The Isaac Project (15 page)

She turned her head and looked out the window. I wanted to tell her it was okay to cry, that she didn’t have to put on a brave front for me. When she turned toward me once again, there was a sort of pleading quality to her face. My heart broke for the woman across from me. How could someone elicit such strong emotions after only knowing her a few hours? My arms ached to hold her. To crush her to my chest and reassure her that everything would be okay.

“I know we just officially met, and I had wanted to give you more time, but it seems time is something I no longer have to give. If you’re still willing—”

I looked at my watch. “The county courthouse is already closed for the day, but we can go first thing tomorrow and get a marriage license. I’m sure the hospital has a chaplain on staff who can marry us right here in your grandfather’s room, and a nurse can act as a witness.”

She smiled, and this time a tear seeped past her protective barrier.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

We finished our coffees and headed back to Mr. Sawyer’s room. It was understandable that Becky wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

A hand on my forearm stopped me, and I turned in the long white hallway to face Becky once again.

“If you want, you can go back to my place for the night, but I think I’m going to stay here. I don’t want to leave Poppy right now.”

“I know Rebekah is the one I’m supposed to be imitating, but I’m not too manly to borrow from another woman in the Bible. In the words of Ruth, where you go, I go. Your family is my family. I wouldn’t think of being anywhere else but here.”

The harsh hospital lights reflected off her damp cheeks as she lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my bristly cheek.

“You’re a good man, Luke Masterson,” she said, her voice tight and strained. “A good man.”

I wasn’t so sure she was right about that or not, but this woman made me want to be better than I was.

16

Luke

BLINKING A FEW times to rid the sleep from my eyes, I lifted my head and winced at the stiffness in my neck. The waiting room at the hospital was definitely not the most comfortable place on earth to sleep
.
The weight on my shoulder reminded me that every ache and pain was well worth it, however. Becky’s dark-blond hair tickled my nose as she continued to lean against me, my shoulder her pillow. Was this the way it was going to be from now on? Would I wake every morning with this woman by my side? As I breathed in the sweet scent of her, my pulse quickened with the thought.

Becky stirred beside me. It was probably a good thing she was waking up. As much as I was enjoying her snuggled against me, I ached to stand and stretch some of the kinks out of my own stiff muscles. She lifted her head to reveal a bright-red circle marring her cheek where it had pressed against my shoulder.

“Morning,” I said, restraining myself from cupping her smooth cheek and trying to erase the red mark with my thumb.

“Morning.” She shook out her disheveled hair from an elastic band and refastened it in a ponytail.

“So I checked on my phone last night, and the courthouse’s website said they open at nine this morning.”

Becky nodded and looked down the hall toward the room Mr. Sawyer occupied.

“We both have to be present for the clerk’s office to issue the license, but I double-checked, and there isn’t a waiting period in Inyo County. We can get the license and be married today, no problem. After we go to the courthouse, I’ll bring you back here so you can be with Poppy, and I’ll go and take care of the rest. What do you say?”

Her head remained turned away from me as she stared down the hall. If I hadn’t been standing so close, I would have thought she hadn’t heard me at all. Then she slowly turned, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She took one of my hands in hers and gently squeezed. “You don’t know how much this means to me.” She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

This probably wasn’t how she had imagined her wedding day when she’d dreamed about it as a girl. It wasn’t what I’d imagined the few times I’d stopped to think about it over the years. A hospital room wasn’t exactly a dream venue, and Becky would be missing the big white floofy gown all girls envisioned themselves wearing when they said “I do.” I was sure she never thought she’d feel the need to keep thanking her groom for marrying her, either. But then, those were most likely the least of her worries at this point
.

Becky checked on her grandfather, and I went to get us a couple cups of hot coffee. When she returned, she accepted the steaming liquid with a small smile. The strain of the last few days was showing in the dark circles under her eyes, even though she was attempting to put on a brave front.      

We got to the courthouse just when it was opening, so thankfully, we didn’t have to wait in a long line. We stepped up to the counter and were greeted by Rainbow Brite herself. Except the rainbow was on her face—bright-red lipstick, pink circles of blush on her cheeks, and some sort of indigo-blue eye shadow. And the smile she directed at us was bright enough to rival the sun. I should have been happy for the cheerful demeanor of this woman, since most civil servants were anything but civil, but I was too shocked at the display before me to sift out gratefulness.

“And how may I help you this bright and cheery morning?” She beamed.

Trying to hide my amusement, I cleared my throat and swallowed the laughter that was brimming and threatening to spill out.

“We’d like to apply for a marriage license.”

“Oh, well, isn’t that divine! Two little lovebirds. I knew it the moment I saw you walk through that door. Gladys, I said to myself, if those two aren’t in love and coming for a marriage license, then you ain’t no wiser than a screen door on a submarine, I said. Yes, sir. You done got that twinkle in your eye. So when you two plannin’ on tyin’ the knot?”

I could sense Becky fidgeting nervously beside me. When I glanced over, her cheeks were warming into a becoming shade of pink. I tried once again to hide my smile. I didn’t want her to get the impression I was enjoying her discomfort. Only, I guess I was. Not her discomfort really, but I did quite enjoy the color the blush brought to her face.

“Today,” I answered as I pulled my gaze away from Becky and back toward the clerk.

“We’re planning on marrying today.”

I didn’t think the woman’s eyes could have gotten any rounder or brighter, but I was wrong. Her red lips formed a perfect
O
before widening into a smile that almost had me reaching for my sunglasses.

“Oh, isn’t that romantic,” she gushed. “So in love you can’t wait another day. You hear about that all the time over in Vegas, but folks around here are so practical, it takes them months to get hitched. Well, practical ain’t romantic, I say.” Then she placed her hands over her heart and squealed. Actually squealed. I thought she might do a little happy dance right there on the spot.

For the first time since stepping foot into the building, Becky spoke, or I should say, croaked. “The papers?”

“Ah, yes. The papers.”

Turning her back to us, the clerk rummaged through a filing cabinet looking for the forms that would get us on our way and one step closer to our apparently oh-so-romantic nuptials.

“Here we go.” She placed the documents in front of us. “Fill out this application and make sure you both sign it here.” She indicated the lines by marking an
X
in front.

“Thank you.” I took the clipboard, and Becky and I sat down in the waiting room, hunched over the papers and huddled together. It didn’t take long to fill out the necessary questions, and then we were handing the forms back over to the grinning clerk.

Thankfully, she didn’t give us any more flowery speeches on how romantic we were, but gave us knowing looks and a conspiratorial wink when handing back a few papers.

“These need to be signed by the person performing the ceremony and two witnesses. Then all you need to do is mail them back in, and it will all be finalized.”

“Thank you so much,” I said as I cupped Becky’s elbow and steered her in the direction of the exit before we could be gushed over anymore.

***

With Becky back at the hospital with her grandfather, I made my way down the interstate toward Meadowlark. I had managed to pick up a couple of toothbrushes at a convenience store near the hospital for this morning, but there were a few things Becky needed from the house and I needed from my Jeep. All of her animals needed to be fed and watered as well. I also needed to swing by Grandview and find Becky’s mother’s ring.

I sighed. I wished there was something I could give her from myself to show her that I viewed this as a real wedding, a real marriage. That even though I’d only known her two days, I was committed to her and to this union. Most guys bought an engagement ring to signify their commitment, and I would have been more than happy to have done that, but I thought Becky would want her mother’s ring.

What can I give her, Lord?

Even though this was her idea, there was an uncertainty in her eyes every time she looked at me. It was as if she was just waiting to see how long it was going to take for me to turn tail and run.

Fast food and gas station signs loomed ahead, and I glanced down at the gauges on the dashboard of Becky’s truck. Driving across the country taught me one thing: always fill up when traveling through rural areas. The needle pointed more toward empty than full, so I put on the blinker and took the off-ramp. Sitting at the stop sign, I looked left and right, checking for oncoming traffic and a place to top off. I squinted past the Exxon sign to another with red letters. One with a heart as an apostrophe. A grin broke out across my face as I yanked the steering wheel left and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

Visions of Becky from this morning filled my mind. I could see her in her cute but rumpled sundress that she had put on yesterday and slept in last night. I could pick up something fresh for her to wear while at her house. In fact, that was what I had planned on doing. But this was her wedding day. I couldn’t give her a big church wedding with all her friends and family and all that other stuff that girls dream, but I could at least get her a dress.

Stepping into the store, I was immediately blinded by all the yards of white fabric that hung from the displays. Were the fabrics all different? Every woman would know the difference between that gauzy see-through material and that shiny, silky material, but my head was spinning. Not only did the dresses have different fabrics, they were all in different styles too.

“Can I help you?”

Boy, did I need it. “I’m looking for a dress.”

Her lips curled up at the ends.

“A wedding dress,” I amended.

Her eyes perused me from head to toe and back again.

“For my fiancée.” Man, I guess you had to clarify in California.

“Ah, I see. And what size is your fiancée?”

Size? Oh boy. “Well, she’s about this tall.” I held my hand under my nose. “And about this big.” I held my hands slightly apart, guessing at the size of Becky’s waist.

“I see. And style?”

“Style?” I rubbed a hand over my short-cropped head.

She sighed, anchoring an impatient hand on her hip. “Was your fiancée interested in tea length or floor length? A-line, empire waist, mermaid? Tulle, satin, lace, silk?”

“Ummm…” This was going to be harder than I’d thought.

“It might be easier if your fiancée comes in and tries on a few different styles. Then she can decide what she likes and what fits her.”

Yeah. Only that wouldn’t work. I needed something today. But how…Lisa. She’d know what Becky would like.

“Can you give me just a minute while I make a phone call?”

Without waiting for a reply, I whipped my phone out of my back pocket.

“Hello?” Lisa answered.

“Hi, Lisa. It’s Luke.”

“Oh, hey, Luke. I didn’t expect to hear from you today. How’s everything going?”

“Not so good, actually.”

“Really? I was so sure Becky would love you.”

Love me? I doubted Lisa meant that the way it sounded. “It’s not Becky. It’s Mr. Sawyer. He had a minor heart attack and is in the hospital. Becky wants to have the wedding today. She’s afraid if we wait any longer, it will be too late.”

“Oh no. I had no idea.”

“Listen, Lisa, the reason I’m calling is because I’m standing in David’s Bridal. I wanted Becky to at least have a nice dress for her wedding, but I have no idea what size she is or what styles she likes. Can you help?”

“Is there a salesperson there?”

I handed the phone to the saleslady, who was pretending she hadn’t been listening but who was definitely looking at me much more tenderly than before.

“My fiancée’s best friend is on the phone and might be able to answer all those questions you asked me.”

She accepted the phone and without a by-your-leave walked off with my cell toward a rack of wedding gowns near the back.

I found a seat by the dressing rooms and waited, but not nearly as long as I’d expected. Soon the saleslady was back, a white garment bag draped across her arms.

I jumped to my feet. “Can I see it?”

“Tsk, tsk. The groom is not to see the wedding dress before the ceremony.”

And so I dished out more money on one dress that I’d never seen than I would have spent on clothes for myself in a two-year period. And yet, despite my sticker shock, it would be worth it. I couldn’t wait to see Becky’s face when I gave it to her.

Or how she’d look in it.

17

Rebekah

“HOW COUD YOU do that to me?”

“Now don’t scold a dying man, Rebekah Anne.”

“You’re no more dying than I am.” Oh, how I wished that were true, but the evidence lay before me in that hospital bed. At least he was looking better and no longer required the use of an oxygen mask.