Matthew awakened as the first fingers of dawn began to reach across the ceiling of his bedroom. As full consciousness arrived, he realized he was so close to the edge of the mattress he was in danger of falling off. A moment later he knew the reason. His nephew was in bed with him, and the boy’s bony knees were planted firmly in the small of Matthew’s back.
The nightmare. Sometime in the middle of the night, Todd had had a bad dream and awakened with a scream. No matter what Matthew had said, no matter what he’d tried, the boy hadn’t been comforted. At last he’d let him crawl into bed with him.
Matthew wasn’t cut out to be a guardian to the kid. They would both be better off when he was back on a stage, leather laced between his fingers. He couldn’t do Todd any harm there. No telling what he might do wrong here.
Shannon’s image drifted into his thoughts. God knew he’d come to care for her more than he thought he would. That first morning in Grand Coeur, he’d thought her spoiled and silly. That first Sunday in town, he’d thought her conceited and given to putting on airs. He’d misjudged her. More than once. He was sorry for that.
He wondered what she felt for him. Was it love? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But she did love Todd. That’s all that mattered for now.
Carefully, hoping to let his nephew sleep as long as possible, he got out of bed, washed, and dressed. He went downstairs, built up the fire in the stove, and put the coffeepot on to boil. Then he went outside to feed the horses. Shannon’s mare was the first to nicker as he walked toward the corral.
“Hey, girl.” He patted the bay’s sleek neck before giving her a small shove back from the gate so he could enter the corral.
When Shannon had asked yesterday if she could move Ginny out of the livery and to this corral behind his house, Matthew hadn’t thought to ask for a reason. But now he wondered about it. Wondered if it had anything to do with Burkette.
He didn’t like the man. Something about him rubbed Matthew the wrong way. Couldn’t be just because Burkette was a Southerner and, according to Jack, a known Confederate sympathizer. If that’s all it took, Matthew would be at odds with the better share of inhabitants of this gold rush town—his fiancée included. Shannon had never tried to hide where her allegiance lay.
Though she has mellowed a bit.
He figured his sister got some of the credit for the change. Alice had won Shannon’s affections with her strength of character and her sweet smile and her joy of life even as she faced death. The sting of loss pierced his chest afresh. No wonder Todd was having bad dreams. Matthew hadn’t had all that much time with his sister, and even his heart felt broken by her death.
After tossing hay to the horses, he pumped fresh water into the trough. Then he returned to the house, met by the scent of brewed coffee and the sight of Sun Ling tying an apron around her waist.
“Good morning, Mr. Dubois.” She bowed.
“Morning, Sun Ling.”
“You sleep good?”
“Not very,” he answered honestly.
“I make you good breakfast.”
He set a large cup on the counter near the stove and filled it with coffee. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”
Delaney Adair waited in the front of the dress shop, wishing his daughter would hurry. He’d never been comfortable in this sort of setting, surrounded by ribbons and baubles and lace. But when she stepped through the curtain separating the front from the back of the small shop, his heart nearly stopped. Never had she looked more beautiful. Never had she looked more like his dearly departed wife. So much so that he almost spoke Adelyn’s name aloud.
“What do you think, Father?” Shannon turned slowly.
He rose from the chair. “You look exquisite, my dear.”
“It isn’t too . . . joyful, is it? Alice will have been gone only a week.” She looked toward the full-length mirror. “I should have chosen a darker color, but I thought . . .” She allowed the words to fade into silence.
Delaney moved to stand behind his daughter and put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s to be a small ceremony with only a few present. No one will think ill of you for wearing the bridal gown you commissioned before Mrs. Jackson died.” In her reflection in the mirror, he saw tears pooling in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I love Matthew, Father, and I’m so very happy he asked me to marry him. I’m sure it must be a horrible sin to be so happy when he and Todd are so sorrowful.”
“Oh, my dear girl.” He turned her to face him, then gathered her into a close embrace. “It is no sin to be happy over a marriage to a good man.”
“He is good,” she said softly against Delaney’s chest. “He’s very good. I didn’t think so at first, but I was wrong.”
“Yes, he is good. He’s a man of strong faith and convictions or I would never have given my permission for him to ask for your hand.”
Shannon sniffed as she drew back. A tremulous smile played across her lips. “I had better remove the dress before it gets spotted with my tears.” She turned toward the curtain to the back of the shop. “I won’t be long.”
Delaney drew in a breath and let it out as he sank once more onto the chair.
So what do you think, Adelyn? I wish you were here. A girl needs her mother on her wedding day. I am a poor substitute, I fear. She does love him. I don’t doubt that for a moment. But I wonder if she fully understands all the challenges that marriage brings.
He shook his head slowly.
No. Of course she doesn’t fully understand. None of us do beforehand. You and I surely didn’t. But God made us one, and our love grew and thrived. May their marriage be as blessed as ours, Adelyn. May it be as blessed as ours.
After leaving the dress shop, Shannon’s father returned to the parsonage while she went to shop for a few more items—flour and sugar and coffee for the parsonage, a new hat to wear with her bridal gown, a gift of some sort for her groom. For the latter, she stopped in at a clock shop, located in a small building squeezed between a bank and a boardinghouse.
As far as she knew, Matthew didn’t own a pocket watch. At least she’d never seen him with one. Not even on Sundays. She wished she could give him something fine, something gold filled and bejeweled, but she would have to settle for gold plated.
At Shannon’s request, the shop owner removed several watches from the glass display case and laid them out before her. She picked each one up in turn, fingering the small details on each case, examining the faces. She pictured Matthew, wearing his Sunday suit, standing beside the fireplace mantel in the parlor of his home, taking the watch from his pocket and checking the time. She imagined him smiling at her as they both remembered the day she’d given him the gift.
“I’ll take this one,” she said at last.
“A very good choice. It’s well made and reasonably priced. Your husband will be pleased.”
My husband. Nerves fluttered in her chest. In just four more days, he’ll be my husband.
Once before she’d been engaged. Once before she’d planned a wedding. But she’d known Benjamin and his family for nearly as far back as she could remember. She would have known how to be the proper wife of a tobacco planter because she’d seen examples everywhere. Would she know how to be a proper wife to Matthew Dubois, express agent and uncle to an orphaned boy? With resolve, she shoved away the doubts. Of course she would know how. Love would show her the way.
She paid for the pocket watch and tucked the small box inside her reticule. Moments later she set off down the boardwalk, walking quickly. She’d taken far too long in the clock shop, and Sun Jie needed the flour for her supper preparations.
Shannon was passing the newspaper office when Jack Dickson stepped through the doorway and into her path. She stopped mere seconds before she would have collided with him.
Jack’s hands shot out to grasp her upper arms and steady her. “Whoa!” he said, laughter in his voice. “Looks like you’re in quite a hurry, Miss Adair.”
“I am sorry, Sheriff Dickson. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I imagine there’s plenty running through that pretty head of yours, what with the wedding and all.” He stepped back, then held out a hand for the basket. “Please, allow me.”
“Oh, but that isn’t necessary, Sheriff. I wouldn’t want—”
“Please. I insist. I wouldn’t be a very good friend to Matt if I left his fiancée to carry a heavy basket by herself.”
Releasing another small laugh, she handed him her shopping basket—which wasn’t all that heavy.
Jack turned, positioning himself between her and the street, and the two began walking. “How’s Matt doing?”
Her amusement was forgotten. “I haven’t seen him today.” She drew a deep breath. “He’s very sad.”
“I liked his sister. Didn’t know her long, of course, but I got the feeling she was a special lady.”
“She was. Very special.”
“She was mighty keen on Matt marrying you, Miss Adair. You should know that. And I reckon it allowed her to die in peace, knowing you’d be there to care for the boy after she was gone. Matt’s lucky you agreed to marry him without delay. Not every woman wants a readymade family, especially not when Matt’ll be away so much, driving coach.”
Shannon glanced in the sheriff ’s direction. What did he mean? Did
Matthew intend to return to driving stagecoaches soon? He’d never said so to her. Perhaps Jack was only surmising those were Matthew’s plans. And anyway, would she mind if he did? Surely he wouldn’t be away all that much.
No, there was something else that bothered her. Something she couldn’t quite grasp in her mind as she walked beside Jack toward home. And a small seed of doubt took root in her heart.