Chapter 19 – Wedding March Redux
Three days after the trial ended, Bart rode back into Little Bend to say goodbye to Clay and Jean. Jean opened the door when he knocked on it and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him over. She finally let go and backed away, causing Bart to laugh nervously.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just never expected . . . "
"I know," Bart answered. "I didn't either, but I'm glad that Nance saw it my way. Art'll still have a chance at some kind of a life when he gets out."
"And he'll have a home with us," Clay explained. "We can't ever thank you enough for what you said."
"I'd call it pretty even," Bart laughed, and he leaned down and kissed Jean on the cheek, then shook hands with Clay. "You two stay in touch, and if you ever need anything, you know where I live."
He went downstairs to the front desk and asked Danny Myers what the bill was for the DuPont's room, and paid it. His next stop was the LaSalle Dressmaking shop, where he made an appointment for Annie LaSalle to come out to the ranch with some ideas for a wedding dress for Maude and dresses for the remaining ladies. Pappy needed a new suit, but Bart was going to have to bring him into Sam Humphries tailor shop to be fitted for one.
Beau, Dani and the twins had moved to Bret's house for the remainder of their stay, so when he got home, Doralice and Lily Mae were the only ones there. "Hey, blue-eyes, Annie LaSalle will be here day after tomorrow at ten o'clock for fittings for Maude and the rest of you."
"What for, handsome?"
"For the wedding."
"They called the wedding off when they thought you were dead."
"Well, I'm not. I'm goin' over to Pappy's and see if we can get this thing restarted."
Bart walked over to Pappy and Maude's house and knocked on the door. Maude opened it and invited him in. "Did you really call the wedding off because of me?"
"When we thought you were dead, yes."
"Then let's reschedule it. I'm alive. Annie LaSalle is coming out here the day after tomorrow to get all you ladies fitted."
She patted him on the cheek. "Bart, honey, I couldn't possibly do that without talking to Beauregard first."
Bart grinned. "Where is the old codger?"
"Out back, probably asleep."
Bart went through the house and found his father asleep in a chair in the backyard, as Maude had predicted. "Pappy, wake up. It's time to get you and Maude married."
"What? Huh? Married, what?"
"That's what I said. Married."
"Well yes, but we . . . "
"I know, but I'm not dead. Is the wedding back on?"
"Ah, of course. I need a new suit." Beauregard stretched and yawned.
"I know. We're goin' into to town tomorrow to see Sam Humphries. Be ready at one o'clock, and I'll pick you up."
"What did Maude say?"
"She said she was ready, willing and able." Bart grinned again.
"Alright. Tomorrow at one." Pappy closed his eyes.
Bart let his father go back to sleep and walked through the house. "He said fine," he told Maude. "I'm takin' all the men into town tomorrow to get fitted. Your appointment's at ten o'clock on Wednesday. Make sure all the ladies are here."
Maude just nodded her head; she went to Bart's house to tell Doralice first, while Bart walked over to Bret's. "Anybody home?" he yelled in through the doors.
"Come on in, Bart," Ginny told him. "They're in the kitchen."
"Ten o'clock day after tomorrow, be at Pappy's house for an appointment with Annie LaSalle. The wedding's back on."
"Oh, boy. I'll make sure Dani knows."
Bart wandered out into the kitchen, latched onto a cup and poured himself some coffee. "Uncle Bentley, have you got a suit to wear to Pappy's wedding?"
"Is it back on?"
"Yep. I'm takin' Pappy to the tailor's tomorrow to get fitted for a new suit, and I need everybody that wants to go to be at his house at one o'clock. Bret, Beau, that includes you, and what about Benny?"
"Might not be a bad idea to take Benny; he might need a suit for somethin' while he's here," Beau was thinking out loud.
"What inspired my brother to go ahead with it?" Bentley asked.
"I did," Bart told his Uncle. "I reminded him I wasn't dead no more."
"Seems like a good enough reason to me," Bret agreed.
"One o'clock at Uncle Beauregard's," Beau repeated. "We'll be there."
By the time Bart got home Doralice already knew about it. "And Beauregard agreed to get things goin' again?"
"Yep, he did."
"Momma came over and told me about Annie comin' out."
"I'm takin' Pappy and whoever else wants to go into town tomorrow to see Sam Humphries. Pappy needs a new suit. Say, how long will it take Annie to get dresses made for the women?"
"Mmmm, probably two weeks. If they're gonna get married before Beau and Dani leave, they're cuttin' it awful close."
"Then we just have to make sure it happens. Pappy wants Uncle Bentley as his Best Man, and I assume Maude wants you to stand up with her. Can we still hold the weddin' here?"
Doralice thought for a moment before deciding that 'yes' was a good answer. "I don't see why not. I'll get all the ladies together tomorrow afternoon, and we'll finish what we started."
"Good. It's about time those two got married. Let's make it happen."
"Aye, aye, Captain." And Doralice saluted him.
