Falling in Love With Her Husband (21 page)

one else was in the room and the doctor gave us privacy.

“Agnes said you might be feeling ignored since she"s

come to visit,” I final y ventured. “Is that true?”

She glanced at the floor and sighed. “It"s childish. I

know you had friends back in Virginia.”

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So Agnes had been right. I was glad that was all

that was bothering her. “Barbara, I am thankful that we are

friends. You are like a sister to me. It"s true that Agnes and

I grew up together, but she can"t take your place. You are

both important to me.”

Her eyes met mine and she smiled widely. “I was

foolish. I wanted to say something but didn"t when she was

around, and the longer I waited to say anything, the harder it

became. I"m sorry, Ann. I should have told you right away.”

“I didn"t give you much of a chance. I"m sorry too.”

We hugged.

I was glad things were back to normal.

“You must bring Agnes by again. I"l have to treat

her better this time,” she promised.

“Oh no. You are with child. You don"t need to go to

any trouble for us. Why don"t you and your family come

over for dinner tonight? That is, if you feel up to eating.”

She laughed. “I may not eat much, but we would

love to come over.”

“I"m excited for you. Another baby! John will be

thrilled.”

“Yes. He wants at least seven children. You"re good

with children. Wouldn"t it be wonderful if you were expecting

soon so our children wil be close in age?”

I didn"t know what to say, so I nodded. My

goodness! What would Todd think of this conversation?

Ignoring my pounding heart, I said good-bye and left. I went

to the mercantile and helped Agnes with the rest of my usual

chores. After we were done, we went home so I could get

dinner started.

Agnes insisted on helping me. “I want to learn more

about cooking. Who knows if I"l ever need to know this? I

might end up marrying a man whose grand dream is

farming.”

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I laughed. “The chances of that happening where

you live are slim.” I stopped peeling a potato and looked at

her. “Do you wish to stay in Virginia?”

“Yes. I do like visiting here, but my heart wil always

be back there.”

“Then you"l probably marry someone from a wealthy

family. Do you have your sights set on anyone?”

She shrugged. “Not real y.”

“You must be disappointing many young men. You

have a way of attracting them.”

“I know. Maybe that"s why I don"t feel rushed to

make a decision. I just haven"t found the right one yet.”

“The important thing is how he treats you. Kent

might have been charming and outspoken but he focused

on himself. Todd actually cares about what I want and what

I think.”

“I hope you remember that when Kent shows up.”

“I don"t understand why he would bother. He knows

I"m married.”

“And that doesn"t matter to him. I don"t know why he

proposed to Rebecca in the first place, but for some reason

he did.”

She poured water into the pot as I added the peeled

potatoes into it.

She sighed thoughtfully. “Do you love Todd?”

“Yes. But what I feel for him is different than what I

feel for Kent. Well, I should say „what I felt for Kent." I"m

over him now.”

“Just when you think you"re over the past, it comes

back to haunt you.”

“No. I won"t let it. I made my decision the day I

married Todd. I promised to forsake all others as long as he

lived.”

She still seemed uncertain but nodded and silently

turned to the salad we were going to make. That was when

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I made my decision. I would consummate my marriage with

Todd that night.

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Todd’s Point of View

After John, Barbara and their children went home,

Agnes, Ann and I stood in the living room. I assumed we

were going to sit and talk, but Agnes said she wanted to go

to bed early.

“What a lovely day,” she said. “I do confess that

those children wore me out. I don"t know how Barbara does

it all day with them! You farmer"s wives have too much work

to do. I have to admit that I like to be spoiled. I would rather

have the servants" help, but this certainly is a nice place to

visit.”

“It"s real y not that difficult once you get used to it,”

Ann assured her. “It"s nice to have some privacy. When I

had servants, I couldn"t even sneeze without someone

handing me a handkerchief.”

I smiled. “I suppose there are benefits to both

worlds. I"m glad you ventured out here.”

Ann nodded. “I am too. Thank you for coming.”

I turned to Ann after Agnes went up to her bedroom.

“That"s odd. I thought she"d want to stay up for two more

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hours. Usual y, I can"t get her to stop talking. Life certainly

isn"t boring when she"s around.”

“Oh?”

“You know what I mean.” I grinned to show her I was

joking. Life was definitely not boring with Ann. I motioned to

the couch. “Would you like to stay up and talk?”

She hesitated. “Actual y, I was thinking of going to

bed.”

“Oh.” I had hoped we could sit together and talk.

Perhaps, more would come of it. Even if it didn"t, it would

still be nice to be with her. “Are you going to wake up early

tomorrow? Ever since Agnes got here, we haven"t had

much time alone. I guess I got used to it just being us.”

She didn"t reply right away, which surprised me since

she didn"t usually take long to answer my questions. When

she did respond, I wasn"t expecting her reply. “Would you

like to come with me?”

I nearly bolted for her bedroom but I forced myself to

stand stil . “Are you saying that you"re ready?” I wanted to

be sure I understood her.

She nodded.

As much as I wanted to forget my nightly chore, I

knew we would all be cold by morning if I didn"t do it. “I"l

gather enough firewood for the night and bring it to your

room. I should take some to Agnes too.”

“Then I"l be waiting for you.”

I watched as she walked up the steps. I was so

excited that I quickly slipped on my shoes and grabbed my

coat. I threw open the back door and ran out to the barn to

collect enough wood for the night. When I came back into

the house, I hastily took off my coat. I would put it on the

hook later. I didn"t bother to take my shoes off. Instead I

climbed the stairs and took a deep breath. I knocked on

Agnes" bedroom door. I couldn"t forget to give her some

firewood.

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Agnes opened her door. I noted that she was still in

her dress.

“I brought you some firewood for the night. Would

you like me to put a piece in the box stove?” I offered.

“Alright,” she agreed and moved aside so I could

bring in the wood.

I knelt by the box stove and inserted a piece of wood

into it. I glanced over at her bed and noticed she was

reading a book. “I thought you were tired.”

“Oh. Not real y. I just wanted to give you and Ann

some time alone. I know I tend to dominate the

conversation whenever I"m around. After all, my great gift in

life is talking.”

I smiled at her as I stood up. “That"s thoughtful of

you.”

She gave me a quick hug. “She does love you, even

though she won"t come out and say it. We did a lot of

talking and she likes being with you. You"re a lot better than

Kent ever was.”

I thought her words were odd but accepted them. “I

hope you enjoy the book.”

She nodded and sat on her bed.

I quietly shut the door behind me and walked past

my room. It felt good not to have to sleep in there tonight.

By the time I reached Ann"s door, I realized my hands were

shaking. Now that the moment was here, I was more

nervous than excited. I loved her so much. I hoped she

would enjoy the night as much as I knew I would.

I tapped on her door.

“Come in,” she softly replied.

I had a hard time making eye contact with her as I

entered the room. I laid the stack of chopped wood beside

the box stove. Since the fire was low, I added two more

pieces of wood to the fire. I slowly stood up and turned

around. I frowned. She had her eyes closed.

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“Are you asleep?” I whispered. I real y didn"t want to

return to my room but couldn"t bring myself to wake her.

Her eyelids flew open.

“I"m sorry. I didn"t mean to scare you.” I smiled,

relieved she was stil awake. I sat next to her. “Are you

sure you want to do this?”

“Yes. Do you?”

Yes! “More than you know, though I didn"t think I"d

be this nervous when the time came,” I admitted.

She looked relieved. “Thank goodness. I thought I

was the only one who was nervous.”

I chuckled, glad she felt the same way I did.

I took off my shoes and slipped under the covers.

She moved closer to me. I loved the feel of her in my arms.

I hugged her close to me. My heart pounded with joy and

anticipation. We remained silent for a long time. I wanted to

enjoy the moment, but my desire to do more was steadily

increasing.

I kissed the top of her head. I loved the smell of her

soft hair. She lifted her head off of my chest. She was so

beautiful. I gladly gave into the urge to kiss her since now I

knew I could. She responded to my kiss with a passion that

surprised and delighted me. She wanted me as much as I

wanted her. This knowledge only increased my arousal.

Our kiss deepened and I took off my shirt as she settled

back into the bed. Her hands felt incredibly sensual on my

bare shoulders. I had often wondered how they would feel

on my body, and it was better than I expected. My hands

traveled from her hair to her breasts. She was amazingly

soft. She was all woman and I was aware of how my body

was responding to that fact. My lips hungrily made their way

down her neck. I was desperately trying to go slow but my

urgency for her was starting to consume me.

“Todd, wait. Agnes is at the door.”

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I stopped and looked up at her, not fully

comprehending what she was saying. Did she want me to

stop?

“Todd, our parents are here!” Agnes yelled from

behind the closed door. “They"re at the front door.”

My reaction to my sister"s announcement was

immediate. I bolted out of the bed as if it were on fire. Of all

things that could kill a mood, this ranked high on the list. I

quickly picked up my shirt and buttoned it. After I put my

shoes on, I remembered Ann. I turned to her. I didn"t want

to leave her, but I didn"t feel like I had a choice. “I have to

see them. I"m sorry.”

“No, don"t be sorry. I understand.” Her eyes were

wide with the same shock I was experiencing.

“It"s probably best if you stay here, just in case things

don"t go well.”

She nodded.

I sighed and left her room. I faced a startled Agnes.

“You didn"t open the front door?”

“Of course not. I don"t wish to confront them on my

own. They"re bound to be furious with me. I came here

against their wil .”

“You"re not the only one,” I grumbled as she followed

me down the stairs. I didn"t feel like seeing them. I wanted

to be with Ann in her bedroom.

I opened the door and my parents rushed into the

parlor.

My father"s face was red with rage, but my mother

was softly crying into a handkerchief. I braced myself for

what he would say.

“Agnes, go out to the carriage,” he ordered. “I need

to talk to your brother.”

“Let"s not be hasty,” our mother sobbed. “We don"t

need to make matters worse.”

“Mother is right,” Agnes quickly agreed. “Why don"t

we sit down and take a few moments to calm down?”

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I thought this was a good idea.

My father shook his head. “I have had enough of