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“And your wife is due with your first baby soon,” Beth said.
“That’s right,” Cord said. “It’s a little freaky how much you know.”
Beth laughed lightly. “That’s all I know.”
He grinned at her. “That’s about all we are,” he said. “We’ll be moving in slowly over the next month or so. We don’t have to be out of our place, and Jane works with me at the shop.”
The line started moving then, ending their conversation. Cord offered his arm to Alicia, and she linked her hand through his elbow. They walked down the aisle with everyone watching them, and Cord’s skin started to itch. He reminded himself no one really cared about him, and once they’d circled around the altar, he got to go back to his saved seat.
Jane smiled at him. “You’re so handsome,” she murmured as she leaned into his bicep.
“Met some of our new neighbors,” he whispered back.
“Oh?” Jane’s face brightened, and Cord sincerely hoped she’d be happy in a more rural environment. They’d been over it several times, and she claimed she’d be perfectly happy, because she got to talk to customers at the shop six days a week.
The shop was for him, the farm was for him, and Cord just wanted Jane to have something she loved, adored, and craved.
That’s what your son will be, he told himself as the music changed. Cord twisted to find the bride waiting at the end of the aisle, and he quickly got to his feet so he could help Jane up too. She took a few extra seconds, then stood at his side with her hand resting maternally on her belly.
He loved feeling his baby move inside her, and the first time he’d been able to…Cord still got a little misty-eyed when he thought about it. Or maybe that was the way Lindsay shone like the sun, moon, and the stars as she smiled down the aisle at Keith.
He too wore a sort of silver-gold radiance that Cord had decided only brides and grooms could achieve on their wedding day.
She walked with her brother on one side of her and her daddy on the other, and Cord knew there were stories there. Probably long, dusty roads too, that all three of them had trod to get to this point.
Jane slipped her fingers into Cord’s, and he squeezed. Not too long ago, this had been them, and he couldn’t wait for the next fourteen months, and then the next.
Lindsay’s dress looked like it had been made with white palm fronds, the tops of which had been sewn together at the waist. They hung down in layers of feathery leaves, with the top half covered in lace and jewels in equal measure.
“She’s so beautiful,” Jane whispered, and Cord could agree with that. She moved one step at a time, advancing fairly slowly toward Keith. When she reached the first row, she paused to kiss Gloria’s cheek, and she hugged Matt. Then her daddy passed her to Keith, who took her easily into his arms and pressed his cheek against hers.
Derrick and his dad sat in the two reserved seats up front, and the whole audience retook their seats as the pastor came forward and stood behind the altar.
“What a joyous occasion which has brought us all together,” the man said. He spoke with a quiet power that reached into Cord’s chest and struck right against his heart. The man reminded Cord of Gray Hammond, who could whip a man with words barely spoken louder than a whisper.
He and Elise had made the drive from Coral Canyon for Keith’s wedding, as Keith had grown up on their family farm and was like another son for them. Having Jane’s parents here was one reason she and Cord weren’t moving immediately to their new farm.
His shop was another—spring was an incredibly busy time as farmers and ranchers got their machines and equipment out of storage from the winter. Spring planting sat only a couple of weeks away, and the bigger operations had already started, taking a chance that a late freeze wouldn’t strike them this year.
Cord had no plans to plant on the new farm—other than a few rows of corn and maybe some pumpkins. But those could go in the ground weeks from now and still be okay. He didn’t own any horses, nor chickens, and they really only needed to move their personal belongings from the house in the gated community to the more rural one that actually sat closer to the mechanic shop.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today under this vast, open sky, surrounded by the beauty of nature, to celebrate the union of Keith Whettstein and Lindsay Lewis in marriage. As we stand here, let us be reminded of the enduring spirit of the cowboy: a spirit of courage, resilience, and integrity—a spirit that Keith and Lindsay embody in their love for one another.”
Cord had never had much use for cowboys until he’d become one—and then, the cowboy way had literally saved him. Thankfully, air continued to flow through his nose and into his lungs, despite the storm of emotions inside him.
“In the journey of marriage, much like the life of a cowboy, there will be long trails, sunrises, and sunsets. There will be storms to weather and clear skies to cherish. Marriage, like the land we stand on, requires nurturing and respect. It requires the hard work of tending and the joy of harvesting.”
Jane leaned her head against Cord’s arm, and he reached over with his other hand and covered hers, covered their baby. She looked up at him, and so much was said without a single word being spoken.
“A bit of advice, if I may,” the pastor continued. “Not just to Keith and Lindsay, but to everyone here.” He spread his arms wide. “Let your love for others be as steadfast as the mountains around us. Let your commitment to each other be as enduring as the ground beneath your feet. Remember that we’re all wounded in some way. We all have need of the Master Healer. We all need to be loved, cared for, and guided.”
“Amen,” Cord whispered. So many people hid so much beneath the surface. It was impossible to tell if they were suffering greatly or not, and he never wanted to add more to someone’s plate when they were already carrying a heavy load.
“Now, let’s get these two married,” the pastor said. “I believe Lindsay has something to say to Keith.”
“You do?” Keith asked, and that elicited a few chuckles.
She nodded, and she turned back to her brother, who handed her a single index card.
