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At 11:40, he climbed from beneath the sink, turned on the tap, washed his hands and face, and grinned. “Ready.”
We hopped in the truck and, ten minutes later, parked in front of the county clerk’s office.
My heels clacking as I jogged along the sidewalk, I pulled Luke along. “Come on. The office closes in five minutes.”
A sign posted at the entrance showed the office hours: nine to noon and one to five.
I checked my phone as I tugged at the door: 11:56. But it didn’t budge. “Uh-oh…”
“Relax. We can have lunch and come back when they open at one.”
The midday sun was bright. The sky was clear, and the Lincoln Mountains seemed near enough to touch.
Encouraged by their beauty, I took a deep breath, remembering the first time I’d seen them. “Was that only three months ago that we met?” I shook my head as we walked to the drugstore. “Seems I’ve known you all my life.”
Five minutes later, we slid into a booth made from reclaimed wood. The same booth where Cody and I sat. My chest tightened. Guilty conscience?
“Coffee?” The question rhetorical, the waitress set two mugs and an urn on our table. “Want menus?”
Déjà vu—the same server that waited on Cody and me. I turned away.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed.
Without checking Caller ID, I knew who it was. Cody’s timing is more than a fluke.
“Going to answer it?”
Glancing at the name, I pressed decline. “No one important.” Is it? Cody’s timing is impeccable. Why did he call now? Valentina? I ordered a club sandwich but, too upset to eat, barely nibbled at it. “Luke, if we don’t get the license this afternoon, all our wedding plans—”
“Don’t worry.” He reached for my hand. “Worse comes to worst, we’ll go through the motions, then get married the next day. This isn’t the end of the world.”
At 12:55, we walked back to the county clerk’s office.
A note on the door read Closed with an emergency phone number listed.
No! Is this Valentina’s work…or a sign we shouldn’t get married? I breathed uneasily as I punched in the number, put my phone on speaker, and crossed my fingers.
A recording answered. “The office is closed Tuesday afternoon for a district meeting and reopens Wednesday morning at nine.”
How could I leave the marriage license until the last minute? Dragging my feet as I stumbled toward the truck, I nearly bumped into Mamie.
“What a surprise running into you two.” The woman’s face lit up in a friendly smile. “What are you up to these days?”
“Luke and I were applying for a marriage license—”
“Congratulations!”
“Were applying…past tense.”
While Luke shared the details, I recalled the woman’s research skills. “Do you have any ideas?”
“As a matter of fact…” Mamie’s puckered brow relaxed. “I’m headed to the library now. Come with me.” Within moments, she sat at a computer and found the link to the state’s online resources for licenses. “Fill out this application, while I check something.”
Ten minutes later, the form was printing as she returned with a man in tow. “This is Benjamin Polk, the county clerk.”
My jaw went slack. “Mamie, you’re a miracle worker.”
“Not really. The first Tuesday of every month, the district holds its meeting in the boardroom.” She smiled as she clapped the clerk’s shoulder. “Ben will take it from here.”
