Hope

sigh of relief. They were, once again, on solid ground.
Daniel stuck his head through the rear flap. “Are you all right, Hope?” He saw the way she was in the wagon, clutching the barrel and completely dislodged from her usual place, and he jumped inside to put her back in her original resting place.
“I thought I would fall out through the flap, and I can’t swim.”
“I didn’t realize how steep the bank was. I’m sorry,” he said.
“Are we inside the fort?”
“We will be. Shank's directing the wagons now. I have to lead the oxen. Will you be all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
River crossings were always dangerous, but that had been the first she’d experienced from inside a wagon. Daniel had told her they'd crossed a river while she was sick, but that didn't count because she didn’t remember it. She decided that she preferred to be outside the wagon during crossings.
The wagon soon moved slowly, and Hope knew they were inside the fort’s grounds. She heard Shank’s voice yelling orders to the men leading the wagons, and felt the oxen being removed from the wagon’s tongue, and she supposed Daniel was leading them away, probably to a penned area. It seemed to take forever for him to return, but when he did, he helped her disembark the stuffy wagon, and she gazed around in awe. The fort was huge. There were buildings all over but plenty of flat grassy areas for the wagons. The wagons lined up close together, but they were no longer in a circle. Soldiers were milling about—it looked like an exciting place to be.
Daniel pulled out the wooden step that Hope used to climb in and out of the wagon. He put it near the front of the wagon. “You can sit here and watch everyone getting settled while I go look for that doctor.”
“I’m sure I don’t need one now, Daniel.”
“Yes, you do. I want to make sure everything is in order and you’re settled before I leave.”
“But—” He was gone. Hope frowned.
Anna waved to her from a few wagons away. She was no longer her neighbor, for there were several wagons between them.
Daniel appeared with a bifocaled young man whom he introduced as Dr. Ellis. Daniel escorted Hope back into the wagon, and the doctor examined her while he waited outside. The doctor told her she’d probably suffered from a throat infection with a name Hope couldn’t pronounce. He gave her orders to sleep well and eat healthy to gain back her strength.
After the doctor left, Daniel sat in the wagon with her. “Captain George Clemons has invited all the travelers to the mess hall for supper to celebrate our safe arrival.”
Hope brightened. “Everyone?”
Daniel nodded. “Nothing fancy, mind you. They have to feed all the soldiers, so they just added to what they normally get, but whatever they serve has to be better than we’ve been eating.”
“I can hardly wait.”
“You said you wanted to talk. Is this a good time?”
Hope cleared her throat. “Yes, the offer you made me a while back, is it still a valid offer?  I’ve had the time to think more about it.”
“Do you mean the house and land?”
“Yes. I don’t want to live with Anna and Walter for any longer than I have to.”
Daniel seemed to study her. “The offer still stands if you'll marry me. Not my rule, but Shank’s.”
“And you'll have annulment papers drawn up as soon as we reach Oregon?”
“Yes, I will… if that’s what you want.”
“I don’t want another loveless marriage.”
“I don’t blame you. And I’d do almost anything to see my father one more time. I need to tell him something important.”
“So, if we marry here, at Fort Laramie, you can stay with the train?” she asked.
“Yes. Shank’s already showed me where to find the minister. He’s adamant about it.”
“No consummation, right?” she asked shyly.
“Absolutely, not. It’s the only way to annul the marriage.”
“Let’s do it, then.”
Hope and Daniel married that very afternoon, gently spurred by Wesley Shank who witnessed the wedding. The scrumptious dinner that followed helped to make the occasion special.
The meal the army served was ordinary fare, but it was a feast to the pioneers. They ate beef stew with potatoes, carrots, and fresh corn.  Everyone celebrated the marriage, including it in the festive merriment.
The party broke up and everyone bedded down for the night—or so it seemed to Hope as she and Daniel walked to the wagon.
“It'll look strange if we don’t sleep in the same tent,” Daniel said.
“What?” Hope stopped walking and looked up at him. “We can’t.”
“I slept beside you while you were sick. The tent's plenty big enough. We don’t want everyone to know our arrangement, do we?”
“I suppose not. But—”
“Hey,” Daniel put both of his hands up in defense, “I’ll be on my best behavior. A deal is a deal, and we both want the annulment later. Nothing will happen.”
They entered the tent, and Hope could see that her new husband had spread the thick quilts out for them to lie on.
He was right: the tent was big enough for them both to lie in it without touching. She made herself comfortable, and Daniel pointed himself in the opposite direction. They didn’t touch.
Hope had just about fallen asleep when a deafening clatter arose outside the tent.
She felt Daniel sit up.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Hope shrugged and peeked through the opening to see their neighbors banging on pots and pans while they danced around the tent.
Hope turned and looked at Daniel. “What’s happening?”
He laughed. “It’s called shivaree. They’ll stop shortly. It’s some sort of marriage custom. They think they’re interrupting the consummation. Just play along.”
They poked their heads through the tent opening and laughed along with