Chapter 12   

Ben’s proposal was the talk of the town. People were shocked that he would marry the woman who shot him, but no one was more shocked than he. His proposal had simply popped out of his mouth, just like that. In a courtroom no less, where he was known for his eloquence of speech and careful planning.

Never one to act on the spur of the moment, he still couldn’t believe he had agreed to marry someone he hardly knew. But it felt right, and that was the strangest thing of all. If it wasn’t God’s will, what in tarnation was it? And why did the vision of Elizabeth in a bridal gown keep popping into his head?

Well, what was done was done. Now he just wanted to learn everything he could about his future bride, starting with the letters she’d written.

With that in mind, he arrived at the Baer house and found all six of his parents gathered there. He should have known that his upcoming nuptials would require a family meeting.

Ma Baer greeted him with a big hug. “We were just talking about you,” she said.

“Really?” he said, as if that was a surprise.

“Yes,” Ma Norton said, thumping her cane for emphasis. “We’re so excited. We knew that Miss Colton—Elizabeth—was the perfect woman for you.”

Pa Baer raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Have you all forgotten that Miss Colton shot a bullet into our son?”

Ma Edwards’s waved his question away with a flick of her hand. “I prefer to think of it as Cupid’s arrow.”

This brought groans from all three of Ben’s fathers and smiles from his mothers.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck. It was amazing how quickly his mothers changed their tune about Elizabeth once wedding bells were involved.

“So, what are you doing here?” Ma Baer asked.

“I came to fetch the letters.”

Ma Baer looked at the others. “Letters? What letters?”

“The letters that Miss … that Elizabeth wrote,” he said.

“Oh, of course.” Ma Baer moved toward the rolltop desk that occupied a corner of the parlor and pulled a stack of letters out of a drawer. “I think you’ll be as impressed with her as we were,” she said, handing over the letters.

He glanced at the flowery handwriting on the top envelope. “Much obliged,” he said, stepping toward the door.

“Must you leave so soon, son?” Ma Norton asked. “We wanted to discuss your wedding plans.”

He grimaced. Anything that required family planning led to endless discussions and arguments. “Sorry, but I have work to do.”

He left all three of his mothers looking disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped. He shuddered to think of the elaborate ceremony they no doubt had planned. His mothers seemed to believe that anything worth doing was worth overdoing.

After arriving at his office, he sat at his desk, eager to read what Elizabeth had written before his first client of the day arrived. After reading each page, he studied the sketches included with every letter.

Elizabeth had told him she’d illustrated for her hometown newspaper, but he had no idea how good she was.

Her letters were charming and sometimes even funny, but her sketches of animals, flowers, and children told him more about his future bride than anything she’d written. How odd that none of his parents had mentioned that his soon-to-be wife was an artist.

He folded the last of the letters and slipped it into its envelope. The more he knew about Elizabeth Colton, the more he wanted to know.

For the next couple of weeks, Elizabeth saw Ben every day, but wherever they went they drew a crowd.

On Sundays they attended church together and then shared a family dinner at one of his parents’ homes. The only way they could talk in private was to take a carriage ride.

During one moonlit ride she shared an idea she’d been tossing around for a while. Ever since being turned down by the local newspaper, she’d tried to think of a way to earn money. “I’m thinking about giving art lessons,” she said.

“Art lessons?” He made it sound like he’d never heard of such a thing.

“You and your family have done enough for me. I can’t keep depending on you.”

“We’re betrothed,” Ben said. “It’s only right that I look out for you.”

“Yes, but—”

“If you want to give art lessons, that’s fine with me. But do it because you want to. Not because you feel obligated to me.”

Elizabeth felt her heart soften around the edges. Many men objected to a woman working or following a passion, but apparently that wasn’t true of Ben. His mothers had described him as traditional in the letters they’d written, but he was apparently more progressive than they knew.

He pulled the carriage over to the side of the road and turned in his seat to face her. Suddenly it felt like the world stood still, and her pulse pounded. Maybe now, at long last, he would put his arms around her and kiss her. Maybe then she would feel like they were really betrothed and not just playing a role.

In the glow of the full moon, Ben’s eyes shone like bright new pennies as he held her in his heated gaze. Holding her breath in anticipation and hoping to be crushed in his embrace, Elizabeth moistened her lips and waited.

“I’ve been meaning to bring this up,” he began slowly, “but I wasn’t sure you were ready.” He cleared his throat. “I think we ought to set a wedding date.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

Apparently taking her silence as agreement, he continued, “I was thinking maybe the end of the month or early August.” He waited a moment. “So, what do you think?”

“The end of the month sounds good,” she said, wishing with all her heart that she felt better about the marriage. Better about his family. Still, she was committed to going through with her plans. The end of the month was only three weeks away, but it gave her ample time to prepare for the simple wedding she’d set her heart on.

With a nod of his head, he took up the reins again. “I’ll let Reverend Carr know.”

She stared at his profile and tried not to feel hurt that he still hadn’t kissed her or showed affection. If marrying Ben really was what God wanted, why did things feel so unsettled between them? Why was she constantly questioning God’s will?