Lessie: Bride of Utah (American Mail-Order Bride 45) Read Online Free PDF

another’s witnesses. We’ll complete the paperwork at the conclusion of the ceremonies.”
    Josie and Adam were wed first in a simple and brief rite that had Richard contemplating the serenity on his cousin’s face… and the captivating smile on Josie’s.
    Once Richard succeeded in banishing Lessie’s worry, fears, and doubts, she would smile at him in that way, and the payoff would be glorious.
    Adam slipped his ring on Josie’s finger, then kissed her as his wife.
    The minister called Richard and Lessie forward.
    The sun must have reached a perfect afternoon angle in the sky, for brilliant jewel-toned light streamed through the stained glass window and illuminated Lessie’s olive complexion and pooled on her hair, nearly as black as his own.
    He didn’t know what he expected, but found himself surprised she held his gaze, really looked at him while the minister spoke of the duties and responsibilities of marriage.
    Everything will be fine.
    He smiled to offer encouragement and hope.
    Richard spoke the words the minister gave him, watching the soft brush of her lashes against cheeks bearing stained-glass sunbeams.
    Pastor Moody must’ve asked her to repeat her vows, for she spoke. The movement of her lips drew Richard’s attention.
    When the time came, he slipped his plain gold band onto Lessie’s finger.
    So uncomplicated, this token of marital vows, and in the moment he regretted not spending more. Would a heavier, more substantial piece, one bearing diamonds or emeralds or rubies have given Lessie a greater sense of hope? Stability? Permanence?
    Probably.
    He’d not considered what his ring might symbolize to her when he’d made the purchase.
    He should’ve spent more. Ten times more.
    Without waiting for Pastor Moody’s instruction, Richard raised her hand, bowed to meet his ring upon her finger, and pressed his lips to the gold, already warming with the heat of her body.
    He met her gaze, his lips lingering on her skin.
    He noted her unsteady intake of breath, the subtle widening of her eyes, the reality that she really saw him.
    Him. Richard.
    One man.
    Her husband.
    “You may kiss your bride.”
    With hesitancy he didn’t understand, Richard released her hand, and pulled Lessie, Mrs. Richard Cannon , into his arms. He’d intended a quick peck on the lips to seal their marriage vows. Who expected more under circumstances like these?
    But he found himself holding her close, lifting her onto her toes as his mouth found hers.
    The press of her lips to his, so tentative, so innocent was heralded by a shock of recognition.
    My wife .
    Mine .
    Applause thudded dully in his ears. Their small audience, Adam and Josie.
    With reluctance he did comprehend, Richard released the kiss, set his bride onto her feet and quelled the rush of insistence to kiss her again.
    See Lessie smile remained at the top of his wish list. A close second: kiss Lessie again.
    She raised trembling fingertips to her lower lip, touched them as if she felt something in his kiss, something that moved her as much as it had him.
    Good .
    He leaned near to whisper to his wife. “Hello, Mrs. Cannon.”
     

     
    Lessie twisted the gold wedding ring on her finger as Richard drove the matched pair of bays through the city streets, her head too full of her own thoughts to notice much where they were headed.
    Until the carriage stopped at one of the edifices in Ogden City she recognized too well. The clock tower cast a lengthening shadow across the grounds and crisscrossed donkey-drawn trolley cars.
    The Union Pacific railway station.
    Lessie glanced at her sister, in the back seat with her new husband.
    Richard climbed down from the buggy and circled to offer her his hand.
    She met his hazel eyes, somehow warmer now that she’d experienced the wonder of his kiss. Especially after he’d promised her things would be all right. Tender, new sprouts of trust had taken root. “Where are we going?”
    The men exchanged a glance.
    A surprise wedding