In Kentucky, he’d stood up with his brother Jacob when he married his Sally Ann. Boone already had a wife when Moses arrived in Texas. If he’d been asked to speculate, Moses would have said he would be wed in the same little country church where his parents had said their vows. That would have been before he followed two of his brothers to Texas or met Mattie.
If he wished anything now, it was that their mother, Jemima, could be present at his wedding and that he wasn’t weak from nearly losing his life to pneumonia. Though he longed to make Mattie his wife in every way, to make sweet love to her in the quiet of night, he could wait until he grew stronger.
After their midday dinner of bacon and biscuits with the requested gravy, Boone returned.
“Ezekiel headed for Laredo,” he said. “His notion is to come back early in the morning, and the two of you can get hitched as soon as the judge or parson gets here.”
Moses nodded. Weariness had settled on him, heavy as the blankets. “I’ll be ready if you’ll help me wash and shave and get dressed tomorrow.”
He hadn’t worn normal clothing since he took sick, and imagining putting on trousers, shirt, and all seemed like a difficult task. He figured he could manage it with Boone’s help.
“Yeah, I will. You about ready to go back to bed? You’re gonna need to get some rest.”
“I reckon so, but Boone, let me try to walk it. I want to stand up to say my vows tomorrow.”
He read the hesitation in his brother’s face and realized he’d scared him when he came so near dying. Despite the sober expression Boone often wore, he cared deeply for his family and always had. “You can try, but I’ll be right here in case you falter.”
Moses strained to rise, using the arms of the chair to help him stand. Once on his feet, he took a small step, then stopped. He swayed, tottering a little, and Boone caught his arm to steady him.
“Whoa, go easy,” his brother said.
“I am.” For all his bravado, dizziness plagued him, and he wasn’t sure if he might not go down before he reached the bed. It was eight steps away, and he managed four before he asked for help.
“Boone.”
“I got you.” He provided his arm for support. Once there, Moses sat down heavily on the bed, face wet with sweat. He managed to get into bed, his head and shoulders up on the pillow. If he lay flat for long, he still started coughing. “Tell me you ain’t gonna swoon.”
“I’m not,” Moses replied, but it’d been a near thing.
Without complaint, Boone tucked the blankets around Moses and wiped his face.
“Thank you,” he said, then admitted the truth. “Boone, I don’t feel so good.”
Worry furrowed his brother’s forehead. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m just awful tuckered out,” he said, trying not to sound whiny. “Besides that, the bacon and biscuits aren’t sitting too well in my belly.”
He should have known better than to chow down such food, not when he’d been limited to soups and stews and lighter fare.
“Are you gonna puke?” Boone, the oldest of a large family, asked with resignation.
“I surely hope not.”
Moses didn’t. After he’d rested awhile, his stomach eased, and he fell asleep. He woke to find Boone still there and asked, “Where’s Mattie?”
“The women are fussing over what to make for your wedding feast,” Boone said. A cigarette in his hand wafted smoke toward the ceiling. It smelled good, but Moses figured his lungs weren’t ready for tobacco. “Rachel was all fired up to do a bunch of cooking, but I’d rather she didn’t. She looks ready to burst now, and it’s still two months till she says the baby will come. I worry about her, Moses.”
“I don’t reckon I can eat much of a feast anyway.”
Boone laughed. “They’re still gonna make one. Last I heard, Rachel was baking a wedding cake. They couldn’t choose between the traditional one with currants and raisins or a Queen Cake. I believe they decided on the Queen Cake. Liam said they could have a roast off the last beef he slaughtered, the one hanging in the smokehouse, and Mattie plans to make noodles to go with it. Something was said about baking some light bread, too and cooking some leather britches beans. I think Liam told them that was enough, but they’re all over there at his place, planning and cooking. Mattie said to tell you she’d be back in a bit.”
Moses nodded. With all the preparations for the wedding, he remembered something.
“I got her a ring back when I went to San Antonio last fall. It’s in the other room with my gear. Can you find it?”
“I surely can. Liam told some of the hands to bring over Mattie’s two trunks, and I figured they could put them in the bedroom for now. Until you’re stronger, we all thought the bed should stay here, but Zeke’s moving back to the bunkhouse after he gets back.”
That relieved one worry from Moses’ mind. Although he wouldn’t be intimate with his wife very soon, he’d wondered about sharing space with his brother. He preferred having Mattie all to himself, and he was glad.
“He don’t mind?”
“Heck, no, he’d rather not be subjected to a pair of lovebirds,” Boone said, with amusement.
Ezekiel surprised everyone by returning to the ranch around sundown, bringing with him Judge Ike Masters, the same judge who had officiated at Boone and Rachel’s wedding. He had also been the official who pronounced Boone to be innocent of murder and ordered him freed from jail. Since Mattie would spend one more night under Liam’s roof, the judge came to sleep in Ezekiel’s bed after a late supper at Maggie’s table.
“I brought the judge rather than a preacher because tomorrow’s Sunday, and they’ll all be in church,” Zeke told his brothers over a plate of frijoles. Moses managed a few refried beans, but he didn’t dare eat any of the tamales Ezekiel had also brought. “Besides, he was willing when he heard it was for you, Moses. Seems like he’s fond of us Wilsons.”
Early in the morning, despite Boone’s protests, Rachel came over to sweep and clean the cabin. Since it was the middle of winter, there were no flowers to be had, but she brought over the dried flower bouquet she’d been married holding. Boone, true to his word, helped Moses wash, although neither figured he could stand a full bath. He shaved him as well, urging the younger man to save his strength for the ceremony.
Moses dressed in the new clothes he’d bought to visit Mattie last fall, black wool pants, the pinstriped shirt with a black string tie, and a frock coat loaned by Liam. He donned boots for the first time since he became ill and then sat in the chair by the fire, reserving his energy for the ceremony. Boone, who would serve as his best man, had the ring for Mattie in a vest pocket and hovered over Moses with concern.
At ten o’clock in the morning, all the hands and ranch residents arrived and lined the room. Ike Masters took a position before the fireplace, and Moses stepped into place, Boone at his side and Ezekiel just behind.
Maggie and Rachel entered together, their children just behind. Each woman wore her best dress, and Mima wore hers too. They took a place opposite Boone and Zeke, then Mattie stepped through the door. She wore a navy blue dress, the one she’d told him she had made, simple yet lovely. It had a high waist, four buttons down the front, and a long, full skirt. A lace fichu collar was pinned in place with a cameo brooch, and she wore her long hair down.
Moses gazed at her, lovestruck. He’d always found her to be pretty, but today, Mattie was beautiful. Her hair cascaded in natural waves past her waist, as bright as corn silk. The dark blue of her dress accented her eyes, and she wore a smile as she walked toward him, Rachel’s dried floral bouquet in her hands.
Boone sang the sweet love ballad, ‘Annie Laurie,’ as she came toward Moses, the sole music. She paced her steps to the song, and when he’d finished, Mattie stood beside him. She handed the flowers to Rachel. They turned to face each other, and he took her hands in his. A powerful rush of emotion swept through him, and he thought he might shed a few tears. Mattie spoke her vows first, her voice soft and tender.
“I, Mathilde Anna Baumann, take thee, Moses Robert Wilson, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part according to God’s holy ordinance. I pledge thee my faith, my love, and my life.”
Their eyes met as she said her vow. Moses held her hands tight, and when he thought his knees might buckle, Boone grasped his elbow and stayed him. He repeated the vow and managed to keep his voice strong.
Once each had spoken, the judge said, “By the power invested in me by the state of Texas, I pronounce you husband wife in the eyes of the law, by God, and before man. You’ve had a hard row to hoe, I hear. Moses, you may kiss your bride.”
He slid the slender gold ring onto her left hand with a smile.
In those moments, he forgot how sick he’d been and didn’t remember his current weakness. Moses took his bride into his arms and kissed her soundly. He’d kissed her many times, but this time, it was different. She wasn’t a girl he courted any longer but his wife, now and forever. Moved and happy, he hugged her close. It was a miracle she’d come into his life and a joy. She was now his wife.
She kissed him back, her eyes wet with happy tears. “I love you, Moses,” she said, soft for his ears alone.
“And I love you, Mrs. Wilson.”
Their family and friends who had gathered cheered. Boone spoke into his ear, “You ready to sit?”
Moses was and nodded. He sank into the chair, guided by his brother’s hand.
His niece ran over. She hugged Moses, then she turned to give Mattie a hug. Someone must have explained that she gained an aunt because the little girl said, “Aunt Mattie and Uncle Mo Mo.” Moses laughed and put her on his knee for a moment. He kissed the back of her neck and then released her. Someday, they would have a child, a cousin for Mima and Robert, he realized. Back home in Kentucky, there were more, but he doubted they would ever meet any children he and Mattie might have.
The table had been moved so that he sat at it, and Mattie sat at his right side. Boone and Ezekiel joined them at the table, along with Liam, Maggie, and Judge Masters. Rachel took their children, along with Grace and Seamus, across to their cabin to eat. The hands retreated to the bunkhouse where Cookie had promised a spread in honor of Moses’ wedding.
That roast beef tasted wonderful in his mouth, but Moses liked the noodles his wife made best of all. They were rich and thick with the beef broth they had soaked up. He ate sparingly but tasted the green beans and enjoyed a small slice of bread.
He and Mattie cut the cake together, then shared a few bites. It was sweet, and he appreciated it as well. Compared to what everyone else ate, Moses had little, but he didn’t want to chance being sick.
Jubilant, he still grew tired, and after a couple of hours, he knew it was time to rest his weary body. A quick word to Boone and his brother cleared the room of everyone except himself, Ezekiel, and Mattie.
“I wish you well,” Boone told him once Moses had been settled into bed. With his brother’s help, he had taken off his wedding finery and returned to his drawers with a nightshirt. “I hope you’re as happy as me and Rachel are. Unless you need something, we’re all going to leave so you can be with your bride.”
He exchanged a glance with Mattie and said, “I believe we’re good, Boone, but thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Ezekiel, too.”
“You’re my brother,” Boone said as if that was explanation enough and it was. “I’ll write Ma the news, and when you’re able, I will pay for that wedding picture to send her.”
Moses shook his head. “What picture?”
“I reckon you don’t recollect, but I told you when you were sick that I’d pay for the picture, and I will,” Boone told him. “I’ll take care of the judge, too. Liam drew up the papers for the ranch, and I’ll need your signature, but it can wait.”
He had no memory of the promised photograph, but Moses wanted to sign.
“Let me sign it today, Boone. Then Judge Masters can take it back and get it filed so it’s proper.”
Boone demurred, but Moses insisted. He signed where directed, the pen heavy in his hand, but his name was legible.
“Holler for me if you need anything,” Boone told him.
“Congratulations,” Zeke added.
Mattie saw them to the door. Moses watched from the bed as his brothers hugged her and he heard Boone say, “Take care of him, Mattie.”
“I will,” she replied. “I always will.”
Alone as husband and wife, he patted the bed. “I cain’t do much else but come lay down with me.”
“I will, later,” she told him. “You need to get some sleep. You’ve done more today than you have since the fever broke. I don’t fancy being a widow before I am barely a wife so you rest.”
“What are you gonna do?”
She grinned. “I’m going to settle in, Moses. This is my home now, too, and I want it to look like it.”
He was becoming drowsy, but he remembered her family’s home and wondered what she intended to do. This humble two-room cabin must seem small, he thought, after the house where she’d been raised. Moses hoped she wasn’t disappointed. One day, he’d built her a larger house. Boone had expressed interest in doing the same for Rachel.
When he awakened, it was near dark. A coal oil lamp burned on the table, and she’d built the fire up. As Moses looked around, he saw she’d hung curtains at the window. There were some vases and such on the mantlepiece. Everywhere he looked, she’d added homey touches from her trunks. She’d hung a calendar on the wall, too. All of it transformed the simple place into a home, and he liked it, very much.
“Husband,” she said, and he realized she sat beside the bed. He decided he’d buy her a rocking chair the very first chance that he had.
“Mattie, you shouldn’t have let me sleep so long.”
“You needed it,” she told him. “Are you thirsty or hungry? There’s coffee made, and Liam sent over some milk if you’d rather. I kept some beef and noodles warm for you, too.”
Moses wasn’t hungry, but he ate a little to please her, then said, “Come to bed, Mattie.”
She cleared away the dishes. “It’s early yet.”
“I want to lay here with you in my arms,” he told her. “Cain’t do much else, not yet, but I’d like to hold you.”
Mattie nodded. He noticed she had braided her hair into one long tail and that she no longer wore her wedding gown. Her simple calico dress suited her, but as he watched, she walked into the bedroom and returned in a white nightgown. Although it covered her from neck to ankles and was modest, it fired his imagination. Nobody besides a husband would see her this way, and he enjoyed the privilege.
He made room for her in the bed, and she slid beneath the blankets. Moses put his arms around her and said, “Mattie Wilson, I love you.”
Her smile provided all the answer he required, and he savored the moment, happier than he could ever remember he’d been.