Falling in Love With Her Husband (30 page)

gave into the urge to let go. I shuddered as the intense

pleasure consumed me. I stayed still as my throbbing died

down, feeling complete in having emptied my seed inside

her.

I collapsed on top of her with more force than I

intended. I pulled back to relieve her of my weight, but she

stopped me by tightening her legs around me.

“Don"t go,” she softly spoke.

I looked into her eyes and saw that she was happy.

Thrilled at the realization, I smiled and settled over her,

making sure I didn"t make her uncomfortable. I liked being

inside her. It felt as if we were one. I wanted to prolong the

experience. We were closer than ever before, and it was a

wonderful feeling. She was mine. I was hers. Together, we

were complete.

I touched my lips to hers. “I love you.”

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She let out a contented sigh and returned my smile.

“I love you too.”

I dropped kisses along her cheeks and forehead and

back to her lips. Knowing this was the first of many times

we"d come together to celebrate the marital bed fil ed me

with a sense of awe and satisfaction. And there was no one

else I would rather be with than her.

***

The next morning I woke up with my arms around

Ann. It was the moment I had hoped for every morning

since we married, and it was finally here. She was fast

asleep. I gazed at her, loving how she looked first thing in

the morning. I didn"t think it was possible to love her more

than I had, but I did. I softly kissed her and eased out of

bed. It was still early but I wanted to take care of the horses

so we could head out to the Russell farm. I knew Ann

wanted to introduce her mother to Barbara. And I wanted to

do what I could to please Ann.

I noted the chill in the room so I added another piece

of firewood to the box stove. I wrapped the blanket around

her body so she would be warm. Then I got dressed and

shaved. I felt different. It was a good feeling. I recalled

how she felt, how she smelled and how she tasted.

Everything about her was wonderful. I couldn"t stop smiling.

I almost felt comical running down the steps with a big grin

on my face, but I was too happy to care.

As I put on my hat and coat, her parents came down

the stairs.

“Good morning,” I called out.

“Good morning,” they replied.

“Can I see your barn?” her mother asked. “I wasn"t

able to check it out before.”

“Sure. I"m on my way to feed the horses,” I replied.

“Lightning is out there,” her father told her mother.

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“Lightning? That is your best horse, Todd. I"m glad

you were able to take him with you.”

I waited for them to put their coats and boots on.

She continued. “I remember the first day you got

that horse. You had just turned fifteen. Even Ann was

excited about that horse. She thought it was the most

beautiful shade of brown she ever saw. She asked us if we

would ask you if she could ride it. Maybe we should have

said yes. We weren"t sure that it was a good idea since she

had never ridden a horse. Who knows? It could have

started something between you two sooner.”

“Lucil e, things are fine. There"s no sense in dwelling

on the past,” he said.

“Mr. and Mrs. Statesman, I would like to thank you

for raising Ann as well as you did. She"s a wonderful wife.

She brings a lot of happiness to this place. It wouldn"t be

the same without her.”

They smiled at my compliment.

“Thank you, Todd. That means a lot coming from

you,” she replied.

“We"re glad to have you in the family,” her father

added. “We keep praying that your father will come around.

He"s a good man. He does miss you.”

“I miss him too,” I admitted. But even he couldn"t

bring my mood down today. “Are you ready?” I opened the

door for them and led them to the barn.

When we came back, we were hungry. I decided to

get the rolls that Ann set aside for breakfast when we heard

a knock at the front door. Leaving the kitchen, I went to the

front door and opened it. To my surprise, it was Mrs.

Carson.

“Good morning,” I greeted.

“Good morning, Todd.” She wrung her hands on her

scarf. “May I please come in? I have something very

important to tell you.”

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I stepped aside to let her into the parlor. Turning to

Ann"s parents, I made the introductions.

As soon as the usual pleasantries were done, I

invited her into the kitchen. “Would you like something to

eat or drink?” It was breakfast time. I wondered why she felt

the need to come out this early.

“No thank you. I had to tell you that what you saw in

the mercantile the other day wasn"t what real y happened.”

She looked frantic as she sat at the kitchen table. “I feel

terrible. I wasn"t able to eat or sleep. I tried to get here two

days ago but the storm prevented me from leaving town.

Then yesterday, I had to make arrangements for a sleigh. I

wanted to come and explain what happened.”

I sat next to her and Ann"s parents sat on the other

side.

“What did happen, Mrs. Carson?” I asked.

“It wasn"t the way Kent said, Todd. Ann was trying to

get out of the backroom. She kept telling him she was

married and loved you but Kent wouldn"t listen to reason. I

still remember how patronizing he sounded. It was as if he

thought her love was a childish thing. I was ready to step

into the room, but she screamed and I heard footsteps.

When I didn"t see her emerge from the room, I knew he had

physically stopped her. I realized I was just a woman and I

didn"t have the strength to stand up to a man. So I ran to

the front door of the store. My intention was to go next door

and get a man to help me. Fortunately, that"s when you

showed up. I was relieved to see you. I wanted to explain

what happened when I realized you misunderstood the

situation, but you ran out of there so fast, I didn"t have a

chance. Then Ann came out, and she looked distraught.

Kent final y left, but he promised to come back for her.”

My ears perked up at this announcement. Why

hadn"t Ann mentioned this?
Probably because she forgot it

during the ordeal with me.

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“I think he meant it,” she continued. “It would be

wise for her to be careful. I still get chills when I recall the

look of satisfaction on his face, as if he enjoyed putting a

wedge between you and Ann. Then I told Ann I heard

everything.” She sighed, looking sheepish. “I don"t think she

took that the right way, which I can understand, given my

history of spreading gossip. This brings me to another

reason why I am here today. I want to apologize for telling

the town you stole money at the bank. I had no proof but

found it such a tasty morsel of gossip, I didn"t resist

spreading it. I don"t know who did it. But I am a changed

woman. I have learned the error of my ways.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Carson,” I said. “I appreciate your

coming out and telling me this.”

Ann opened the kitchen door. “Good morning.”

Her father and I stood up at her arrival.

Her father waved her forward. “Come on in.”

Mrs. Carson smiled at her. “I"m sorry I came so

early. My spirit would not rest until I told your husband that

you didn"t want to be with that man in the mercantile.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Carson,” she replied.

“I feel much better. Now I can go home and sleep.”

“I wil see you at the store next week when I go in to

help Mrs. Coley.”

She nodded, said good-bye and left.

My thoughts turned back to Mrs. Carson"s warning.

Having her account of the events match so clearly with

Ann"s made me aware that Kent did indeed plan to return. I

recalled the way Ann explained her encounter with him in

the store. She had been afraid of him. And for good

reason. What if he didn"t come for her when she was in the

store next time? What if he came to this house? What if I

wasn"t here when he did come? Who would protect her?

It occurred to me that Ann was talking to her parents

but I didn"t hear anything they said. I turned to her father

who seemed to understand what was bothering me.

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“What should I do?” I asked him.

“I wonder...” he pondered. His eyebrows furrowed.

“Let"s discuss it outside. We may be overreacting so I"d

rather not worry the women.” Turning to Ann and her

mother, he said, “We wil return soon.”

I kissed Ann on the cheek before I followed her

father out of the house.

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Ann’s Point of View

After breakfast, we decided to visit John and

Barbara. My father insisted on getting the sleigh and horses

ready while my mother went to the guest bedroom to find

some suitable jewelry to wear. She loved her necklaces and

rings.

Todd helped me with my coat. He paused, his

hands on my hips. “I"m glad you"re here,” he whispered. He

leaned over to kiss me.

I loved the feel of his hair as I ran my fingers through

the silky strands. When he pulled away, I realized my

impulsive behavior had messed up his neatly combed hair. I

smoothed his hair the best I could, but it was still messy. He

didn"t seem to mind. When I saw we were stil alone, I

allowed my hands to descend from his neck to his chest. I

found that I enjoyed our newfound intimacy.

By the smile on his face, I could tell he liked it too.

“Just wait until tonight,” he promised.

I blushed, recalling how wonderful lovemaking was.

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Turning serious, he kissed me again. “I wil do

everything I can to keep you safe.”

I frowned. “What is it, Todd? What"s wrong?”

“We"l discuss it later. I want to enjoy the day.”

I nodded. I wondered if Todd would mention what he

and my father discussed in the barn. As long as he wasn"t

upset with me, I was content to wait.

My mother came down the stairs. We waited for her

at the door before we headed out to the sleigh. The ride to

John and Barbara"s was spectacular. The sunlight glistened

off the snow. The weather was warmer than the day before,

so we didn"t have to bundle up with as many blankets. It

was a perfect day for a ride through the country. My father

and mother sat up front, so Todd and I had the back to

ourselves. We sat close together and held hands. I couldn"t

believe I spent so much time trying to avoid him while we

were growing up. Now all I wanted to do was be near him.

When we reached John and Barbara"s house, their

children were playing in the snow. Calvin was beating

Bruce at their snowball fight, though Bruce tried his hardest

to hold his own. Molly was eating the snow, obviously

enjoying the cold white stuff.

“Why do boys play rough?” I asked Todd, recalling

how he wanted to bang his trains into mine when we played

together as children.

He grinned. “It"s fun. There"s action and adventure.

All you girls seem to do is sit down and stare at your dolls.

That"s boring.”

“We didn"t stare at the dolls. Agnes and I made up

stories with those dolls.”

“And you wonder why that"s boring?”

“I suppose girls and boys find different things

interesting. Our parents never should have made us play

together.”

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“Growing up with sisters, I didn"t have a choice but to

play with girls. At least you fought back when I rammed my

trains into yours.”

“What did your sisters do?”

“They ran to my parents. Since I was the boy, they

usually took their side. My sisters used that to their

advantage.”

“So what happened?”

“I either had to go to my room or play whatever they

wanted. I spent most of my time in my room.”

“If we were boring, why did you want to be around us

when I came over?”