Chapter 6
Chapter Six
A urora Martin stepped into her dress and let her mother zip it up in the back. All of the women she had known and loved for the past several years had arrived in the room, including Ollie’s mom.
Aunt Jackie stood on Aurora’s left, and she slid her hand down her hip to straighten the dress. “This is such an amazing alteration.”
“Thank you,” Aurora murmured, admiring herself in the mirror. She’d sewn a skirt of feathers onto the once-simple dress. She felt light and airy, like she could flap her arms and she could take off, fly the world, and see everything from the sky.
Almost as one, all of the women started to gather around her as she stood in front of the mirror. A sunbeam came through the window above and in front of her, landing on her hair and touching it with gold.
“You are exquisite,” her mom said, gripping Aurora’s shoulders as she rested her chin on her shoulder. “I’m so happy for you, and I’m going to miss you all at the same time.” She touched her lips to Aurora’s cheek and stepped away.
Aunt Jackie slipped her hand along Aurora’s waist, her tears prevalent and flowing down her face. “I love you to the moon and back, darlin’.” She too kissed Aurora’s cheek and followed Mom to the side of the room.
Aurora reached up and adjusted the wide straps that went across her shoulders, wishing they weren’t quite so bony. She’d hand-stitched lace across the bodice of the dress to fancy it up, and she’d cut out the shoulders and sleeves and sewn in the wide straps she’d made from some leftover white fabric. She loved the dress, and she loved that she’d made it from her own creativity, with her own skills. She loved that no one would ever have a dress like this at their wedding.
She turned toward Sammy, who reached up and put a pearl comb in Aurora’s hair, her smile wobbling. “The day your mother showed up on the front porch of the homestead changed my life for the better. I’ve loved having you on the ranch.” She embraced Aurora and moved out of the way too.
Whitney Walker moved around the women, taking pictures with a click, click, click that sounded deafening in the silence. Aurora did her best not to look at the camera, as Whitney had told her not to.
Dot smiled at her and reached for her hand. “When I married Ward, I put this blue band on my pinky finger to help me stay grounded in the moment. I was so nervous, and it helped so much.” She slid the small rubber band over Aurora’s pinky finger. “I think it’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Dot,” Aurora whispered, hugging her too.
Ida and Etta simply took her into a hug. Etta whispered, “I’m going to miss running into you and Ollie in the barn.”
A hint of embarrassment ran through Aurora, but Etta had always been so kind to her when she’d found them. She’d re-braided her hair and talked to her like a real adult, not a stupid kid too involved with their boyfriend.
“I’ve loved getting to know you,” Ida said, and the twins backed away.
Holly Ann opened her arms wide, and Aurora stepped into her, her emotion choking in the back of her throat. “You let me know if you need me to send you some food,” Holly Ann said. “I can send almost anything through the mail, and I’d love to know you and Ollie are taken care of in Savannah.”
“I will,” Aurora said. When she’d needed somewhere quiet to think and reflect the past few months, she’d wandered onto Holly Ann’s deck. It overlooked the land below the hills where Shiloh Ridge sat, and she’d found the answers she needed there.
Holly Ann had never given her a hard time for trespassing, and she’d started leaving little snacks for Aurora. Nothing else. No note. Nothing was ever said between them. They simply took care of each other at Shiloh Ridge.
When Holly Ann stepped back, Oakley took her place. After hugging her quickly, she said, “Here’s that extra piece of lace you had from the altar.” She tucked it under the wide straps that ran over Aurora’s shoulders. “It’s that something old you need to remind you that you come from some of the best stock in the state of Texas.” She grinned at Aurora, who shook her head, her grin as wide as the whole state she loved so much.
“How am I going to survive in Georgia?” she asked, genuine fear running through her. She slipped her finger along the rubber band on her pinky, and she did calm down.
“Somehow, that handsome cowboy out there will help,” Willa said, taking her turn to hug Aurora. She pulled back, full of smiles and joy. “You deserve every happiness, my dear. Both Cactus and I love you so much.”
Aurora loved the power with which Willa lived her life, and she repeated the sentiment back to her.
Charlie stepped forward and held up a hundred-dollar bill that looked like it had come straight from the bank. “When Preacher and I met for the first time, he hurriedly scrawled his name and number on a hundred-dollar bill and dropped it in my tip jar. This is your something new, Aurora.”
She tucked it under the strap on the opposite of the lace. “When you get to Savannah, Preacher and I want you to remember that the greatest relationships can start with something really simple. I thought he was arrogant and assuming, and I wouldn’t go out with him.”
“Look at you now,” Aurora said, grinning through her tears at Charlie.
“Remember to look at how you and Ollie are every day,” Charlie said quietly. “And go to dinner on us.” She grinned and kissed both of Aurora’s cheeks before joining the other women who’d already spoken to her.
June stood there, and Aurora’s smile faltered a little. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, baby.” June’s smile grew with friendliness and fondness. “I don’t know you well, but you know what I do know? I know what a woman in love looks like and sounds like, and you, Aurora Martin, are a woman in love.”
She hugged June, this woman who’d stood in front of her not long ago and lectured her not to do anything she’d regret later with Oliver in a hay loft. “Do you think he loves me too?”
“That boy is one-hundred percent in love with you,” June whispered, her grip tight on Aurora’s shoulders. “Thank you for sharing your love with all of us.”
As she stepped out of the way, the two older women came into view. Grandma Lois and Aunt Dawna looked like queens. They were the matriarchs of the Glover family, and Aurora loved them with her whole heart. She hugged them at the same time and said, “Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for loving me and my mom.”
“I want weekly texts,” Grandma Lois said, her voice shaky.
“You’re a doll, dear,” Aunt Dawna said. They stepped back, and her mother reached for her.
Ivory Walker stood before her, the last woman to address her. She wore a warm smile, but Aurora still didn’t quite know how to act around her. “You have something borrowed,” she said quietly, nodding to the comb. “Something blue. Something old, and something new.”
Aurora smiled, her lips trembling slightly. She had no idea how her legs were holding her up, and she couldn’t wait to grasp Bishop’s arm so she didn’t have to rely on her own strength.
Ivory tucked her into her arms and held her tight, saying, “You are a gorgeous woman, and I’m thrilled my son found you.” She stepped back quickly, wiping her eyes.
Aurora took a deep breath and faced her mom again. “I think I’m ready.”
“Let me go check on the boys,” Ivory said, and she stepped out into the hall. She didn’t leave the room completely and turned back to the crowd. “They’re lining up.”
“Come on, ladies,” Mom said. “If they’re lining up, that means Cactus’s timer went off. We need to get in line too.” She got lost in the fray of clicking heels and swishing skirts, and Aurora felt lost for a moment, tossed in a stormy sea without an anchor.
She wanted to cry out to her mother not to leave her, but she managed to keep the words dormant. Finally, her mom turned back to her, and Aurora saw her in a brand-new way that made a sob wrench its way out of her throat.
Mom took her into another hug and with her tight grip, Aurora got all the pieces back into the right places. “Come on,” Mom whispered. “Your dad’s right here.” She led Aurora gently away from the mirror and toward the door.
The hallway beyond that door echoed with chatter, and it hurt her ears. She wanted everyone to be quiet, as everything seemed so loud to her.
Then Bishop appeared, and he wore a smile the size of Texas. Mom passed her to him, and all the noise silenced. With Bishop, she was safe. With Bishop, she was loved. With Bishop, she was protected, and nothing could go wrong. Absolutely nothing.
“Hey, honey.” His voice calmed her further. “You ready to become Mrs. Oliver Osburn?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, her voice only slightly throaty.
Bishop pulled away from her, his smile still stuck brilliantly to his face. “Let’s do this then.” He cocked his arm, and Aurora put her arm through his. Aurora watched her mom link arms with Grandma Lois on one side and Aunt Dawna on the other. Those three women were such role models to her, and Aurora hoped they’d be proud of her, no matter what happened in Savannah.
“We’re a go,” Bishop said, and that got whoever stood at the front of the line to move. Aurora had wanted all of Ollie’s uncles in the wedding party. His family meant as much to him as hers meant to her. That meant Rhett would be leading the party out, and sure enough, she caught sight of him as he reached the corner and turned to go toward the altar.
Since it was just their two families, and nearly all of them were in the wedding party, that left Mitch and Lincoln as the oldest kids to watch the babies and toddlers and other children. Each set of parents should collect their kids and find a spot to stand in, as they’d only set up tables for dinner; no chairs for the actual ceremony.
The line inched forward, and Ollie’s grandmother turned and met Aurora’s eyes before she went with her husband. She’d been in Ollie’s room with him instead of coming into the brides’ room with the other women.
Finally, it was just her and Bishop around the corner. Everyone else had made the walk and would be milling about the altar. Judge would be standing behind it.
Most importantly, Ollie would be standing in front of it, waiting for her to join him. Waiting to see the dress for the first time. Waiting to become her husband.
Bishop looked at her again, and Aurora stretched up and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Dad,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes in bliss and smiled softly. “I love you too, baby.” He took her out into the open, and they faced the hall. Everyone turned toward them, and Ward’s guitar filled the hall with the wedding march.
Aurora wanted to go now, but Bishop held her back. He breathed and then he tightened his arm against hers. They stepped together, and the crowd shifted again, giving her a clear sight-line to Ollie.
She sucked in a breath, the sight of him in a tuxedo the most delicious thing she’d ever seen. He held his hands clasped in front of him all formal-like, and just like all of her uncles and all of his, he wore a deep, dark, black cowboy hat on his head.
“Oh, I love him so much,” she whispered.
“I know you do, baby,” Bishop whispered back.
The walk to the altar took seconds, and Bishop kissed her cheek and slid her arm from his to Ollie’s.
They looked at one another, and with everyone they loved watching, he leaned down and swept his lips along her cheek. “I adore you,” he whispered. “That is the most gorgeous dress I’ve ever seen, and you are everything I’ve ever wanted.”
A thrill ran through her, and she pressed her cheek to his, ready to become his wife.