Peg sat in a chair to the side, Micha and Suzie on her lap, and Paul stood behind her, a proud smile on his face. Peg and Paul had finally admitted to dating—well, “courting,” they called it. And Peg had positively glowed when Jane suggested he be included in their tiny wedding.
Colt’s mom had come for the wedding, too, and she sat next to Peg, holding a camera in her lap.
The twins were in brand-new church dresses—pink this time, with matching pink bows in their hair. Peg had spent a good fifteen minutes that morning trying to get the bows to stay. She had taken her duties with making his wedding happen very seriously, and there had been very little for Jane to even do. The toddlers each held crackers in their hands to keep them occupied, but her daughters’ wide eyes were fixed on her.
Jane knew she looked different today in her wedding dress. It was a knee-length summer dress, covered in lace and nipped in at her waist. And her heart was so full that she felt young again. Except this marriage wasn’t a risk—not really.
Colt stood opposite her, his dark gaze locked on her with such tenderness that it brought a mist of tears to her eyes. He loved her, and she loved him. And this time, Jane would be entering into the sacred bonds of marriage with her eyes wide open.
It may be hard at times, but they’d get through it. Colt was worth it.
Besides, he loved her girls, and he was already talking about horseback-riding lessons, new clothes and fixing up a bedroom for them with bunk beds when they were old enough—all decorated in white and pink.
The minister’s voice brought Jane’s attention back to the moment.
“Do you, Colt, take Jane to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” Colt’s voice was strong, confident.
“And do you, Jane, take Colt to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” Her voice caught in her throat, and Colt gave her fingers a squeeze.
“Now it’s time to exchange the rings...”
As Jane pushed the ring onto Colt’s work-roughened finger, she couldn’t get it past his knuckle and he took over, twisting it on. There was no hesitation there. Then he slipped her ring on to her finger and their eyes met in that moment, the import of the moment settling over them. These vows before God would bind them together over the coming years, showing God and their community that they had chosen each other.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The minister grinned. “Kiss your bride, Colt.”
And Colt did just that. He leaned down and caught Jane’s lips with his as Peg laughed in celebration.
“We’ll now just sign the marriage license,” the minister said, and Jane looked down at the sparkle of gold on her finger.
“Let’s make this legal,” Colt said, taking the pen and signing his name where the minister pointed. “Mrs. Hardin. I like that.”
Jane took the pen next, and she added her own signature, then she turned to Peg, who released the girls and they ran toward her. Jane caught Micha in her arms and Colt scooped up Suzie. They were a family—and even the twins seemed to like this new fact. Jane wasn’t alone anymore, and her heart brimmed with gratefulness.
“Yum?” Suzie said, pressing a cracker against Colt’s lips, and without missing a beat, he took a bite.
“Yum,” he said past the cracker, and he sent Jane a grin. “I love you, babe.”
Her heart was finally secure with this tall cowboy, and she had a feeling that sweet spot in their marriage was already starting.
“Smile!” Colt’s mom lifted her camera and snapped a picture. “Lean in together now, and smile!”
Their wedding pictures would be off center and amateur, but the love in their eyes was unmistakable. Their wedding cake was homemade—a sheet cake with white icing and their names written in blue—and Micha would end up planting her hand right in the center of it. Jane’s wedding ring was a simple band of gold, but it would stay on her finger for the next fifty years.
And that piece of paper that bound them together as husband and wife would be tucked away in the wedding album. Every few years, Colt would pull it out and smooth his hand over the creases.
“Don’t lose that,” Jane would remonstrate. “It’s a legal document.”
But there would be a tender look in Colt’s eye when he put it away again. Because it turned out that it wasn’t just a piece of paper, after all. It was a piece of his heart, legally recognized by the state and the country and anyone else who cared to question it. And it was a piece of Jane’s heart, too.
Marriage, Jane would discover, wasn’t so hard, after all.
If you liked this story, pick up the first book
in the Montana Twins miniseries
by Patricia Johns:
Her Cowboy’s Twin Blessings
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Rancher’s Redemption by Myra Johnson.
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Dear Reader,
Is marriage only a piece of paper? A lot of people argue that, especially if they’ve been hurt. But I believe that marriage is a whole lot more than just a legal arrangement. There’s something about those vows... Before you get married, you love each other deeply and you’d lay down your life for that other person. But after the vows, it’s like a circle closes. It isn’t only about emotion, but something deeper. Some people believe that marriage is a sacrament, and I understand that! Marriage is challenging. It’s beautiful. It’s holy. It deepens and develops us.
In this book, I wanted to look at marriage—not just the wedding day—and what it
