It was the morning of the wedding. Sam opened her eyes and looked around at her now empty room. Everything was packed up and in the family's wagon. All that was left was the dress she would wear today and the wedding dress that she would put on once they got to the tribal lands where the wedding would be taking place.
There was a knock at the bedroom door before Gram opened it and poked her head in. "Are you ready for today?" Gram asked.
Sam nodded and said, "I think so. But could you please help me with my hair?"
"Of course dear," Gram replied.
Sam sat on the edge of her bed as Gram came to sit behind her and began to brush Sam's hair. Sam couldn't think of anything to say, and her Gram worked in silence as she separated Sam's hair into three sections and began to braid it.
It took only a few minutes for Gram's deft fingers to braid Sam's hair and pin it into a coil at the nape of Sam's neck. It was a simple style, but then again it would be a simple wedding as well.
"All done," Gram said as she slid the last pin into place. "Thank you," Sam said as she turned to look at Gram. Gram lightly rested her hand on Sam's cheek and looked her in the eye.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Gram asks, and Sam took a deep breath before saying, "Yes." Sam said definitively. "Or at least, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
The Forster's left their ranch right after breakfast arrived at the tribal lands in the late morning. Sam climbed down from the wagon and looked around. This would be her home for the rest of her life.
"Good morning!" A voice called out from one of the teepees. Sam turned and was surprised to see a petite blond woman coming towards them. She was dressed in a beaded deerskin dress and had a wide grin on her face. This must be the chief's wife, Sam thought.
The woman came up to Sam and took both of Sam's hands in hers. "You must be Samantha," the woman said. "My name Maxine. I'm married to the chief and Jake is my youngest son. I wanted to take the opportunity welcome you to the family."
"It's nice to meet you," Sam replied, "and please, call me Sam." Sam's nerves settled slightly seeing Maxine's warm eyes and easy smile.
"And this must be your family," Maxine said, releasing Sam's hands as Dad, Gram, and Brynna, all climbed down from the wagon before Cody jumped down into Dad's waiting arms with a laugh.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Gram said as she held out her hand. "I'm Grace, Samantha's grandmother, this is my son Wyatt, daughter-in-law Brynna, and grandson Cody," Gram introduced.
"I'm so happy to meet you all," Maxine said and turned to wave her husband over from where he was talking to a group of men.
"Wyatt," the chief said as he shook Dad's hand. "It is good to see you. Come and join us, we were discussing the details of the ceremony." Wyatt set Cody down and Cody ran ahead of the two men as they walked off.
"Here, let me help you unload Sam's belongings and I'll show you where they can go," Maxine said. "Then we can all start getting ready for the wedding!"
"Where will the ceremony be?" Gram asked as they all each grabbed a box and followed Maxine towards a teepee.
"Over there by the river," Maxine replied as she pointed to a grassy field that was right next to corral with the horses in it. "I was thinking we could plan to begin the ceremony just as the sun is setting. The sun sets over those hills behind where the horses are and it's absolutely beautiful."
"That sounds lovely," Gram said as she looked towards the field with a soft smile on her face.
"Um…" Sam hesitated before she asked, "How many people will be attending the ceremony?"
Maxine gave her a kind smile and said, "I wasn't sure how comfortable you would be standing before a whole crowd of strangers, and I know that would be the last thing Jake would ever want. So I was thinking it would just be me and my husband, Jake's grandfather, and his oldest brother, Kit along with Kit's wife. Jake and Kit are very close."
Sam smiled, relieved. "That sounds perfect. And thank you for thinking of me. You didn't have to do that," she said.
"I want you to feel comfortable here," Maxine replied. "I know this life is going to be different from what you're used to, and I think it'll be best if you ease into it at your own pace. There will be enough challenges without having to get married and meet everyone at the same time."
Sam took a deep breath and released it as she felt tension she hadn't know was there ease from her shoulders. She was so glad to have met Maxine. She couldn't have imagined a better future mother-in-law.
"Boys!" Maxine called out to two tall, dark-haired men who were walking along the shore of the river towards them. They had clearly just been fishing as the taller one was holding a line with what looked like eight or nine fish strung on it. They looked very similar to Jake and Quinn, so Sam figured they must have been their brothers. "Come and put Sam's belongings away. I'll take the fish."
As the two men made their way over, Maxine turned to Sam's family and said, "These are my sons, Nate and Adam. I sent them fishing this morning so I could make a special dish for the wedding! It's Jake's favorite."
"That sounds wonderful!" Gram said excitedly. "And I made a cake this morning for us all to enjoy."
Nate and Adam handed their mother the string with the fish then took Sam's boxes and headed off towards a collection of teepees. Sam watched them go, wondering which one would be her new home.
"Now," Maxine was saying, "I'll hand this fish off to be prepared then I'll show you where we can start getting ready."
"Where is Jake?" Sam asked. She couldn't help but wonder where he was. She knew it was common practice for the bride and groom to be separated on their wedding day, but their wedding wasn't exactly a love match.
Maxine paused, as though she had hoped Sam hadn't asked. "Jake... wanted to go for a ride this morning. I would have liked for him to stay and help everyone get ready, but this is going to be a big change as well. But please don't take it personally!" Maxine rushed to say. "He just doesn't do well with change, of any kind. This wedding has been a lot for him to take in." She looked at Sam nervously.
"Oh don't worry about it!" Sam responded, "I was just wondering," she added with a smile. For the millionth time, Sam hoped she was making the right decision.
Sam didn't think it would take so long to get ready. She had thought all she would do was put her dress on and she would be ready. But the older women seemed to have other ideas. Along with Kit's wife Cricket, Gram, Brynna, and Maxine fluttered around Sam, painting her nails, applying makeup, and adding flowers to her hair. Maxine had everyone laughing as she told a story about Jake trying to ride Kit's horse when he was just a little boy, and Sam tried to join in the laughter but she couldn't imagine the tall, strong, stoic man she would be marrying today as a little boy. On top of that, Sam had never felt so unlike herself before. She barely recognized herself when Brynna held up a mirror so she could see her face and hair all done up.
"Wow," Sam said, not knowing what else to say. She looked a lot like how her mother had looked on her own wedding day, minus the radiant glow.
"You look just like your mother did," her Gram confirmed as she brushed a tear away. "Just like her."
Sam leaned over and gave ger Gram a hug and said, "Thanks Gram. Thanks for everything."
"Of course dear," Gram said before drawing in a shaky breath and saying, "Okay. I think it's time for you to put your dress on so we can head over to the field and get you married."
Sam was glad to have her father's arm to hold onto. Her knees were shaking so bad there was no way she would have been able to stand on her own. She looked down the aisle made with flower petals at Jake where he was standing next to the minister. Their families made two half circles around where she and Jake would exchange their vows.
As she walked down the aisle, Sam concentrated on not tripping on her long skirts so that she wouldn't have to think about how nervous she was or anything else. At the end of the aisle, Dad handed her over to Jake and went to stand next to Brynna. The minister asked Jake and Sam to take each other's hands as they exchanged their vows, then after that everything was a blur.
"You may kiss the bride," the minister said, and both Jake and Sam froze. After a moment Jake leaned in and gave her a quick, dry kiss, his lips pressing against her mouth for only a second before they were gone.
"Everone around them clapped and Maxine said "Now let's eat!" and it was over. Sam was married. And her husband was a complete stranger.