists. "What do you we say we go in where it warmer and leave these two men who, unfortunately, are the closest things to sons I have, to kill each other if that's what they choose to do?"
"I hope they don't kill each other," Kaitlyn said as she wrung her hands and glanced over shoulder at her father and uncle while Duke ushered her toward the door.
"Don't worry about them. They haven't killed each other yet and I'm sure they won't do it today."
"Duke, be honest with me," Rose insisted. "Is there something bad coming?"
Duke knew he couldn't lie to Rose. "It can wait until later," he promised. "Today is a day for happiness." Duke turned his attention to Pete. "I guess it's a good thing Marston didn't let me shoot you like I wanted to."
"Yeah, I guess it is," Pete replied absently. He was too worried about what news Duke and Jeremiah had brought with them to find much enjoyment in conversation. His life was just beginning with Kaitlyn, he didn't need trouble coming and hurting that.
"Is everything okay?" Carol's voice called out as the woman fought her way through the crowd toward them.
Her eyes fell on Duke and she froze. Color drained from her face and her jaw went slack. Pete noticed her hands begin to shake nearly as badly as her chin trembled.
He glanced toward Duke and saw that the man wore roughly the same expression.
Rose obviously noticed too. "Do you two know each other?"
Carol seemed to shake off her shock and sadness and she squared her shoulders. "No. No we don't know one another."
Duke scratched at his graying beard. "I'm going to the house. I'll meet y'all out there whenever you get back."
Duke all but ran out the door just as Jeremiah and Marston came back in. Marston's jaw was red and welted and Jeremiah was going to be sporting a fairly decent black eye.
"Are you two done?" Rose demanded of them.
They wore twin sheepish grins. "Yes ma'am," Jeremiah replied.
"For now," Marston added.
Kaitlyn frowned at Carol who was still staring at the doorway as if she'd seen a ghost. "Carol, are you okay?"
"Yes," Carol replied, looking her way and forcing a smile.
Before Kaitlyn could say anything else, Jeremiah came sweeping in and dragged her to the dance floor. "You can't have a wedding and not dance with your favorite uncle," he stated. "Of course I can't see why you'd want to get married at all," he added, twirling her around with practiced ease.
"Because I'm in love, Uncle Jeremiah."
"And what's with the hugging? You're a lot more touchy feely than I remember."
Kaitlyn smiled. "I'm not as afraid anymore and Pete is a lot of the reason why."
Jeremiah winked. "I don't need to hear about how he's helped you like to be touched." He wiggled his eyebrows and Kaitlyn blushed.
"Nothing like that has happened!" she assured him quickly. "He's a complete gentleman and wanted to wait until we were married."
"And....?" Jeremiah urged. "Where've you been staying?"
Kaitlyn frowned. "Mama and pa's house."
Jeremiah barked with laughter. "That's the real reason he's kept his hands to himself and his trousers buttoned! At least he has half a brain since he knows not to push my hot-headed little brother too far." Jeremiah shook his head. "I just wish he wasn't a damn lawman."
"Just don't break the law when you're in town and I can't see how the two of you will have any problem," Kaitlyn countered.
Jeremiah's nose wrinkled. "They smell funny."
"Who does?"
"Lawmen."
Kaitlyn simply laughed and shook her head. "Do you know Carol? She and Duke seemed to recognize one another."
Jeremiah shrugged. "Nope. But Duke and I aren't together all the time. She might be somebody he sees when he's not with me or she could be someone from before I started riding with him."
Kaitlyn sighed. "They looked so sad when they saw each other."
"Duke has broken his fair share of hearts," Jeremiah replied. "Speaking of breaking hearts, I'm going to give you back to you husband so I can go break a couple of my own."
"Be nice, Uncle Jeremiah," Kaitlyn teased. "Don't make my husband arrest you."
"I'd have to shoot him if he tried," Jeremiah replied with a wink. He walked away leaving Kaitlyn to wonder if he was serious. When it came to Jeremiah, you never could tell.
***
"Damn it all to hell," Duke muttered from atop his horse as he took another drink from his stolen bottle of whiskey.
Carol Brown.
How long had it been since he'd seen that damned woman? Twenty years? Twenty-five? Hell, he wasn't sure. He could have gone the rest of his life without seeing her and he would have been just fine.
Duke decided that he'd just have to do his best to avoid her. He'd warn Marston, protect the family and then get the hell away from North Dakota and Carol.
His heart wasn't nearly ready to be around that one woman rodeo, and the platter of regrets she came with, a second time.
***
"Are you ready to head to the hotel, Mrs. Mears?" Pete whispered in Kaitlyn's ear later that evening after the crowd had begun to clear.
"I think I am, Mr. Mears," Kaitlyn replied with a shiver of anticipation.
"Nope not a good idea," Jeremiah countered, popping up behind them and causing Kaitlyn to jump. "We all need to be heading out to the house."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to have a night alone with my wife," Pete countered.
Jeremiah chuckled. "And I'd like to have a whore attached to my pecker and a bottomless barrel of whiskey, but I don't see that happening either."
"Jeremiah!" Rose exclaimed.
Jeremiah's face took on a serious expression as he met Marston's gaze. "I really think we should all be out at the house."
Marston nodded. "Alright then. Let's get out there so you can tell us what the hell is going on," he agreed, adjusting a sleeping Lucy on his shoulder.
"Are you coming Carol?" Rose asked when the woman hesitated at the door.
Carol's blue eyes narrowed and then she squared her shoulders. "Yes. Yes, I'm coming."