I do not own The Big Valley nor any of the original Barkleys. Thanks to my Beta Reader and Lorilee, though all mistakes are my own.

Once In a Lifetime

Chapter Fourteen

Scene Twenty-Six

Cynthia stood in one of the church's classrooms as Peggy and Audra helped her get ready for the wedding. The dress Peggy had made was beautiful. The dress was the prettiest white Cynthia had ever seen, the lace on the upper half of the dress was shaped in the form of a 'U' and tiny white beads, they could have passed for small pearls, formed what seemed to be a thousand tiny stars. The bottom half was void of decoration except for lace that ran around the edge of the dress. Audra put the veil, which was attached to a thin white headband, upon Cynthia's head; the veil hung past her waist.

"You look as nervous as I must have the day I married Jarrod," Peggy was grinning as she remembered her wedding day, "You'll be fine. He's a good one only," Peggy looked out the window, the first winter rain was starting to fall, "Couldn't the two of you have waited until spring to get married?" her eyes laughed as she asked the question.

It was all Cynthia could do to answer. Heath just had to live into the 1920's; he just had to! Smiling, she shook her head, "Nope, winter is just as nice as spring, especially if you go up into the foothills where there's snow and make snowmen and have snowball fights." That statement got the three to laughing, until Jarrod opened the door. He was giving away the bride.

"Best take your places," he looked at his wife and sister, "it's almost time." Audra hurried out the door; Peggy refused to leave until she got a kiss from her husband.

"Is there something wrong?" Cynthia grew alarmed at the serious look on Jarrod's face, which she could see in the mirror she now stood in front of.

Jarrod had not approved of such a fast wedding; he still didn't, but he wasn't going to say so. It was their lives, not his. "Sorry, didn't mean to look so solemn. I hope the two of you will be happy together, really."

Cynthia was not stupid nor was she deaf. She knew how Jarrod felt, "Heath and I will be fine. You'll see." She took the arm he offered and smiled.

He gave her a genuine smile in return, "I truly hope so. The two of you make a wonderful couple." He led her out of the door, down the hall leading to the chapel and, as the music started, led her down the aisle.

Scene Twenty-Seven

By the time Heath and Cynthia got to the family's cabin that set in the foothills it was starting to snow quite hard. They hurried to put the horses in the small stable Nick and he had built behind the cabin then hurried, again, to get themselves out of the weather. "Wait," Heath grinned as he picked Cynthia up and carried her inside, "wouldn't be right not to carry you over the threshold." He kicked the door shut and set her down and let go; he just had to get a fire going in the fireplace, good thing he and Nick had filled the cabin's 'storeroom' with a chord of wood. As soon as the fire was going he again had Cynthia in his arms.

Cynthia had sensed someone watching them as they left the church and was relieved to make it to the cabin without incident. Heath must have sensed it to as he tilted her head up, "Uh-uh, no worry about anything, or anyone, tonight. That snow is coming down so hard only a fool would continue traveling in it."

"I can't help it," she ran her hands up his chest and around his neck, "when I heard that woman, whoever she was, tell Marie there was a possibility you died from a bullet wound," she shuttered, "I know it's crazy, but I'm sure the Hanks could tell us something; just don't ask me to swear by it."

"It's our wedding night," Heath chastised her as he started unbuttoning her dress and lowered his head, "we don't worry about anything, or anyone, but ourselves for now." His voice was barely audible as he finished speaking, and his lips brushed against hers as he kissed her slowly.

Cynthia felt his kisses growing more demanding, as were hers. The longer they kissed, the higher the fire inside grew. Before she knew it, Heath had removed her dress and his shirt, "I don't know what fate brought you through whatever that thing I saw is," Heath whispered as he once again picked her up, walked into the bedroom the cabin held and lay her down up the bed, "but, I'm never letting you go." Heath buried his face into her neck and, piece by piece, removed whatever barrier stood between him and his bride.

Cynthia's only reply was to let her own hands and mouth wander over places she'd never dreamed she'd see, let alone touch and caress. The wind blew fiercely through the air sending snow hurling through the darkened sky, but inside one small cabin it failed to bother Heath and Cynthia, who were far to busy letting the fire inside of them rise and engulf them both.