Courting Miss Hattie (42 page)

"My head is much harder," he warned her. "I wouldn't want you to hurt your hand. Then you'd never open your dress and show me your pretty bosom."

His grin was infectious, and despite her embarrassment, she couldn't help but smile back at him. "You are a shameless husband," she said, trying without much success to keep from giggling.

"Yes, that's true. Reed is shameless, and Hattie has a pretty bosom." He raised a hand and gestured across the empty horizon. "There's just me here, Hattie, and I'd like to see my wife as intimately in sunlight as
moonglow
."

"It seems so wicked," she whispered.

Capturing her fingers in his hand, he brought them to his lips for a kiss. "Nothing between us is wicked."

"Because we're married?"

His brow furrowed as he considered her words. "That's true, I suppose. But even that night on the porch, when we were blatant sinners, somehow it still felt right."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "It felt that way to me too."

They stared at each other, remembering the sights and sounds and tenderness of that first time. For that moment there were no secrets between them.

"Please, Hattie," he said, and reached toward her. Holding up a hand in protest, she stopped him. Though she was blushing furiously, she managed to keep her hands from trembling as she worked the buttons on her shirtwaist.

Scarcely breathing, Reed rested his hands on his thighs as he watched her progress, ignoring the nervous sweat that beaded on his upper lip.

When the dress was open to her waist, Hattie glanced hastily at him before focusing her attention on the ribbons of her chemise. The delicate ties, usually so simple to manipulate, were as hesitant as Hattie herself. She almost wept in gratitude when she managed to loose them.

Looking up at Reed, she saw the expectation and desire in his gaze. To bolster her courage, she took a deep breath. That had the incidental consequence of raising her breasts, as if taunting him. She watched as Reed's lips parted and he swallowed, choking back his passion.

Grasping the sides of chemise and dress, she pulled the parted fabric back to her shoulders, baring the firm white globes with their pink-tipped crowns already taunt and waiting.

Reed's look was as thorough as a touch, and she longed to close her eyes and moan with the feel of it. But she wasn't willing to give up the sight of his appraisal. Her breathing quickened, his gaze followed the gentle sway of her breasts. When he moistened his lips with his tongue, she was sure she was melting. "Is my bosom pretty in the sunlight?" she asked, her voice quivering with desire.

"No, Hattie," he answered. "Not pretty. Beautiful."

* * *

If Hattie had needed confidence in her attractiveness, that afternoon under the cottonwood gave it to her. In the marriage vows Reed had said, "
with
my body I worship thee," and the exquisite passionate love they had made in broad daylight had been nothing short of worship.

That night at the house, Reed grudgingly admitted that the dalliance had resulted in
sunburning
his buttocks. They giggled together like naughty children as they lay on the bed and Hattie tenderly applied salve to his red-tinged behind.

"It's
all your
fault," he declared.

Her snickering got out of control. "Next time," she said, "I'll let you wear my hat."

The image of her big straw hat riding his buttocks had them both laughing hilariously.

When they were able to catch their breath, Reed spoke with soft sincerity.
"You know, that night I came courting
…
I
was really uncomfortable about being younger than you and maybe appearing foolish." He shook his head at the memory. "The idea that you might tease or laugh at my lovemaking just plain unmanned me."

"How could I have laughed at you?" she asked in surprise. "You were the teacher, the one who knew what to do."

"But you knew me when I was just a kid. You used to dry my tears and blow my nose." Grimacing in self-derision, he added, "That night I was thinking that you'd probably changed my diaper."

She lightly grazed her hand across his crotch. "I don't think this thing ever fit in a diaper."

Nursing time was over then as he grabbed her and pulled her beneath him to kiss away her amusement. Returning his kisses with equal fervor, Hattie wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Careful with me, woman," he said as her knee brushed his bottom. "Remember my injury."

"Does that mean you'll be too sore to do this for a while?" she asked innocently as she wriggled against him.

"Absolutely," he said,
then
gave her sensitive ear a
malvalva
. "I'll be unable to husband you for at least the next ten minutes."

Actually, it was five.

 
CHAPTER
 
22

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B
y Sunday, Hattie and Reed were as relaxed and intimate with each other as many couples who had been married years longer. The friendship they had shared so long had now expanded to include passion. Knowledge of each other's strengths and foibles gave them an uncanny intuition.

It was that intuition that made Reed slow the mare from her brisk pace as they were in sight of the church.

Hattie looked at him quizzically. "Why are we slowing down?"

He answered her question with one of his own. "What's wrong today, Hattie?"

She glanced away. "I don't know what you mean."

"For some reason, you don't want to go to church today. And I'd like to know why."

"Of course I want to go to church," she said with more vehemence than necessary.

He turned to get a good look at her. "You've been stalling all morning. Since the minute we finished the morning chores and started getting spiffed up for church, you've been dawdling."

"I never 'dawdle'!"

"That's what makes me so sure that something is wrong. I don't mind being made to wait a good ten minutes by the buggy because you can't decide what to wear. But I do mind you being troubled and not talking to me about it."

Hattie couldn't quite look him in the eye. At her hesitance, Reed transferred the reins to one hand and took her hand in his. "Is it Drayton? Are you worried about having to face him?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. I expect
Ancil
to be annoyed and to have maybe a few cross words to say. That doesn't bother me. I do want to talk to the children, though, explain that I still care about them." She sighed. "They really do need a woman in that house to love them."

His expression grave, Reed brought her hand to his lips and asked quietly, "Are you having regrets, Hattie?"

She jerked her head up, startled at his question,
then
grinned. "Do you have to ask that, Reed?" She grasped the hand that held her own. "I'm sorry for them, but I am very happy for me."

His smile returned, but a hint of concern lingered in his eyes. "So what are you worrying about this morning? If it's not Drayton, what can it be?"

She eased her hand free.
"Reed," she began nervously, keeping her gaze lowered, "do you think everyone will know what we've been doing all week?"

He looked at her blankly for a moment, then quickly smothered his humor and answered as seriously as he could. "You mean taking care of the livestock and working out in the fields?" he asked.

Her head popped up, a look of exasperation on her face. "Of course not! You know exactly what I mean!"

It was impossible to keep the grin from his face at the sight of his wife's discomfiture and irritation.

"Oh," he said. "You mean does the whole congregation know that we've been going to bed right after supper and not sleeping until after
midnight
?"

She nodded anxiously.

"And you're wondering if they know about me putting my hand under your skirt when you were bent over, picking okra in the garden?"

She gasped and covered her pink cheeks with her hands.

"And maybe," he went on, "they know about that afternoon under the cottonwood or that evening I bent you over the kitchen table."

"Reed!" Hattie's face was burning with mortification.

He pulled into the churchyard. Hattie had made them late, and the sounds of voices
raised
in joyful hymns floated toward them as he set the brake and gave his wife a long, thoughtful look.

"Hattie, they don't know a thing," he said quietly. She visibly relaxed and took a deep, grateful breath. Reed allowed her a full minute to regain her composure before he added, "But I imagine they suspect exactly what we've been up to."

When her eyes widened in horror, he couldn't hold back the laughter another minute.

His humor infuriated her, and she sputtered with anger as he drew her lovingly into his arms.

"We're married people," he said. "We haven't got to answer to a soul in that church."

She didn't struggle from the comfort of his arms, but she did respond petulantly. "It's easy for you. Men just get a pat on the back and congratulations. But women…" She sighed with dismay. "Oh, Reed, I don't think I can bear to have every eye in that church focused on me, looking to see if debauchery is written on my face."

He kissed her brow, then released her and jumped down from the buggy. As he held up his arms to her, she grudgingly went into them. To her surprise, he didn't immediately set her on her feet, but eased her down the length of his body. The sensual contact didn't stop when she was finally standing on the ground.

Holding her close against his body, he whispered, "They probably will imagine something like this."

He brought his mouth down on hers, and she opened for him. Gently, lovingly, they met the passion of the other, interspersing sweet kisses with tiny pecks, until heat flared between them and their tongues imitated the goal of such desire.

Moaning in the back of her throat, Hattie pressed herself more tightly against him, rubbing lustfully against the evidence of his appreciation.

When he abruptly separated them, she gave a little cry of dismay and attempted to return to his arms before she became aware of her surroundings
.
"In the churchyard!" she gasped as she turned away from her husband. "I really have no shame when you touch me, Reed."

He touched her cheek, silently urging her to face him. "I wouldn't have you any other way," he said.

She smiled shyly and started to speak, but he held up a hand to stop her. "What those people will see," he said, "when you walk beside me into the church and your place next to me in the
Tyler
pew is a woman who looks happy, fulfilled, and content with her marriage."

His warm gaze captured hers, and Hattie felt a fluttery tenderness stealing through her. The words
I love you
sprang to her lips, but she held them back. Her eyes, however, spoke very clearly. Reed's lips curved into a smile and he caressed her soft cheek until she turned her head to kiss his hand.

"I'm ready to go in now," she whispered. "I have you beside me, and I don't care what they think."