Chapter 12
Buck came out of her and lay down beside her. Both were exhausted but happy.
"I love you Melissa and I thank all the gods for giving me a second chance. I will not disappoint you "
"Now I know", she replied, kissing him.
They remained silent for a while, lying next to each other, cuddling, then she asked him, pointing to the ring: "So that's why you and Mary left the jewelry store together this morning?"
Buck laughed and replied: "Sure, she helped me pick it. After last night, when you left, I explained to her that I am in love with you and that I could not love anyone else and that I was going to ask you to become my wife and she offered to help me. But did you really believe that I fell in love with her? "
"Yes, I heard you laugh with her like you haven't done for a long time, I saw you calm, then I saw you leave that shop and I thought you had moved on"
"I can't love anyone else, my heart is yours"
She smiled at him, they kissed and made love again.
"Are you going to let me enjoy this dinner or do we have to put it in the heat for tomorrow?" She asked mischievously.
"At your service, future Mrs. Cross "
"Mmmmm, it sounds really good"
"You know, I was going to ask before Ike…. Then it all fell "
"Now we're here together and that's what matters. Come on, let's get dressed and have dinner, we have a wedding to organize "
Buck served her as a princess and told her that he had cooked himself on Rachel's advice.
"So this was the commitment they all had, you literally threw them out of the house"
"Yes, I told them I wanted to try to fix things with you, but only Teaspoon knew everything about the proposal, I mean"
"And did you really cook everything?"
Buck nodded and Melissa thanked him.
Buck told her again what had happened when he left the day he was violent with her and apologized again and again.
"It's okay, honey, now it's over, we're together"
"I love you"
"Me too" and they kissed.
While they were having dinner, they began to organize their wedding. Buck asked her: "Where would you like to live? I'll do whatever you want. Do you want me to build you a new house, do you want to buy some in the city? "
"Oh, I don't know, I just wish it wasn't far from here so that we could be close to our family and you wouldn't have a problem with your runs. For the rest I have no preferences, it is enough for me to be with you "
"We could take a walk around town tomorrow and see something after Mary leaves. If we didn't find anything, I could build a new one with the help of the boys, what do you say? In this case, however, the marriage cannot be immediately "
"Now or in a few months it doesn't matter, what matters is that I will be your wife and in our souls I already am"
"Well, actually according to our Kiowa laws you have been since we were together for the first time"
"Really? And why didn't you tell me? "
"Because I know your laws are different and I want to respect them"
"But your soul is also Kiowa and I want to know everything about your traditions and share them. Swear to me that you will not hide them from me anymore "
"I swear I'll never hide anything from you again, we'll tell each other everything, whatever it is"
The two continued to plan their wedding and after dinner they moved to the porch. They knew that as soon as the others returned they would have to tell them the news and they couldn't wait, even if Buck felt a little nervous.
They were crouched on the bench, with Melissa resting her head on Buck's chest, fantasizing about their marriage, when they saw the others return. Melissa gave him a sneaky kiss thinking she wasn't seen, but as the buggy and horses approached Rachel commented: "Well, it looks like things have settled down, haven't they?"
Melissa and Buck blushed, then Buck nodded to her and she said: "Well, better than you might think" and showed her ring.
"Oh my God, you're engaged!" Lou exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes", Melissa said in a whisper.
They all broke into applause with Cody and Jimmy whistling and Rachel, Lou and Mary going to hug the bride and groom.
"Then she said yes, luckily for you and ours", Teaspoon commented.
"You knew that!" Rachel said, looking at Teaspoon accusingly.
"Sure, do you think something can happen without me knowing?" Teaspoon joked and everyone laughed.
"Come on, let's go inside and tell us everything", Lou demanded.
They sat down at the table, Rachel made some coffee and Buck started saying: "As some of you pointed out to me" and looked at Noah, "it was time to settle things between us, so I wanted to go all out. It no longer made sense to continue like this. I again asked her to forgive me and I made the proposal and she, fortunately for me, accepted "
"Actually I had begun to forgive Buck when he saved Mary, but the defining moment was seeing him this morning with that little girl: my heart understood that my Buck was back."
She glossed over the misunderstanding concerning Mary.
"Have you decided on a date?" Jimmy asked.
"No, it will depend on the house. Tomorrow morning, after Mary's departure, we will go look for one nearby, so as not to leave you and not to have problems with my runs. If we don't find it, I'll build a new one, with your help if you want. As soon as it is ready we will get married "
"We will be happy to help you son", Teaspoon said.
"What about the ceremony?" Rachel asked.
"Well, here", Melissa intervened, "Teaspoon, we would like you to celebrate the ritual"
"I would be honored"
Melissa continued: "Thanks, we care a lot. And Noah, I'd like to ask you to accompany me to the altar "
"Oh, well, I didn't expect it"
"You have been so close to me during this time that I couldn't think otherwise. Tell me yes please "
"I accept with pleasure. Of course it cannot be said that you are afraid of the judgment of others: you marry a half Indian and you are accompanied to the altar by a black man "
"I don't see colors, I only see noble hearts that I love like a blood family".
Everyone was moved by these words.
Melissa added: "As for witnesses and bridesmaids, we don't want anyone in particular. You will all be witnesses of our love. Buck couldn't choose between you and I, I couldn't help but want Lou by my side as well as Rachel, but her secret doesn't allow it, so we won't choose anyone but you will all perform the same function and obviously we also want Emma and Sam by our side " .
Everyone agreed with this decision.
Little by little small groups were formed that talked about the wedding: Noah and Jimmy discussed how to help Buck in the eventual construction of the house, Cody tried to attract Mary's attention, Buck talked about the ceremony and his plans with Teaspoon. Melissa watched him speak naturally and enthusiastically about their future life together and her eyes filled with tears of joy.
Rachel, who was chatting with Lou, noticed this and asked: "Are you okay?"
"Yes Rachel, I was moved to see Buck talk about our future with great ease and determination"
Rachel hugged her and suggested that she go to the porch for a while with Lou.
"So, can you tell us in detail how he made the proposal?" Rachel asked.
"Before I tell you, I want Lou to know everything."
Melissa told her what happened in the stable with Buck, assuring her that he was now back to his senses and that he would never harm her. She also asked Lou to keep the secret and not judge him.
"If you have forgiven it, I can't do otherwise", she replied.
Melissa told her what Buck had told her and how he had asked for her as a wife.
"Please take your time, you don't owe him anything if you're not ready to be with him yet", Rachel recommended.
"We've actually been together before. He told me he didn't want to rush me or pressure me, that he was willing to wait until I was ready again, but I wanted to wash away all the past and we made love. I wanted to feel the touch of his hands on my body again, to be completely hers. I missed his wonderful body with velvety and tanned skin, his sweetness in making love with me, his virility so powerful that ... ".
She stopped suddenly seeing the faces of the two women a little embarrassed.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, I got carried away. It's just that I love him so much "
"In reality we were listening to you with a bit of envy. We had never looked at Buck in this way ", Rachel said fanning herself.
"Not that I'm complaining about Kid", Lou noted, "but I think you really are a lucky woman, we'll never look at Buck with the same eyes again" and they laughed.
Just then Buck came out and felt observed.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"No no, on the contrary, we told Melissa how lucky she is to have you" and they gave each other a look of understanding that did not escape the eyes of the boy, who raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I came to ask if you would like to take a walk with me", he asked Melissa.
"Sure" and got up, taking leave of her friends, wishing them good night.
They took hands and walked for a while in silence, then Buck said to her: "I will never thank you enough for forgiving me and giving me another chance, I love you so much"
"I can't imagine my life without you Buck, only you can make me happy" and she kissed him.
"So, ready for tomorrow?"
"Yes, I can't wait, it will be exciting to look for or design our home"
"What about the honeymoon? Do you already have some ideas? "
"Actually, yes and I hope you agree"
"I listen to you"
"I thought we could stay in your brother's camp for a while. If you remember, when we said goodbye, he made fun of us saying that maybe we would meet for our wedding and it doesn't seem like a bad idea at all. You could spend time with him and I could learn a few things about your traditions. What do you say?"
"Well, you catch me off guard. I thought you wanted a more traditional trip, like visiting some places or going to the famous California beaches "
"I'd like to, but there's always time for that. We are a family and the Red Bear is also part of it, who helped me when I needed it, remember? "
"But are you sure you can adapt to living like the Kiowa for a while?"
"I'm not saying it will be easy, you know I'm a woman who still loves certain comforts, but trying for a few days is worth it. Come on, don't tell me you wouldn't like it "
"Of course I'd like to spend time with my brother, I just don't know how his tribe members could take it. You are a white woman and they also see me as a white man "
"But we don't have to settle there, it's just a visit, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable, it will be our honeymoon and nothing should ruin it"
"Mmmm, but yes, it could be interesting and beautiful. However, I have to warn my brother, we can't jump there suddenly, especially if in the meantime they have decided to change camp "
"Oh I hadn't thought of that. We could go together one of these days "
"Well, by now they should recognize us after all the chaos of the other time"
"Ah for sure they will remember me" and burst out laughing.
"I missed these laughs together, honey", Buck told her, looking at her calm and happy.
"Me too. We will have many beautiful and exciting days like this one ".
They walked back and upon reaching the front door, Buck kissed her passionately and wished her goodnight.
"Goodnight to you my angel. I can't wait to become your wife and fall asleep by your side every night and see your beautiful face when I wake up "
"Well, according to Jimmy, I snore a bit…" he said jokingly.
"You must also have a defect, it will mean that I will use the caps even though I think I will be so tired after making and making love with you again that I will not even hear you"
"I like this prospect of getting tired of having sex immensely" and he kissed her again.
They made an appointment the next morning to accompany Mary to the stagecoach and begin the search for their love nest.
Melissa entered the house and hearing silence went to her room. Rachel and Mary were probably already asleep. She thought back to the pain she felt that morning and how things can really change in a matter of minutes. She never thought that she would be engaged to Buck that very evening. Fiancée…. She looked at her ring and smiled smugly. She couldn't wait to build a family with him. All the pain she had felt in the last few weeks had vanished the moment he knelt down and said those words. He wanted her and he wanted to share everything with her. They would never separate again, at any cost.
When Buck went back into the bunkhouse, he was greeted with applause as soon as he opened the door.
"And our Buck is getting married, yuhuuuu!" Cody shouted.
Buck stood stunned at the door, not expecting the boys to be awake yet.
"I thought you were already sleeping", he said as soon as he recovered.
"Without asking you the details and celebrating you properly? Yet you know us well ", Jimmy pointed out.
"Yeah, I really think I can't escape it, can I?" Buck said, laughing.
"Absolutely not", Cody pointed out.
Buck sat down on his bunk and related how he had made the proposal to Melissa, ignoring the details.
"I'm really happy for you", Noah said, "we couldn't take it anymore of seeing you so sad apart. You are made to be together "
"Thank you Noah and thank you most of all for being close to Melissa during this time. I know she had Lou and Rachel, but a friend's shoulder is very important "
"But you think, we are a family and our job is to support each other".
"Well, now that I have satisfied your curiosity, I think it's time to go to sleep. Tomorrow morning I will have the second round with Kid who will want to know all the details he missed when he comes back, we have to accompany Mary and then Melissa and I will go to see some houses "
"About Mary", Cody wanted to know, "she was buzzing around you a bit. How did she take it? "
"Well, I was very clear with her after the allusions at the table the other night and she understood, she also helped me choose the ring. Melissa saw us leave the store this morning and thought I was making the proposal to her. What a mess. Fortunately, everything was resolved in the best way "
"Yeah", Noah said.
They said goodnight and Buck began to undress. He took off his shirt and pants, under which he had worn his long johns, as they always did when they slept in the bunkhouse, because of Lou. He noticed that Lou was turned on his side and was watching him undress. For a moment he pretended nothing, but since she didn't seem to stop, he said: "Lou, is there something wrong? Why are you staring at me? "
Lou blushed. She hadn't realized that after Melissa's story she had had the instinct to admire Buck's muscular body and that her eyes had slipped towards his long johns.
Embarrassed and red in the face, she looked for an excuse: "Oh no, here, I was looking at you but I was actually thinking about Kid" and was very ashamed of the lie she had just told.
Buck didn't believe much in that version, he understood that the women had probably said something to each other because he linked Lou's gaze to their reaction when he went out on the porch earlier. He smiled to himself and said to himself: "Women".
Then he said to her: "Happy to inspire you with beautiful thoughts. Night "and went to sleep, excited for the next day.