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?”