Renewing Hope (In Your World #2) (30 page)

I was already sated, but his words would be the perfect way to complete our joining.

He sighed and kissed my lips slowly, his tongue entering for a moment before he pulled away.

"My love has lips I shall taste again and again, for her lips taste like heaven."

He dipped down, taking one nipple into his mouth, sucking on it languidly.

"My love has nectar that floats on her skin, for she is an Angel and she tastes divine."

His hand slid across my stomach, fingertips skirting lower until he found me, wet and needy once more.

"My love is always ready for my touch, for her body is made for me as if by His plan."

He pulled me tight against him, his body lining up with mine, truly as if we were made for one another. He let his lips wander, from my ear to my jaw, finally finding my lips to offer me a tender kiss.

"My love will always have me wanting, because she and I are one, together forever and always."

I threaded my hand through his hair, enjoying his low groan vibrate through me.

His fingertips skirted along my side and down my hip absently, finally slowing at my thigh and grazing the inside of it, pressing it slightly to open me to his exploration. The backs of his fingers trailed up the fleshy part of my leg, making me moan at the warming inside me.

My heart had barely slowed from our first foray of making love, and then with his beautiful words I needed him again. My mouth found his, and I kissed him until I felt him melt against me. He sighed and adjusted his head, laying it along my shoulder, his face relaxed in a contented smile.

"If you are not too sore, I would like to feel you again?" he mumbled, clearly sleepy.

I giggled and traced my fingers down his sturdy back, enjoying the extra weight of him when I pressed my palms to his buttocks.

"You have me forever, my husband," I whispered against his temple.

He hummed into my skin and kissed my heart sweetly.

"I just need a moment to rest," he replied, his words already garbled.

I felt around with one foot and slowly worked the blankets up over us to keep warm. Nathan tucked in against me, his warmth lulling me into a relaxed and satisfying sleep.

Or more like a brief nap.

I wasn't complaining.

Waking up in the middle of the night to Nathan's lips while he gently nudged my thigh around his waist would always be welcome. Feeling him move inside me was far more fulfilling than only dreaming of it.

And with the initial fear of not satisfying the other behind us, we both relaxed and enjoyed one another at a more leisurely pace. Soft touches, gentle exploration.

Perhaps we would skip breakfast in the morning.

Slow and attentive Nathan was much more satisfying.

There was nothing like finally being one with Nathan Fisher.

CHAPTER 18

The sunlight filtered through the window, catching on the crisp white sheet that covered me at my waist. A glint of gold caught my eyes and I focused on the light shining through Nathan’s hair, tousled and tickling against my stomach as he lay curled against me. One arm draped low on my waist, his head heavy on my stomach while he slept.

The rest of him lay tucked in close to me, one leg tangled with my own in the sheet that had worked its way down in the early hours. Or perhaps that was where it had ended up after the last time Nathan had awoken and made love to me.

I smiled into the air at the memory, still a little dreamlike in the middle of the night.

He had been eager to prove his fourth wind sometime before dawn. My body was mildly sore from the events of the night before, but nothing I could say bothered me enough to want to move from my spot.

Nathan’s warm naked body on mine was how I always wanted to wake up.

Unfortunately, the Amish had a daily routine.

And as if that wasn’t enough, there was never any time for a honeymoon with the Amish.

I was contemplating staying in bed with my husband all day when I heard a noise outside. Horses nickering and men talking, and someone downstairs in the kitchen.

I could even smell bacon.

“Nathan,” I hissed, nudging him lightly so as not to panic him.

Even though I was panicked myself.

I was naked, with my husband happily sated on top of me.

This was not how I wanted Fannie to find us.

He hummed and hugged me tighter, his body stirring to life in ways I knew we wouldn’t be able to quell, given the activity outside.

“Nathan, wake up,” I said a little more insistently. “There’s someone cooking downstairs.”

“Good,” he murmured. “I am famished.”

His head jerked up then and he looked around, his face pink where it had been resting on me.

“Someone is downstairs,” he said, as if I had not just said it.

I slid out from underneath him and snatched up my shift off the floor, hustling to get some clothes on before someone came up to serve breakfast, or worse, ask us why we were not up to do chores.

“It sounds like the whole community is here,” Nathan said, walking to the window and looking out. He chuckled and I watched as he waved before turning back toward me, naked and glowing in the light through the window.

Given any other day, I might enjoy the beauty of him.

But at the moment, there were people to attend to. I peeked out through the window and gasped at the sight below. What looked like a gathering had begun in our yard, men and wagons coming and going with supplies, while women walked in and out from our porch with armfuls of food and clothes.

“We had best get dressed. It looks as if our Bishop has plans for us today,” Nathan said, laughing as he found his clothes on the chair and started getting dressed.

I disappeared into the bathroom, splashing water on my face hurriedly before I drew my hair up under my cover, trying to look at least presentable when I greeted everyone. I somehow knew it was clear what we had been up to, based on Nathan’s smile and my flushed cheeks as we made our way downstairs. People I had only just come to know greeted us as we passed down our hallway, smiling pleasantly and keeping their opinions quiet as we stepped out onto the porch.

Sarah and Mrs. Yoder took me by the arms, away from Nathan. I glanced back at him to see him smile as he watched me, his eyes bright and filled with so much joy I swore that they shone in the shade of the porch.

"You look very well this morning, Katherine," Sarah was saying, smiling when she noticed my blush deepen.

"The men wanted to come early," Mrs. Yoder scoffed. "Clearly they do not remember their wedding night."

The two women laughed a little loudly and squeezed me when I cleared my throat, trying to come to terms with their frankness.

I was beginning to understand now why it seemed so normal for the wedded couple to remain at the parents' house for several days. I was instantly grateful for having my time alone with Nathan now.

I didn't think I could handle Fannie or Jonah speaking so easily about how fresh and glowing I seemed, or perhaps how joyful Nathan was. There was certainly a bounce in his step and his smile was wider as he made his way toward Benjamin near the barn.

We looked like Mark and Hannah had their first morning!

I chuckled and shook my head, resigned to the fact that everyone knew, because they had been there before. So I held my head a little higher and smiled a little brighter, because in truth I had never felt as good as I did today. And now the community had come to our aid and was showering us with the things we most needed.

How perfect was this group of people?

I was stunned by their charity.

I had expected Sarah and some of the women to come by today with a few canned goods perhaps, maybe a quilt or two. I had not expected over a dozen women with their daughters, and crates upon crates of goods for us.

"This should help with the winter," Sarah was saying as she instructed the stream of women into the house.

"It's too much," I breathed, overwhelmed as the counters began to fill up, the table long covered by so many crates.

Sarah and Mrs. Yoder both scoffed and shook their heads at me.

"It is something we would have done regardless, Katherine. But with your strength and courage, it was important that we show you how grateful we are as well," Mrs. Yoder said, hugging me tight.

I let out a breath and fought to hold back my emotions.

"It was important to outfit Nathan and his new bride," Sarah continued as she pointed some young girls toward the cellar with crates of jarred goods.

She turned to me and looked a little sad.

"When his family died, we tried to offer him this same charity but he pushed us away," she said, and then looked around the room wistfully. "I am so happy to see life here once more."

Her eyes captured mine for a moment, and I suddenly understood just how close so many must have been to the Fishers when they were alive. This community was tightly bound. More than just Nathan had suffered when his family died. I could see from Sarah's welcoming spirit and her unabashed support of both Nathan and myself that she was a close member to the Fisher family. I wrapped my arm around her and held her close for a moment.

"We'll see this house is full of life again, Sarah," I whispered and laughed when I heard her chuckle.

I knew what she thought.

And strangely, the idea of having a house full of children running around didn't sound nearly as terrifying to me as it might have a few months ago. I knew I had family here to help out.

"All right," I said, trying to change the subject. "Let's see about putting some of this away!"

We set to work, filling up the cabinets with jars of vegetables and fruits and canned meats as well as bakery goods. I was shocked at how much there actually was. Sarah told me each of the families of our community had donated a crate of food to us, and I was learning that every family traded with one another when someone would grow one type of food, allowing for quite a varied array of stores for the winter. Our cabinets filled up quickly, and soon we were walking crates down into the basement.

Finally I was able to find the basement and laughed when I saw the nice washer near the back of the large room. I shook my head when Mrs. Yoder looked at me questioningly. They didn't need to know that this was my first time in the basement of my house. When we finally made it up to the kitchen once more, I noticed that the table top, which had been cleared away of all the crates, was now covered with bundles of clothes.

Mrs. Yoder cleared her throat and looked through them with careful attention.

"We know you came with little when you arrived into our lives, Katherine. Some of the women thought you might like some of their dresses and coats for the coming winter. It can get quite cold, and you will not want to depend on only a couple of dresses to get you through," she explained.

I looked at the mounds of clothes there, seeing some that were most definitely not for me.

There were small clothes for children, as well as a few sweaters and pants for Nathan as well.

"There is enough here for an entire family," I whispered, fingering a small boy’s shirt.

"Well, we do hope that there will be a need for some of these clothes soon. Sooner than later, I think," Sarah said, chuckling.

I could feel the blush in my cheeks again, and I pretended to scowl at her.

"We'll work on that," I said, making her blush at my words.

That made me feel better.

I could still surprise my neighbors.

I walked with them as they made their way back outside, going to each of the women there to thank them for their generosity. On many occasions, they hugged me and offered me the same congratulations they had just the day before at our wedding, but it felt richer somehow seeing just how much this group cared for their members.

As they started to depart, many waved and wished us well, calling after that they would see us the next day. I turned to Mrs. Yoder to ask what they meant. She pointed toward the bundles of lumber that lay stacked by the concrete slab of our old barn.

"Tomorrow you will experience a barn raising, Katherine," she said and leaned in close. "I would suggest getting an early sleep tonight, for it will be very busy in this house tomorrow, with you organizing all the women in order to feed the men. I hear all the community will be here for it."

I looked at her in shock.

The entire community?

"Like the Wittmer Frolic?" I asked, more than a little overwhelmed.

Sarah and Mrs. Yoder both nodded.

"Do not worry, Katherine," Sarah said soothingly. "We will be here early to help. Fannie is already at home baking for tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes, leaving with the other buggies. I watched them for a moment, still a little dazed by how much had happened in the last few days.

Glancing over at the bundles of lumber again, I saw Nathan and Benjamin bent over the pipes by the house. They straightened when they heard me, Benjamin looking a little bashful while Nathan grinned at me with a mischievous air about him.

I knew they had been talking about me, because Benjamin had trouble looking me in the eye suddenly.

"Are you two gossiping like a couple of teenagers?" I asked, teasing the two of them.

I knew Nathan wouldn't reveal the specifics about our night. I had a feeling perhaps Benjamin and the others thought we would have been more awkward with one another.

They had no idea just how incredible Nathan really was.

My smile broadened at the thought of Nathan, and how he made me feel.

For all his nerves, he had done very well.

"I should go see how Jonah is doing, I told him I would help around the house until you came over," Benjamin said quickly, wiping his hands of the grease from the old pipes they had been working on.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head, amused.

"Thank you for the help with the propane tank. Hot water will be nice to have tonight," he said lightly.

"Yes, it will!" I exclaimed. "I'm dying for a nice hot bath."