The Rancher's Bride (7 page)

“I’m sorry.” She sniffled a bit.

“You can’t use someone else’s poor behavior as your excuse for your own. I want you to remember that. Is that clear?”

Marie nodded, afraid to speak lest she should start crying again. He was making her feel ashamed and she didn’t like thinking that he was disappointed in her.

Frank then settled back and held Marie tight in his arms. She rested her head against his chest, just under his chin and felt herself relax. It felt so good to be exactly where she was right now, even if her entire backside felt like it was on fire. They stayed that way for awhile, neither of them speaking, with Frank stroking Marie’s hair. Frank was the one to break the silence.

“How old are you, girl?”

“I’m twenty-two.” Marie turned her head and looked up at him as she answered. “How old are you, Mr. Carter?”

Frank smiled at her. “I’m thirty-one. And I would like for you to address me by my first name, Marie.”

Marie blushed and dropped her eyes. It would take some getting used to, that was for sure.

Frank tilted her face up to his and kissed her again.

When he stopped, Marie pulled back, searching his face. “Mr. Car—Frank.”
Yes, that would definitely take some getting used to
, Marie thought. “Are you fixin’ to court me now?”

“No.” Frank shook his head slowly and Marie felt her stomach drop. “No, I’m fixin’ to marry you, if’n you’ll have me, of course. I love you, Marie. I think I’ve loved you from the moment I met you. If you don’t love me, I hope that you will in time, and I will do my very best to be a good husband to you and a good father to them two boys.”

At those words, Marie threw her arms around Frank’s neck and hugged him tight. “I love you, too, I do.” Marie’s voice shook. “I’ve been in love with you since the night you kissed me.” She started crying all over again. “If you loved me, why did you take up with Sarah?”

“Hush.” Frank sounded stern. “Hush now. That’s over and done with. And I only did that because I didn’t want you to feel as if you were beholden to me after the kiss.” Then he smiled. “So is that a ‘Yes?’”

Marie pulled back, looking confused.

“Will you marry me?”

Marie threw her arms around him again. “Yes…yes!”

There was soft knocking on her bedroom door. Maybe one of the boys? Marie thought. It was late and she was just turning in.

She opened the door expecting Jack or Henry, only to find Frank standing there holding a package and wearing a strange expression on his face.

“I remembered that this was in the attic,” he started. “It may not fit, and you may not want to wear it, but it was my mama’s wedding dress. Just thought I’d give you another option.” He thrust the package into Marie’s hands and she stood speechless and watched him walk back down the hall to his own room.

Then she took the package over to her bed, laying it down and carefully unwrapping it. Marie’s breath caught in her throat when the final layer of paper that had been protecting the dress was pulled back.

It was the single most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was fitted around the bodice, with a long, flowing skirt that went all the way to the floor. A beautiful soft white with lace overlay, there were seed pearls stitched into the neckline and around the cuffs of the long fitted sleeves. Marie prayed that it would fit.

She carefully lifted the dress and turned it to hold it against herself. It seemed the right length, but there was no way of knowing until she actually put it on. Marie quickly shed her nightgown and slipped the dress over her head.

It was as if it had been made for her. It fit perfectly. How was that even possible? Marie stood a ways back from the small mirror on her bureau, trying to fit as much of herself into the reflection as possible. She felt like a princess in one of the fairy tales that she liked to read to the boys at bedtime. She couldn’t believe that she would have such a beautiful dress to wear tomorrow.

Marie carefully shed the dress and draped it over her bedroom chair. She stood for a moment contemplating how she would fix her hair, then she realized that she should really try to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Her wedding day. Marie felt so nervous and excited all at once that she wasn’t sure she would sleep even a wink.

She picked up the brown parcel packaging that the dress had been wrapped in and realized there was something else inside. Laying it back on the bed, Marie opened the thick paper farther to reveal…shoes! There were matching shoes! She reached down to slip one on, deciding that she would wear them whether they fit or not, it was just too good to be true. They were just a bit tight, but otherwise perfect.

Marie just knew then and there that tomorrow would be perfect too.

* * *

Marie was so nervous that she shook. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Frank—she did, and she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her or be rough and uncaring with her. She sensed all that just from the way he had kissed her those few times. He wasn’t exactly gentle, she didn’t think that was the right word to describe him, but he was attentive. He seemed to be aware of her and how she reacted to the things he did.

Marie had donned her nightgown and brushed her hair out. She waited on the edge of the bed for Frank to come back from checking on everything outside. The hands had offered to see to all the evening chores, but Frank wouldn’t be able to relax until he saw to it that everything had been tended to. Finally, she heard his steps on the stairs, then heard him go into the bathroom.

All three of the children were fast asleep, Marie having just checked on them not long ago. It had been a busy and eventful day and they were pretty tuckered out by bedtime. They had all fallen asleep quickly. It
had
been a busy day, but wonderful and a day that Marie was sure she would never forget.

They had all risen early and Frank had taken care of the morning chores while Marie made breakfast and dressed the children. Frank had gotten dressed and then watched the young’uns while Marie got herself ready.

When Marie donned Frank’s mother’s wedding dress, she felt like a princess. It fit her perfectly and she felt beautiful. Even Jack and Henry were caught speechless for a moment at how beautiful Marie was in that dress.

“Mama, you look pretty,” Jack had finally said and Henry smiled and nodded his agreement. Marie kissed and hugged them both, then kissed and hugged Emme, who just giggled. They all piled into Frank’s truck and headed into town.

The ceremony at the justice of the peace was short and sweet, with two of the clerks in the office serving as witnesses. Frank and Marie also inquired as to what they would need to do to formally adopt Jack and Henry. They were given instructions as to the necessary paperwork required; they planned to return to town the following week with the forms and make that official too.

Afterward, at Marie’s request, they headed over to the diner to have their wedding dinner. Marie wanted to see Dot and tell her the good news. Dot had been thrilled for her of course, and provided “wedding” cake for dessert on the house. Marie couldn’t have asked for a better day or a better husband than Frank.

Just then, Frank entered the room with his clothes still on, ‘ceptin’ that his suspenders hung down, resting around the sides of his legs.

Marie could barely look up at him, she was so nervous and really not wanting him to see how nervous she was.

He came and sat on the edge of the bed next to her and took her hand in his. “I know you must be nervous and maybe even a little scared about tonight,” Frank started. “I promise that I will do my best to make it good for you. It’s going to hurt you this first time—I’m sorry for that—but there ain’t nothing I can do to change that fact. I will try to make it as easy as it can be, and it will only hurt this once. Then it won’t never hurt again.”

Frank turned Marie’s face to his and kissed her and Marie relaxed a bit. “And there’s something else that I want to make clear to you. You already know that I am in charge in this house, Marie.”

Marie nodded her agreement.

“I just want to make clear that I am in charge in this marriage also. That includes what happens between us in this bed. I want to join with you every night when we lay down together. I want you to give yourself to me whenever we are together in this bed.” Frank paused a minute.

“Unless you’re sick or you’re heavy with child or you have your monthly”—Marie looked down and blushed at this—“we will be together in this bed. Am I making myself clear?”

Marie nodded and looked at him solemnly.

“The reason I’m telling you this is that some women, my late wife included, try to use what happens between a man and wife as a means of manipulation. A way to get what they want—or just get their way. I’m telling you right now that I won’t stand for none of that this time around.”

“If you’re upset about somethin’, with me or somethin’ else, we can talk about it and I will listen to you and do my best to work things out, but that won’t change the fact that we will still lie down together when all is said and done.”

“If’n you try—even once—to use what happens in this bed between us against me, I will cut a switch and wear it out on your behind. Am I makin’ myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” It came out as a whisper. He was scaring her and she had already been scared to start. Plus she really didn’t know what he meant by what he was sayin’. How would she use what they was gonna do right now against him? It always made Marie nervous to agree to understanding something when she didn’t really understand. Then she just wasn’t sure when she might be doin’ somethin’ that she had previously agreed not to do. What if she did the thing that Frank was talking about but didn’t realize she was doing it?

He said he would switch her. Her daddy had switched her a few times and it was something she’d never forgot. It hurt so bad. Her thoughts began running circles around her head. Marie felt confused and scared and tired from the long (but exciting) day and nervous and…she burst into tears!

* * *

“I…I…d-d-don’t understand!” Marie looked directly at Frank through her tears, shaking her head, and he felt like she had kicked him in the gut. She also looked so sad that he felt like a true heel. Why had he chosen tonight to tell her all this? He should have waited for a better time. It was too much for her and he should have realized that.

Frank was just beginning to understand who Marie was. He should have known she would have no thoughts of playing marital games with him. She had so far proven herself to be a simple and honest young woman (with the exception of the lie about the boys, but he thought her heart was in the right place as far as that was concerned). If he could have reached around and kicked himself in the keester, he would have. He quickly gathered her into his lap and held her tight in his arms. “Hush now,” Frank soothed. “It’s alright, it’s alright.” He stroked her hair and back in an attempt to calm her and get her to stop crying. “I’m the one who doesn’t understand, Marie.”

Marie hiccoughed. “I don’t know what you mean, how I would use it against you and I’m scared—what if I do that and don’t know I’m doin’ it?” The tears started again. “I don’t want to get a switchin’, Frank, please!”

Frank couldn’t suppress a little smile. “I know you don’t sweetheart and, as long as you’re a good girl—which you are almost all the time anyway—I don’t see why I would have any reason to take a switch to your behind.” Frank adjusted Marie in his lap so that he could tilt her face up to his. He pulled a clean kerchief out of his back pocket and started drying her tears with it. “I’m sorry I brought it up and I want us to drop this subject right now. We can talk about it some other time and I’ll help you understand exactly what I mean.”

“Just the fact that you don’t really know what I’m talking about tells me something. It tells me you wouldn’t ever think to do that anyway. I don’t want you to worry about it no more, hear?” Frank tilted Marie’s chin up so she was looking him in the eye and fixed her with his sternest look. “And no more tears. This is meant to be a happy day, from start to finish. I’ve been lookin’ forward to being here with you in our bed all day. I’ve been lookin’ forward to making you my wife in every sense of the word,”—Frank started kissing her neck—“showing you how love between a man and a woman can be,” and then kissing her face, “how wonderful it can be to love,” and kissing her lips, softly, “and be loved.”

As he kissed her, Frank felt Marie relax against him. Her arms came around his neck and she let out a small moan.

Frank felt that moan like a shot straight to his manhood. He had already been hard since he had pulled her onto his lap, but now it was downright painful. It was all he could do to keep from throwing her down on the bed that very instant and driving into her full force. Instead, he very carefully picked her up and off his lap and placed her on her feet in front of him.

She stood between his knees, looking confused as to why she wasn’t on his lap anymore.

Frank reached down for the hem of her nightgown with both hands and carefully lifted it up and over her head. He tossed it on the chair next to the bed and then shook his frustrated head. She was wearing underwear under her nightgown! Frank reached for the corset first, meaning to pull it up and over Marie’s head.

As he grabbed the hem, Marie tried to push his hands away. “Frank!” Marie protested. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll move your hands off’n mine right now, young lady,” Frank spoke gently, but firmly. “I aim to see my new wife—all of her.”

Marie was shaking her head and still holding his hands down.

“You’re beautiful, Marie. And I’m your husband now. It’s okay.” He tried to reassure her, but he also felt himself losing patience fast. He knew he couldn’t do that. He had to be extra patient with her, especially tonight.

Tonight was meant to be special. Frank took a deep breath to regain his calm and tried to remind himself of how important it was that Marie have a good experience this first time. She didn’t have any idea what to expect and she was very obviously scared of the unknown.