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“I’ll get that on the wagon, and we’ll head to the church. I’m ready to be married.”
She nodded. “As am I. It’s been a long journey, and I’m ready to get on with our new life together.” She realized she wasn’t wearing the new dress she’d planned to wear for the wedding, but that was fine as long as Ma never found out. She’d wear it for her first Sunday in her new church.
Once they were on the road, it only took a couple of minutes to get to the church. He helped her down and took her hand, pulling her toward the church. “Pastor Abrams is the one doing the ceremony. He said he’d have two witnesses there for us.”
Inside the church, she felt at peace. It was a small church, but that didn’t matter to her one whit. She’d be married and that’s what really mattered.
Pastor Abrams called out to him. “Leonard, you found your bride!”
Leonard grinned. “I did. She got off the train just like she was supposed to, so we’re getting married.”
“That’ll be nice,” the pastor said.
The ceremony was over quickly, and when Leonard was told to kiss his bride, he held nothing back, grabbing Constance by the waist and pulling her to him. He kissed her for all he was worth, and Constance was a bit startled by it all.
“Sorry to run out so fast,” Leonard said, “but I need to get her home before I head to work.” He shook the pastor’s hand, and Constance was sure she saw a coin pass from one hand to the other. It pleased her to know her new husband was thoughtful.
Pastor Abrams smiled. “Have a good night at work! Welcome to our community, Constance!”
With that, they left the church and he helped her into the wagon. “I want to have a few minutes to show you around the house before I have to leave,” he explained.
“Oh, that would be nice.”
“I live here in town, which is nice for shopping and worship,” he said. “The house isn’t grand by any means, but it’s comfortable. It has three bedrooms, and there’s even a water closet. I think you’ll be comfortable there.”
“It sounds lovely. We didn’t have a water closet back east.”
“The winters are harsh here, so I put one in. I hate going outside in the middle of the night and freezing my bottom off.”
Constance nodded, grinning. “I hated that back home.”
“So, tell me about yourself and why you chose to answer the letter.”
“My reason seems mostly shallow, but I hope you’ll listen. I was born into a family of morning people. They’re all up before the rooster crows, and I was never like that. I like to walk at midnight, and live the same pace as everyone else, and I get the same amount of sleep, but I’m in bed much later.” She sighed. “My mother told me I was lazy a lot.”
“It’s not lazy!” He shook his head. “I like that you are a night owl like me. I drive for the freight company because I love to be awake at night. Most nights I’ll be home by about quarter past midnight. Is that too late for you?”
“Not at all. I could easily stay up until three in the morning, but then I need to sleep until eleven.”
“Sounds good to me. We’ll get along great in that regard.” He pulled up in front of a small house and helped her down. “This is my place. You’re welcome to make any décor changes you’d like. I think it’s decorated the way I do everything in life—haphazardly.”
She grinned. “I’m sure there will be things I want to change to my taste. It’ll all work out in the end.”
He took her trunk and led her toward the house, opening the door wide to allow her to enter first. He’d paid a lady to come in and clean for him, so Constance wouldn’t be disgusted by the state of things.
She stopped in the entryway of the house, seeing the kitchen straight ahead and the parlor to her left. Unsure of which way to go, Constance stood in the middle of the room, feeling like she was invading Leonard’s privacy.
Leonard set the trunk down and put a hand on her shoulder. “This is your home now. Go where you want.”
Constance chose to go into the kitchen first. There were cabinets everywhere, which thrilled her. She could keep the kitchen clean with so much space to store food and dishes. “Is there a cellar for food as well?” she asked.
He nodded. “I have potatoes, carrots, and all the food my mother canned for me down there. She’s certain I’ll starve to death if she doesn’t provide me with food from her garden.” He shook his head.
“Sounds like she loves you. You can’t complain about that. Is she nearby?”
“Yes, I grew up on a farm outside town. My parents both still live there.”
“I look forward to meeting them.” Truthfully, she was nervous about it, but that was normal as far as she was concerned.
