Chapter Twenty-Two
Through the window of the slowing locomotive, Dugan watched Ross Robbins get to his feet and rush toward the door before the train finished screeching to a halt.
Last week, after he helped Tully and Seth interrogate all the members of his uncle’s gang and completed the necessary reports, he sent a telegraph to Delilah’s father requesting his permission to marry the man’s daughter. In the time it took him to go to the café and eat the first decent meal he’d had since Saturday, he received an affirmative reply.
He immediately made his way to Delilah’s house where they had a long talk and made plans to marry. Much to his elation, she would have marched down the street to Pastor Eagan’s house and wed right then.
In spite of his impatience to make the beautiful, amazing woman his own, Dugan wanted to do things properly. So he sent Ross another telegram, asking if he thought he could return by the first of June, the date Delilah wanted to wed.
As he watched his soon-to-be father-in-law step off the train, Dugan grinned and took one of the bags the man held then shook his hand. “Cutting it a little close?” Dugan asked as they made their way across the train platform and down the steps.
“The train was delayed for an hour this morning while we waited for a herd of cattle to get off the tracks. I was about ready to get out and walk,” Ross said, keeping step with Dugan as they hurried toward the Robbins’ home.
Delilah had gone to Maggie’s house to dress for the wedding. Pastor Eagan would marry them in the church then everyone would go to the cottage garden for the reception. Everything and everyone was set. The only thing they’d been missing was the bride’s father.
“According to my sources, your daughter was growing quite anxious for you to arrive,” Dugan said, holding open the front gate and following Ross up the walk.
The man looked around, appearing impressed with his daughter’s propensity for turning any piece of ground into a lovely haven of green lawn and flowers.
“You should see the backyard,” Dugan said, as they walked up the steps.
Ross opened the door and moved inside, then took the bag from Dugan. “I’ll change into my suit and meet you at the church.”
“Want me to wait for you?” Dugan asked.
“You go on. It won’t take me long,” Ross said, grinning at him. He set the bags down then gave Dugan an unexpected bear hug. “I’ve long hoped Lila would find a good man who could win her love and claim her heart. I’m glad she chose you, Dugan. You’re a fine, fine man.”
“Thank you, sir. I know we haven’t had much opportunity to get to know one another, but from what I do know, I couldn’t ask for a better father.”
Ross gave him a nudge toward the door and Dugan noticed the sheen of moisture in the man’s eyes. “Before we both start blubbering like little girls, get out of here, son. I’ll be right there.”
Dugan nodded and took a step back then glanced down at Ross’s leg. “Is your injury healed, sir?”
Ross grinned. “I could have been home weeks ago, but I figured you needed a little more time to work your wiles on my headstrong, opinionated daughter.”
Dugan chuckled. “I guess I really owe you a debt of thanks, sir.” He hurried down the walk and made his way to the church where guests had already started filling the pews. Seth and Tully agreed to stand up with him, but Seth would serve as his best man.
Together, the three of them moved into position at the front of the church. It seemed like forever and a day had passed before Maggie stepped into the church and gave them the signal that Delilah was ready to walk down the aisle.
The pianist began playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D as Maggie and then Brianna walked down the aisle. Sammy Barrett and Lily Jordan served as flower girls, both giggling as they tossed rose petals with abandon on their way down the aisle.
Dugan grinned at the two little girls in the frothy lace-bedecked dresses then lifted his gaze to a vision floating down the aisle on the arm of Ross. Delilah looked so elegant in her gown of white silk with ruffles of embroidered chiffon. A lace veil made by Allie Amick fastened over her gleaming dark hair with a spray of pink roses from Maggie’s garden pinned in a curl above her ear. Not that Dugan had any notion about women’s fashions, but Maggie and Brianna had chattered on and on about the gown until he knew the description, even if he had no idea how magnificent it would look on Delilah.
She smiled through the gauzy lace at him as her father placed her hand in Dugan’s then kissed her cheek.
Dugan heard him whisper to her. “Love you always, Lila.”
“Love you, too, Papa,” she said, blinking away the moisture in her eyes and turning her attention back to him and Pastor Eagan.
The ceremony passed so smoothly and quickly, Dugan was surprised when Pastor Eagan asked if he had a ring. He accepted the platinum band with a rose-cut diamond Seth held out to him. The ring had belonged to Delilah’s grandmother and she asked if he’d mind if she chose it as her wedding ring.
Dugan didn’t mind at all. She could have requested an iron washer for her finger and he wouldn’t have objected. He just wanted to be married to her, to know she was his forevermore.
In a strong, clear voice he recited his vows then smiled at Delilah as she said hers without a moment of hesitation.
The pastor said a few more words Dugan didn’t hear, lost as he was in the way sun streamed in a stained glass window and shone directly on his bride. The sight was so breathtaking, he wished there was a way to preserve it. Committing it to his memory would have to do.
He snapped back to attention when the pastor pronounced them man and wife and encouraged him to kiss his bride.
“Give her a good slobbery kiss, Uncle Dugan,” Lily Jordan said in a stage whisper that echoed throughout the church.
Tully chuckled. Seth laughed. Jemma Jordan’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment, but Dugan didn’t notice. He was too focused on lifting Delilah’s veil and looking into the warmth of her deep brown eyes. A grin creased his face as he saw the cameo pendant he’d sent over to Maggie’s for her to wear. He’s spent two days combing through every shop in Baker City looking for a perfect wedding gift before he’d found it: a pale blue cameo with a hummingbird sucking nectar from a morning glory while flowers bloomed all around it. The silver chain had two tiny silver robins attached to it, as though they looked down on the hummingbird with approval.
For a brief moment, he studied the cameo, the way it nestled right over his bride’s heart. “Happy wedding day, Dilly.”
She smiled at him, eyes sparkling with love and promises, waiting for him to seal their vows with a kiss.
Dugan had spent a measurable amount of time considering the type of kiss to give his bride. Too passionate seemed disrespectful. Too chaste seemed weak, pathetic. No, it had to be perfect.
He took a step closer, slid one hand to the back of her neck, the other around her waist and gave her a crooked, teasing smile. The kiss he bestowed on his bride let Delilah and everyone there know she was cherished, respected, wanted, needed, and loved. So incredibly loved.
Women sighed at the tenderness of the kiss and dabbed at their tears. The men around him slapped his back. Lily Jordan gave him an approving nod before she and Sammy giggled.
Dugan took Delilah’s hand and led her down the aisle and out the doors of the church. When they stepped into the sunshine, he swept her into his arms and carried her all the way back to her father’s house. He knew for a fact she didn’t have anything left at the house. Ian and Tully had carted the last of her trunks over to his house that morning, under the orders of Maggie and Brianna.
The two women had organized a force of females who marched into his house yesterday morning, armed with feather dusters, glass polish, brooms, and soap. They’d scrubbed his house from top to bottom. He doubted it had ever been quite so clean nor had the windows sparkled so brightly.
He’d moved his belongings into the big bedroom downstairs that hadn’t seemed right to use before. Now he knew why. All along, he’d been waiting for Delilah to share it with him.
Thoughts of their wedding night made his collar threaten to squeeze off his air supply as he toed open the gate to the cottage’s backyard and looked around in surprise.
Delilah’s garden always looked splendid, but with wedding decorations hanging from the trees and additional baskets of flowers placed all around, it was a sight to behold.
Oliver chattered at them as he jumped off his chair and ran over. He stood on his back legs, begging to be picked up.
Dugan lifted him in one hand while Delilah reached out to pet him. He smiled at his bride. “I heard you and Brianna are planning to decorate Tully’s office next week.”
“You should hear all the things Brianna plans to take over there. Tully will hate it.” She giggled. “It’s going to be such fun!”
Dugan playfully swatted her backside. “Tully’s convinced you can train Oliver to do anything, after the way he gnawed all over Hugh Allen, or I guess I should call him Bill Durfey.”
“I don’t care what his name is, that horrid man will never be family to you, Dugan. You had no idea he even existed. Leave it at that.”
Dugan nodded. “He’ll most likely think himself dead before he makes it to trial since he’s convinced Ollie gave him rabies.”
“Well, he almost deserves to have them.” Delilah glanced at him as she absently pet the raccoon.
Dugan’s left eyebrow cocked upward. “Almost?”
“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” She sighed and ran her fingers through Dugan’s hair. “Why are we discussing something so tragic on our wedding day?”
“Why, indeed?” he asked, pulling her against him with his free hand and kissing her without a speck of the restraint he’d shown earlier.
When he finally came up for air, Tully slapped him on the back and Seth nudged his side.
“Lily would fully approve of that slobbery kiss,” Seth teased.
“I think I might need more practice,” Dugan said, leaning toward Delilah. She ducked and burrowed her face into his neck. He chuckled and handed Oliver to Sammy as the little girl walked by then wrapped both arms around his wife. “I love you, Dilly, girl.”
Delilah felt like she’d been swept into a beautiful dream. She’d just married the man who’d thoroughly captured her heart and captivated her very soul. Dugan was everything she could ever hope to find in a husband, but hadn’t realized she’d needed.
Tears had sprung to her eyes when Maggie walked into the room where she and Brianna were helping her get ready for the wedding with a small box wrapped in silver paper and tied with a blue ribbon.
She’d opened the box and been overcome with emotion at the exquisitely crafted cameo Dugan had sent to her. The note in the box simply read:
I saw this and thought of you… not just because of the birds, but because it’s elegant, lovely, and unique. I love you, Dilly.
Yours forever,
Dugan
Even if Maggie and Brianna hadn’t insisted she wear the cameo with her wedding gown, nothing could have stopped her from putting it on. All the while she was waiting for her father to arrive and escort her down the aisle, her fingers rubbed the cameo, feeling somehow closer to Dugan because of it.
He’d looked so handsome at the wedding. The cut of his new suit fit him perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders, long legs, and sculpted form. He’d shaved off the scruff he so often sported on his face, but she wouldn’t have minded if he’d left it. It just made him look more rugged in her opinion. When she’d stepped next to him and her father handed her into his keeping, she’d seen the love shimmering in his gorgeous blue eyes and admired, once again, the raw beauty of his form and face.
Why she loved him, though — loved him with every beat of her heart — was not for how he looked, but for who he was. Dugan Durfey was a tender, gentle, caring man who would do anything for those he loved, but especially for her. He’d shown her over and over again since she’d arrived in Baker City how much he loved her, even if she’d failed to see it until it was almost too late.
She supposed she should be grateful for Seth’s interference, since it ultimately worked to her benefit. It was hard to fathom how hard he’d worked to convince Dugan he intended to court her, but he’d done a good job of it.
Now, she watched as Seth teased Dugan about something and her husband’s neck turned red. She probably didn’t want to know what the two of them said. They were closer than any brothers she’d ever seen and she hoped Dugan would continue that relationship with his friend.
As the reception wound down and guests began to leave, Delilah wished she and Dugan could slip away. She knew a bride shouldn’t be quite so eager for her wedding night, but Delilah loved the feel of being held in Dugan’s powerful arms and his kisses… oh, the things his kisses did to her.
Just thinking about them made her stomach flutter. She looked across the yard again and caught Dugan’s eye. He gave her a private, intimate smile. One that caused her knees to quake and waves of sparks to flood through her veins.
He said something to Seth, but didn’t break eye contact with her. Instead, he purposefully made his way across the yard until he stood with the toes of his polished boots beneath her skirts.
“Mrs. Durfey, I do believe you summoned me,” he said, lacing their fingers together.
“Why would you think that?” she asked, coyly batting her eyelashes at him as he slowly backed her toward the porch steps. A sound near her ear made her turn her head. Together they watched as a pair of hummingbirds zipped by then sipped from the nectar she’d made fresh for them that morning.
Dugan leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I plan to buzz around you, savoring your sweet nectar for a long, long time, Dilly girl.”
She whipped her head around so fast, their cheeks bumped and Dugan chuckled softly. “I’ve gallantly put up with all this fuss and bother today, but I’m ready to take my wife home. Any arguments?”
Delilah shook her head. “None from me, Dugan. I’m ready to go home. With you.”
He glanced around them then took her hand and pulled her up the porch steps and into the house, women milled around the kitchen, but he paid them no mind as he led Delilah into the hall and to the front door. Quickly sweeping her into his arms, he carried her down the front porch steps, along the walk, and out the gate to a waiting buggy driven by Seth.
“What do have here?” Seth teased as Dugan set Delilah on the back seat and climbed in beside her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you two are trying to run away from your own party.”
“That’s the general idea.” Dugan tapped Seth on the back then wrapped his arm around Delilah, pulling her close to his side. “Straight home, if you please my good man,” he said in a clipped British accent.
Seth chuckled. “You learn that from Edwin Greenfield?”
“Righty ho, what?” Dugan said in a perfect imitation of the man.
Delilah laughed. “I dare you to do that in front of him, or Jemma, for that matter.”
“I don’t need my ears boxed, so I won’t take that dare,” Dugan said, kissing the top of her head.
A few minutes later, Seth pulled up on front of Dugan’s house and glanced back at them. “I’ll take care of the chores so you won’t have to worry about them.”
Dugan got out and shook Seth’s hand. “Thank you, my friend. I’ll do the same for you when you find a woman you can’t live without.”
Seth snorted. “The likelihood of lightning striking me dead in the next five seconds has a much higher chance of happening than me marrying, but I’ll keep your offer in mind.”
Delilah stood and started to step out of the buggy, but before she could move, Dugan again lifted her in his arms. She laughed as he blew one of the ruffles from her dress off his face.
She smiled at their driver. “Thank you, Seth!”
“My pleasure, Delilah. Enjoy your evening.” Seth snapped the reins and drove the buggy down to the barn while Dugan carried Delilah up the steps and inside his home. Their home.
She’d only been in the house a few times, but she admired the gleaming hardwood floor, the light streaming through the sparkling windows, and the smell of flowers in the air.
Vases and baskets of flowers of all varieties were tucked here and there throughout the house.
“Did you pick all these?” she asked, snagging a daisy from a bouquet of wildflowers on the small entry table.
“No. I had a lot of help the last few days,” he said, carrying her through the house to the kitchen.
Dusk had just fallen as he opened the door and stepped outside with her held tenderly in his arms.
“Oh, Dugan. It’s lovely!” she said, looking around his yard. Chinese lanterns hung in the trees. Ribbons fluttered from branches and huge baskets of flowers surrounded a table draped in white linen. Candles glowed and a picnic basket promised a feast for their dinner. “I love it!”
“And I love you,” he said, kissing her with such ardor, she never wanted him to stop, never wanted to be anywhere but in his arms.
When he lifted his head long moments later and smiled at her, her heart felt like it would burst with love for him.
“I know you’ll miss your beautiful garden at your father’s house, but I hope you’ll turn our yard into a haven for your birds, and even Oliver, too.”
She placed her hands on his cheeks and looked into his eyes. And in the depths of them, she saw a happy, long future full of passion, hope, and enduring love.
“You are the most wonderful man in the world, Dugan Durfey. Thank you for making me your wife.”
He shook his head and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for making me so happy, Dilly, by giving me your love. May it bloom in our hearts each and every day.”