“You are certainly welcome. In six months, you"l
have your own experience. It will be painful, but when you
hold your baby in your arms for the first time, you won"t even
think of the pain. Just be sure you spend some time alone
with Todd. Sometimes husbands can feel left out after the
baby is born.”
I took note to be sure to follow her advice.
A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. I
opened it and smiled at Mrs. Carson who brought in a box of
food.
“I hope it"s alright that I came here unannounced,”
she greeted.
“Certainly. It"s always good to see you,” I replied.
She followed me to the kitchen and gave the box to
Barbara. “This is for you, so you won"t have to worry about
cooking once the little one arrives.”
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“Thank you, Melanie,” Barbara responded, obviously
pleased. “How do you find time to do so much for
everyone?”
“Oh, that"s easy. My children are grown and have
yet to be married, so I just have my husband to care for. I
have too much time on my hands and will linger a little too
long where I shouldn"t be if I don"t keep busy. Though I
don"t gossip anymore, I like to avoid temptation when I can.”
“If I have a girl, I"m naming her Melanie in hopes
she"l be as thoughtful and caring as you.”
“Wel , I don"t know what to say.” She took her
handkerchief out and dabbed her eyes. “I"ve never received
such an honor before.”
“Now, don"t go crying. Barbara and I are so
emotional these days, we"l start crying too,” I joked, though
there was some truth to it. I wasn"t prepared for the frequent
urge to cry at the slightest provocation.
She laughed. “We can"t have a room full of crying
women.” She sat down next to us. “So, did you receive a
letter from your mother yet?”
I nodded. “Yes. It came just the other day. They
should be arriving at the end of August. They are coming
out to buy a house, and after that, they will move their things
here. I think you will get along very well with my mother.”
“Wil they bring their servants with them?”
“Just Ginny. Ginny is almost like a sister to me, and
she is close to my mother. She said she wished to stay on
as their servant. She has no family keeping her back in
Virginia.”
“How are you feeling these days?” Melanie asked
me, suddenly serious. “Are your nightmares going away?”
“Slowly. It"s not so bad anymore. My mother
confirmed that Kent is in Ireland with his uncle. His uncle
actually hired someone to watch him. He"s under constant
supervision.”
We sat in silence for a few moments.
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Barbara looked at me. “Have you heard anything
about Agnes? I often wonder how she is doing since she
graduated.”
“Actual y, I did receive a letter from her too. She will
marry Alex next month. They are going to stay in Virginia
while he finishes up his schooling. Alex has become close
to her parents. I think Todd"s father is starting to come
around to accepting Todd again. Agnes says that when her
father sees Alex, he sees Todd. I guess since Alex and
Todd are friends, his father can"t help but remember Todd
whenever Alex is around.”
“Wouldn"t it be wonderful to see your parents and
Todd"s parents visiting for Christmas?”
“We must not give up hope,” Melanie said. “After all,
if a gossiping, crabby woman like me can change, then
anything is possible.”
Barbara and I laughed.
“I can"t remember what you were like before,” I
admitted.
Barbara nodded her agreement.
***
Later that day, as I was making dinner, Todd came in
from the fields. After he washed up, he joined me in the
kitchen and gave me a big hug.
“Are you excited about seeing Agnes and Alex when
they visit in July?” I asked him.
“Of course, I am. But are you? I do recall you being
upset whenever Creepy Alex was nearby.”
“I"l just have to get used to him, I suppose. Despite
my best intentions, it looks like he"ll be my brother-in-law.”
“When you get to know him, as I know him, you"ll be
alright with him.”
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I turned my attention to the stew on the stove. “One
can only hope.” Though I gave Todd a hard time about his
childhood friend, I did expect to enjoy his company.
“He will never admit it but you intimidate him.”
“That"s hard to believe.”
“It"s true. But you can"t tell him I told you that.”
“Why weren"t you ever intimidated by me?”
“Growing up with six sisters who picked on me gave
me amazing strength to withstand female hysterics.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “What?”
“Poor Alex had two brothers. He didn"t know what to
do.”
“Female hysterics?”
He paused and looked at me. Despite his joking, I
could see the admiration and love he had for me in his eyes.
“I wouldn"t change anything about you.”
He took me in his arms and kissed me with so much
passion, I felt my face flush.
“I think you"re done with dinner,” he whispered in my
ear.
“No. I have to keep stirring it or the meat and
vegetables will stick to the pot.”
“I"l help you with that.” He leaned against me and
took the pot off the stove. Then he looked at me with a
mischievous glint in his eye. “Now, where were we?”
“You were just telling me that women are better than
men.”
His eyes widened. “I was?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his
neck. I loved the way he smelled. He had such a masculine
scent. It spoke of the freedom of the fields and fresh air.
“Yes.”
“You could almost talk me into that.” He gently pul ed
me away and smiled at me. “Did you know you grow more
and more beautiful every day?”
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“You keep talking like that and your dinner will get
cold,” I whispered, my heart pounding in anticipation at his
words and the way his hands caressed my body.
“I"m not hungry. Not for food anyway.”
I gladly responded to his kiss. An all too familiar
ache formed between my legs, reminding me how wonderful
it felt when he was inside me. He pulled me tightly against
him, his solid chest crushing my breasts. I didn"t mind. In
fact, I liked it. I liked everything about making love to him. I
especially enjoyed the feel of his arousal and pressed my
abdomen closer to it. Groaning, he stroked my back,
sending unexpected chills up and down my spine. My skin
flushed with desire. I wasn"t new to lovemaking anymore,
and knowing what to expect made me eager for him.
“I can"t wait. I need you now,” I confessed as I pul ed
far enough from him so I could undo the buttons of his
cotton shirt.
I slipped my hands under the shirt. He"d developed
muscles in the time we"d been out here. I found him
especially sexy when he chopped wood, and as I traced the
hardness in his chest, I pictured him out in the barn with his
axe. Why didn"t I realize he was sexy when we lived in
Virginia?
He shrugged out of his shirt and kissed my neck. I
giggled at the tickling sensation that played along my skin.
His hands traveled from my shoulders and caressed my
arms. I closed my eyes and tilted my head to grant him
better access to my neck. The tickling sensation faded into
a more urgent demand for him. My hands dropped lower,
tracing his lean abdomen and down to the belt holding his
pants up. I always had trouble with the leather belt. I
groaned in aggravation.
He chuckled. “I"l help.”
“Wel , hurry up. I don"t know how much longer I can
wait,” I teased.
“You can help by taking your things off too.”
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I smiled at his playful tone and removed my clothing,
no longer shy in front of him. It was strange but being naked
in front of him felt as natural as if I were alone. He truly was
a part of me, though a more exciting part. I liked his body
and had fun exploring him and learning what he liked.
When his pants fell at his feet, I let my hands caress the
male part of him. Leaning into him, I stroked him, closing
my eyes so I could focus on how it felt. Hard and thick. The
ache between my legs increased. I longed to feel it in me
again.
I didn"t know why a couple of the girls in my class
seemed horrified by the notion of touching their future
husbands intimately. But having learned Todd as I had, I
also discovered that the girls real y didn"t understand the
male body, or the beauty of it. Broad shoulders and narrow
waist. Strong arms and legs. The intimate touching was
one of my favorite parts of lovemaking, whether he touched
me or I touched him.
He led me to the kitchen table which he had fixed so
it no longer wobbled. Taking me by the waist, he picked me
up and set me on it. He moved closer to me. He didn"t
enter me but his erection settled against me. I moaned and
kissed him, enjoying the way his hands traveled my body.
My skin responded to his touch, feeling as if it had caught on
fire.
I didn"t have the patience to wait any longer. I laid
back on the table. I wrapped my legs around his waist and
pul ed him to me. “I need you.”
Still standing, he entered me. I moaned. The initial
contact always felt wonderful. I liked how he filled me. It
made me feel very feminine, and I was glad I was a woman.
He found my sensitive nub and rubbed it. Closing my eyes,
I gave into the sensations his fondling produced, aware that
my body clenched around his erection as he made slow,
purposeful movements in and out of me. I shifted my hips to
heighten the pleasure raging through me. My hands
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grabbed the back of his thighs and pulled him closer to me.
Not that we could get any closer, really. But the contact was
incredible.
He continued his slow and methodical movements,
which drove me crazy since my body was screaming for
release. When I finally reached the peak, I cried out and
tightened my hold on him. He leaned over and kissed me. I
wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him
back, returning passion for passion. His skin felt slick and
he smelled wonderfully masculine. He slid his hands under
my waist, lifting my hips to bring him deeper into me. My
inner tissues throbbed, prolonging the pleasure echoing
through me.
Clinging to me, he moved inside me, gradually
increasing the momentum of his thrusting. He brought his
lips to my neck, and I could hear his ragged breathing. I
moved with him, eager for him to experience the same
pleasure he brought me. He arched his back. I felt him
throb inside of me and knew he found his release. Knowing
he found such ecstasy with me made my heart flutter with
joy. I wanted to give him pleasure. He treated me so well,
cherished me so well, and loved me so well. How could I
not want to satisfy him? Not just with my cooking or
cleaning, but also by opening myself completely and freely
to him. Loving him as he had loved me for all those years.
He rested on top of me, his breathing still rough. I
kissed his neck and held him. When he rose up on his
elbows, he kissed me, a lingering kiss that delighted me.
I smiled. “Dinner might be cold this evening.”
He grinned back. “I"l survive. Besides, this was
worth it.”
Yes, it was. It definitely was.
***
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In early June, I decided to make lunch while Todd
washed the horses. He offered to join me in the kitchen, but
I wanted to be able to do something in the house alone. I
wanted to do my chores without being in constant fear. I
chose to make sandwiches, and I was chopping a tomato
when I heard Patches bark. I froze. For a moment, I