Chapter 9

Finnick and I sit on a sofa in the hotel's tiny parlor when Peeta returns with my bag.

"We might as well go to the train station," Peeta says.

Our brief time in Laramie, precious and sweet, is over. Real life beckons. I try to catch Peeta's eye, but he deliberately avoids me. We leave the hotel and stroll across the street to the train station to wait. Peeta keeps the act up by resting his hand on the small of my back as we walk.

Finnick monopolizes the conversation with news of his latest business venture. He plans to take up cattle ranching.

Peeta prompts him to continue his monologue by asking questions whenever it appears that Finnick has run out of things to say. All the time he holds my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

But I am not reassured. In fact, I find myself increasingly upset with Peeta. What are we going to do about the lie he's told Finnick? And secondly, why has Peeta never mentioned the letters he wrote to me? They are so beautiful. Is he shy about his feelings toward me?

The train arrives and we climb aboard. Fortunately Finnick has purchased a seat in the first class train car. At last I have Peeta alone to myself. We sit down together on the bench.

"You can let go of my hand now."

He releases it. "It will be all right," he says, sensing my distress.

"How will it be all right? Finnick thinks we're wed. I can only imagine what he'll say to everyone we get to Panem."

"We can take care of that easily enough," Peeta says.

I shake my head wondering how he plans to do it.

"I saw the hotel register," I add. "I saw how you signed the book."

"I had to do it that way Katniss." He rubs the back of his neck.

"I know." My cheeks burn thinking of Peeta Mellark and wife."But that's not what I'm upset about. Your signature matches this writing."

I bend down and reach into my bag to pull out the other two letters I received. "Why didn't you admit to writing these?" I wave the folded sheets in front of him.

Peeta's eyebrows rise. "How many letters have you received Katniss?"

Before I can answer, he reaches for them and unfolds the first one.

I watch his face as reads it, and then the second one as well. When he has finished, he just shakes his head.

"This is my brother's hand. Our mother taught us how to write and our penmanship is very similar."

"Why would your brother be writing me love letters?" But I can already guess the answer. They were meant to encourage me to stay in Panem.

"Delly must have dictated them," Peeta says, looking over them a second time. "I can assure you that my brother would never have thought up these flowery words on his own." He pauses for a moment to look at me. "Katniss, did you think I wrote these?"

"Yes," I mumble, dropping my head. I must admit I am disappointed.

He puts his hand under my chin to raise it up and looks me straight in the eye. "I have never even once written to you. And while I agree whole-heartedly with the sentiment expressed in these letters, it's clear you want a note especially from me. I'll have to remedy that."

The conductor interrupts our conversation and asks for our tickets. Peeta sets the letters on the seat between us, and pulls the tickets from his pocket.

When the conductor has punched them, Peeta asks the man if he can borrow a pencil. The conductor hands one over. While Peeta scribbles something onto one of the tickets, I turn my head to stare out the window and watch the landscape flash past.

I am pondering a solution to the problem that we now face when Peeta taps my shoulder and hands the ticket to me.

"Here Katniss. Your first letter from me."

I glance at the ticket. He has written, Marry me? It seems Peeta does not mince words.

My heart pounds. "You do realize this is my third proposal letter?" I say coyly.

"Well they say the third one is the charm," Peeta quips. "But for the record, it's the only proposal that's been real."

"Well the first one from Delly may have been fake, but what about Haymitch's letter?"

"I had a long talk with Haymitch about that letter," Peeta says. "He figured a marriage proposal would get your attention. It was his intent to draw us both to the train station around the same time to converse, although he never even told me about it until later. It seems Delly and Rye were not the only ones playing matchmaker."

"Haymitch didn't want to marry me?"

Peeta snorts. "No, I think Haymitch is married to his whiskey bottle."

I am very relieved to hear that. The idea that Haymitch was interested in me had struck me as wrong in a very profound way. I smile to myself and turn back to the scenery again.

"Katniss." Peeta taps my shoulder a second time. "You haven't answered my letter."

I turn back to him and smile smugly. "I'm thinking."

"Waiting for a better offer?"

"No," I say. "I don't think I could get a better offer."

Peeta reaches for my hand and laces his fingers through it. He grins at me, and then leans forward to press his lips to mine. It's too brief a kiss for my liking. "I'll save the rest for when we get home."

"You do realize that we're not married yet?"

"Believe me, after last night I am painfully aware of it," Peeta says. "In fact, in light of everything that's happened I think we should skip the courtship altogether and just get married."

"But you said you needed to save up?"

"We'll manage somehow. Besides after these," he picks up the letters he'd set on the seat between us and hands them back to me, "I think my brother owes the both of us."

"But what will we tell everyone when we get back?" I ask, as I stuff the letters into my pocket.

"Leave it up to me," Peeta interrupts me with a light kiss. "I have an idea."

We hold hands the rest of the way to Panem. Besides Finnick who exits from the car ahead of us, we are the only passengers who are let off. Finnick gives a quick wave as he heads toward town.

"I need to talk with Haymitch first," Peeta tells me. He sets my bag down near the bench at the back of the station and I sit and wait for him to return.

I take a deep breath and smell the pine. The train pulls out of the station. Peeta is gone for a while, but then he returns with Haymitch by his side.

"So you came back to marry Peeta?"

I nod.

"Well, I'll do the ceremony tonight then."

What? My head is spinning at his words. I look to Peeta for an explanation.

"Haymitch used to be a preacher," Peeta says. "He can marry us."

My jaw drops. Fellow traveler. Deliveryman. Stationmaster. Matchmaker. Preacher. Haymitch has played many roles in my life ever since I first laid eyes on him.

Haymitch nods and goes back into the station.

Peeta picks up my bag and puts out his arm for me. We link our arms and head toward the bakery.

"Let me do the talking when we get to the Mercantile," Peeta says. "I promise everything will all work out for good."

Peeta and I enter the Mercantile arm in arm.

Delly screams when she sees us. She rushes up to me. Peeta lets go of my arm just before Delly throws her arms around me in a big hug.

"I knew Peeta would convince you to come back," she shouts.

"There's even more Delly," Peeta says. "Katniss and I are married."

Delly squealed.

"What are you screaming about Delly?" Rye calls from the backroom. "You're going to wake up the baby," he says as he enters the store.

"You're back," Rye says.

"I am." Peeta glares at his brother. "Now you'll have to excuse me. I want to cook a big celebration dinner for my bride."

He kisses my temple and gives me an encouraging smile. Then he walks past his brother toward the kitchen, taking my bag with him.

"Peeta and Katniss got married," Delly says.

Rye beams. "That's great." He wraps his arms around me and hugs me close. "Welcome to the family." When Rye pulls away, I reach into my pocket and pull out the two letters that he wrote.

"Can you explain these?"

He gulps and then glances at Delly. "I told you it was a bad idea."

"Now, Katniss," she says.

The problem is that the original letters Delly wrote and the later ones she dictated to Rye did play a big part in bringing Peeta and I together which only reinforces the idea that they did the right thing. But it was plain wrong for both of them to mislead me like that.

However today is my wedding day. I don't want to fight.

"Don't ever do anything like this again," I warn Delly. "If you ever try to get between Peeta and me for any reason, making me wonder at what's real and what's not..."

I don't say anymore. From the expression on Delly's face, I think she gets my meaning.

I excuse myself and go upstairs to get cleaned up. My room is the same as I left it yesterday afternoon, although the letter on the trunk has disappeared. My bag is sitting on the floor. Peeta must have carried it up.

While the water heats for bathing, I peer through the tiny kitchen window and watch Peeta at his out-door oven. I wonder what he's baking. It's too late in the day to make bread for the railroad.

I carry the warm water upstairs, strip down, and wash myself clean. I unpack my second best dress, as I had worn my best dress to Laramie. I shake out the wrinkles and put it on. It is completely out-of-fashion with its fuller skirt and the calico print with tiny orange flowers on a brown background. But it fits well and with my braided hair pinned up along my neckline, it makes my neck look long and slender. I want to look especially pretty for Peeta.

I go downstairs and am shooed back upstairs by Delly. "Peeta gave me strict orders to keep you up here." I turn to go back up and Delly follows me.

She pulls me inside her room and we sit on the bed together while she nurses my sweet nephew-to-be. "I'm so excited for you. Tell me all about your wedding."

I am not a good enough liar to make up a wedding that never occurred. Instead I tell her I wish she had been there to see it.

Delly's eyes light up. "Oh, Katniss, Peeta has such a surprise planned for you."

My heart races. But there is nothing to worry about.

With the help of his brother, Peeta prepares an elaborate wedding supper. They carry the table out of the kitchen, place it outside, and cover it with a white cloth. Rye has shot a wild turkey, which Peeta roasts. There are side dishes of browned potatoes, apple chutney, green beans, cherry preserves, and biscuits and honey. For dessert Peeta brings out a wedding cake decorated with elaborate swirls of frosting and topped with the yellow flower tops of dandelions to give it a festive appearance.

Haymitch and Finnick join our feast. Both bring refreshments; Haymitch, a bottle of whiskey, and Finnick, more champagne. I drink a glass of champagne and a few sips from Peeta's glass of whiskey. The conversation is pleasant and Peeta has his arm around my waist for the entire meal. We feed each other biscuits topped with honey. I am relaxed as the sun lowers on the horizon.

When we have finished our meal, Peeta makes a suggestion. "I have a wonderful idea Katniss. We should recite our vows a second time for everyone to witness. Haymitch used to be a minister. He can conduct the ceremony because he knows all of the words by heart." Peeta winks at me and tickles my side, when I nod in agreement.

Delly goes inside the house to bring out the baby who has woken from his nap, and we all stroll down the road and past the train tracks to the line of pines where Peeta and I had eaten the warm bread days ago. The light is golden with orange hues as the sun sets. Haymitch leads Peeta and I in a recitation of the age-old promise "to love and to cherish from this day forth."

Delly cries of course, and I wish my sister were in attendance but I will write to her about this moment. Oddly, I feel the presence of my own dear parents surrounding me and wishing me a lifetime of happiness with Peeta that surpasses even their own. At the end of the short ceremony, Peeta tenderly presses his lips to mine. I blush, and everyone cheers.

We walk back to the Mercantile, and Delly and Rye refuse to let us clean up. They send us straight up to bed.

And this is precisely where the story would conclude if it were a tale in Godey's Lady's Book. The reader would be resigned to guess on the intimacies to come. And that is only proper because the conduct that occurs behind the marital door should remain private.

But because you have read my entire story and have taken such interest in it, I will hint at that most secret of epilogues shared only between Peeta and myself. A consummation of love communicated through lingering kisses and soft sighs, gentle touches and pleasurable caresses, racing heartbeats and tangled limbs. Much better than a letter from Peeta any day.

Author's Note: The cattle boom in Wyoming began with the construction of the railroad and lasted through 1886. The mild winters, large grassy areas, and the nearby railroad contributed to its success. (The harsh winter of 1886-1887 decimated the business, which never built up again to previous levels.) Even today, though, Wyoming is known as the Cowboy State.

THE END

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