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  As he became lost in her eyes, he hardly heard the minister as he asked, “Benjamin Lee Williams, do you take this woman, Cassandra Rose Porter, to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her all the days of your life? For better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part? If so, answer, I do.”

  Staring into her eyes, he answered, “I do.”

  Then turning his attentions to Cassandra, he asked, “Cassandra Rose Porter, do you take this man, Benjamin Lee Williams, to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him all the days of your life? For better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part? If so, answer, I do.”

  A tear was beginning to trickle down her cheek. She had never loved Ben more than she did at this moment. She spoke, “I do.” She could hear someone weeping, and knew it was her mother.

  Beside Cassie, Miranda stood, trying to hide her own tears, tears of happiness for her sister and Ben, but also tears of sorrow. For all she could think of as she stood there, was Steven. She had had such hopes, such dreams. Now, they would never happen. She looked at Alec. She loved him, but it could never be the same as it was with her and Steven.

  She was brought back to the present as she saw Alec hand the ring to Ben. The minister then continued, “Benjamin, place the ring on the third finger of Cassandras left hand and repeat after me. Cassandra, I give you this ring as a token of my unfailing and abiding love. With this ring, I thee wed.” Ben repeated each sentence, then, slipped the ring on her finger.

  The minister said a prayer over the couple. He then said to Ben, “You may now kiss your bride.” Ben reached out and took Cassie in his arms, and feeling a little awkward, being in front of everyone, made the kiss rather quick, but they both knew they would make up for it later.

  As they pulled apart, the minister announced, “I would now like to introduce you to, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Williams.” Everyone stood and clapped, then made their way to the front to give the new couple their blessings.

  Mr. and Mrs. Porter and Mr. and Mrs. Williams, went to hug their children. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, Samantha and little Sarah were there also. They congratulated Ben and Cassandra, then went up to Miranda and hugged her. Miranda could barely speak. It had been so long since she had seen any of them. She hadn’t even been to church in so long, because she hadn’t wanted to run into Steven’s family, for fear she couldn’t bear it. Now, here they were.

  “It’s so wonderful to see all of you!” She exclaimed. “We were hoping you would come.” Miranda really wasn’t being dishonest. She had truly hoped they would come. She just worried how she would respond to them, but she could see now she was going to be fine. She had known it was wrong to stay away from them. They were like family, the only link she had left of Steven, and she loved them all so much.

  Amelia Reynolds was the first to reply, “We wouldn’t have missed this for anything, you should know that. We’ve missed you Miranda. Please know that we still consider you a part of our family,” she assured her tenderly.

  “It’s just so difficult,” she tried to explain. “I try so hard to get on with my life, but I’m not having a very easy time of it. I’ve been afraid if I came over to your house, all the memories would come flooding back, but I can’t be that way anymore. I’ve missed you all too much.”

  As she then looked down at Sarah, who was now five, she remembered the day she was born. Steven had come to her and told her he was an uncle. He had been so proud, and then they had gone to their special place, where they had always gone to be alone. That day had been so special. She would hold it in her heart forever.

  She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, then spoke, “My, look how little Sarah has grown. Why, she was only about three years old when I last saw her. She’s so pretty, Samantha. She looks a lot like you, but a lot like Michael, also. I’m so sorry about Michael. I don’t think I ever told you that, being so wrapped up in my own feelings, as I was.”

  Samantha hugged Miranda and replied, “I understand. We both know how the other feels.”

  “Yes, I guess you’re right,” she agreed. “Well, we’d better join the others, or we’re going to be the only ones left in here. You are all coming to our house for the reception, aren’t you?”

  “Of course we are!” Amelia exclaimed. “Now we’d better be on our way, or it’ll be over before we even get there.”

  ***

  Mary and Aunt Alice had decided to leave ahead of everyone else, so they could be there when their guests arrived, and Miranda had told them she would ride back with Alec. As the crowd began to arrive, Mary was nervous. She wanted everything to go just right for her daughter, and hoped they had prepared enough food for all these people. She had to stop worrying so much. It wasn’t good for her, or the baby. It would all soon be over, and for this she was thankful.

  Soon the house was abuzz with people. The afternoon went by rather quickly, and soon it was time for the newlyweds to depart.

  As they prepared to leave, Cassie told all the young women to get ready, for she was going to throw the bridal bouquet. Along with Miranda, there was Emily Simpson and five other girls. Cassandra turned and threw the bouquet over her shoulder, and it landed in Miranda’s outstretched arms. Alec, seeing this, wondered if this was a sign somehow. He put this thought out of his head, for he didn’t want to get his hopes up too much.

  As the bride and groom departed, the crowd followed them, throwing rice. Ben helped Cassie into the buggy, and as they drove off, they both thought, this was only the beginning of what they knew was going to be a wonderful life together.

  Chapter VIII

  Everyone had gone, except for Alec. He had asked Miranda if they could go for a walk after she had helped clean up. As soon as she finished, she told her mother where she was going and to please lie down and get some rest. When they left the house, she turned to Alec and said, “Everything went wonderfully, didn’t it?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “They both looked so happy. I hope it will always be that way for them.”

  “It will be,” she replied. “Even the bad times won’t seem so bad when you love each other the way they do.” They walked on. Miranda felt tense. She knew something was bothering Alec, but wasn’t sure what, although she had her suspicions.

  They had been walking for quite a while, when Alec suddenly stopped. Taking Miranda by the hand, he remarked, “It’s so beautiful here, don’t you think?”

  Miranda took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the area around her where the different kinds of flowers fragranced the air, and nodded. “Yes,” she agreed, “and quiet. You can hear every little sound.”

  There was a small stream, and Alec led Miranda to it. Spotting a log beside it, they went and sat down. Alec reached out and picked up little stones that lay by his feet, and tossed them in the water. He ran his forefinger over his chin, as if in thought, then spoke, “Do you remember when we were kids, and how we used to see who could make our stones skip across the water the farthest?”

  ”Yes,” she answered, “and you always won, and you used to brag all the time. I was always determined to beat you, but I never did. That seems so long ago.”

  Alec looked at Miranda longingly. “Yes, it was, but I still think about it all the time. Not just that, but about everything we used to do when we were growing up. I loved you then, and I love you now. I always believed one day we would grow up and get married and have a family together.”

  He paused, before he continued, “We still could, Miranda.” He turned to face her. Taking her hand in his, he looked into her eyes. “I know I can never be Steven, but I would do my best to make you happy, and who knows, maybe even someday, you could learn to love me almost as much as you love him. What I’m trying to ask you Miranda, is, will you give us a chance? Will you marry me? You don’t have to answer right away if you don’t want to. You can think about it for a while, but please, don’t say no right off.”

  Miranda felt confused. Even t
hough this was exactly what she expected, she didn’t know how to answer. She had even deliberated what she would say when he asked, for she knew that he would. She could tell by the way he had been acting lately. He was always touching her somehow.

  “Alec,” she began. “I do love you, but I have to be honest with you. I am still unsure about the way that I love you. You have to know that I still love Steven, and I can never forget what we had together.”

  “I know that, Miranda,” he jumped in. “I would never expect you to forget about Steven, but sweetheart, you can’t live in the past either. You have to go on with your life. I know it’s difficult, but you have to.”

  “I realize that,” she agreed, “but Alec, is this really the right thing for you? You should never have to be second best to anyone. You know Emily still has hopes you’ll notice her one day.”

  “Well,” he cut in, “It’s time she stopped living in that fantasy. I like her as a friend, but nothing more. It’s you I love. It’s never been anyone else.”

  Miranda was silent for a long while, until she finally made her decision. She looked at him and proclaimed, “I would be happy to become your wife, Alec.” But even as she spoke this, something still just didn’t feel quite right, but she ignored what she felt, and told herself that this would be for the best.

  Alec’s face was glowing, and he looked as if he was in shock at her words, but he stood to his feet and reached his hands down to her. She took them, and pulling her up, he drew her close. She had never seen him so happy. His piercing dark eyes, penetrated into hers. “Do you mean it, Miranda? Are you sure? I don’t know if I could take it if I got my hopes up like this, and then you changed your mind.”

  Reassuring him, she touched his face and soothed, “I’m not going to change my mind, don’t worry.” She had to chuckle. “But, how do I know you won’t change yours, huh?”

  “Miranda,” he began, “That is something you never have to worry about.”

  He didn’t say anything more, but just lowered his head, and touched his lips to hers. It was a small kiss at first, but then it deepened. As his tongue parted her lips, and entered her mouth, he groaned.

  Miranda placed her hands on his chest, and slowly pulled from his embrace. “Alec!” She demanded. “We must stop!” She could see the disappointment in his eyes. She also felt a little worried, for she didn’t feel the desire she had felt when Steven had kissed her like that.

  Alec backed away. “I’m sorry, Miranda,” he apologized, his voice very ragged. “I got carried away, that’s all. When you said yes, I just couldn’t control what I was feeling any longer. Please, forgive me.”

  “It’s alright,” she consoled, “you was only excited, that’s all. We’d better be getting back. I told mama we wouldn’t be gone long, besides, I have to tell them all our good news.”

  She knew she was supposed to feel happy, but to be honest, she was feeling sad. This wasn’t supposed to be the way a person felt upon becoming engaged. Maybe this was wrong, but she had agreed to be Alec’s wife, and she would keep her word. It didn’t matter anyway, the true love of her life was gone, and wasn’t coming back. She would just have to learn to be happy somehow.

  ***

  By the time they arrived back at her home, it was growing dark. They entered the house, and all was quiet. They found everyone in the parlor. Her father was in his chair, smoking his pipe. Her mother was lying on the sofa and Aunt Alice was busy knitting an afghan for the baby. When her father saw them, he exclaimed, “We were wondering what became of the two of you!”

  Miranda cleared her throat. “Well, Papa,” she explained, “Alec and I took a walk, and well, we have something we want to tell you.”

  Mary sat up, and with suspicion in her voice, she asked, “What is it, honey?”

  She looked at her mother, then her father, then back at Alec, and taking his arm, announced, “Alec has asked me to marry him, and I said yes!”

  Aunt Alice, who hadn’t said anything, suddenly lay her knitting aside and jumped up from her seat, and ran to hug them both. “This is wonderful news!” She exclaimed, ecstatically. “I’m so happy for you both!”

  Even though her mother and father knew she would have been happier with Steven, they felt Miranda could find happiness with Alec. They both knew how much he loved her. They arose and hugged their daughter. Mary then hugged Alec and Frank shook his hand and offered congratulations.

  “But son, I have to warn you, just as I did Ben. You’d better take good care of my daughter or you’ll have to answer to me.” He then laughed, and shaking his head, declared, “Losing both my daughters so close together. I don’t know how I’ll possibly stand it.”

  “Me either,” Mary jumped in. “I hope I at least get a chance to get over losing Cassandra, before I lose you too.”

  Miranda looked at her mother and in a comforting voice, said, “Mama, you’re not losing us. We’ll see each other all the time. Besides, I wouldn’t dream of leaving until after the baby is born, and you’ve gotten on your feet.”

  Feeling very relieved to hear her say that, Mary slumped back on the sofa and admitted, “I’m glad. I don’t think I could take another wedding so soon.”

  But Alec didn’t feel relieved. He had been hoping they would be married sooner than that, but he knew Miranda was right. They couldn’t add any more strain on her mother, but he at least hoped it wouldn’t be too long.

  ***

  Ben and Cassandra had arrived at their new home several hours earlier. It was a beautiful place. Ben, along with the help of his father and brother had put many hours into building it. The two-story wooden structure was situated on a farm, only a few miles from each of their families. Cassie just knew she was going to love it here.

  It was now late evening, and the closer the time came to retiring, the more nervous they both became. They had eaten a delicious candlelit dinner, prepared by Ben’s mother, who departed promptly so the two could be alone.

  The whole day had seemed like a dream. Everything had gone perfectly. Ben walked up to Cassie and wrapped his arms around her waist and she instinctively put hers around his neck. She felt all warm inside as he said, “Well, Mrs. Williams, I think it’s time for bed, don’t you?”

  She was feeling those butterflies again, but did her best to ignore them, as she just answered, “Yes, I suppose it is, Mr. Williams.”

  He reached out and touched the side of her face, and she felt her legs grow weak. “I love you, Cass,” he declared, voice shaky. He kissed her lightly, then drew back and waited for her response.

  “I love you too, Ben,” she responded, “so much. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”

  “I know, Babe. So am I.” They stood there a moment longer, then Ben took Cassie’s hand and they went upstairs. Their bedroom was large, with a huge wooden-framed bed, matching dresser, and built-in fireplace. Cassie loved it. Ben had worked very hard making this house for her. She didn’t want to be a disappointment to him.

  As she opened her mouth to speak, Ben said, “I hope everything suits you in here. I did the best I could.”

  She was aglow inside with the love she felt for him. “Oh, Ben,” she exclaimed, “it’s beautiful! I love it. In the winter, when it’s all cold outside, we can be in here all cozy by the fireplace.” Her cheeks flushed at the thought. She was sounding way too forward.

  Sensing this, Ben acted as if he hadn’t noticed. He walked over to her and said, “Darlin, I love you.” Running his hand down the length of her arm, it made her feel all strange inside. Suddenly Ben swept her into his arms, and carried her to the bed. As he laid her upon it, she knew the union between them this night would stay in her heart forever. Two bodies became one, as the night swept into morning.

  Chapter IX

  The summer of 1866 had dragged by very slowly. It had been almost unbearably hot and dry. There had hardly been any rain for nearly two months. It was now the third of October. All through the night, there had been such an eerie calm t
o the air.

  Mary had been given instructions by Doctor Mitchell to take to her bed until after the baby was born. He was concerned with not only her health, but that of her unborn child, as well. No-one would let her do anything.

  That night they were awakened by a strange sound. Frank Porter sat upright in bed, for he had heard this sound before as a child. It sounded like a train whistle. Afraid for his family’s safety, he awoke his wife as gently, but as quickly as possible. “Mary, wake up!” he urged. “We must get out of the house!”

  Confused, she asked, “Frank what is it? What’s going on?”

  As he helped her up, he replied with urgency in his voice, “I’m not sure, but we just need to get out of here.”

  He hurriedly helped Mary up and into the hallway. “Miranda, Alice, wake up! Something is happening. We need to get to the storm cellar!”

  Miranda hurried from her room, throwing on a robe, hair falling free, trying to make sense of what was happening. Aunt Alice stumbled into the hallway, holding onto her nightcap, and nearly tripping as she ran into her brother. “I’m sorry, Frank. I’m just still half asleep. What’s wrong?”