I Thee Wed
Prologue
The wind blew the branches to and fro on the Desert Willow Tree, just beginning to bloom with a profusion of fragrant pink flowers. It stood at the top of a hill overlooking the Maverick Ranch, on the outskirts of Little Bend, Texas. The tree provided shade for the family graveyard, a soothing, peaceful spot that had been the final resting place for Maverick wives and mothers, Abigail and Isabelle, for many years.
The tall man stood and gazed at the little graveyard as he had many, many times before. His mother had lain here, peacefully waiting for her husband to join her, since the man was a boy of five years old. He'd come to talk to her hundreds of times through the years; sometimes happy, sometimes sad, more often than not just to share some quiet time with the only momma he'd ever known. Not that there hadn't been a woman in his life that loved and took care of him as he grew to manhood . . . but she wasn't momma. There was only one Belle Maverick, and he'd come to tell her of something joyous that was about to happen in his life. He was getting married.
"You've met her, Momma. That beautiful blue-eyed blonde that I've brought up here so many times. Her name's Doralice, and you'd love her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Even Bret and Pappy approve, and you know how particular both of them are. We've decided to have the wedding up here, so you can be with us. It's on your birthday, this Saturday, June twenty-ninth. That way I can always remember to celebrate both my girls' special day." The tree branches rustled in the wind and the tall man smiled. "I knew you'd approve.
"She makes me happy, Momma, happier than I've any right to be. Happier than I ever thought I could be. She's everything I ever wanted, and never thought I'd find. Oh, I spent a lotta years lookin', and I thought I was ready more than once, but somethin' always happened to stop me. Now I know why. I had to go to Mexico to save her, and I almost lost me instead. It took me a long, long time to see what was right under my nose from the first minute I saw her." He sighed. "She sure is somethin' special."
He twirled the hat he held in his hands and laughed softly. "She makes me a better man. We're stayin' in Little Bend so I can keep an eye on Pappy. He still misses you, just like I do, and he almost cried when I told him where we were gettin' married. I took a page outta his book, too, and bought her a Bible as a weddin' gift. I haven't written anything in it yet, but I'll try and come up with somethin' as good as what Pappy wrote in yours.
"I love you, Momma, and we'll all be here on Saturday. You rest easy now, you hear?"
Bart Maverick put his hat on, then mounted his blue roan mare and rode back down the hill. The wind blew softly and whispered to the little graveyard and somewhere, in some distant place, Isabelle Grayson Maverick smiled.