Rooster crowed under Emmie’s window. She’d miss him. After today, she’d wake up in the house Landon bought for them. The weeks had flown by as she decorated the inside of the house with lovely things from the store and waited for her mother and father to arrive for the wedding. And now the day was here. She shivered. In a few short hours, she’d be Mrs. Knipp.
Thunder blasted the sky apart. How could it rain on her wedding day? She moaned. She wanted it to be perfect, and now it would be a muddy mess.
Her bedroom door creaked as Granny peered inside. “Just because it’s your wedding day doesn’t mean you get to sleep in. Come on, child. Slip on your wrapper and have breakfast with your parents and me. I’ve sent Walter and Milton on an errand. They’ll be back in time for the wedding, but for today, the boardinghouse is for the bride’s family only.”
“But, Granny, you and Walter are married. He’s family now.”
“Pshaw. He’ll be fine. He’s got his shadow with him. Come now, get a bite to eat, and we’ll get you into that beautiful dress.”
“But the rain! My dress will be a sodden mess during the reception.”
“Let’s not borrow trouble. It will work out, you’ll see. God can dry up the ground if He wants.”
Landon’s chest swelled with joy as his stunning bride, holding on to her father’s arm, walked down the aisle toward him. He’d made the right choice coming to this town. God knew long before he did that he’d find the wife he longed for in Trenton.
The rain drummed harder on the tin roof.
Emmie looked up and met his eyes.
He smiled, and she grinned back. Their reception wouldn’t be the one she’d dreamed about in the church’s side yard. But he knew his bride. He could almost see how happy she would be when they arrived at the store, and she saw how they had transformed it. This time, she wouldn’t be in charge of setting up the dinner. Instead, he, Cyrus, Milton, and Walter had decorated, even pulling out imported linen tablecloths to cover the cases for the many bowls and platters of food. They’d moved shelves, put trinkets away, and hung streamers, all to transform his store into a place of celebration.
Nothing was too special for his homegrown bride.