Wyatt shook his head, again chagrined, but Steele stepped forward and handed the minister a simple silver band with a nod to Wyatt. “You can use this until you have the chance to purchase something more permanent.”

Wyatt nodded back.

“Excellent.” Reverend Zieber closed his eyes. “Bless this ring, O Lord, to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

After placing the band upon his open prayer book, Reverend Zieber held the book out to Wyatt. “Go ahead and place the ring on her finger and repeat after me: Greta, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Wyatt fumbled with the ring but somehow managed to slip it down Miss Nilsson’s finger, noting the slender shape as well as the strength. Once the ring was in place, she stared at it for a moment, as though she wanted to bury it in the boneyard.

He had to stop thinking of her as Miss Nilsson and call her Greta. As improper as such casualness felt, she was no longer Miss Nilsson. She was Mrs. McQuaid. Mrs. Wyatt McQuaid. His wife.

He swallowed past a swelling lump of fear. What in the name of the Almighty had he done?

Reverend Zieber closed his prayer book with a snap that brought their attention back to him. “Now that you’ve given yourselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that you are husband and wife, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.”

Astrid clapped and fairly danced in place. “Now they have to kiss! Right, Reverend Zieber?”

Wyatt started to protest at the same time as Miss Nilsson—Greta. But before either of them could speak, Steele was clapping Wyatt on his shoulder—hard. “Of course they need to kiss. May as well begin right now getting to know each other.”

Something in Steele’s tone and in his squeeze warned Wyatt that he had to fulfill his part of the bargain and make this a real marriage. He couldn’t playact or pretend. He had to take his vows seriously. And he had to produce a family in order to help this community grow.

Guilt prodded him as it had earlier when he tried to explain the cattle bargain to Greta. He’d sounded like a bull in heat and botched the entire conversation, telling her just about everything . . . except the part that really mattered—that he was marrying her so he could get a loan from Steele.