Page 36 of A Cowboy's Convenient Marriage

Chapter 14

Ada held her handsloosely in her lap, as Cash drove down the driveway, and hit the main road.

“Should we go to the courthouse, get our license and get married right away?”

“I’m game if you are.”

“Sounds good to me. Let me call Pastor and see what’s going on.”

She sat and listened while Cash made the phone call. It sounded like Pastor was in Rockerton, and he would be willing to do the ceremony at the courthouse with the clerk as a witness.

That was nice, and when Cash got off the phone, Ada didn’t have to think about it. She nodded when he asked if that was fine. She’d always dreamed of getting married in the church, but it wasn’t like a dream that she was desperate to live out. That’s just how she pictured it when she pictured her marriage.

But she was old enough to know that life often did not go the way that one pictured it. In fact, very seldom did life go the way one pictured it. Most of the time, it was very much different from anything a person pictured. Ada had learned to be content with that.

Maybe it was more accurate to say she had chosen to become content with that. Because, it was God, and whatever he ordered in her life was right.

After Cash got off the phone, he confirmed what she already had suspected by the way the conversation had gone on his end. That they would get married at the courthouse with the pastor. As soon as they got their license. He was meeting them there in forty-five minutes, which should give them plenty of time to get there on time.

They chatted about the weather, and about some inconsequential things, and then, Cash turned the conversation to a few things that she had wondered about last night, but had decided she wouldn’t worry about. Whatever worked out, worked out. And she just wasn’t going to think about it.

“Are you okay living with my Aunt Karen and me?”

“Yes. That’s what I thought we were going to do.”

“I told you I promised her that I would stay there until I turned the car dealership around. If we get the billion dollars, I’ll see what she says, but... I don’t know if that’s where God really wants me to stay.”

“You need to do what God wants you to do,” Ada said, meaning that. She was a little bit scared as she said it, because she didn’t want to leave Sweet Water. She didn’t want to leave her family. And, if she allowed herself to think about it too much, she would get sad and depressed. But, as she kept her eyes on Jesus, and just remembered that he wouldn’t lead her anywhere he wouldn’t hold her hand and stay with her, then everything would be okay.

“I think Aunt Karen had talked some about doing some spring cleaning. She was going to hire someone to do it, but... I didn’t know if you could help her or not.”

“I will. I told my family that I most likely wouldn’t be around to help them anymore. I wanted to talk to you about it and see what you said, because if it’s okay with you, I’ll continue. But, I don’t want to keep going there if that’s not where you want me.”

“I don’t care if you do it some, but I do think that it might be best for you to see what you can do with Aunt Karen.”

It sounded like he wanted her to stay at home and be with him. And to not be with her family.

“If you don’t want me to be with my family at all, can you say so?” she said, cautiously, because she didn’t want to jump to the wrong conclusion.

“I don’t want to be the bad guy, but at the same time, I feel like when we get married we leave our family and we cleave to our spouse. Does that make sense?”

“Absolutely,” she said. She deliberately hadn’t asked about this, because this might have changed her mind. She wouldn’t have been quite so willing to follow and do whatever God wanted her to do, if she knew that her husband was going to want her to live in Sweet Water, and not see her family everyday. It was going to be a big change for her, but that’s what marriage was.

It’s not too late to change your mind.

She shut that thought aside. She didn’t want to change her mind. She knew what God wanted her to do, and she wanted to do it. No matter how hard it was. And, the idea of not seeing her family everyday was really, really hard.

They got to Rockerton, and the conversation was not strained, but she knew she wasn’t quite as chipper as she had been. She just needed to work through it. And realize that life was going to be changing for her, in a big way. But, in an exciting way too. And she had to be okay with that. She wanted to look forward to it and welcome the new challenges.

“All right, let’s do this,” Cash said, glancing across the seat at her and giving her a smile. He looked just as nervous as she felt. But, she felt a smile come easily to her lips. There was no question in her mind this was the right thing. Even if part of her heart was breaking at the idea of not being with her family. It would be fine. God was in control.

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