Chapter 6

The Bride

Practically everything was a blur. Audra remembered hardly sleeping the night before her wedding. At one point, she got up and paced around the room, and then danced around the room, and then stared out of the window willing the sun to come up. It didn't come up until it was good and ready.

Then breakfast flew by with everyone talking. It all became a buzz she never even heard. Then there was taking a long bath and having her mother help her get her hair just the way she wanted it.

It wasn't until she put her wedding dress on that the world slowed down a bit, or at least caught up with her.

Her mother helped her into her dress and veil, and she looked at herself in the mirror. A satin dress, covered with lace, and that beautiful veil that her mother had worn in her own wedding. It was perfect, but she had to ask, "How do I look?"

Victoria smiled. "You look every bit as beautiful as I dreamed on the day you were born."

Audra laughed with joy and hugged her mother tight. "Mother, I'm so excited, I don't know if I can contain myself. I thought I couldn't be any happier on the day of my coming out party, but this – oh, Mother, did you feel so giddy on the day you married Father?"

Victoria laughed and wiped tears away. "Oh, yes, I was giddy, all right, but the moment I saw your father waiting for me at the altar – all the giddiness just turned into pure happiness."

"Do you think it will be that way for me, too?"

"I don't know. It's different for everyone. But I know Carl is the right man for you. I've known that since you were children. You'll make each other very happy."

"Is it almost time?"

Victoria took hold of her daughter's hands. "In just a minute, but is there anything you want to ask me? You know, about – tonight?"

Audra laughed. "I don't think I have any questions, Mother. If we don't know exactly what to do, I think Carl and I will figure it out."

Audra lifted her veil back and hugged her mother then, and Victoria's eyes brimmed over again. "The next time I hug you, I'll be hugging Mrs. Wheeler, not Miss Barkley."

Audra pulled back and kissed her. "I'll be an old married lady."

Victoria laughed. "Oh, come on, let's get you married."

As they came down the hall to Jarrod and Maggie's room, Audra said, "Oh, please, let's stop in a see Maggie before we go down."

Jarrod's wife Maggie was spending the day resting in bed. Her pregnancy was draining her energy, and she did not want to risk some episode that would put a dent in Audra's day. But she was thrilled Audra stopped by to see her and did a turn in her gown.

"It's beautiful," Maggie said. "And you're going to be so happy as Mrs. Wheeler."

"I know it," Audra said. "We have to be going down, but I didn't want to go before seeing you."

"Thank you," Maggie said. And as Audra and her mother left to go downstairs, Maggie said, "Don't let Jarrod trip on his way down the aisle."

Then everything started to blur again. Audra saw her brothers downstairs. She somehow made it down the stairway and watched Heath escort her mother to her seat. And she saw her brother Jarrod – her Pappy – smiling up at her, waiting for her, and offering his arm.

"Are you ready to be Mrs. Wheeler?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," she said.

And he walked her down the aisle, just as she dreamed he would. As they walked and everyone watched, she thought of her father, how when she was very small she'd pretend to be walking down the aisle with him. But he was killed, and that dream disappeared in a heartbeat.

But Jarrod stepped in, as a father as much as an older brother, and he was here now, escorting her to the man who waited for her there with the priest.

Everything went completely blurry again. Later she remembered Jarrod giving her hand to Carl, and she remembered she and Carl clutching hands nervously while the ceremony went on, but she never did remember the words anyone spoke. She couldn't even remember the words she spoke. She just remembered that Carl lifted her veil and kissed her, and then they went back up the aisle as husband and wife.

Husband. Carl was now her husband, and she was now his wife.

More blurriness as guests came by and dancing happened and music played and people smiled and laughed. And then, Carl helped her into a buggy, and they drove away.

She remembered taking her veil off and resting back into Carl's shoulder as they rode away to Carl's ranch – now their ranch. She remembered his arm around her, his hand caressing her, his kisses on the top of her head.

And when they reached his house – now their house – she remembered how he lifted her up into his strong arms, carried her inside, and closed the door.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Wheeler," Carl said as he put her down, and before he kissed her on the mouth.

"It's really happened," Audra said, almost as if in a dream. "You're really my husband."

Carl smiled and lifted her face to kiss him again.

He lifted her and carried her to bed, and she remembered every bit of her first lovemaking until the day she died. He was gentle and passionate at the same time, and she was amazed to discover that she was so passionate herself. She wanted him. She wanted him forever. She wanted the lovemaking to go on forever.

But after about an hour, something else started.

Carl's ranch hands were all outside, shooting off guns and banging on pots and pans and yelling at the top of their lungs. Carl's head drooped in frustration, but he still smiled.

"What is going on?!" Audra asked.

"The shivaree," Carl said.

"The what?!"

Carl began to laugh. "It's an old custom some of my crazy men brought with them from back in the south. They're gonna keep carrying on until we go out and join the party."

"Go OUT?!"

Carl smiled at her. "You're supposed to put your gown back on, and I'm supposed to put my monkey suit back on, and we're supposed to go join the party."

"Oh – but I don't want to!"

Now Carl laughed and got up. "It's required. They won't give us any peace until we come out for a while."

Carl started to put his clothes back on. Flustered, Audra just sat up, mouth open. How could this be happening?

When he was finished putting his own clothes on – minus the tie – Carl gave Audra her underclothing and dress. "We gotta do it," he said.

Audra got up and put on most of her clothing – it was almost more like she only put on the dress – and they went outside.

All of Carl's ranch hands were there, and they cheered wildly and threw rice at the couple as they came out of the house.

And the party went by in a blur of dancing and drinking and music until Audra could no longer stay awake. Carl lifted her in his arms again and bid his men good night, and when he took her back inside, the party broke up and the men went back to the bunkhouse.

It was nearly three in the morning when Carl laid his wife back down on their bed, but it was finally quiet. Audra was even too tired to get undressed. Carl watched her sleeping as he once again got out of his formal clothing and then crawled in beside her.

"I love you, Mrs. Wheeler," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Mr. Wheeler," she whispered back.

He kissed her again, and then he, too, fell asleep.

The End