Chapter Six
Bellevue Church
Two Days Later
“How quickly life changes,” Hattie said to Sam with a tentative smile as she adjusted the bowtie at the collar of his crisp white shirt while Ruby was patiently waiting beside them.
The little girl looked particularly pretty today in a light blue dress and a crown of little pink roses in her hair—both gifts from Sadie and Ellen for the big day.
The three of them stood off to the side in a quiet corner near the front of the large church, which was surprisingly full of people. All of the long rows of pews were taken and some people even lined the sides of the walls.
“I didn’t expect to see so many in attendance,” Sam whispered to Hattie, who hadn’t stopped simultaneously smiling and crying since he’d told her the news a couple of days ago. She shrugged.
“It’s quite the spectacle,” she told him, as she smoothed over the sleeves of his suit while rapidly blinking to relieve the moisture in her eyes. “Everybody in town is talking about it. They all want to see the man who won Sadie Nielsen’s heart.”
That was the part Sam hadn’t told her. This was not a wedding to promise their love to each other.
Looking down at the miniature version of his first wife, he couldn’t help but think about Elizabeth. Even after four years, his love for her was still there, which made this whole day today feel so very strange.
Seven years ago, things had been very different when they had tied the knot in the backyard of his father’s old homestead, beneath a home-made arch of red and white roses.
That day, both of their parents and only a handful of friends and neighbors had been present.
It had been a very intimate wedding, promising their bright future together.
Till death do us part…
His heart hurt.
It was as if he was being stabbed right through the middle of it. Again.
He shook his head and inhaled a deep breath.
Smiling at his precious little daughter, he reminded himself why he was here today. He wanted to make her happy. Ruby was all that mattered to him.
She was the sole reason Sam had signed the agreement clarifying the details of their marriage yesterday, much like Sadie had her very own reasons.
It would be nothing more than a partnership, similar to a business transaction, where Sam gave Sadie the title of being married in exchange for them living at Sadie’s ranch with the benefits of Ruby being surrounded by women, ensuring the best education his daughter deserved.
That had been the deciding factor why Sam had been able to agree to it.
It seemed like a simple solution. It wasn’t personal.
However, it didn’t make it feel any less surreal in that moment.
More people squeezed through the back doors, trying to find a spot.
“I had no idea that Sadie was this popular,” he said, once again scanning the crowd for any suspicious-looking faces. He didn’t expect there to be any disturbances today, but the old sheriff in him just couldn’t stop being watchful.
“Don’t mind them,” Hattie replied gently. She cupped his face with both of her soft hands and pulled it back to her, forcing him to look into her watery eyes.
“I’ve prayed for this day,” she told him in a soft tone.
“You are a great man and a good father. You and Ruby deserve happiness. But you have to open your heart and allow it in! Sadie seems to be a sweet young woman, and although she’ll never replace our Liz, bless her heart, this is your chance at a new life with a new future.
Let it happen, Sam. Embrace it!” A single tear rolled down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away.
“Will you promise me you’ll try? For Ruby? ”
Sam struggled to swallow past the thick lump in his throat, but then he nodded.
“I’ll try,” he promised sincerely. Hattie smiled at him with more tears escaping.
She bent down and lifted his daughter up to give her a kiss on the cheek.
At the same time, a door creaked open and the priest stepped out from the sacristy. He was a very tall, middle-aged man with graying hair and a stern face. Without hesitation, he walked straight in front of the altar to where they would be married.
Sam noticed that this particular spot was drenched in colorful sunlight from the beams falling through the large stained-glass windows.
It lit up the tall and expensive-looking flower columns that had been placed on either side, which almost made them glow.
Similar decorations had been dotted all along the aisle as well.
It filled the air with the flowery scent of fresh roses and other blooms.
The priest looked over all the faces that had gathered. He clearly recognized a lot of them, nodding this way and that, waving to children and smiling here and there.
Then his gaze landed on Sam in the corner and he smiled warmly at him as he made a gesture with his hand, inviting Sam to join him up in the front.
“It’s time!” Hattie whispered. She squeezed Sam’s arm, then took Ruby, carrying her all the way to the front entrance.
Up until that point, Sam hadn’t been particularly nervous.
He’d kept up a casual appearance mostly for Hattie and Ruby, but when he walked up to the front and took the few steps up to where the priest stood, he heard the quiet murmurs of all the people behind him.
He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but being the center of attention like this made him feel uncomfortable.
This and the fact that he was in a church, standing in front of a priest, about to be married in the name of the Lord. Not something he was comfortable with. He didn’t trust God. Would He take Sadie away too, just because He could?
This was not the time to think about Elizabeth, so he swallowed his rising discomfort.
Sam hoped that all of this would be over quickly.
He nodded toward the priest, then turned toward the large front doors of the church and waited, all the while ignoring the curious faces staring up at him.
An organ began to play somewhere higher up where Sam couldn’t see, and the entire church fell silent. It was an elaborate piece Sam had never heard before. The double doors opened and all heads turned noisily toward the entrance where two people appeared.
Sam recognized Daniel and Ellen. Ellen and Ruby began to march down the aisle, dropping flower petals from a small basket as they went.
Daniel remained near the entrance. When Ellen reached the front pew with her seat right next to Ruby’s, Sam’s daughter released a happy squeal when she saw her, causing several women nearby to laugh.
Sam was so distracted by his little girl that he only noticed the change when the music switched to the familiar Wedding March.
Looking back at the entrance, Daniel gallantly stepped aside and held his arm out.
When Sadie came into view, the entire church gasped. She was a breathtaking sight to behold.
Sadie wore a dress of the same color and fabric as Ruby’s, which touched Sam in a way he’d never expected, instantly connecting these two as one family unit.
She wore the same pink roses in her hair and her wedding bouquet was made up of more of them, tying it all beautifully together.
Her glossy brown curls framing her face looked like velvet and Sam felt once again the urge to touch them.
As Daniel walked Sadie down the aisle, the church was filled with the respectfully subdued and appreciative murmurs of the people. Sadie smiled and nodded at every one of them. Sam watched how she seemed to be gliding along so elegantly and poised. Even he was drawn in by this stunning young woman.
Daniel led her right up the steps and then slid Sadie’s hand into Sam’s before he nodded to him, then the priest and went to take his place next to Ellen.
“You look very handsome,” Sadie whispered to Sam with a shy smile, snapping him out of his stupor. He responded in kind.
“You look very beautiful, too,” he told her honestly.
As absurd as the premise of this wedding was, Sam appreciated the fact that he was standing in front of such a gorgeous young woman. She seemed equally glad to see him, though Sam wasn’t sure if this was just her acting.
Shortly after, the priest cleared his throat and began with the ceremony.
Given the circumstances, Sam was happy to get on with it, because none of this would be a real marriage, after all. There was no point in dragging it out into this long event.
Unfortunately, the wedding wasn’t just a quick and painless affair.
The priest talked about several things pertaining to marriage in general, about the importance of a union such as this in the name of the Lord in a world of uncertainty.
Some words hit hard.
This was supposed to be a new start, but instead, it kept reminding Sam of everything he’d already lost. He tried to stay strong and not to react to any of it, but it wasn’t easy.
“As it is written in Peter 4:8,” the priest read from the Bible. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
Sam closed his eyes. His love for Elizabeth hadn’t died with her. Ruby reminded him of that every single day.
Looking back at Sadie, he questioned whether she deserved his lack of love toward her. In that moment, a tiny seed sprouted in his chest. Maybe, one day he would love her, could he?
“… Proverbs 18:22,” the priest continued a short while later. “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Sam almost groaned.
He let the words wash over him, trying to just get through it and not pay too much attention. His bond with God had been severed four years ago, when He had taken his wife and Ruby’s mother away from them.
Sam no longer lived by God’s word, since He clearly didn’t protect His people, yet here he was, listening to Matthew 19:4-6.
“… So they are no longer two but one flesh,” the priest read. “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Sam almost lost his self-control because man had separated it.