The Magic of Christmas: A Christmas Child / The Christmas Dove / A Baby Blue Christmas

“If you haven’t enough, I’d be happy to buy you a dress, sweetheart. May I go along?”

“Will the store be open early, do you think?”

“Janet is generally there by eight o’clock. Let’s eat quickly and take a walk over.”

“If you’ll finish feeding Joshua, I’ll fix breakfast,” Marianne offered, and with a grin, David switched places with her, holding the baby in his arms and presenting the nipple to the tiny mouth. It was an eager little boy who ate his breakfast, almost as though he knew there were plans afoot that included his presence. By the time his bottle was empty and he’d been properly burped over David’s shoulder, Marianne had made gravy from the leftover dinner, and along with fresh biscuits from the oven and the savory mixture of meat and gravy, they sat down to a veritable feast. David ate quickly, obviously anxious to be on his way, but strangely enough, Marianne seemed to have lost her appetite this morning, for she ate but half the food on her plate.

“I’m nervous,” she explained, donning her cloak, then wrapping little Joshua warmly and carrying him beneath the thick woolen garment she wore. “The wind is brisk and I don’t want him to get colic from the cold air. And I keep feeling chills down my back. Do you suppose I’m coming down with something, David?”

His grin was wide. “I think you’re having bridal nerves, Marianne. You’ll be fine once we get together with the judge and things start rolling. Just don’t change your mind on me, will you?”

She shook her head, a quick firm movement that fully expressed her thoughts, for she’d decided in the long hours of the night that living in David’s house with the handsome man as a husband might just be the best fate that could have befallen her.

They headed to the sheriff’s office, made their arrangements and then walked across the street to the general store. With a great deal of whispering and laughter, Janet and Marianne sorted through several boxes of clothing and finally selected a dress both thought would be suitable for a wedding. A session in the storeroom with David holding Joshua at the front of the store, warming them both by the potbellied stove as he waited, ended with Marianne emerging from the curtained area garbed in a shimmering white dress dotted with golden daisies and sashed with a wide ribbon of the same color.

“You look beautiful,” David said in a hushed voice, his eyes warm with a tender emotion as they scanned her form. “Just as a bride should look, Marianne. Have you spoken to Janet about what we discussed?”

Janet spoke up quickly. “Yes, she surely did, and I’d be so proud to stand by her side while she marries you, Mr. McDermott. This is the finest thing that could have happened here in Walnut Grove. What a wonderful ending to a delightful Christmas.”

It was almost noon when the small group trooped across the street to the lawman’s office and appeared at his door. The familiar figure of Judge Pearson stood from his position behind the sheriff’s desk and extended a hand toward David. “Mr. McDermott, I understand we have a happy occasion to celebrate today. I’m honored to officiate at your wedding, sir. And is this the bride?” he asked, peering down at Marianne, whose blushing countenance had assumed a look of confusion.

“Yes, sir, I’m Marianne Winters. I’m new in town, for my family, all but my small brother, died of the fever over in the next county early in December. Janet over at the general store let me stay there for a bit and then on Christmas Eve when Mr. McDermott found my little brother in the Nativity scene, he was kind enough to give me shelter and has decided I would make a good addition to his home. I plan to be his wife, cook for him and keep things up over at the parsonage. In return, he will care for me and my brother and be responsible for our well-being.”

“Well, that’s quite a speech for a young lady. Sounds to me like you’ve got your plans all lined up well, ma’am. And how do you feel about this situation, Mr. McDermott?”

David grinned widely. “I’m feeling on top of the world, sir. Being a married man was a most wonderful thing when my Laura was alive, and I have every hope that Marianne will be as fine a wife as Laura ever was. We seem to have hit it off well, and she is a lady through and through. She even comes equipped with a little boy, her brother, Joshua.” With those words he reached to Marianne and took the baby from her arms. “Between the three of us, I think we’ll make a good marriage and have a fine home together.’

His words stunned Marianne with their forceful enthusiasm, for she had no idea he was so motivated about this marriage to be performed today. She’d felt his approval of her and Joshua, had known he was a good man, willing to put forth any effort to help her, but to have him so thrilled over the wedding itself was a surprise to her.

The judge eyed them for a moment, glancing at Janet and the figure of the mayor who stood next to David, and then began his task. Opening a small book from his pocket, he began reading the familiar words of the marriage ceremony. They floated over Marianne’s head like so many bumblebees, the sound but a buzzing in her ears, and when the judge looked at her pointedly and cleared his throat, she realized he was waiting for a response from her.

“I will,” she said, hoping that those words were the proper ones to have uttered at that point. They seemed to have been what he’d waited for, for he turned to David and asked questions that David listened to intently, and then nodded and repeated the words Marianne had spoken. “I will.”

A brief prayer was spoken then and in a sonorous voice, with great dignity, the judge announced that they were to be considered husband and wife, in the eyes of the Almighty and the laws of this Territory. “You may kiss your bride, sir,” the judge said with a smile.

David gripped Marianne’s shoulders and bent to her, his lips touching hers with a light caress that offered his troth in a simple gesture. He’d slid a narrow gold band onto her finger during the ceremony and it weighed heavily there as she curled her fingers and held it tight, lest it fall to the floor, for it felt a bit large for her.

David apparently had noticed it, for he whispered a message in her ear. “We can go over to the store and pick out one just a bit smaller, if you like. I’m sure Janet has a selection we can look at.”

Marianne nodded, holding Joshua firmly against her breast, watching as David shook hands with the judge, then the mayor and the sheriff, who had been standing by with a wide smile on his face. The judge approached Marianne and spoke kindly words.

“I’m sure you’ll be a happy bride, Mrs. McDermott. You have a good husband, and David will take good care of you and your child.”

Her mouth opened to deny Joshua’s belonging to her, for she wanted to make it clear that he was her brother, not her son, but the moment passed and David ushered her from the building, across the street to the general store, where Janet’s husband was busily tending his customers. He sent a bright smile in their direction as they entered his domain, and hugged his wife as she walked close to where he stood.

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