Home of Her Heart (Hearts of the War Book 2) Read online

  Betty disappeared inside another office. Low murmurs made it clear she spoke to someone although their muffled words were indistinguishable. Only a minute passed before she breezed back inside the room and motioned for them to follow her.

  “Where’s your dad, Dee?” Betty asked, as they walked across the room.

  “A pipe burst in Carol’s basement, so Dad went to Portland to help her for a few days.”

  Betty’s plucked eyebrows both neared her hairline as she gaped at Delaney. “You mean you’re getting married while he’s out of town.”

  Klayne didn’t care for the woman’s nosiness and he certainly didn’t approve of the condescending way she glared at Delaney. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. You see, I just couldn’t wait one more day to make this lovely girl my wife and begged her to put me out of my misery.”

  Delaney hid her shock at his response to Betty by lifting the bouquet of carnations to her face and pretending to sniff them.

  He settled his hand at the small of her back and ushered her inside the judge’s chambers.

  “Delaney Danvers! What in thunderation are you up to now, girl? Every time I turn around you’re in one fine mess or another,” Judge Kade Rawlings joked as he rose from his desk and stepped around it. Not quite seventy, the judge still had clear, arresting green eyes, a physique that made men half his age jealous, and a teasing smile that turned heads. Years spent as a deputy and then sheriff finally inspired him to go into another form of the law. He’d served Umatilla County as a judge for the last ten years with a firm hand and a jovial sense of humor.

  “Judge Kade Rawlings, I’d like you to meet Sergeant Klayne Campbell, my soon-to-be husband, at least he will be if you’ll marry us today,” Delaney said, then turned to her fiancé. “Klayne, Judge Rawlings has known my family for a long time. His wife is the one who started the Italian restaurant we ate at the other night.”

  “The lasagna was the best I’ve ever eaten,” Klayne said, holding out a hand to Kade. The man appeared to be a gentle giant. In spite of his broad frame and towering height, he had deep laugh lines and the kind of engaging smile that said he was always ready for an adventure. The two men shook hands and then grinned at Delaney.

  Kade tipped his head toward Klayne. “So you want to marry this soldier. Have you completed all the paperwork?”

  Delaney shook her head. “No, sir. We just decided today to wed because Klayne is leaving soon. I was hoping you could waive the waiting period and we could get on with things.”

  The judge frowned. “I can do that, but give me a reason why I shouldn’t make you wait until your dad is back in town.”

  Tears filled Delaney’s eyes and she took a step closer to Klayne, reaching down to clasp his hand in hers. “Please, Judge? If Dad were here, he’d give his blessing. He’s met Klayne and likes him. If you don’t believe me, you can phone Butch, but I can’t promise he’ll answer.” She glanced at Klayne, then back at the judge. “Klayne is an orphan and just wants to leave someone behind. He’s heading out on a mission soon and isn’t sure about what might happen, about the future.” She offered Klayne a caring smile then turned a pleading look to the judge. “Please, sir?”

  Kade, who’d been orphaned at a young age, took sympathy on the couple and nodded his head. “Fine, but if Dill isn’t happy about this, I want you to work that teary-eyed story on him.”

  Delaney grinned and returned to her typical vibrant self. “I’ll do it!”

  Kade chuckled, sat down at his desk, and picked up the phone. He held a brief one-sided conversation that ended with “right now and hurry it up!” before he hung up the receiver and opened a drawer in a filing cabinet behind him.

  “Here’s the form,” he said, pulling it out and sliding it across the desk. “You two fill out that information and I’ll be right back.”

  While the judge left the room, Delaney and Klayne each filled in the appropriate boxes on the form. He learned her birthday was in July and that she was five feet, six inches tall. He also learned unlike many girls, Delaney’s penmanship was plain and serviceable, without any unnecessary flourishes or femininity.

  Although he found her alluring and beautiful, Delaney was about the most no nonsense female he’d ever encountered. Even now, as she sat beside him in a lovely gown that might have been worn to a garden party at the governor’s house, he pictured her with boots on her feet and her hair in a long braid down her back as she rode her horse in the pasture.

  The sound of voices alerted them to the judge’s return. He walked into the room with Delaney’s friend Amy and a young man in a police officer’s uniform.

  “We’ll need witnesses and I thought these two would do,” Judge Rawlings said, grinning as Amy and Delaney embraced.

  “I can’t believe you almost got married without me,” Amy chided as she brushed a tear from her eye. “You look lovely, Dee.”

  “Thank you, Amy,” she said, clasping her friend’s hand briefly. She reached out to shake the hand of the young man she’d known for years who happened to be Judge Rawlings’ grandson. “Thank you for taking time to stand with us, Marc.”

  “My pleasure, Delaney. It’s not every day Granddad demands I come witness a wedding.” Marc grinned then cast an interested glance Amy’s direction. The girl blushed then moved to stand beside Delaney as the judge signed the paperwork and motioned them all into place.

  Everyone removed their coats, then Amy handed Delaney the bouquet of flowers. Covertly, Delaney slipped the ring off her finger and into Klayne’s hand for the ceremony.

  “Are we ready to proceed?” Kade asked, glancing from Klayne to Delaney.

  “Yes, sir,” Klayne said, no longer nervous, but unexpectedly joyful.

  Rather than lead the couple in a traditional ceremony he’d performed dozens of times, the judge began asking questions. “Do you two like each other?”

  Klayne raised a questioning eyebrow at Delaney, but nodded his head. “Yes, sir, we do.”

  “Do you respect each other?”

  “Yes, sir,” Delaney answered truthfully, albeit a bit confused.

  The judge studied them both a moment. “Do you love each other?”

  Klayne didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes, sir, I love her. How could I help it? She’s one-of-a-kind.”

  The judge chuckled and looked to Delaney. She blushed, but answered the question. “I love him, too, with all my heart.”

  “That’s good,” Kade said with a smile. “Marriage isn’t an easy thing. If you don’t believe me, ask my wife. She’s had to put up with me for more than forty years. There were times I thought she might bean me with one of her skillets. I’m certain there were days she wished the vegetables she furiously chopped at the restaurant had been some part of my anatomy, but you know what we’ve learned?” He paused for effect. “We learned that no matter how mad we might get, no matter how annoyed we might be with each other, at the end of the day, love prevails. Remember that. Love is the key. When Delaney is so stubborn and opinionated you’d like to throttle her, Klayne, think about how much you love her right now. And Dee, when Klayne is acting like an arrogant, overbearing, stupid man — because we men all have that ailment from time to time — recall the love swelling in your heart for him today. Marriage is frustrating and trying, it’s challenging and downright hard some days, but it’s the most wonderful, amazing, incredible thing you’ll ever experience in your life. Don’t enter into it lightly. Never forget to cherish and honor each other as well as the vows you make today.”

  Amy sniffled and Marc handed her a handkerchief.

  Kade bit back a grin and continued. “Klayne and Delaney, the two of you have come to me today, signifying your desire to be formally united in marriage. Assured there are no legal, moral, or religious barriers that might hinder a proper union, please join your hands as we get on with the ceremony.”

  Klayne took both of Delaney’s hands in his. Her hands were rough from work, but so small and delicate compared to his big paws. The
slight tremor in her hands let him know she was nervous, although outwardly she appeared calm and collected.

  The judge cleared his throat. “Klayne Thomas Campbell, do you promise to love and cherish Delaney, to honor and sustain her, to make her laugh and wipe away her tears, in sickness and in health, in poverty and wealth, and to be true to her in all things until death alone shall part you?”

  A swell of emotion clogged his throat, but Klayne nodded and said, “Yes. I do so promise. I’ll love, respect, cherish, protect, and honor Delaney to and with my very last breath.”

  “Perfect,” Kade said, then turned to Delaney. “Delaney Marie Danvers, will you promise to love, cherish, and obey Klayne? Will you honor him, sustain him, in times of sickness and of health, of poverty and wealth, and to be true only unto him until death alone shall part you?”

  Delaney cast a panicked look at Kade then at Klayne. “I… I, um…”

  Chapter Eight

  Every eye in the room shifted to Delaney as she scrambled to respond to the judge’s question. Would she honor, cherish and obey Klayne? Would she take him as her lawfully wedded husband until death parted them? Especially when he thought that moment would happen sometime in the near future.

  The enormity of what she was about to do hit her with the force of an oncoming train. Unable to speak, or even catch her breath, she struggled to cling to the last fraying threads of her composure.

  Still holding onto her hands, Klayne gave them a light squeeze and looked at her imploringly, as though he willed her strength to continue.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t care for Klayne. She loved him. Loved him with a completeness and openness, a soul-deep bond, she’d never come close to experiencing. Her affection for him wasn’t what held her back from answering.

  The real reason had very little to do with Klayne.

  The fact her father was in Portland, Mac was at a Naval base, and Butch didn’t even know she’d come into town gave her a moment of pause. Would the men in her life forgive her for a rushed wedding? Would she be able to forgive herself for depriving them of the chance to see her wed?

  Delaney raised her troubled gaze to Klayne’s and stared into his eyes. Those blue eyes had captivated her, pierced her soul, the first time she’d looked into them, just as they did now. Did it really matter who was there to witness their vows?

  The important thing was that she would belong to Klayne, even if it was only for a few months, if his morbid predictions proved true. With his defeatist views, Klayne might not realize Delaney had a habit of getting what she wanted. And what she wanted, more than anything, was to spend a long, happy life with him by her side.

  Maybe this wasn’t the wedding every girl fantasized of having, but the soldier standing next to her was better than anything she’d ever dreamed.

  With a slight pressure to his hands, she smiled and shifted her gaze back to Kade. “I do so promise to love, honor, and cherish Klayne as long as we both shall live.”

  Kade raised a bushy eyebrow. “And obey? You forgot obey.”

  Delaney’s gaze narrowed as she glared at the judge. “I didn’t forget it, I was hoping no one would notice if I left that part out.” She sighed then looked back to Klayne. “I rather like doing my own thing, but as your wife, I will do my best to obey you. Although our courtship has been brief, I love what I know of you, trust what I have yet to discover, and respect your integrity. Through all our years together, I have faith in your love for me and my love for you to see us through whatever joys and challenges life may bring. I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths.”

  “And I gladly accept them,” Klayne said, giving her a smile that made her knees quake.

  Kade drew her attention back to the formalities of the ceremony. “Is there a ring?”

  “Yes,” Klayne said, holding out the band he’d slid on Delaney’s hand earlier that afternoon.

  The judge looked at it approvingly. “This ring is a symbol of the vows by which this man and woman have bound themselves to each other in the sight of God and these witnesses. Klayne please repeat after me.”

  Flawlessly, Klayne repeated the vow to Delaney. “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. With all that I am, and all that I have, I will honor you, and forever love you.”

  He slid the ring on her finger and kissed it. Delaney blinked back tears while Amy snuffled.

  Kade cleared his throat and concluded the ceremony. “Klayne and Delaney have given themselves to each other through these solemn vows, with the joining of hands and hearts, and the giving and receiving of this ring. By the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce them to be husband and wife. To these two whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder.” The judge beamed at them. “You may now kiss your bride.”

  Klayne slid both hands along either side of Delaney’s face and gave her a tender kiss, one that plucked at her heartstrings and made her want to melt against him.

  The moment Klayne lifted his head, Amy pulled Delaney into a hug, sobbing and laughing all at the same time. Kade slapped Klayne on the back and introduced him to his grandson while Klayne fished money out of his wallet to pay for the license.

  “Oh, Dee, this is the most exciting, incredible thing! I can’t wait to tell everyone,” Amy gushed.

  “No, Amy. Please don’t.” Delaney would stitch her friend’s lips together if that’s what it took to keep her quiet. “I don’t want anyone accidentally telling Dad before I have a chance to speak with him first. Please?” She looked at everyone in the room. “I beg of you, please keep this between us. It would break Dad’s heart if he heard it somewhere before he makes it back to the ranch.”

  “We’ll all keep quiet, Dee. Don’t give it another thought,” Kade said, waiting while everyone signed the marriage certificate. He stuck the papers that needed to be filed into a manila envelope and stamped it “Confidential.” He gave Delaney a wink and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t worry about Betty. She knows I’ll fire her faster than she can draw on those fake eyebrows if she so much as utters a single word about seeing you here.”

  Delaney held back a laugh as she hugged the judge. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it so much.”

  “You’re welcome, Dee. Now, you and this soldier get out of here and do something fun.” Kade turned to Klayne. “I hear there’s a sweetheart’s dance tonight, if you can’t find anything better to do. Although, as a newly wed couple, you might be able to think of one or two things to keep yourselves occupied.”

  Klayne settled his hand on Delaney’s waist and nudged her toward the door. “I’ll keep that in mind, sir. Thank you, again, for taking care of everything for us. Truly, we appreciate it.”

  “It’s my pleasure, son. I know a thing or two about heading off to war. Keep yourself safe and come back to this girl. You must be something special to turn her head. She’s had boys chasing after her since she was still in pigtails.”

  Delaney scowled at Kade then gave Amy one more parting hug. Klayne again thanked Marc for witnessing the ceremony then accepted Amy’s boisterous hug. He held Delaney’s coat and she slipped it on.

  Before she changed her mind, Delaney pulled one carnation from the bouquet, then tossed the mound of flowers to her friend. “It’s tradition!” she exclaimed then laughed at the shocked look on Amy’s face before grabbing Klayne’s hand and tugging him out the door.

  Back on the street, they both glanced up as soft snowflakes began to fall. “Well, Mrs. Campbell, what would you like to do to celebrate our nuptials?” Klayne asked.

  Unnerved by the fact she was now a married woman, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. A group of girls walking by tossed Klayne several interested glances. Delaney fought down the urge to grasp his arm and shout out that he belonged to her.

  Distracted. She needed to be distracted.

  “How about an early supper?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, but started walking down the street, hands stuffed into her coat pockets. Her thumb brushed over th
e metal of the ring encircling her left ring finger.

  Married.

  She was good and truly married, to a handsome, kind, intelligent, honorable man. The past few hours seemed surreal. Afraid if she closed her eyes it would all be a dream, she kept her focus straight ahead.

  When she awoke that morning, she had not even the slightest inkling that before nightfall, she’d be Klayne’s bride. If she’d known that, had any idea he was back in town, she wouldn’t have spent all morning cleaning the barn, wrestling with a sick bull, and riding Troy.

  Instead, she would have soaked in a tub of fragrant bubbles until her skin wrinkled up like a prune, spent hours dressing in her finest clothes and styling her hair. As it was, she’d taken a slapdash shower and hurriedly washed her hair when Klayne arrived, then raced to change into the summer dress after she accepted his second proposal.

  Head over heels in love with him, she eagerly married him. Only now that the deed was done, she considered the brashness of her actions. Frankly, she didn’t know much about Klayne. In fact, the things she did know about him could be jotted onto a very short list.

  Surreptitiously, she glanced over at him as he guided her around a patch of ice on the sidewalk. The worry gnawing at her stomach ceased and peace settled over her. She might not know much about the piddling little details one might like to know about a spouse, but the important things, the things about a man’s character and heart, those she knew. Klayne was a good, solid man. One she could trust with her life and her heart. Never would he intentionally hurt her. Additionally, she had an idea he would move heaven and earth to keep her safe and protected.

  He smiled down at her and kissed her cheek then held open the door to the Italian restaurant. “I assumed this was your destination,” he said as she breezed inside.

  “Yes. It seemed fitting to come here after Judge Rawlings performed our ceremony for us.” Delaney waved at people she knew as the waitress showed them to a table. Thankfully, it was in a corner where they would have a little privacy. Klayne helped her remove her coat and Delaney glanced down at her gown, wondering if people would question why she wore it. With a mental shrug, she decided people could just wonder and gossip all they wanted. What she did wasn’t any of their business anyway.