In Wilderness Found

Chapter 24: Meet Me in the Garden

Madison wakes up alone. By the coolness on Ellis’ side of the bed, she figures he’s been gone a while. But it’s Sunday, she thinks confusedly. He shouldn’t be up working.

She pulls on her cotton dress with a yawn and exits the bedroom. As usual, Gal is there to greet her at the door with a happy lick, but something is a little different this time. Madison notices the crumpled sliver of paper in Gal’s collar immediately. 

She takes a glance around the cabin, but Ellis is nowhere to be found. “What on earth…” She pulls the paper from Gal and reads the scribbled words:

Meet me in the garden.

A funny smile springs to her lips and she pulls on her leather boots as quickly as possible before bolting out the door with Gal on her heels.

There was a reason Ellis had been keeping Madison away from the garden the last few days. Every time she offered to help with the crops he had come up with some excuse as to why she should help do something else - the chickens need fed, the dog needs a treat, the rocking chair needs sat in - just anything to keep her out of the garden.

Just as she’d expected, Ellis is waiting for her in the garden. A shy smile tugs at the corners of his lips when he sees her.

Madison’s eyes narrow as she takes in the way he’s dressed - a crisp collared shirt, clean trousers, and polished leather shoes. His signature cowboy hat is absent from his head, and his dark hair is more orderly than she’s ever seen it, styled and pushed away from his face. The stubble she has grown used to has started to form a small, well-kept beard that is freshly trimmed.

“Ellis!” She exclaims with a giggle as she reaches him. “You look so handsome! What are you doing out here?” 

Her hands reach up to cup his face and he just smiles, waiting for her to notice the changes to the garden. She is so consumed by the lively look in his brown eyes that she almost doesn’t see the vibrancy all around them.

Madison finally forces her eyes off of Ellis to look around.

Out beside all the thriving crops is a perfectly round plot of fresh soil, filled to the brim with brilliant wildflowers. The flower garden is surrounded by beautifully smooth stones to keep it contained. Inside are the bright blooms of iris, lily, coneflower, daisy, poppy, and, of course, bluebell blossoms. 

“Oh my…” Madison trails off as she takes it all in with an even bigger smile creeping up onto her face.

Finding confidence in her reaction, Ellis finally speaks.

“Madison, you have changed my life. I had been living without true joy, but when I met you, you instantly brought a vibrancy into my world that I didn’t even know was possible. In you, I have found everything I could ever want or need. I love you and I cannot bear the thought of living without you.” 

Madison’s jaw hangs loose as she watches Ellis nervously wipe his palms against his pants. 

“Ellis…” she begins, but he renders her speechless when he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring. Her knees feel like they may buckle as he gets down on one of his.

He tries to keep the tremor out of his voice. He knows it’s sudden, and it’s crazy, and they’ve not known each other very long, but he also knows that he’ll never meet someone like her ever again.

“If you do me this honor, I promise that you will always feel my love. I will always treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve. Madison, I will gladly spend my whole life trying my damndest to replace the heartache you’ve experienced in the past. Please marry me.”

Her hand covers her mouth, but he still hears the squeak of surprise that comes out. It takes only a moment for her to process the question before she’s on top of him, toppling him over onto the ground in a hug.

She smacks a kiss onto his lips. “Ellis, you’ve already done enough to replace a lifetime of heartache. You don’t even have to try.”

“So, that means you’ll marry me then?” He asks with a grin, desperately needing to hear her say the words.

“Of course I’ll marry you!”

He lets out one of those rare loud laughs, and Madison is weak in the knees all over again.

Ellis shifts their positions on the ground so that she’s sitting beside him, and then he lifts the ring up to her hand.

The silver band is simple. It had rested on the hardworking left hand of his adoptive mother, Louise Combs, for 55 years. He thinks she’d be proud to know that he had found a partnership with Madison that so closely resembles the loving, honest partnership of his adoptive parents.

Madison lets out a sudden giggle as he slips the ring onto her finger. “Are you sure you aren’t just trying to redeem us for being ungodly?” She teases.

It’s not even about ridding them of their “ungodly” status, as Fred had so kindly put it. For Ellis, it’s about something else entirely.

He smiles. “Nope. I love you, and now that I can, I want to give you a new married name that you can be proud of. One that deserves to sit next to your maiden name.”

And that is a perfect answer for Madison. Madison Webb Combs. Now that has a ring to it. 

The blissful look on her face tells Ellis that she likes the thought of that. “Let’s do it today. Marry me right here," he says.

Madison’s eyes widen. “Today?” 

He nods and pulls her up off the ground. “We need to take advantage of this look. I’m not sure when it will happen again.” He points to his clothes and hair with a shy smirk.

“But we need a preacher…”

“I talked to him yesterday. He’ll be here in about an hour.”

“You just assumed I’d say yes?” Madison laughs.

“Figured I’d need a preacher regardless. Either you’d say yes or you’d kill me.” He grins playfully and she smacks his arm.

They retreat back to the cabin hand in hand, and Ellis prepares breakfast while Madison gets ready. She slips on her best dress and tries to tame her unruly hair by styling it into a half up-do with pins. She’s never been one for accessories, but she adorns her hair with a few plucked blooms from the new wildflower garden.

Though he’s seen this dress before, and nothing about her is really too different today, Ellis blushes when he sees Madison emerge from the bedroom.

She laughs at him and presses a kiss to his burning cheek. Then they munch on celebratory bacon and wait for the preacher.

A light rap on the door signals his arrival about half an hour later. When Ellis answers, the slim elderly man gives him a genuine smile. To be fair, Ellis hadn't chosen him because of his obvious kindness, but because he was the only preacher in town who felt comfortable enough to come up to the cabin and marry them knowing their history.

"Madison, I'm Pastor Kennedy. It's a pleasure to meet you." He takes Madison's hand in his and she grins widely at the warm greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Pastor Kennedy. Thank you so much for coming up here."

"I am always happy to oblige a couple in love," Kennedy's wrinkles crumple all around his face as he smiles. "And a love like yours is rare. I'm honored to be the one to make it official for ya."

The three of them make their way out of the cabin, with Gal following close behind. Ellis and Madison hold hands and give shy smiles to one another as they stroll down to the flower garden.

The ceremony is perfectly simple. Just Ellis and Madison with a background of brilliantly vibrant wildflowers that dim in comparison to the overwhelming love they feel for each other. 

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a/n:
Any guesses on how Ellis and Madison's story ends? Votes and comments are appreciated! ❤