“Well, I received your letter five days ago, and there’s been a whirlwind of activity getting everything ready for your arrival—including a wedding. Wouldn’t be proper taking you to the house without being married first, and there’s nowhere else for you to stay.”
Josiah turned to the other man, who stood beside her large trunk. “Think you can help me get that to the wagon, Olly?”
“Sure thing, Josiah. Don’ have much else to do ‘round here til the next train comes through.”
Mia followed the two men across the platform and down the two steps toward the only wagon parked in front of the station. The beautiful cream-colored horse hitched to it looked too large to pull the small wooden box. She stopped several feet away and stared, noticing how the horse’s pale blue eyes seemed to follow her every movement like it didn’t trust her. Truth be told, she didn’t trust the large animal. In her book, anything that big was not trustworthy.
The men hefted her trunk into the back of the wagon without any difficulty. Josiah walked around to the front and held out his hand. Mia stared down at it a moment then took a deep breath and placed hers in his warm grip. She stepped up on the single step then sat on the bench and smoothed her wrinkled skirt as he took his place beside her.
The wagon lurched sideways as the horse turned the vehicle away from the station, the wheels catching in the deep ruts. Fearing she would end up lying in a heap in the street, with one hand she grabbed the metal rail running along the top of the bench and the other hand reached out for what she thought was Josiah’s arm. But, as the wagon settled into a steady rhythm, she was mortified to realize her hand gripped Josiah’s muscled thigh, not his arm.
Whipping her hand back to her lap, she mumbled a quiet apology and turned her head, keeping her red face directed toward the scenery so he wouldn’t see her discomfort. As the silence surrounded her, she began to relax, thankful he hadn’t said anything or made a big deal like the men back home would have. The ones she had known would have simpered or tried to say something cute or coy. At least Josiah seemed different in that respect. She liked him for that.
Several miles passed, and the scenery changed from low lands to more trees, thicker and much prettier. She loved all greenery, especially after a good rain. They turned down a narrow lane, the ruts deeper and the wagon a bit bouncier. Through the foliage, she could just make out the silvery glint of water, which seemed to snake alongside the road.
“Is that a river?”
“That’s the North Canadian River. It flows about a half a mile from the house, which makes watering the garden a chore, but at least it isn’t farther.”
“At least you have a garden.”
He grimaced. “I wouldn’t exactly call the dust-filled spot of earth a garden, but it is where vegetables are supposed to be growing.”
She swallowed her laugh. “Dust-filled spot of earth? That’s a descriptive image, I’ll give you that. I take it you either don’t want to walk to the river or it hasn’t rained?”
He gave her a quizzical sideways look. “I am not lazy, if that’s what you are implying,” he said in a haughty tone.
She tried and failed to hold back her smile this time. “I guess I owe you an apology then, and I’m sorry. So, it hasn’t rained enough for anything to grow.”
“Well, there’s that and the fact that I was almost two months late planting the darn thing.”
She quirked one brow. “Why were you so late? If Eufaula is as small a town as I believe it is—at least from what I saw from the train as I rode into town—you might need to live on that food during the winter.”
The wagon lurched to a stop, and Josiah set the brake and turned on the seat. “It’s a long story, which will keep for the trip home. Right now, we have a wedding to attend, Miss Bradley.” He jumped down and walked around to her side and held up his hand. This time, she didn’t hesitate and placed her hand in his and carefully climbed down from the wagon.
The small white church was tucked into the trees. It looked lonely but quaint. There were stairs leading up to a single door. The roof above the door rose to a steep point and on top sat a steeple with a small brass bell nestled inside. Somewhere close, she heard the gurgling of water as it moved over rocks.
Mia walked beside Josiah toward the church, and her nervousness grew until her limbs fairly shook from fear. She had known answering his letter meant she would have to say marriage vows. What she hadn’t prepared for was saying them so soon. As they walked up the steps, the door opened and a pleasant-looking man stood just inside the one-room church. He was short, carrying extra weight around his middle. He had thick white hair, slicked back and long enough to curl around his white collar, and he was dressed in the typical black jacket, pants, and boots of the clergy.
“You’re late, Josiah,” the preacher said, a slight grin on his face.
Josiah placed his hand on the small of Mia’s back and led her into the church, setting her heart into a panicked flutter. Her attention fractured, focusing first on the looming alter in front of them then back to where his hand rested on her back.
“Breathe,iskitini chukfi luma,” Josiah whispered in her ear.
“What does that mean?” Mia asked.
“It means little rabbit in Choctaw.”
She twisted her head to give him a quick glare as they stopped in front of the altar. “Why do you know Choctaw?”
The preacher stepped behind the altar and opened the large Bible propped there. He cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “I understand from you, Josiah West, you wish to be married in the Christian way to Miss Mia Bradley?”
“Yes, Reverend Moody, I do.”
Mia’s frown deepened as the unsettled feeling grew. She was missing something. She glanced from the reverend to Josiah. “The Christian way? And why do you know Choctaw?”
“And do you, Miss Mia Bradley, wish to be married in the Christian way to Josiah West?” Reverend Moody again interrupted.