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Tono stood next to her, looking distinguished in his own western attire, having agreed to give her away. She knew a moment of sadness that she had no family of her own to witness this momentous occasion, but after today, she was getting a family times three. Well, four actually, she thought with a secret smile as her hand fluttered to her belly.
She hadn’t told her fiancés about the pregnancy which had been confirmed just yesterday. In the last-minute rush of wedding arrangements, the opportunity simply hadn’t presented itself, so now she was saving that as her wedding present to them.
Outside, the Chief of one of the local tribes was waiting. It seemed the Carson’s Great Grandmother had been a Native American - not only that, but she had also been related to Tono’s family. Since their heritage was recognized, he had agreed to perform a polygamous wedding ceremony for them. Historically, that had been something that was commonly practiced among most of the Native American Tribes, so they were completely accepting of polyandry.
Of course, in the eyes of the law, the ceremony wasn’t legally binding, but for Ellie, Cody, Syrus and Ezra it was perfect.
Everything else; her newfound wealth, and their property, had been taken care of with careful legal agreements and wills that protected all four of them and any children they had within their unorthodox relationship. And while it might have seemed wholly unromantic to some, it was really the only way to provide for each of them until the law came to accept unions such as theirs.
Still, there were considerable benefits to having money, Ellie had found. As much as she’d always believed that there were more important things in life - still did - the brothers had finally agreed to let her buy into a quarter share of the ranch. The proviso - their stipulation - was that the money be used for improvements, and that meant they all had a lot more time to spend together. An additional wind turbine and upgrades to the solar power had put an end to having to constantly have one eye on the electrical draw. It allowed Ellie to splurge on the luxuries of an electric mixer and even a tumble dryer, and she had treated her men to a top of the range laptop each and satellite TV.
By mutual agreement, they had hired a foreman and a full-time cowhand. The ranch had always afforded that, the Carson’s had simply never bothered since they had nothing better to do than work. In the past, they had just employed seasonal labor as necessary. A wife and family were going to change that, and work had already begun on building an onsite Forman’s cottage and renovating the bunk house.
It also meant that they could have a proper honeymoon, and that was another of Ellie’s wedding gifts to them after finding out that none of them had taken a holiday for over six years. And truly, she couldn’t wait to have all three of them to herself, with no chores, no obligations, just sun, fun and relaxation for an entire ten days. She was so excited, and they didn’t even know about it yet!
Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, she gave Tono a nod to tell him she was ready and watched as he went out to tell the Western hot string band to start their unique rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon in D played on the guitar, violin and ukulele.
In that moment of quiet and privacy, her thoughts drifted to her Gran.
“I’m surprised I’m not hearing your voice telling me this is a sin Gran,” she said out loud with a rueful smile on her face. But as she shook out the cream lace of her skirts and got ready to leave the marquee, Gran’s voice sounded as loud and clear as if she was right there next to her… maybe she was.
‘There’s no sin in loving anyone, sweetie. It’s easy really, just ask yourself this. Is what you’re doing hurting anybody? And when I say hurting them, I mean actually causing them real pain. Not just the bigoted type of holier than though perceptions that people get all uptight about, because they don’t count. Mixed marriages, gay partnerships, the age gap. Folks get their panties in a wad and want to have their say, but in the great scheme of things, it’s no business of theirs and while it may upset their bigoted sensibilities, it doesn’t do them any harm. If the same applies here, then what do you have to concern yourself with?’
Ellie smiled to herself. It was true. What they were doing hurt no one. The way they lived was pretty private anyway, out in the roadless wilderness. Maybe they were fortunate in that.
You can’t live your life bound by other people’s prejudices. Would you insist a same-sex couple stop seeing each other or that a black man and a white woman shouldn’t wed? All those things used to be prohibited, but time and acceptance have moved on and those things have been legitimized. Who’s to say the same thing won’t happen here?
In the past, folks had to fight for those rights; had to stand up for what they believed in. Noneofit happened overnight, and there sure as heck was a boatload of persecution to go with it.
Now there was a novel thought. Ellie had never considered herself to be much of a groundbreaker, but if her lifestyle helped others to live the way she and her three men did, then she would put herself behind the cause.
The point is, they lived their best life, and that’s what you need to do too. Live the best life for you, and not someone else’s idea of how things should be. Those who want the best for you will accept things as they are. And those who don’t, well, they ain’t worth bothering with.
“Thank you, Gran. I love you.” Ellie whispered hurriedly, finding a tissue to blot the tears from her eyes before she ruined her wedding makeup. She was going to live her best life, and no one, nowhere, was going to tell her it was wrong.
‘I love you too.’
Spirit fingers gently ruffled her hair, which she had left hanging loose to her waist and woven with flowers, and a phantom kiss whispered across her cheek. Of course, it might have been the wind, but Ellie preferred her own interpretation.
Then Tono was there at the door, waiting for her, and Ellie moved to take hiselbowand let him lead her to her new life in the arms of the three smokin’ hot cowboys she loved and the unique lifestyle they were going to build, all four of them, and whatever children they were blessed with,togetherin their own happily ever after.
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