“Yes, but I’m not at liberty to say anything except the witness came through with a crucial piece of information that might decide the case.”
“How exciting!” Sally clasped her hands and turned to his parents. “You must be proud of him. He’s only been here for a short time, but people are already talking about what a wonderful judge he is.”
Smiling, he motioned to her. “Ma, Pa, this is Sally.”
“How do you do?” she asked them.
His mother glanced at his father. “We’re fine.”
Sally couldn’t be sure, but she thought she detected a stiff tone in his mother’s voice.
Rick cleared his throat and asked them, “Did you find a house yet?”
“Not yet,” his father said. “I’m sure we’ll be settled in soon enough. Omaha is a booming place.”
“It is,” Rick agreed. “There are plenty of new houses to choose from.”
“You’ll like it here,” Sally told them. “My family came out here because of the Homestead Act, and they’re happy here.”
“Oh?” his mother asked.
“Yes. My father felt too confined in New York.”
“If that was the case, then why didn’t he go further out west? Doesn’t he realize this area will continue to expand?”
Unsure of how to answer her, she offered a weak smile. “It’s not crowded on the farm.”
Rick put his hand on the small of Sally’s back and told his parents, “Sally has made your favorite dishes for supper tonight.”
“Yes,” Sally added. “I hope you don’t mind. Rick told me what you like to eat.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” his father said.
Sally relaxed. “Thank you. Everything’s ready if you want to eat now.”
“We should go to the dining room before everything gets cold.” Rick took her by the arm and motioned down the hallway. “The dining room is the last door on the right.”
His father nodded and urged his mother forward. His mother scanned Sally up and down until her gaze settled on where Rick’s hand was on her elbow. Then his mother joined his father and headed down the hall. Sally’s eyebrows furrowed. She glanced at Rick to see what he thought of his mother’s odd behavior, but he just kissed her on the cheek and urged her to follow his parents.
When they reached the dining room, Sally told them where she’d designated for them to sit and sat across from Rick. They passed the serving dishes around until their plates were full. Noting that they put their napkins in their laps, she did as well, not wishing to stand out. It already seemed as if they weren’t pleased with her, though she had no idea why.
As they began their meal, his mother motioned to the shorter fork and looked at her. “Is there a reason why this is on the wrong side of the plate?”
Sally shrugged and offered an apologetic smile. “I wasn’t sure where to put it.”
“You weren’t sure where to put it?”
Heat rose in her cheeks at the scolding tone underlying his mother’s voice. “Uh…” How was she supposed to respond to that?
Rick cleared his throat. “Mother, that’s not fair. A small fork isn’t necessary for a meal.”
“Then why have it out?” his mother asked, motioning to it.
“Sally did that in case you wanted to use it. I haven’t eaten with a small fork since I moved out here. People out west have more important things to worry about than what size fork they’re eating with. A lot of them spend all day working in the fields to provide us with the food we’re enjoying during this meal.”
“He’s right,” his father agreed. “Sally, you said your family came here because of the Homestead Act?”
Surprised their attention turned to her, Sally straightened in her chair and nodded. She glanced at Rick who picked up his long fork and started eating the salad. She realized he did that for her benefit and appreciated it. Forcing her gaze back to his father, she thought of how she was going to answer his question about the Homestead Act without rambling. “Yes,” she slowly began. “My pa got tired of living in New York and decided to try his hand at farming.”
“What did he do in New York?”
“He worked at a factory.”
“Really? What kind?”
Aware that his mother was watching her, she said, “Slaughtering and meatpacking.”
As she feared, his mother grimaced. She lowered her gaze to the food and sighed. It was going to be a long night. Despite her lack of appetite, she poked the fork into the pot roast and forced a portion of it into her mouth. She didn’t taste it, and swallowing it proved to be a daunting task.
His father finished the pot roast on his plate. “Delicious pot roast, Sally,” he said.
Glad he gave her the compliment, she smiled. “Thank you.”
“Yes, I suppose it’s adequate, given the lack of proper seasoning in it and the fact that it’s slightly burnt,” his mother added.
“Mother,” Rick admonished, placing his fork down and glaring at her. “That’s enough.”
“I’m sorry, Rick. You’re right.” She looked at Sally. “Forgive me. I must remember you’re still young. You cook very well.”
“Yes, she does,” Rick said, glancing over at Sally and offering what she thought was a sympathetic smile. “You do a wonderful job, Sally.”
Sally forced a smile in return.
His mother turned back to the food, and since everyone followed her lead, Sally made herself eat, aware that every bite was more painful than the one before. She tried to figure out what she might have said or done to upset his mother. There had to have been something she did wrong without realizing it.
Rick’s father cleared his throat. “So Rick, how is Judge Townsend doing? I’ve been meaning to pay him a visit but haven’t had time yet.”
“He’s doing good,” Rick replied, seeming to be relieved for the change in topic. “It was nice of him to put in a good word for me so I got the job here. He didn’t have to do that.” With another glance in her direction, he added, “I’m glad he did.”
Heat rose in her cheeks from his compliment, but her pleasure diminished when she saw the thin line of disapproval on his mother’s lips. Turning her attention back to the plate, she continued eating, though for the life of her she couldn’t tell anyone what she was eating or how it tasted.
“Then the judge is doing well?” his father asked.
Rick cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Yes, he is. Oh, and his nephew, Samuel Dixon, has come to Omaha for a visit before he heads out to California.”
“You don’t say. We’ll have to see Samuel before he leaves then. Do you know how long he’ll be here?”
“He had planned to leave yesterday, but I think he’s staying longer because of Ethel Mae. I suspect he’ll ask her to marry him.”
At that announcement, Sally looked up from her plate. “I didn’t know he was supposed to leave yesterday.”
“Well, no one does except for Judge Townsend and Samuel. Townsend was telling me that Samuel’s sweet on Ethel Mae and doesn’t want to leave until he knows whether or not she’d go to California with him.”
Sally wanted to ask Rick when Samuel would propose, but she didn’t dare, not when his parents—especially his mother—was in the room. She didn’t want to say anything else as long as that woman was there. Nothing she had said so far had pleased her.
“Samuel is courting Ethel Mae?” Rick’s mother asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Rick said. “Everything worked out exactly as it should.”
Eyebrows furrowed, Sally’s gaze darted to Rick, wondering if he was, as she suspected, sending his mother a secret message.
His mother shrugged and ate the rest of the food Sally had slaved over in order to please her. His mother didn’t like her, and his father seemed indifferent to her, at best. She just wished she knew why they felt the way they did. If she knew, then maybe she could figure out how to work things out.
Rick spent the rest of the meal t
alking about his job, which seemed safe enough, and afterwards, he told Sally he’d walk his parents home. She sensed that he wanted to talk to them, and though she wanted to ask him what he’d tell them, she resisted the urge to press him about it. Instead, she nodded and turned her attention to cleaning the dishes. The good-byes were awkward, polite but lacking warmth.
She wondered if this was how it was going to be between her and her in-laws. She wasn’t used to tension in a family. Sure, she had her share of arguments with her brothers, but it was never like this. After they left, she collected the dishes, noting how hollow the task was. This was her home, and yet, she suddenly felt as if she didn’t belong here. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned her attention to washing the dishes.
***
Rick waited until his house was out of sight before he spoke up as he walked his parents to the hotel they were staying in. “Can’t you be nicer to Sally?”
His mother sighed. “We’re trying, Rick, but it’s hard to when we see how she’s manipulating you.”
“Manipulating me?”
“All those things you were saying during supper. One would think she didn’t go through that dreadful plan in order to have you for herself when you wanted to be with Ethel Mae.”
“I thought I explained that. While she might have come up with that plan, it was my decision to marry her.”
Her mother shook her head. “Or that’s what she’d have you think.”
Rick inwardly groaned. Just what could he possibly say that would make his mother understand the situation?
“What your mother is trying to say is that you are a nice, young man,” his father began. “Nice, young men can be gullible if they’re not careful.”
“But I knew what she was doing,” Rick protested. “She didn’t manipulate me into marrying her. And even if she did, the matter is done. There’s no undoing the marriage, so why are you making things difficult for her?”
His mother sighed. “We don’t want to make things difficult for her. We’re just worried you won’t be happy with her.”
“But I am happy,” he said.
“Now,” she began, “but who’s to know how long that will last? Marriage isn’t something you can walk away from when things get rough. You rushed too fast into this thing. You should have courted her for at least half a year before even proposing marriage.”
“I don’t need half a year to know whether or not she’s right for me. She’s a good girl, and she comes from a good family. You should meet them. It’ll put your mind at ease. They’re honest, hardworking folk.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” his father told his mother.
“I don’t know,” she slowly replied.
They reached the hotel, and he stopped with them in front of the entrance. “It’s up to you. I won’t force you to spend time with her or her family. She’s my wife by my choice, and if you can’t accept that, there’s nothing I can do about it. But if you won’t make the effort to be nice to her, then it might be best if you move back to Vermont.”
His mother gasped. “Rick, you can’t mean that!”
“She’s my wife, Ma. She’s my priority now.”
His mother glanced at his father who shrugged. “I was trying,” she insisted.
“No, you weren’t,” Rick argued gently. “You made certain comments when you would have been better off staying quiet. Sally worked hard to make supper for you. She was looking forward to meeting you and Pa, but now I’m afraid she won’t want to see you in the future. I just want everyone to get along.”
“It’s a shock,” his father said. “You have to understand it from our side. Your last letter was about you hoping to court Ethel Mae.”
“If you’d waited longer before marrying Sally, it’d be different. We want to make sure she’ll be a good wife for you. We’re not trying to be mean. We’re just overwhelmed.”
“I understand,” Rick told them. “But if you don’t put aside your concerns about this marriage, you’ll never give Sally a chance.”
Despite her worried expression, his mother said, “I’ll try to be nicer next time.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Rick kissed her cheek.
His father nodded his agreement. “We just need to get over the shock. That’s all.”
After tonight, Rick was sure Sally needed to get over her shock, too. “Let’s give it a week and then plan on having supper again or we can meet at the park and go for a walk.”
They agreed, and he said good-bye before heading back home, hoping he could help Sally feel better about the evening.
Chapter Sixteen
Sally brushed her hair, and though she looked at the mirror, she didn’t notice her reflection. Her mind kept going over that evening. What did she say or do to upset Rick’s parents.
Rick entered the bedroom, and she turned her attention to him, wondering if he was upset with her since she failed to please his parents. She started to ask him what he was thinking, but he offered her a smile that assured her he was still happy with her.
She relaxed a little. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He went over to her and kissed her. “I didn’t tell them I married you. I was going to in my next letter, but I didn’t have time to write it.” With a wicked grin, he kissed her again. “I was too busy enjoying time with my wife.”
Despite the way things had gone with his parents, she giggled. “I like that you were spending time with me.”
Wrapping her in his arms, he drew her close to him and kissed her again. This time his lips lingered on hers, and she sensed his passion simmering beneath the surface. When he ended the kiss, he rubbed her back in soothing circular motions. “This is my fault. I should have told them I was going to marry you. If I had, they would have known before they came here.”
“Rick, we got married last week. Even if you had written them, there wouldn’t have been time for the letter to reach them.” She stopped before suggesting that the problem could be they didn’t like her. She didn’t want to think it, and even more than that, she didn’t want him to think it. Finally, she settled for adding, “Everything happened so fast.”
“I don’t regret any of it, Sally.”
Relieved, she smiled. “I don’t either.”
His smile widened as he lowered his head and kissed her again. She melted in his arms, savoring the way she felt protected and loved. The rest of the world slipped away, and for the moment, it didn’t matter what his parents thought. All that mattered was that he wanted to be with her.
Her lips parted, a silent invitation for him to deepen the kiss, and he followed her lead. His hand traced up her back until it cupped the side of her face. His lips left hers, and he kissed her jawline. She sighed in contentment, tingles of delight racing up and down her spine as his mouth found her neck. She tilted her head to the side and whispered his name.
He let out a soft groan and lowered his hand until he cupped her breast. The pad of his thumb brushed over her nipple, causing her skin to shiver in expectation of what was to come. Breathing heavy, he pulled away from her to remove her clothes. She helped him and then, in turn, aided him as he took off his clothes.
Her gaze lowered to his erection. With a sly smile, she wrapped her hand around it, pleased when he moaned in pleasure. She enjoyed teasing him this way, and now that they’d been intimate enough times, she knew what she was doing. She stroked him, bringing her hand up from the base and to the tip. She traced his tip with her thumb and felt the wet drop that came from his slit. Then she lowered her hand back to the base of his shaft before bringing it back up. She repeated the process, and he gently squeezed her shoulders and kissed her neck. They remained standing for a while, in no hurry to rush their lovemaking, enjoying the slow build up that would eventually lead to their completion.
He brought his mouth to hers and swept his tongue along her lips. She parted her lips to receive him and melted in his embrace. He pulled her closer to him, and she wrapp
ed her arms around his neck, acutely aware of the way his erection pressed into her abdomen.
When he ended the kiss, he whispered that he loved her, and she responded in kind. He smiled in a way that would have struck her as boyishly cute if she hadn’t been so aroused. At the moment, he seemed incredibly sexy, and her heart leapt in anticipation for what he planned to do next.
He led her to the bed, and they settled onto the sheets. She snuggled up to him and resumed their kissing. His hands traveled up and down her body, making her flesh tingle in delight. It was utterly wonderful how he was gentle with her and yet able to make her feel as if her body was on fire. She wanted nothing more than to be consumed by him, knowing she was safe to give herself freely to him, as he was giving himself to her.
When his hand traveled down to her abdomen, she parted her legs, and he brushed her sensitive flesh with his fingers, teasing her in a way that caused the ache between her legs to grow more intense. His mouth left hers and went to her breast. Clutching his arms, she murmured for him to continue.
He chuckled and lifted his head so his gaze settled on hers. “Do you think I’ll leave you unsatisfied?”
She guided two of his fingers into her. “I won’t let you leave me unsatisfied.”
Finding her sensitive nub with his thumb, he made circular motions over it while he stroked her core with his fingers. “You won’t?”
She wanted to answer his playful question, but a moan escaped her lips and she forgot all about it. Instead, she focused on him and everything he was doing to build the tension mounting between her legs. She shifted against him to help him along, her hips rocking in time to the rhythm he established. He brought his mouth back to her breast and teased her nipple with his tongue in a way that had her arching her back and running her fingers through his hair.
When she didn’t think she could take it anymore, she reached the peak. Gasping, she stilled her movements and savored every wave of pleasure as it crashed into her. As the intensity of her orgasm subsided, she relaxed and sighed in contentment. He lifted his head from her breast and kissed her cheek and neck, his fingers and thumb caressing her to prolong her pleasure.
Her Heart's Desire NH2 Page 15
