Lewis breathed a sigh of relief. If someone was watching over them, there was less chance they'd do anything crazy. "Can I leave them with you now?"
"Yes, of course. It's my way of helping." She took each of the boys by the hand. "Would you like to have some cookies before the wedding?"
The boys half-dragged her into the kitchen.
Lewis walked to the back of the house, toward the formal parlor. Cletus was standing looking nervous as he tugged at his tie. "Mr. Sanders," Lewis said, holding his hand out for the older man to shake.
Cletus nodded at him. "Be good to my baby," he said.
Lewis thought it was odd that the man referred to a girl he hadn't met until she was seventeen as his baby, but he said nothing. Obviously he took his job as adoptive father very seriously.
"I will do my very best. She's a special girl."
Cletus nodded. "That she is."
Lewis wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say, so he stood there awkwardly as people started to gather.
When the pastor arrived, he excused himself to talk to him. He was an elderly gentleman with white hair and blue eyes. "Thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice."
"I'm happy to be here. Sometimes the fast weddings seem to be the strongest couples. Ruby is a lovely girl."
Lewis smiled. "She is. I hope she doesn't realize she's making a mistake before she comes down." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he realized why he'd had such a hard time with the boys that morning. He'd been worried about her changing her mind at the last minute. After his wife left him, he'd lost his confidence where women were concerned.
He was standing next to the preacher as people began filing into the room. Chairs had been set up so everyone would have a place to sit for the ceremony, and the girls were gathered around Cassie Hayes, who was heavily pregnant.
Cletus was wringing his hands together nervously across the room. Lewis walked over to him. "Are you all right, Mr. Sanders?"
"Just nervous. Never given a girl away at her wedding before."
Lewis smiled. He didn't know what Ruby's life had been like before she'd been adopted by the old man and his wife, but he knew it had been good since she'd arrived there.
Edna Petunia rushed into the room, her bosom heaving. She looked frantic. "Cletus, you need to get to the bottom of the stairs so you can walk Ruby in. What are you doing waiting in here?"
Cletus leaned down and kissed Edna square on the lips before he wandered out to get Ruby.
Lewis returned to his spot beside the pastor, looking out over the people there. It seemed as if Edna Petunia had done as she'd promised and kept the guest list to the bare minimum.
Within moments, he saw Cletus and Ruby walking toward them. She looked more beautiful than ever, and his heart started to beat faster. She would be his bride in a matter of minutes. He couldn't wait.
Ruby walked along slowly, holding Cletus's arm. He was so nervous he was shaking visibly. "You're doing fine!" she whispered to him as they walked.
When they reached the preacher, and he asked, "Who gives this woman in marriage?" Cletus was befuddled.
"Why, Edna Petunia does. Or I do. I guess we both do."
Amidst the soft laughter, Lewis took Ruby's hand, holding it tightly. She was there. If he gripped her tight enough, she wouldn't be able to run off.
He was surprised when a young girl started singing a song he'd heard once or twice back East. Her voice was beautiful, and she smiled as she sang. He knew she was one of Ruby's fellow orphans, but he had no idea which one. He'd have to ask at another time.
Ruby smiled at Katie as she sang for them. When she was finished, she waved at Ruby, her job done. She sat between Edna Petunia and Cletus, her hand clinging to the old woman's.
And then the preacher was saying the words that would bind them together forever. Ruby repeated after him when he told her to, and listened as Lewis said his own vows. At the end, when he was told to kiss the bride, a yell came from the assembled crowd. "Don't do it, Pa! Remember what I told you!"
Lewis ignored Robert as he lowered his head, kissing Ruby softly. It was nothing more than a brief brush of their lips together, but already he felt his body reacting to her. In a few hours, they'd be alone, and when he kissed her then, he wouldn't have to stop.
Ruby pressed her lips to Lewis's ear. "Why weren't you supposed to kiss me?"
Lewis sighed. "Something about kisses being disgusting and girls not liking disgusting things. He was afraid if I kissed you too much, you'd run off."
Ruby laughed. "He doesn't have much faith in you, does he?"
"None at all!" He leaned down and kissed her once more, before everyone was upon them, hugging them and congratulating them.
Edna Petunia was sobbing. "I can't believe you're already married. Why it seems like we just got you, and already you're going off to start your own family."
Ruby hugged the old woman reassuringly. "It was only a year ago. It went by very quickly."
"Too fast!" Edna said holding her tightly. "I'm going to make sure none of the other girls meet any boys ever."
Ruby laughed. "Good luck with that!"
"Oh, I'm not senile. I know I can't keep them around forever, but I can want to. No one can stop that!"
"No they can't." Ruby kissed her wrinkled cheek. "Thank you for being good to me. To all of us."
"I've always had a soft spot in my heart for bastards. I couldn't help it!"
"I know you have. That's what makes you so special." Ruby decided then that it was pointless to explain to the old woman over and over that they weren't all bastards. What was the point? She'd forget again in ten minutes anyway.
Chapter Five
Although the food at their wedding lunch was good, Lewis had no desire to eat any of it. He just wanted to take Ruby and leave, heading back into town where his big comfortable bed waited for them.
Ruby had never been comfortable around big crowds of people, and even though she knew and loved every person sitting at the table, she wanted to get away as quickly as she could. That obviously wasn't going to happen, though. Of course, she was nervous about being alone with her new husband as well.
As if he read her thoughts, he reached over and squeezed her hand under the table. Leaning close, he whispered, "How soon can we get out of here?"
"Are you in a hurry for something?" She wasn't certain what made her respond the way she did. Her grin told him that she knew exactly what he was in a hurry for.
"Be careful. I'm not above throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you out of here." The look in his eyes told her he was serious about doing just that.
"Cletus would chase after you...he might anyway," she said with a frown. She could picture the old man chasing after their buggy yelling something inappropriate at them.
He leaned down and kissed her softly, not caring they were surrounded by people.
"Pa! Stop doing that!" Robert's voice filled the dining room, and everyone at the table laughed.
Ruby grinned at Robert. "It's okay. I kind of like it." She winked at the boy.
Robert's eyes grew wide. "But you're a girl!"
She sincerely hoped her new husband wasn't given to kissing boys. "Yes, I am."
Lewis looked at Robert. "See, I told you she doesn't mind my kisses."
Robert just shook his head before applying himself to his lunch.
After the meal was over, Edna Petunia and Sarah Jane brought out the cake. It was huge and looked beautiful. "Do we get to leave after we cut the cake?" Lewis asked, his lips against her ear, so no one else could hear them.
Ruby laughed as she walked to the table where the cake had been placed. She and Lewis took the knife together, cutting through the top layer easily. Ruby rushed around the room passing out plates of cake and forks to everyone. As soon as she finished, Lewis made a quick announcement. "Ruby and I appreciate all of you coming to help us celebrate. All of you mean a great deal to her."
Ruby smiled up at hi
m, thrilled he was making a pleasant speech to save her from having to do it. She was still nervous with so many people pressing in on them.
"We're going to leave now, though, because I only have twenty-four hours alone with my sweet bride before we have to fetch my boys."
Ruby blushed at that, surprised he'd be so obvious about wanting to drag her off and be alone. Everyone would know what they were doing! Really, though, everyone would know anyway, so how much did it truly matter?
Ruby hugged her sister, thanking her for watching the boys before Lewis took her hand and dragged her out of the house, grabbing her carpet bag with clothes for the weekend on the way out. She'd pick up the rest of her things when they came to fetch the boys. She glared at him once they were in the buggy. "You should have thrown me over your shoulder!"
He laughed. "No one thought anything of that. You're a beautiful woman, and we're married. They know I want to make love with you!"
"But did you have to make it so obvious?"
"I'm sorry if I upset you. I really didn't know how else we could get out of there."
Ruby sighed, trying not to be angry with him. He was right that everyone already knew, but it was still embarrassing for her.
The drive into town seemed to fly by, and when he pulled up in front of the store, he got down and helped her out. "Go around back. I locked up the store but not the house. Just go in. I'll unhitch the horses and be up in a minute." His lips went to her ear, even though there was no one else on the street. "You might want to just go ahead and undress and wait for me in our room."
"But it's light out!"
"That's not going to deter me one bit." He climbed back into the buggy and drove it off toward the town stables.
Ruby hurried into the house and up the stairs. Did he really expect to make love to her during daylight hours? Every time she'd imagined what they'd do together, her mind had it in the darkness with all the lights out. She shut the door once she was inside his room, realizing only then that her nightgown was in the buggy with him.
She frowned, wondering if she should stay dressed, or if she dared undress to her petticoat. She didn't want to disobey her husband right after they married—she'd do better saving that for next week. Keeping his wishes in mind, she quickly removed the dress, laying it lovingly over the trunk at the foot of his bed.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and removed her shoes, setting them in the corner of the room before unrolling her stockings. She quickly unlaced her corset and put it with the dress and stockings. She didn't dare undress any more than that. She moved toward the head of the bed to get under the covers, when the door opened behind her.
Lewis looked at his pretty bride, dressed only in her petticoat, with her hair spilling down around her shoulders. When he realized he still had her carpet bag filled with her clothes, he'd expected to find her waiting in her wedding dress, but no, she'd compromised.
He dropped her bag on the floor, striding toward her. She watched him with her huge brown eyes, as if she was afraid of what he'd do. When he reached for her, she let out a soft sigh. He cupped her face in his hands, looking into her eyes, trying to gauge her emotions. "Are you frightened?"
"A little," she told him. "I've never done this..."
"I know you haven't. I'll be gentle with you." He frowned for a moment. "Did Mrs. Sanders have a talk with you about what would happen?"
Ruby grinned. "No, I already knew, and she was very relieved not to have to talk to me about playing 'hide the pickle' with my husband."
Lewis blinked a couple of times before throwing back his head and laughing. "She did not call it that!"
"Oh, yes she did. I swear, the woman's crazy. She offered me a swig of her cough medicine. You know, the medicine in the flask she carries everywhere that Mrs. Hayes told us is really whiskey."
"What did you tell her?" he asked, fascinated by the stories of the woman, and happy to distract her as he caught her waist and pulled her to him, holding her close.
"I refused, of course. I don't want to drink whiskey." She rested her cheek against his shoulder, happy to be in his arms. She wished they could stay just like that forever. The special tingling feeling was back in her stomach from being close to him, but he wasn't trying to get her to do anything she didn't want to do. It was the best of both worlds.
"Are you nervous?" he asked, rephrasing his initial question.
"Very. I don't know what to do, but I don't want to make you unhappy."
He smiled, leaning down and brushing a soft kiss across her lips. "I know what to do."
"I had a feeling you did."
"Do you trust me?" His hands went to the back of her one piece petticoat that covered her from neck to ankles, searching for the button that kept it fastened.
"Mostly." She grinned up at him, surprised he was doing his best to put her at ease. That's what she needed from him more than anything.
He chuckled. "Well, I promise you, we'll get through this first time, and then all the other times will be easy." He kissed the spot just behind her ear. "And fun."
She tilted her head back to look at him, amazed at how tall he was. "Fun? Women don't enjoy it!" That wasn't something Mrs. Hayes had told her, but something she'd learned from school friends who had married.
He shook his head. "Who told you that rubbish?"
"A couple of friends I had back in New York. They were married already when we left and said it hurt, and they didn't like it."
He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "It will hurt the first time, but I'll do everything I can to make it hurt as little as possible. You might even enjoy it this time, but if you don't, you'll enjoy it the next."
She wasn't sure if she should believe him or not. He could just be saying that so she wouldn't be frightened. He'd asked her to trust him, though, so finally she nodded. "All right. I believe you."
He pushed her petticoat off her shoulders and to the floor, leaving her in nothing but her drawers. She automatically moved her hands up to cover her breasts.
"I want to see you," he said softly. "Making love isn't about fumbling around in the dark. I want to see the woman I married."
"But..." A lifetime of modesty couldn't be forgotten simply because she'd agreed to love, honor, and obey.
"There's nothing wrong with me seeing my wife." His fingers trailed from her cheek down to her breast, cupping it in his palm. "You're beautiful, Ruby. So soft and sweet." He lowered his head again, kissing her gently. He wanted to pick her up and drop her onto the bed, but he knew he'd have to go slowly. She deserved to be treated well.
She had never let a boy touch her that way. Even David had never tried to touch her breast through her clothes, let alone under them. She was surprised by how good it felt.
Lewis felt overdressed. He wanted to feel her pressing up against his bare skin. He took an abrupt step backward and kicked off his boots before putting his hands to his tie. His eyes never left hers as he removed his tie and shrugged off his jacket before unbuttoning his shirt and dropping it to the floor.
He stopped there, not wanting to frighten her, and took a step toward her again. Pulling her to him, he kissed her passionately, enjoying the feel of their bodies against one another just as much as he'd imagined he would.
Ruby gasped as her breasts came into contact with the light covering of hair on his chest. It felt odd, but good!
"Don't you think we'd feel better lying down?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't feel rushed, but knowing he couldn't stand there kissing her for the next twenty-four hours.
Ruby swallowed hard, nodding. She backed up until she felt the bed against her thighs and sat down on the edge. Lewis followed her onto the bed, pressing her onto her back and going onto one elbow beside her.
"Is there anything I've done so far that you haven't liked?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I seem to like it all. As long as you're the one doing it all to me, that is."
He moved his hand slowly from her neck down
to her waist, still covered by her drawers. Moving further down, he found the slit in her underwear, and slid his hand inside, his fingers sliding between her slightly spread thighs and to her most secret place.
She gasped as his fingers touched her where she'd never even dared to touch herself. She caught his wrist and tried to drag his hand away. "You're not supposed to touch me there!"
"I need to be sure you're ready for me."
"And you can tell by touching me there?"
He briefly explained how a woman's body made her ready for her husband's touch before he kissed her again, his hand still moving between her thighs.
She closed her eyes, but let him play with her, enjoying his touch more than she would ever admit. Something was happening deep inside her, something she couldn't explain, but she enjoyed it a great deal. He abruptly moved from the bed, removing is socks and then his pants. He stood beside the bed and pulled her drawers down and off.
She kept her eyes closed for fear of seeing him, knowing that would be inappropriate. Feeling the bed dip, she looked at his face as he moved between her spread thighs, taking his weight on one elbow. He reached down and guided himself to her opening, forcing himself to go slower than he wanted.
Slowly he pressed inside her, watching her face for signs of pain.
Ruby looked up at his face, trying not to tense up too much. She clung to his shoulders, wishing she knew what she was supposed to do. She lay back feeling the pressure of him pushing into her. There was a flash of pain, and then she felt like she was full. It didn't really hurt, but it wasn't exactly comfortable, and it certainly wasn't pleasurable.
Lewis held himself still, trying to give her time to adjust to his invasion. She didn't seem to be hurting, and while that pleased him, he knew she wasn't enjoying herself either.
After a moment, she got fidgety, moving under him. He sucked in a breath, needing her to stay still if he had a prayer of not moving inside her. He wouldn't hurt her for anything, but he was afraid he wouldn't have a choice if she didn't quit wiggling. "Just hold still for a bit," he told her through his gritted teeth.
Ruby (Orlan Orphans Book 2) Page 4
