The Mistaken Mail Order Bride (10 page)

She glanced at Caleb’s bedroom. On impulse,
Eric had gone to the general store after they returned home from
the doctor’s, and he’d come back with two toys for Caleb. Caleb had
taken them to his room, but he hadn’t come back out in a half
hour.

“I think I’ll check on Caleb and see how
he’s doing,” she told Eric.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up
falling asleep,” he replied. “I know he had a nap yesterday and got
a full night’s sleep last night, but it’ll probably take a couple
days for him to rest up. Speaking of which,” he turned to her, “you
can lie down and rest if you want. The soup will take about an hour
to be ready, and there’s nothing to do.”

She debated whether or not she should then
decided she might as well. Now that she knew Caleb was healthy, she
could better relax. “Alright, but I’m going to check on him
first.”

He nodded and stirred the soup.

She, in turn, went to the boy’s bedroom and
knocked on the door, which was slightly ajar. When no one answered,
she opened it further and peered into the room. To her surprise,
Caleb wasn’t playing with his new toys, nor was he sleeping. He was
lying on the blankets, which were on the floor. He was also staring
at the ceiling, a tear trickling down his face.

She hurried into the room and sat beside
him. “Caleb, are you in pain?”

He opened his mouth, and for a moment, she
thought he was going to finally tell her something about his past,
but then he sat up and went into her arms. At this point, he
started crying in earnest. And she let him.

Chapter Eight

O
nce again, Caroline was putting on her nightgown. She wished
she knew what to expect about the marital bed, but she’d never had
that particular conversation with her mother. The war came at a
time when she was ready to get married, and because of the war, the
possibility of marrying had been delayed. After things settled
down, her friends all found their husbands by answering mail-order
bride ads, and none of them told her what to expect.

To be fair, she hadn’t thought to ask. At
the time, her main concern had been finding something to eat and a
blanket to keep warm. When confronted with life or death
situations, consummating a marriage never crossed her mind. Which
was to be expected, really. How could anyone think of such things
when they worried about getting their next meal?

But things were different now. She had
security she hadn’t experienced since the war. She knew where her
next meal was coming from, she was in a cabin with a roof that
didn’t leak and windows that didn’t need repairs, and Eric had
plenty of blankets to keep her warm.

So she had the luxury of worrying over
things like becoming Eric’s wife in more than name only. Her
situation had definitely improved for the better. That didn’t mean,
however, she didn’t experience some anxiety over this night. Truth
be told, it’d been on her mind ever since last evening. Delaying it
had been a bit of relief at the time, but now she wished she’d
gotten it over with, just so she’d know what to expect.

She took a deep breath, counted to five,
then released it. The only way she was going to know what to expect
was to go through it. She’d been through a terrible war. She could
certainly go through this.

Deciding she wouldn’t wait for Eric to come
to her, she opened the door and went to the kitchen where he was
making apple cider, once more.

“Do you make this drink every night?” she
asked, hoping that by starting a conversation it would help ease
her nerves.

“I do on most nights,” he replied. “It
relaxes me.”

Well, she could use some relaxing, but there
was no way she’d voice that thought aloud.

He grabbed a cup from the hook over the
cookstove. “I made enough for two. Would you like some?”

“Yes, that would be nice.” As he grabbed a
second cup, she asked, “Will you teach me how to make apple cider?
Then I can make it for both of us each night.”

He grinned as he set the cups down. “I know
wives are expected to do everything around the house, but I don’t
mind doing some of the work around here. You don’t have to feel
guilty. Besides, once we have more children running through here,
you’ll be glad I’m not making you do all the household chores by
yourself.”

Her face warmed as he
filled up the cups with cider. He’d said
children
, implying he expected them
to be together intimately many times. It would really help if she
knew exactly what it was they’d be doing to get those children.
What if she didn’t enjoy it? She supposed if that was the case,
she’d do it anyway. Nothing could be worse than what she’d gone
through back in South Carolina.

He handed her a cup. “I thought maybe we
should drink these in the bedroom. Last night, we drank these on
the couch, and I got called away. I know the likelihood that it
would happen again is slim, but the superstitious part of me
doesn’t want to take the chance.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his joke. “I
think everyone has things that make them feel more comfortable. I
wore my best boots all the way here, even though they were
impractical. I got blisters because of it. I have a pair of
comfortable boots. I’m wearing them today. But…I was wearing them
when my parents announced they were going to host a ball on my
birthday.” Just the memory of that day brought a smile to her face.
“It was the best day of my life. They went out of their way to show
me they loved me. Anyway,” she shrugged, “I wore those boots in
hopes it would lead me to a good marriage.” Suddenly feeling
embarrassed by the confession, she let out a nervous giggle. “I
know it was silly. A pair of boots has nothing to do with something
like that.”

“I don’t know,” Eric began with a smile, “I
think we’re off to a good start. Don’t you?”

Despite the way her heartbeat picked up by
having to further open herself up to him, she nodded. “When you
forget the fact that I came to the wrong town and mistook you for
the man I was supposed to marry, I’d say everything’s been going
along perfectly.”

He chuckled. “Well, maybe it wasn’t really a
mistake. Maybe this was the way things were supposed to be. Maybe
those boots brought you to the right town and to the right
man.”

“That’s one of the nicest things anyone ever
said to me.”

“You’ve got a good heart. I can’t think of
many people who’d take on the role of parenting an abandoned child,
especially knowing life isn’t going to be easy for him.”

“I don’t know if life is easy for anyone. We
all have problems we have to deal with.”

“Yes, but some have more problems than
others. I just want you to know I’m going to do everything I can to
make sure Caleb has a fair chance in this town.”

“I know you will. You’re every bit a
gentleman.” And it was because of that, she was assured that
whatever happened between them this night, she would enjoy it. “I
don’t mind drinking this cider in the bedroom.”

Then, in a move that made her feel braver
than she really was, she turned and went to the room, figuring he’d
follow her. And she was right. She heard his footsteps on the
hardwood floor. Well, as far as she was concerned, she had invited
him to go through whatever they’d be doing tonight, and he had
accepted the invitation.

The bedroom only contained a dresser, a bed,
and her trunk, so there was nowhere to sit except one place. She
settled on the bed, her heartbeat, once more, picking up. The
kerosene lamp cast a soft light across the room, which offered a
bit of calm. She took a drink of cider. It was just as good as it’d
been last night.

Eric closed the door and sat next to her,
offering her a reassuring smile. “You look nervous.”

“Do I?” Was she really that apparent?

“It’s to be expected,” he said. “We barely
know each other, and we’re both coming to this room to make the
marriage official.” He cleared his throat and took a drink from his
cup. “If you need some time… That is, if you want to wait until
you’re more comfortable with me, I’ll understand. We don’t have to
consummate the marriage tonight.”

“To be honest, if I wait, I’ll only be more
nervous. It’d be better if we do it now.” Then, to be sure he
wanted to do this tonight, she added, “Unless you want to wait. I
don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for, either.”

“Oh, I’m ready. I’ve been watching the clock
ever since we had supper.”

Catching the hint of eagerness in his tone,
her face flushed. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” He let out a hesitant chuckle and
took another drink of cider. “But I don’t want to do anything
unless you’re ready. You did say you’re ready, right?”

Despite feeling awkward, she smiled. “Yes. I
don’t know what to do, though, so I hope you’ll take the lead.”

“Being a sheriff and having come across some
interesting situations, I learned a lot more than I wanted to.”

“You did?”

“Drunk men—and women, for that matter—have a
way of saying, and showing, more than they should. A word to the
wise, don’t go into the saloon. It’s not for the faint of
heart.”

She made a mental note to remember that. She
had no idea what a saloon even was, but she decided not to ask. If
it wasn’t a place for a lady, then she had no business asking about
it anyway.

She tried to take another sip of cider, but
he put his cup on the dresser, signaling he was done. Which meant
he was ready to make her his wife. There was no way she could drink
anything now. She started to get up so she could put the cup next
to his, but he took it for her and went back to the dresser.

She took a deep breath, held it for several
seconds, and released it. Her mother had recommended the technique
whenever she wasn’t sure about a situation, saying it would relax
her. Well, it didn’t. Not in this case. But then, being introduced
to potential suitors was a lot different than being in a
gentleman’s bed. All she’d had to do was dance and make
conversation with the potential suitor.

Eric returned to her side and took her hand
in his. “I meant what I said earlier. I think the fact that you’re
here isn’t really a mistake. I think you’re here for a reason, and
I’m glad you’re my wife.”

She was about to thank him for the kind
words, but then he kissed her. The kiss was soft with a hint of a
question in it. He was still seeking her permission to go through
with this night, proving, once again, how much of a gentleman he
was.

Though tentative, she responded to him,
allowing him to proceed with wherever this kissing was supposed to
lead. A few seconds passed when he parted his lips. Surprised, she
followed suit, not realizing he’d meant to brush her tongue with
his. She paused for a second, but only for a second, because the
spark that traveled from her head to the tips of her toes was most
intriguing. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, except that it was
quite pleasant. She leaned into him and accepted him more fully
into her mouth. This wasn’t so bad. If this was the kind of thing
they’d be doing when in bed, she could actually look forward to
it.

Eric brought his hand up to the side of her
face and angled her head so that he could kiss her cheek and then
her neck. As it turned out, her neck was surprisingly sensitive
because more tingles raced through her. Yes, this was definitely
something she could look forward to.

With his free hand, he cupped one of her
breasts. The touch made her skin warm, partly from excitement but
also partly from a sudden wave of shyness that made her want to
pull back. It took some effort, but she managed to remain still.
Being her husband, he had every right to touch her this way.

And so, she let him continue caressing her.
His thumb brushed over her nipple, causing it to harden, which, for
some strange reason, made the area between her legs ache in
anticipation. In anticipation of what, she wasn’t sure, but there
was no doubt it’d made her more aware of that area than she’d ever
been before.

He brought his mouth back
to hers, and this time, there was a sense of urgency in his kiss.
Perhaps the change should have shocked her. She was sure it would
have if he’d started out kissing her this way, but in this
particular case, something in it excited her. She couldn’t say why.
Well, maybe that wasn’t completely true. She suspected it had
something to do with the fact that he
wanted
to kiss her.

He shifted closer to her and wrapped his
arms around her. Now this, she liked even more. She melted in his
arms, and this time, she was the one whose kisses were more
insistent than they’d been earlier. He groaned and continued
kissing her. She lost track of time as they remained in each
other’s arms, content to slowly stoke the fire that was building
between them. She was sure he’d become aware of the fire before she
did, but either way, it didn’t matter. The fire was something she
enjoyed, and she wanted to see where it was taking her.