A Husband for Margaret (8 page)

But when Bob mentioned that they wanted
to make sure she was in a good mood so she’d make them lots of
cookies and pies, she realized this was really a set-up. Amused,
she made a mental note to start in on those treats once she was
able to go to the mercantile to buy the items she’d need. She
couldn’t blame the boys. Didn’t all children enjoy dessert? She
paused as she placed her extra pair of shoes under the bed.
Actually, adults enjoyed the sweets just as much. Children, it
seemed, were just more obvious about it.

Joseph entered the room and waved to
Doug and Bob. “Time for bed.”

The knot in her stomach tightened. Once
they were in bed, then there was nothing stopping her husband
from... She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. There would be
nothing to stop him from doing what husbands had been doing with
their wives since people existed. She wondered if other women
experienced the same mixture of curiosity, excitement and
apprehension as she was at this very moment.

Well, one thing she knew for sure was
that she needed to get out of her clothes. She decided she’d do
that while Joseph was putting Doug and Bob to bed. She had a hard
time going through the simple task because her hands kept slipping
on her buttons, but she didn’t want him to come back and catch her
without her clothes on. Of course, that was ridiculous. He was
about to be intimate with her, and they weren’t going to have
clothes on anyway. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to stand naked
in front of him, so as soon as she threw her clothes onto the small
chair by the window, she slipped under the bed covers and
waited.

She heard the sound of his footsteps
across the hardwood floor in the hallway before he entered the
room. Without thinking, she pulled the cover up to her chin and
gripped the blanket as if her life depended on it. All of her
efforts to assure herself that she’d be fine went right out the
window.

Joseph offered a soft smile and closed
the door behind him.

She inhaled and slowly exhaled. For
some reason, this room didn’t seem so small when the boys were in
here.

“
All things considered, I
think the day went well. I’m sorry Debra came. That wasn’t
something I enjoyed.”

She gathered that much, and though it
was on the tip of her tongue to ask more about the rude woman, he
took off his tie, signaling an instant change in mood. Suddenly, it
seemed any mention of Debra just wouldn’t do for the rest of the
night.

He started to unbutton his shirt.
“You’re a good woman, Margaret. I’m glad you agreed to marry
me.”

He took his shirt off and she wondered
if he was going to fully undress in front of her, a prospect which
intrigued her as much as it terrified her. But he dimmed the light
on the kerosene lamp until the room was dark. She heard him
shuffling around and swallowed the lump in her throat. Alright.
This was it.

He lifted the blanket and sheet and
slid in next to her. She jerked when he reached for her, and he
chuckled. “I promise it’s not scary.”

“
I’m not scared,” she
squeaked. Her cheeks flushed. How could her voice betray her like
that?

“
I remember the first time
Hannah and I were together. There’s a lot of uncertainty
involved.”

“
For her?”

He settled next to her and pulled her
into his arms. “And for me.”

“
You?”

“
I didn’t know what I was
doing,” he softly admitted, his breath on her cheek. “I worried she
might find me lacking.”

“
It’s hard to believe you
could be lacking in anything.”

He let out a slight laugh. “She said
the same thing, but she ended up showing me how to do some things
better.”

Even if her heart was pounding with
anxiety, her eyebrows furrowed. His comment peaked her interest.
“Some things?”

His lips brushed her cheek. “I know
you’re not Hannah. You don’t need to think I’ll compare you to
her.”

“
I didn’t think that to
begin with,” she replied, aware that the movement of his hand which
ran up and down her arm in slow, methodical strokes was relaxing
her.

“
Good. I know we rushed into
this marriage.”

“
Which is what happens when
a woman asks for a man to come out west to marry her.”

“
That’s what attracted me to
you in the letters you wrote to my brother, you know. You’re so
matter of fact about things.”

Though she could only make out the
shadow of his face, she detected the smile in his voice. She
grinned. “Some people don’t like that about me.”

“
You’re kidding?” he
whispered before he kissed the corner of her mouth.

She cleared her throat. “No.” There
went her shaky voice again, but this time she couldn’t decide if it
was from nerves or the thrill of being kissed again.

When his mouth descended on hers, she
forgot all about their conversation. Suddenly, her attention was
drawn specifically to him. He shifted closer to her, closing the
small gap that had been between them just moments before. His skin
was warm against hers, and she didn’t have to know the exact
difference between a man and a woman to know what was pressing into
her hip. Her hands tightened on the sheet.

He lifted his head. “It’ll help if you
relax,” he softly said.

“
I can’t will the nerves
away.”

“
Maybe not, but I bet I can
help.” He pried her hands off the sheet and kissed her palms before
he held her hands. “You are now bone of my bones and flesh of my
flesh. I won’t do anything to hurt you. It might be uncomfortable
this time, but I’ll do what I can to ease that part.”

“
Uncomfortable?”

He sighed. “I’m just making it worse.”
He waited for a moment and asked, “Would you rather wait? Maybe
this day’s been too much. We can lay here and talk. There is more
we could learn about each other, and then you might be more
comfortable with this.”

His concern touched her and she
loosened her grip on his hands. “You would wait, wouldn’t
you?”

“
I don’t want this to be a
bad experience for you, Margaret. This is one of the better parts
of a marital relationship, and I want you to look forward to
it.”

She let go of one of his hands and
slowly brought her hand up his arm, noting the strength there, and
stopped her exploration at his shoulder. It was strange to be
touching a man this way, this intimately, and yet it was wonderful
at the same time. She licked her lower lip and dared to say, “I do
like kissing you. Can we do more of that?”

“
Of course.”

He leaned forward and brought his lips
to hers. Her toes tingled from the simple action. His actions were
gentle. In no way did she feel rushed or compelled to continue, and
that fact alone served to relax her further. She responded to him
and followed his lead when he wanted to deepen the kiss. While he
still held her hand, his other hand rested on the small of her back
and massaged her with soothing circular motions.

The tension eased from her in slow
increments, and this time when she felt his arousal press against
her, she didn’t shy away. He continued to kiss her, still gentle
even as she became aware of his growing passion. And, surprisingly,
she realized her body was beginning to anticipate what was to
come.

For once in her life, she decided she
wouldn’t analyze things. She would let her feelings lead the way.
She wiggled closer to him and brought her hand to his jaw, noting
the roughness of it. That surprised her since he made it a point to
shave, but she supposed that if a man had to keep shaving, it was
because the hair wanted to grow back. It was a reminder of how he
was a man and she was a woman.

He groaned and shifted so that she
ended up on her back. While he continued to kiss her, his hand slid
up her side until it cupped her breast. The action sent a spark
through her. Now, this wasn’t so bad, she decided. She hadn’t
imagined what it’d be like for a man to touch her like this. Part
of her thought she’d be horrified, but instead, she found it rather
pleasing and wished for him to continue.

She released his other hand so she
could explore his chest, tracking more differences between them.
She couldn’t bring herself to study all of him. Not yet. She was
doing good to touch his bare skin. These things didn’t have to be
rushed. They had plenty of time to learn each other. She was
content with what she was learning for now.

His mouth left hers, and she let out a
contented sigh as he kissed her neck. She waited in expectation for
him to kiss her breasts and moaned when he did. She sensed his
excitement and squeezed his shoulders to let him know she felt it
too. These sensations may not have been new to him but they were to
her, and she found it hard to focus on anything but what her body
wanted to happen. It seemed that her flesh knew what to do, and she
parted her legs for him before he caressed the area with his
hand.

His mouth returned to hers as he slid a
finger into her. She gasped in surprise but pulled him closer for
the kiss. The last of her anxiety departed. She moved her hips to
encourage him to tease her with his finger. He continued to caress
her, and she moaned and wiggled against him, savoring the moment.
Even as she wished it would go on forever, she needed to find
completion in what he was doing. When she came near her peak, she
let out a soft cry and gave into the waves of pleasure that
engulfed her.

Before she had time to reason what was
happening, he shifted so he could enter her. The suddenness of the
movement might have startled her had she not been otherwise
distracted. She noted the slight sting and discomfort as he began
moving inside her, but he kissed her again and the flicker of
tension subsided. In short time, the discomfort gave way to a
pleasurable sensation.

He traced her lips with his tongue,
murmured her name, and then buried his face in the nape of her neck
as he continued moving inside of her. She wrapped her legs around
his waist and shifted against him so that he could go deeper into
her. She knew it was over as soon as he stilled and grew taut. The
moment seemed to be suspended in time—as sweet as it was
gratifying. And when he relaxed, she held him to her, aware of how
fast his heart was beating.

She closed her eyes and rested her
cheek against his. So this was what she feared. She smiled at the
silliness of it all. At least now she knew, and next time she could
truly look forward to it. And she knew he was right. This was going
to be one of the better parts of their marriage.

Chapter Eight

The next morning, Margaret peered out
the parlor window of her new home. Just as she remembered from
childhood, the view of the park was lovely. She recalled coming to
this house twice with her mother. The elderly couple who owned this
place was nice folk, the kind who set out cookies and let a child
enjoy the swing on the front porch. She frowned. The swing was no
longer there, probably due to years of wear. She wondered if Joseph
would put another one up. The front yard was just the right size
for little boys to run and play, and if they ventured to the park,
she could still keep an eye on them.

Summer was fast approaching. That meant
lazy days and lots of outdoor time for rambunctious children. The
ideal time to install that swing would be now. She glanced at the
boys who already seemed restless inside the place. Joseph had been
busy getting the house ready for her, but their furnishings were
still few at the moment. The only two items in the parlor were a
couch and a small table. Beds, a couple of dressers, a kitchen
table and chairs were about it for the rest of the house, but it
would suit for now. She and Joseph had the rest of their lives to
fill the place. Thankfully, she knew a few people in town who
didn’t need their old furniture anymore. Perhaps taking used
furniture wasn’t something every new bride dreamed of, but as she
watched the youngest boy jumping on the couch, she decided used
furniture was good for children.

“
That’s enough, Ben,” she
said and pulled the energetic toddler off the sofa. She set him on
the floor. “Let’s not destroy things until we’ve had them for
awhile.” Then she paused. Just how long was “awhile” to a child?
And just how much would a two year old understand if she explained
it anyway? Finally, she said, “Jump outside instead.”

She urged the boy toward the kitchen
where Bob and Doug had set out the utensils and dishes. They were
currently sitting around the table and openly drooling at the
pancakes, eggs, and hash browns on it.

“
Can we eat now?” Bob asked,
grabbing his stomach. “I’m starving.”

“
Me too,” Doug
agreed.

“
No,” she said and set Ben
into the highchair. “You have to wait for your pa and Charles.” She
picked up the wooden tray and turned it over. “How does this thing
work anyway?”

Ben giggled and tried to hop back onto
the floor, but she stopped him.

Bob got off his chair and went over to
her. He took the tray and, in one swift motion, locked the tray
into place. “There.” Then he promptly returned to his
seat.