“There’s time,” the uncle insisted. “Traffic is blocked. No one can leave or enter town. The next wedding party has been delayed.” His eyes gleamed with triumph. “It seems that providence has intervened on our behalf.”

The judge shrugged. “All right then.” He raised his voice. “Let’s get on with it.” Turning, he opened the room’s second door and made a motion with his hand. A thin, pasty-faced man entered the room and was introduced as the court clerk.

“Now that we have our second witness, I believe we’re ready.” The judge pointed to where he wanted the bride and groom to stand.

Glancing through her thick veil at the man she was about to marry, Emily balked. Sympathetic eyes met hers, and he extended his hand, revealing the same kind nature shown in his letters. “Shall we?” he mouthed.

Swallowing hard, she placed her hand in his, and he tightened his grip. He was quite tall, and she barely came up to his shoulders. Unlike the other two men in the room, he was clean-shaven, and she caught the pleasant smell of bay-rum aftershave. His hair was trimmed neatly and fell short of his collar.

Appearance-wise, he was everything she could hope for in a husband. That alone was a surprise. She tried to equate this man with his letters and couldn’t. He’d written he wasn’t much to look at, and that had turned out to be anything but true.

The modesty he’d shown on paper hardly seemed to match the strong, confident man leading her across the room. Skin bronzed by the sun and wind and blue eyes brimming with intelligence, he flashed her a reassuring smile.

This man could probably have any woman he wanted. How odd that he would turn to a marriage broker to find a wife! Matrimonial ads were for the desperate, like her, or the lonely, and it was hard to imagine this man being either.

He drew her to the place in front of the judge and released her hand. “It’ll be all right,” he said, speaking directly into her ear. His breath sent warm shivers down her neck.

Despite his reassurances, it was hardly the kind of wedding day she’d envisioned, and it wasn’t only because of the stranger by her side. Thanks to the ongoing stampede, the building shook with worrisome creaks. The windows rattled like old bones, and the floorboards trembled beneath her feet. She gave the swinging gaslight a nervous glance before turning her attention to the judge.

The noise from the cattle all but drowned out the judge’s voice, and she could hardly hear what he said. She glanced over her shoulder at the uncle standing behind them. He held his shotgun ready, as if to bar the door should she try to escape.

Mouth dry, she looked away and tried to make out the judge’s muffled words.

Only when he looked directly at her did she whisper, “I do.”

After they’d exchanged vows, the groom slipped a plain gold band around her ring finger. It felt like a shackle.