In her yellow dress, Violet looked more like a daffodil, and Richard couldn’t focus on anything else for longer than a few minutes at a time. He was quite certain that he’d fallen in love with his wife, and it was such a curious sensation, he wanted to explore the possibility. With each day, the more comfortable they grew with each other, the more he wanted to share with her and experience with her. He’d promised her a trip to see the stars the following night, and he found himself looking forward to it as much as she was. The chance to see the stars with her, although he’d seen them countless times already, sounded like a wonderful adventure.
When the music started, he took Violet’s hand in his and guided her out to the dance floor, then took her in his arms. This was the first time he’d held her, and the feeling was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He felt strong and protective, and yet open and vulnerable. He was sworn to be her guardian, and yet he knew that she could crumble him with a word if she ever chose to walk away. He’d never been in this position before, but as he contemplated it, he realized how very common these feelings were . . . they were felt by every man who had ever been in love.
It was official. He was hooked.
As they swayed back and forth, she looked up into his eyes. “What are you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about our trip to see the stars tomorrow night.” It wasn’t a complete lie—he had been thinking about it. Just . . . several minutes ago and not right now. He wasn’t ready to share his thoughts of right now. He wanted to phrase them just right, find the perfect moment . . . in truth, he was worried that she would reject what he had to say. Not that she’d given him reason to feel that way, but he’d never professed love to a lady before because he’d never felt it, and he didn’t want to do it wrong.
“I can’t wait,” she replied. “Should we bring a blanket?”
“That would be nice,” he said, smiling, hoping she couldn’t see all the emotions flitting across his face.
“I think I’ll make some cookies too. Stargazing is always more fun with cookies.”
“Everything in the world is more fun with cookies.” He swung her around and then brought her close again, even closer than she’d been before. Proper society would say he was holding her too close, but this was Flying Squirrel, and the rules were a little different up here. Besides, he was the law, and if he was doing something wrong, well, he didn’t think anyone would dare challenge it.
Far too soon, the dance was over, and everyone pitched in to gather up the dishes, disassemble the dance floor, and return everything to the way it was before. Richard noticed how tirelessly Violet worked, but she had a bright smile on her face the entire time as though she was enjoying the effort.
When they reached the cabin, Richard knew he needed to go to sleep because he had the early shift again the next day, but he reached out and caught Violet’s hand and tugged her into his arms again.
“You said something earlier about kissing,” he said, watching her face for a reaction.
She quickly hid a smile behind a serious expression. “Yes, I did. I was stating my opinion that there was a certain lack of such things taking place around here as of late.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do about that.” He pulled her in all the way, then lowered his head and kissed her, feeling her relax in his arms. She was so delightful to hold.
He let her go regretfully, kissed her once more on the forehead, and stepped back. “Goodnight, Mrs. Murray,” he said.
“Goodnight, Mr. Murray. Thank you for an absolutely wonderful day.” She waved at him over her shoulder as she walked toward the bedroom, and he sank onto the couch. It was official—he was smitten. Totally, completely smitten.
***
Violet went to church the next morning with the other brides, but she had the hardest time concentrating on the sermon. That night, she’d be going with Richard to see the stars. She had already set aside the blanket she thought would be best for spreading on the grass, and she knew what kind of cookies she’d make that afternoon, and now all that remained was for nighttime to come. But being antsy would only make time go slower, so she tried to calm down and pay attention. She’d always loved the story of the prodigal son—maybe it would help take her mind off things.
As soon as she got back home, though, she went into a flurry of making dinner, starting bread, and mixing up cookie dough. She wanted everything to be perfect for their outing, and that started with making sure they had a good dinner. A beef roast with vegetables, fresh bread, and cheese should do the trick.
Richard got home right about the same time the roast came out of the oven, and he grinned. “Are you still trying to fatten me up?”
“Absolutely. It’s my new purpose in life.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, rather astonished at her own forwardness, and then chastising herself for being astonished. It was the twentieth century, after all. If she felt like kissing her husband, she should do it, and he certainly didn’t seem to mind.
She bounced up and down a bit while they ate, unable to contain herself, and finally he started to laugh. “You just can’t wait, can you?” he said. “You realize that we have hours yet before dark.”
“I realize that, but it doesn’t make it any easier to wait,” she replied. “I’m just so excited.”
“You and your stars.” He shook his head with an indulgent smile. “I’ll tell you what. After dinner, why don’t you show me some of your astronomy books? Tell me about all your favorite stars. That will help pass the time, won’t it?”
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea.” Was he really interested, or was he just trying to calm her down? She didn’t actually care about his motive—she was just so pleased that he would sit and talk with her about something she loved so much.
As soon as she’d cleared dinner away, she brought out her books, and they sat together on the sofa.
“This book discusses the history of astronomy—what our ancient ancestors thought the stars were, the legends they developed about them, and so forth,” she explained, handing him the first volume. “There are stories in here similar to the ones you told me from the Inuit, but from a wide variety of cultures. And this book talks about the stars themselves—their names, the constellations where they appear, and so forth.”
“Tell me about your favorites,” he said, and she opened the second book and turned to the page about Cassiopeia.
After a few minutes, she noticed that Richard was breathing softly and evenly, and she looked over to see that he had fallen asleep, his chin resting on his chest. Poor man—he’d worked the early shift that day and was going to be taking her out in the middle of the night. He deserved a nap. She closed the book, stood up, and gently nudged him until he flopped over onto the couch.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ll wake up.”
“No, you’ll take a nap,” she said. He didn’t argue—he’d never even opened his eyes.
She shook her head and went into the bedroom, placing her books on the trunk and then deciding to take a nap herself. All that excitement, even though it was just emotional, had worn her right out.
***
“Violet?”
She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and her eyes flew open. “What is it? What’s the matter?”
Richard stood there, a smile on his face. “It’s time to go see the stars.”
“It is?” She sat up and noticed it was full dark. “Oh, it is! Let’s go!”
He chuckled as she scrambled out of bed. “Thank you for letting me nap. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
“You needed it. And now we can stay out even later, right?”
He laughed again. “Um, sure. The stars fade after about four hours, though, so that’s probably our limit.”
They went outside, and Violet was pleased to see that he’d already hitched up the buggy they kept at the Mountie station in case it was needed. She knew the men relied on their horses for nearly everything, but sometimes, having a buggy was nice. He helped her up, then went back into the house to fetch the blanket and the basket of cookies she’d forgotten to bring out with her.
As Richard guided the buggy along, Violet clung to his arm, staring up into the sky. The trees thinned, and she saw the twinkling of lights overhead. Oh, she’d missed this so much. A time or two, she’d thought about staying up late herself and just going out in front of their house to see the night sky, but she was always too tired to give it a try. Now, fortified with a nap, she was ready, and her heart soared to see her old friends again.
Their destination, the hill Richard had spoken of, was neither steep nor high, but it was clear on all sides of trees and other things that would block their vision. They climbed to the top, leaving the horse tied to a tree at the bottom, and spread out the blanket they’d brought. Then Violet lay back, stared upwards, and gasped.
It was just as Richard had promised it would be. From this vantage point, she felt as though she could leap out and touch space if only she could get up the momentum. Each star seemed so huge, so bright, and so beautiful.
Richard reached over and wiped a tear away from her cheek. “Are you all right?”
She rolled onto her side and looked at him. “I’m more than all right. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”
He stroked her cheek, and it tingled where he touched. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Violet.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. She just closed her eyes and accepted his kiss, curling her fingers around his neck. If Mrs. Allan knew how very happy she was at that moment, she’d likely have some sort of stroke, but Violet didn’t care. She was home now, in the arms of her husband, in a place where she could make a difference by being herself. What a novel thought.
Richard pulled back, leaned on one elbow, and said, “Now, I seem to recall something about some cookies.”
She laughed. “Yes, there are cookies. In the basket.”
He set the basket on the blanket between them and they munched cookies and talked about the stars until the sky began to lighten again. It was without doubt the best night of Violet’s life—sharing the things she loved with the man she loved. And when they got back to the cabin, she walked over to the sofa, picked up his blanket, and tossed it in the closet. He wouldn’t be needing it out in the living room anymore.