It was springtime and the Wells Ranch had never looked more beautiful inside or out. Outside, the herd had welcomed 27 new calves, the fields were awash in a vast array of colorful flowers and the river was running high with icy, clear water from the mountain range up north.
Inside, the ranch house had undergone an amazing transformation. Hank and Emma were getting married today. They had been courting for several months when Hank asked Emma to be his wife. It happened while they were finishing the last cattle drive. Emma had asked to go on the drive because she wanted to prove to Hank how capable a woman she was. Hank had said no at first, but Emma quickly changed his mind by pointing out that she could more than just cook and keep a nice home. She said she wanted to be show him she could take on any aspect of a ranching life. When Emma set her mind to something, there really wasn’t any point in telling her no, because she usually found a way to make it happen.
So, there they were. Hank, Emma and nine ranch hands driving 100 head of their best cattle from the ranch to the rail yard for sale and shipment. Emma handled every job that was thrown at her during that trip. She helped Cookie prepare meals, she helped round up strays each morning along the drive and, on more than one occasion, she used her trusty rifle to kill a few rattlers that threatened the herd. She even helped replace a wagon wheel that splintered apart when they passed through a rather deep river, and the fully loaded supply wagon dropped into an unexpectedly deep hole. Instead of asking to sleep in the supply wagon, she slept under the stars just like everyone else, no matter what the weather was like. She got sunburned, covered in dust and mud, fended off a variety of bugs that no fancy “town girl” would … never once complaining.
When they got to the rail yard in Tuckerville, Emma helped herd the cattle onto the rail cars after the sale was complete. There wasn’t anything that woman didn’t take on with just as much fortitude and gusto as the men. Hank had taken notice of it, too, even though he never said anything to her. In fact, he felt a sense of pride in this woman he’d fallen in love with. She was a strong woman and he knew he never wanted to let her go.
The night after the drive was finished, all the hands checked into the hotel in town, eager to get cleaned up and head to the saloon for a drink and some gambling.
After a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant, Hank paid each their wages for the trip. When they invited Hank to join them in cards at the saloon, he made his apologies, saying he had some important business in town to conduct. The men, and Emma, figured he was going to line up supplies they needed to take home with them and didn’t think any more about it. The men went to the saloon and Emma sat in the lobby reading.
About an hour later, Hank met up with Emma again and asked her to join him on a stroll. She later would recall how sweet the night air smelled, how clear the sky was and how a gentle breeze jostled that one loose curl of Hank’s hair when he took off his cowboy hat. During the walk, though, all she could think was how wonderful the cattle drive had been, how exhilarated and alive she felt and how much she wanted Hank to have noticed. She was very much in love with him and, while they had proclaimed their love for each other a few months earlier, he had yet to ask for her hand in marriage. She hoped that her performance on the cattle drive would show Hank that she could handle anything their life together might bring.
As they approached a small park at the end of Tuckerville's main street, Hank invited Emma to sit on the bench with him. Emma noticed Hank seemed unusually anxious during their walk and now, as they sat together, he had gotten very quiet. Then, Hank took Emma’s hand in his and spoke the words she’d been longing to hear.
“Emma,” Hank said with a slight crack in his voice. “Emma, I’m not one for fancy clothes or going to fancy parties. I’m just a simple cattle rancher and I always will be. It’s the life I love. It’s the life I want for my kids someday, too. It’s not an easy life, but it’s the life…” Hank stopped, took what felt like the deepest breath he’d ever taken in his life, took a small box out of his pocket, then continued. “It’s the life I want for us. Emma Campbell, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
To Hank, it seemed like an eternity waiting for Emma to answer as he sat there with the box open showing the beautiful diamond ring he purchased after dinner. It really only took a moment, though, for her reply in her soft voice, “Oh, Hank. Yes. Yes, I’ll be your wife.”
Now, here they were, just a few short weeks later. Effie, Hank’s mother, had helped Emma with all the arrangements from flowers to the menu for the family and guests after the ceremony. She’d even found time to make a new dress for Little White Flower to wear as Emma’s maid of honor, as well as Emma’s wedding dress.
The big expanse of lawn behind the ranch house was set up and ready. Guests had been arriving for about 20 minutes, the women all commenting on how lovely the decorations were, while the men stopped for a short glass of whiskey with Hank and his father, Grey, in the study.
Setting his nerves aside, Hank, his father and his oldest brother, Tyler headed out of the study. As they took their positions under the pergola Hank’s father and brothers had built, he glanced off toward the stables. He could see his trusty horse, Jack, staring back at him. It almost seemed that Jack was smiling at what was about to happen.
As the string quartet started to play, Hank looked up toward the ranch house. There, walking slowing down the aisle in the company of her father, was Emma. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his entire life. In that moment, Hank knew he had all he wanted and needed out of life. A loving family, the ranch, and the woman he loved.
With a smile on his face, he took Emma’s arm in his and turned toward the preacher to say “I do” to their future.
By Lisa Shrefler, Original Publication Date: October 2018