Mail Order Matron (Brides of Beckham Book 9) (5 page)

He caught her hips in his hands and pulled her between his spread knees.  “I like watching you.  I can see the joy you have in what you do here.  It makes me feel…content.”

“I’m glad.”  She stretched.  “Would you like to go for a walk?  Maybe we could get a few of those apples tonight?”

He smiled, standing up.  “I’d be happy to.”  He found a burlap sack he’d gotten some seed in for the winter wheat, and he walked with her to the door.  “Let’s go see what we can find.”

He held her hand and talked to her about the land as they walked, pointing out different things that he thought might interest her.  When they reached the apple trees, she saw that they weren’t much.  “That’s really not a lot of apples, is it?”  She picked the apples she could reach while he picked ones that were a little higher on the branches.  The trees were obviously young, because there were very few apples that he couldn’t reach.

They managed to fill the bag he carried before they headed back toward the house.  “Thank you for doing this with me.”  Julia smiled up at him as they walked back, with him carrying the bag over his shoulder.

“You’re welcome.  I enjoyed it.”

“You did?  Really?”

He laughed.  “I got to spend time with you, which I enjoy, and I got to help with a dessert I’ll be eating.  What could be better?”  When they reached the house, he took the bag off his shoulder.  “Where do you want them?”

“Just set them there beside the work table.  I’ll take care of them in the morning.”  She yawned, stretching one arm above her head noticing the way his eyes followed the movement as her breasts were pushed against the front of her dress.  She blushed.  “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

She hurried into the bedroom and swiftly changed clothes.  She slipped under the covers as soon as she had her nightgown over her head.  She lay in bed, on her side, facing the middle of the bed.  She knew he’d be there soon, and they’d talk and kiss.

Edward paced the main room while he gave her the few minutes she needed.  Having her as his wife was so much better than he’d imagined it would be.  She was everything he’d hoped for.  She had no problem cleaning up a huge mess.  She cooked like a dream.  He found he was extremely attracted to her.  He just wished he hadn’t promised to wait for two weeks before consummating the marriage.  It was making him crazy to watch her and not make love with her.

He opened the door to the bedroom and blew out the lamp, getting undressed in the dark.  Instead of putting on his nightshirt as usual, he climbed between the sheets unclothed and pulled her against him.

She went into his arms happily but jerked back when she realized he wasn’t wearing anything.  “Where’s your nightshirt?”

He brushed a kiss across her lips.  “Wherever you put it when you cleaned up my things this morning.”

“Don’t you think you should put it on?”

“I prefer sleeping without it.  Does that bother you?”

Well, of course it bothered her, but she couldn’t bring herself to say so.  She liked being able to press up against his bare skin.  “No, it’s fine.”

His fingers danced across the skin at the side of her neck while his lips played with hers.  His hand skirted down her side and pulled her hips against his, pressing her into his erect manhood. 

She gasped with surprise when she felt him against her, but she didn’t move away.  Instead, she wrapped one arm around his neck and returned his kisses, trying to tell him without words that she didn’t need any more time.  She cared for him, and she was ready. 

When his hand cupped her bottom, pulling her even more tightly against him, she flexed her hips even closer. 

He pulled back and looked into her eyes by the light of the full moon streaming through the window.  “I want to make love to you,” he whispered.

She took his hand and brought it to her breast, arching against it, urging him to touch her.

Edward wondered if she realized what she was offering him but decided he didn’t care.  He was going to take all the liberties she was willing to allow him.  His hand cupped her breast, and he leaned down and sucked her nipple into his mouth through the thin cotton of her nightgown.  He unbuttoned the front buttons and slipped the fabric out of the way, his tongue toying with her taut nipple.  “You’re so beautiful.”

She shook her head, not believing him.  No one had called her beautiful since she and Joseph had split up, and she had been young and thin then.  Thinking of her former beau didn’t have the usual pain attached to it.  Was she falling in love with her husband?

Edward pushed against her shoulders, rolling her to her back.  His hand went to the hem of her nightgown and he slowly pushed it up, his hand caressing her leg from ankle to thigh.  He pushed her gown up above her waist, and his fingers trailed along her hip, to her stomach, then down through the curls shielding her innocence. 

When his hand reached her core she gasped, her breath shuddering out of her.  His mouth covered hers as his fingers toyed with her opening, one sliding inside to test her readiness. 

She clung to his shoulders, surprised that he would touch her in such a way.  She hadn’t known a man would use his fingers on her there and not just his man part like her mother had said.  He’d said he was going to, but somehow she really hadn’t believed he’d do something so wicked.  She was enjoying the sensations too much to ask him to stop.

He pulled his mouth from hers, staring down into her eyes.  “I want to make love to you, Julia.”

She wasn’t certain how she should respond, so she simply spread her legs a little wider, letting him know he was welcome.  He let out a shuddering breath, as if he’d been holding his breath while he waited to find out if she’d turn him away.  His mouth crushed hers again as he kissed her, his tongue moving to mate with hers.

He moved between her legs, bracing himself off her with his hands to keep from crushing her.  She moved her hands up and down his back, touching his skin with tentative fingers.  Would he mind if she touched him?  He’d tell her if he did, surely.

She felt something hard and much bigger than his finger pushing against her, in a place she’d never even dared to touch.  It felt strange against her.  Then he was pressing inside, and the pain startled her for a moment, making her stiffen up beneath him.

Edward sank deep inside her, swallowing her gasp of pain, before holding still.  He knew he needed to be gentle with her and give her time to adjust to his invasion. 

At first, Julia wanted to push him away from her, but she knew that wasn’t the right thing to do, so she lay beneath him waiting for him to finish.  When he didn’t move, she thought maybe he’d finished, and she let out a sigh of relief.  She’d done her duty, and it was over. 

When Edward felt her relax beneath him, he took that as his cue to continue.  He pulled out and pushed right back inside her, groaning at the pleasure the simple act brought him.

She wasn’t surprised when he pulled from her, but when he pushed back in, she jerked with shock.  It felt good, but…wasn’t he finished?  Soon she understood as he began moving in and out of her in a slow steady rhythm.  She felt something start to build inside her, uncertain of what it was, but she knew she liked it.  His movements brought her something she hadn’t expected at all.  Pleasure.

He kept moving steadily and after a few minutes, he suddenly jerked sharply inside her a few times before stilling, catching his weight on his elbows.  He groaned softly, pressing his forehead to hers, but saying nothing. 

Finally he moved to his side and gathered her close, pillowing her head against his shoulder.  She wanted to ask him if she’d done okay, and if he was pleased with her, but instead she lay silently, feeling slightly bruised in her most private place. 

He kissed the top of her head as his eyes drifted closed.  “Thank you,” he whispered softly.

She smiled in the darkness.  She must have done okay if he was thanking her.  She needed no other words.

Chapter Six

Julia woke the following morning to Edward’s lips pressing sweetly to hers and his hands stroking her body.  She opened her eyes to see that it was still dark, but he was purposefully arousing her.  She had thought they’d do this maybe once a month, and was startled that he wanted her again so quickly.  Was it normal to do this twice in one day?

She lay beneath him enjoying his ministrations, and when he had finished she snuggled against him, not ready to get up and start her day.  He kissed her one last time, and rolled from bed.  “We’re starting our day later than usual.”

She sighed.  “I guess that means I’m not allowed to spend the whole day in bed while you work?”

He laughed.  “I know you better than that.  You would be up doing something within a few minutes.  You’re not one to sit idle.”

“No, I’m not.  I just wish the day started a little later.”  She stifled a yawn as she sat up in the bed, holding the covers up under her arms.  He leaned down to kiss her before leaving.  “I’ll go do the milking.”

Once he’d left the room, she got up, putting her clothes on while groaning at how sore her body felt.  It wouldn’t be easy to do everything she wanted to do today if she was this sore.  She shook her head adamantly.  She’d do it all sore or not.

After breakfast, she made the dough for several loaves of bread and left them to rise while she hurried back to the berry patch, picking as many berries as her two pails could hold.  She took them home, rinsed them in the basin, and went back for more.  By noon, she’d made four trips and had her kitchen filled with the smells of berries, both jam and pie filling. 

She made a simple lunch of the bread she’d baked with some of her fresh jam on it and served it with milk.  He complimented her on her morning’s work and eyed the apples still leaning against the work table.  “Are you planning on peeling and making pie filling out of the apples today as well?”

She nodded, her eyes bright.  “I’m so excited to get this much done.”  She traced the tablecloth with one finger.  “Would it be a problem if I took the wagon into town and got some fabric and yarn sometime soon?  I have my own money, but I’ll need to have things to do this winter when I’m not canning and cleaning constantly.”

He seemed to think about it for a moment.  “I’d rather you didn’t drive that far by yourself.  I’ll come with you.”  He frowned.  “We have a mercantile a little closer in a town south of here.  I’ll take you there.”

“That’s fine.”  Something about what he’d said bothered her.  “Why can’t I go alone?”

His hand reached for hers across the table.  “Because I’ve come to care about you.  There are a lot of Indians in these parts, and I don’t want you to end up hurt or killed.”

Her eyes widened with understanding.  “Oh!  I thought you didn’t trust me.”

He shook his head.  “I absolutely trust you.  I don’t trust strangers you may meet on the road on the way there.”  He settled back in his chair and thought for a moment.  “Why don’t I take you tomorrow?  Can you have a picnic lunch for us?”

She nodded, her eyes filled with excitement.  She was thinking forward to Christmas and wanted to be able to make him some new shirts.  The ones he had were threadbare, and she liked the idea of making something special for him.  “Did you get me a chicken?” 

He nodded.  “It’s outside.  I’ll bring it in after I finish lunch.”  His eyes danced.  “What are you going to do with it?”

She smiled.  “Well, I’d thought about chicken and dumplings, but if we want a picnic for tomorrow, I’ll make some fried chicken and we’ll take some bread with butter and a pie for dessert.”

He patted his belly with a smile.  “You know I’m not going to fit through the door if you keep feeding me this way, right?”

She laughed.  “It’s time someone spoiled you.”  Her eyes met his, and she blushed as she thought about what had happened between them the night before.  Ever since she’d met him, she’d felt the need to take care of him.  She loved doing things for him.  Did that mean she was falling in love with him?  She frowned at the thought.  Could she fall in love with a man she’d just known for a few days?

He saw the emotions crossing her face and wondered at them, but didn’t say anything.  Once he finished eating, he pushed away from the table and kissed her softly before going out to get the chicken.  He’d already pulled the feathers off and had bled it out.  She carefully chopped it into pieces and coated it, setting it aside to cook when it was time.

She finished the jams and the pie filling, carefully labeling each jar, so she’d know what they were when she went to use them.  The apples were a bigger job than she’d thought.  She peeled them all carefully, putting the pieces she cut up into a bowl so she could make the pie filling and apple sauce.  She had wanted to do some dried apples as well, but there just weren’t enough apples to do everything.

She finished with the canning job with just enough time to cook supper.  As she fried the chicken, she thought about how loving and sweet her husband was.  The marital act had been nothing like her mother had described to her.  She’d enjoyed it a great deal.  She tried to picture Joseph, but his face just wasn’t there anymore.  She’d moved on.  She was in love with her husband.  But how did he feel about her?

The long drive the following day was pleasant, with her leaning against him as they drove, talking about the scenery and plans they each had.  He enjoyed listening to her chat and talk about the things she’d enjoy doing to the house.  She had plans to keep her occupied for the winter, which was a good thing.

Every day he worried a little less about her suffering from the melancholy that had affected Leah.  They’d been there for less than twenty-four hours when she’d first started worrying about how far from all their family they were.  She’d worried about everything from how she was going to not go crazy in the winter to what they would do for entertainment.  He looked down at his bride, and realized she was nothing like his first wife.  Yes, he’d loved Leah, but she’d not been suited for the prairie life.

Julia thrived there.  He could see in her face every day how much she enjoyed having freedom to do what she wanted.  She obviously enjoyed cooking and cleaning for him.  She was what he needed for a wife.  He sighed contentedly.  He’d thought love could only come slowly, when you’d known someone forever.  He could see now that sometimes it came in a blinding flash.  His little bride had in just days become his everything.

They bought the things they needed at the store in Levine and headed home.  They stopped just outside of town for the picnic that Julia had packed.  He pulled to the side of the road and helped her down, stopping next to a small pond.  She unpacked their lunch and served them both.  They both worked so hard on the farm that she was happy to have this interlude with her new husband when they didn’t have to worry about their responsibilities for a moment or two.

When they were finished eating, she expected him to be ready to get back to the farm right away so she was surprised when he stretched out with his back against a tall tree and gestured her over.

She walked over to sit beside him, and found herself lying on the blanket with her head in his lap.  He stroked her hair away from her face.  It had started out in a bun, as usual, but as they had driven, the wind had blown it all down.  “It was the best day of my life when you got off that train and married me,” he told her.

She looked up at him startled.  “But you married for love the first time.”

“Yes, I did, but the marriage didn’t end up being what I needed.”  He stared off into space trying to find the words to explain.  “She was unhappy back in New York.  She told me that moving somewhere where she wouldn’t have to work in a factory all day and have neighbors surrounding her all the time would make her happy.”  He shook his head.  “I wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted, but I wanted my wife to be happy, so we sold everything and moved west.  She was miserable as part of the wagon train.  I had thought to go further, but she couldn’t bear it.  So we stopped here, and she said she’d be happy.  We hadn’t been here for two days when she was broken-hearted about how isolated we were.  She cried all the time.  She tried to keep up with the house and cooking, but it was always ‘too much.’  She was never happy…about anything.  When she caught the fever, I think she was almost relieved to die.”

She stared up at him.  “That’s horrible.  I had no idea.”  She thought about the many things she wanted to do to make her house a home.  She’d wondered why some of the simple things that would make it better were missing.  Now she understood.  “I think my mother was like that after she fell ill.  Everything made her miserable.  It was a blessing when she finally passed on.”

“I knew you’d understand.  You seem to understand everything.  When you got off the train, I was so excited to see you, but I was also worried that you would be like her and hate it here.  Every job you’ve done, though, you’ve done with a smile.  You laugh with me.  Everything you do seems to be to make me happy.”  He struggled for the words he was looking for.  “You do make me happy.  I love you, Julia.”

She felt tears spring into her eyes at his words.  “I came here, not expecting to find love.  I thought I’d just be happy to cook and clean and be happy if I found a man who would treat me decently.  Instead, I got here and found a man who accepted me for who I am.  You appreciate everything I do, and you treat me like I’m someone precious to you.  I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here as your wife.  There’s nowhere I’d rather be, and no one I’d rather be married to.”  She sat up and faced him, leaning forward to brush her lips against his.  “I love you, too.”

Edward pulled her close, holding her tight.  “I hope you know it’s not the things you do for me that I love.  It’s you.  It’s your smile and your warmth.”

She nodded, burying her face against his neck.  “I thank God every day that it was your letter I read.  This is where I was meant to be.”