[2015] Western Love
Page 57
He had never touched a woman so intimately. There was just one more thing to do. David swallowed hard and leaned over one more time. The high neck of her dress was snug against her throat. With trembling hands, he unfastened the top three buttons. Her skin was so soft David was sure he would bruise it with his ham-fisted touch. A soft sigh escaped Jillian’s lips as she settled deeper into sleep.
Covering her with a spare blanket, David retreated to his chair. As tired as he was, he doubted he could sleep. It wasn’t the discomfort of the chair that kept him from slumber. No, it was his thoughts that kept him awake.
He had a wife, and that changed everything.
Chapter Six
Jillian woke with a start. Where was she? A coarse woolen blanket covered her from the neck down and the stale smell of unwashed sheets assaulted her nose. Bright morning sunlight streamed in through a window and seemed to reproach her for not being awake to greet it earlier.
Slowly memory returned. She had gotten married yesterday and the man was her husband. Oh Lord, what had she done? Easing from under the blanket, she stood. The bed was nestled in the corner of a very messy room. It seemed that every flat surface was covered by something. It would be a challenge, but for the first time in weeks, if not months, she felt rested and more like her old self.
But first things first. Slipping her feet into her boots, she didn’t bother buttoning them before hurrying to the door. She had yet to get used to the ever more frequent need to visit the privy. From the stories she had heard from other women, it would get worse. She stepped down from the porch to find the necessary pathway when she stopped and stared in wonder.
A deep blue sky arched above her head like an inverted bowl. Right before her, rugged mountains thrust up into that blue expanse as if carrying the weight of the sky. Everywhere else, rolling hills covered by a sea of grass undulated under a strong breeze.
She had grown up surrounded by the mountains of New England, but this was so much bigger. Her mind couldn’t seem to take it in. her body gave an urgent reminder about her purpose out here, but Jillian was reluctant to tear her gaze away. It felt like home, but even better.
When she was back in the house, Jillian pulled a fresh dress from her bag. As she undid the buttons of her dress, she thought about the man who had undone the first three. She was torn between embarrassment, and gratitude that he had made an effort to make her comfortable. She wished she had met him before Clarence had stolen her innocence. If nothing else, she had a second chance.
* * *
Twilight settled over the land as David pulled the saddle from the gelding and released it into the corral. He hadn’t slept much and his mind was fuzzy with weariness. Another cow had been bogged down in the mud beside the waterhole and he had spent the afternoon trying to pull her out.
Dried mud flaked off his clothes with every step toward the house. He had waded in up to his knees to rescue the calf that had tried to follow his mother only to become mired up to its belly. By the time David had reunited the two, thick mud covered him head to toe. He wanted nothing more than to shed the filth and fall into bed for a week.
He was three steps into the house before it hit him. The room was clean. David blinked the haze of exhaustion from his eyes. The clutter and mess were gone as was the smell of dust and dirty socks. Jillian stood beside the table with her hands clasped at her waist. Only the white of her knuckles betrayed her nervousness.
“Welcome home, Husband.” She approached shyly to greet him. “Supper is ready if you would like to wash up.”
To her credit, she barely flinched at the mud he was shedding on the freshly swept floor. “I should have thought to clean up before coming in.” David backed toward the door trying to minimize the damage. “I’ll be back.”
The horse trough stood on the far side of the corral and sheltered behind the barn. David stripped to his waist and dunked head and shoulders into the cold water. If she had gone to all that trouble to clean his house and make dinner, the least he could do was wash up. The memory of her quiet smile lingered as he hurried to rejoin her.
Chapter Seven
Six months later …
Jillian rubbed impatiently at her lower back but the nagging ache refused to go away. She already lumbered around the house like one of David’s cows, she didn’t need any more disruptions to her day. Between trips to the privy, swollen ankles, and a stomach that resembled an over ripe watermelon, she already had trouble getting through her day.
David was a sweetheart about it though. Jillian smiled as she set the table. He had begun helping with some of the housework soon after she moved in. His awkward attempts at sweeping and washing dishes generally made more work for her in the end, but considering the state of his house when she first arrived, it was an effort he had never made before.
Pausing beside a window, Jillian searched the horizon for his familiar form. It was too early for him to come home, but she couldn’t seem to stop watching and hoping. She did well enough during the day by herself, but there always seemed to be something missing until he walked through the doorway.
Jillian rubbed her soothingly over her belly, her skin was stretched so tight it seemed that some of the baby’s kicks would poke right through. It wouldn’t be long now. A small cradle stood beside the fireplace waiting. David had surprised her with it a few days ago.
Sometimes Jillian thought her husband was even more eager for the baby than she was. And it wasn’t even his child. It didn’t stop the wonder from showing on his face when felt the baby moving. For herself, Jillian felt something very different when her husband’s hand rested on her belly. Something she had never expected to feel.
Love.
* * *
David rode into the yard. The sun was high overhead and he hadn’t expected to be home for hours yet, but something pulled at him. He glanced down at the clump of wildflowers clutched in his hand and nearly dropped them into the dust of the yard. Instead, he swung down from the saddle and took a deep breath.
He had come to a decision in the wee hours of the morning. Jillian had come to him looking for a safe refuge for her and her baby. David had merely been looking for someone to keep house for him. She had done all that and more.
The baby would be born soon and David couldn’t wait. He had long ago ceased to think of it as another man’s child. It seemed like his own child already, even though he had never touched the mother in that way.
Not that he hadn’t wanted to.
David pushed that thought away and stepped into the house. Jillian stood beside the table as she had that first night but this time her hands rested on the swollen mound of her stomach with no sign of nervousness. Instead, a warm smile of welcome spread across her face.
“You’re home early.” Jillian crossed the room with a rolling gait. “I’m glad you are though. I have something to tell you.”
“Me first.” David thrust the wilted flowers into her hands. “Jillian, I know we agreed that that neither of us was looking for love or romance, but I’ve changed my mind. Over the months I have come to know you and well …” pulling off his hat, David ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, I just want you to know that I love you and would like to ….” His face heated until if felt as if it would burst into flame. He was messing this up.
Jillian placed a slender hand on his arm and David looked up to meet her eyes. “Oh David, I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say that. I have loved you for months, almost since that first day. That was what I wanted to tell you. I want this to be a real marriage, a real home, with a husband and wife who love each other and a whole passel of children.”
“Children?” David looked down at her belly and touched the hard bump with reverence. The child within moved against his hand. A burst of warmth flooded his heart. “You want more children?”
Jillian laughed, the sound shivering over him like a caress. “Well, after this one comes, anyway.” She laid her hands over David’s. “Will you be the fath
er of my children, David? All of my children?”
Raising his eyes to meet her earnest ones, David could only nod. Then he did as he had longed to do for weeks, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. He closed his eyes and savored the feel of her heart beating against his. A spasm rippled across the hard mound pressed between them and Jillian gasped.
“I think you will get your chance, a little sooner than we thought.” Jillian pulled away and laughed although her face had gone pale. “My dearest husband, I think you may need to ride for the doctor.”
THE END.
About the Author
Christian Michael is head of Purely Publishing, a digital publishing company that solely releases clean romance stories.
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