The Peacemaker

Bullets and Pearls

Clink! Claire sat straight up in bed and turned towards her window. Clink! She rushed to the window, opening it quickly, and sticking her head out. "Wyatt Smith I told you to stay away! Now, get out of here before my pa wakes up and kills you!"

"Aw come on Claire! How do you expect me to stay away from the prettiest girl in all of Lemoyne! Heck in the whole world!"

Claire rolled her eyes but more in amusement than annoyance. Wyatt had been friends with her for years, and now that they were grown, they both wanted it to be more. However, Wyatt was a penniless orphan who had a knack for getting in trouble with the law. None of this changed a thing in Claire's eyes, but her family simply would not have it. According to her mother, her family was one of the last good examples for the state of Lemoyne and they would not have her sullying their good name by marrying such a scoundrel. She was to marry a young boy from the upstanding, but more importantly rich, Gray family.

"Wyatt you are something else. What do you want?"

"Come with me to the river! I managed to swipe a raisin cake from the store, and I thought to myself 'Self who deserves to share this delicacy with you? Why I think that Claire Williams would be a fine candidate!' What do you say Claire?"

About that time, Claire's father burst into the room with his shotgun and fire in his eyes. Wyatt left the raisin cake on Claire's windowsill, gave her a sly smile, and took off. Claire's father yelled at him to stay away and took a poorly aimed shot with his gun. Claire hid a smile and took the cake off of the windowsill. She knew that she would be scolded for talking to Wyatt, but she did not care. Nothing could replace the way he made her feel and nothing could make them feel any differently about each other.

Wyatt and Claire spent the rest of the summer secretly meeting, having picnics by the river, and growing even deeper in love. One night at the end of the summer, they were sitting on the bank of the river surrounded by fireflies and being serenaded by the crickets. Wyatt pulled out a raisin cake, which had become their favorite treat, and split it between them. He looked at Claire with adoration and pulled a ring from his pocket. "Claire Williams, I know that your family don't approve of me one bit. I also know that I can never give you the life that you are used too. But will you do me the honors of becoming my wife?"

Claire had never seen Wyatt nervous before. He had once taken on a group of boys who were making fun of her, and he had never once faltered or shown any fear. But now, this young man in front of her had fear in his eyes as he asked her a question she had been waiting for all summer. "I was wondering when you would work up the nerve to ask me. Of course I'll be your wife Wyatt!" 

Two weeks later, Claire and Wyatt were in the chapel with the reverend, Wyatt's best friend Jim, and Claire's cousin Amelia. If anyone would ask the reverend what the most beautiful wedding he ever officiated was, he always told them it was Wyatt and Claire's elopement. He would say, "Those two didn't have the fancy decorations, the nice clothes, or the expensive food. Heck Wyatt didn't even have a dime to his name. But the love in their eyes, it was unlike anything I've ever seen." 

Claire and Wyatt ran off after the ceremony and never looked back. Claire thought to herself, "This is it. This is my happily ever after!" And so it seemed it would be until three months later when they received a knock at the door in the middle of the night.