But a little voice in in mind told him Rosie wouldn’t leave. She wasn’t Sarah. Wasn’t remotely like Sarah. She’d already proved that.
CHAPTER 7
Agatha may have taken over the laundry but Rosie still had a lot to keep her busy. The fatigue finally caught up to her. She took her normal nightly bath. She’d gotten some bath salts at the mercantile and got in the tub to have a relaxing soak. She awoke to strong arms lifting her from the cold water. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight hoping she could hide herself.
“Rosie? Are you all right?”
“I’m just tired. The bath salts relaxed me too much. You can put me down now.”
He set her down long enough for her to wrap herself in a towel and then he swooped her up into his arms again.
“Tom!”
Walking to their bedroom he said, “I should have seen how tired you were. Maybe I did and I ignored it. Either way, it’s my fault you’re exhausted.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck again and settled into his arms. “No it’s not. I just haven’t gotten everything into a schedule yet. I’ll get it situated soon.”
“Agatha will help you now. I’m sorry, Rosie. I should have hired someone before now.”
He kicked the door to their bedroom shut behind him, took her to the bed and let her stand up. He took the towel, dried her off and after he turned the covers down told her to lie face down on the bed.
“Let me take care of you,” whispered Tom.
He gently dried her. Then he took her rose cream and massaged her legs and feet. Long strokes, up the back of her legs with his hand and small circles with his thumbs working the muscles as he came down her leg, then back up and the rhythm started again.
Her skin was soft under his touch even before he put the cream on. How someone could work as hard as she did and still have such soft skin was beyond him. But he liked it. He liked touching her. Wanted to touch her all over. This would do for now. This night was for her. To give back some of what he’d taken.
Holding her calf on his hip, he massaged the cream into the bottoms of each foot and each toe individually. Worked it in with his fingers. She moaned her pleasure. He wanted to hear that moan for another kind of pleasure he would give her. But not tonight. As much as his body ached for her, he’d resist…tonight. When he gotten her sufficiently relaxed and limp on that leg he started the process all over again on the other leg.
Next he did her left arm. Rubbed all the kinks out of it and worked individual fingers till they were limp. Next was her back and shoulders. For this he took lots of the cream and kneaded her back muscles. Then he worked circles, then up and down using the strength of his upper body to get deep in the tired, tight muscles. Up. Down. Around. Over. And then he began it all again. He used his fingers on her shoulders, squeezing, and rubbing circles with his thumbs.
He applied all these same techniques to her buttocks. Her magnificent round buttocks. He wanted to take his fingers and explore her, taste her, but he kept telling himself now wasn’t the time. This time was for Rosie. To give back to her and make her feel good. Up, down, up, down, around, loosening all the tight sore muscles. He was amazed at how tight and sore her butt seemed to be. She moaned every time pressed hard.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked as he stopped the pressure. Her breathing came in short pants and he thought she might be as turned on as he was.
“Yes, but don’t stop. I didn’t realize how sore I am there. This will help loosen me up and then I’ll feel better.”
“Okay, but it’s time to do the other side. Turn over, please.”
She turned over, face up. He had to close his eyes and take deep breaths to keep from taking one of her nipples into his mouth they were so perfect. Pink and hard. He watched her beautiful brown eyes dilate. She felt it, too.
He sat on the bed next to her, took her arm in his hand and applied all the same magic that he’d done on the other one. Rubbed her until she was weak all over.
The last place he worked on was her face. He put the cream on only his finger tips and starting at her forehead he rubbed small circles with thumbs, smoothed the cream down her cheeks and neck.
He wanted to continue to look his fill at her beautiful body. It would be so easy to take her now. She was pliable, relaxed, instead he covered her with the sheet and blankets.
He sat on the side of the bed and gathered her long hair into his big, calloused hand and began combing the tangles from it. It was so soft and fine.
“Tom, you’ve done so much. I can do my hair. It’s such a mess.”
She started to rise. He gently placed his palm against her chest.
“Let me do this for you. Don’t think, Rosie. Only feel. Enjoy.” His soft, gravelly voice washed over her, eased her. Settled her. Soothed her.
He continued to weave his spell around her. Relaxing her. Giving back to her some of the care she so willingly gave to all of them.
He picked up her hair section by section. When he’d done as much as he could do from the front, he had her turn to her stomach. He worked all the knots out of the shiny, gold mass. It reached down past her waist and was one of the more glorious things about her, though he thought she was the embodiment of the ideal woman. Rosie was the loveliest woman he’d ever seen. And now he’d seen all of her. From the flawless globes of her breasts, to her small waist and generous hips she was perfection.
After he combed the tangles from it he decided to brush it till it was dry. Taking a section at a time he brushed until it shown. Liquid gold. It seemed a shame to braid it when he’d taken so much time with it, but knew if he didn’t it would be a mass of tangles in the morning.
“I’d love to have your glorious curls around us as we make love,” he whispered, softly. But she was asleep. Knowing she couldn’t hear him he said all the things he’d like to do to her. “I want to feel you around me. I want to make you come in every way I can think of. I’m going to tongue you, watch that pretty little bud of yours stand up for me to lick until you shatter.”
Watching her, he undressed. She was so beautiful even in her sleep.
He crawled in bed next to her and wrapped her in his arms. Then he kissed her forehead, down the side of her face, her temple, her jaw. Whisper soft kisses. Touching her, brushing her skin and moving down. He moved down the side of her neck, feathering the kisses down, then back up to her lips. Teasing her with little butterfly kisses on the corners of her lips. Then he stopped and looked at her.
His kisses woke her and he watched her eyes open.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do since the day I picked you up on the train platform.” He took her lips with his. Gently he rubbed his tongue along the seam of her lips and she opened for him. But he didn’t rush in, rather teased her tongue, entering little by little, dueling with her at each little move until he had her completely. Then he feasted on her. His tongue in and out, around her mouth then setting the rhythm he’d like to be doing someplace a bit lower with another part of his anatomy. But not yet. Tonight was just for Rosie.
He heard her excited, short breaths. Breaking away he took one turgid nipple in his mouth. She gasped as he sucked it inside his greedy mouth while he rolled the other with his fingers. He sucked it and raised his head until it left his mouth with a ‘pop’. Her hands were in his hair kneading his head while he moved lower. Tonight he would give his Rosie an orgasm, probably her first.
He kissed his way to her nether lips, then parted her thighs to lie between them. Now his head was perfectly placed to love her with his mouth. He slid his tongue up her slit and poked it in to find her love bud hard and waiting for his attention. Which he was more than glad to give. Circling around the bud, he teased her. She lifted her hips to get closer to his mouth. He took the hint and suckled her clit while he entered her with one then two fingers. She was so tight, clamping around his fingers so hard he thought he was going to come just at the thought of what she would do to his cock.
&nb
sp; Rosie grasped his head and bucked as she shattered. She called his name and that of God in the same breath. When she finally settled, he kissed his way up her body again to her lips. Then he gathered her in his arms and laid back on the pillow. “Sleep now, Rosie, love,” he said. She didn’t hear him. Her eyes were closed and her breathing even.
She’d worked herself to the point of exhaustion. He’d let her. Watched it happen without seeing it until it was almost too late. She’d given her all to him and the children and never uttered one angry word about it. He’d worked her like a slave.
Now he’d try to make it up to her.
*****
Tom was in his study when Rosie found him.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
“Of course. Sit down,” he said pointing at the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’ll get right to the point. Since I have more time on my hands, I think we should go on a picnic. Just you and I. You could show me the ranch and then we could have a nice lunch. Perhaps in a pretty meadow or by a creek. You know your property and where a good spot for a picnic would be.”
“That’s a good idea. When did you want to go?”
“Now. I mean how about today. I’ve already got the food ready to go.”
He smiled. “Pretty sure of yourself aren’t you?”
“I am. You wouldn’t deny me on such a beautiful day.”
Tom shook his head. “You’ve got me pegged. Let’s go. I’ll get the horses and you get dressed for riding.”
“Riding? I thought we’d take the buggy.”
“Can’t take the buggy where I want to go. We’ll go slow. You can wear those pants that Catherine gave you. She said they’d come in handy.”
She nodded. “She did say that, but I thought she was kidding. It’s not decent for a woman to wear pants in Philadelphia.”
“This isn’t Philadelphia and since we don’t have a side saddle, you don’t have much choice, if you want to go on this picnic. And I know a great place. There’s even a nice little crick for wading if you like.”
“It does sound perfect. I’ll get changed and put our lunch in saddlebags. Meet you out front in twenty minutes. Okay?”
“Deal. I promise I’ll put you on a gentle horse. Don’t worry about that.”
“I wasn’t worried…until you mentioned it.” She turned on her heel, lifted her skirt and ran up the stairs. She’d never worn pants before in her life, so was surprised at how comfortable they were. Tom had bought her a pair of boots, on one of their Saturday trips to town, which she’d also wear for the first time today. She started unbuttoning her blouse at the top of the stairs. There would be no corset today. Not if she wanted to get in and out of her boots. She couldn’t bend at the waist with the corset on and she really did want to go wading. It had been so hot lately. The cold water on her feet would feel great.
When she reached their bedroom she dropped her blouse on the bed and unlaced her corset. She put it in the bureau drawer and from the drawer below it she pulled out her pants and put them on. They were a little snug, she was more filled out than Catherine was. Next she got out some socks that Tom bought for her and put them on, followed by the boots. She grabbed her blouse off the bed and put it back on over her chemise. It was strange and oddly freeing not to wear a corset. It was almost naughty to feel so good.
Excited didn’t even cover how she felt. Ecstatic. Aroused. Thrilled. All these things at the same time. Butterflies whooshed around in her stomach. She gave herself the once over in the cheval mirror and liked what she saw. The pants accentuated her figure. Her legs were long, her waist small and her breasts still round and firm. They wouldn’t stay that way for long without the corset. Gravity had a way of bringing everything down in the end.
She hurried down the stairs to the kitchen. She’d hoped Tom would say yes, and made a picnic lunch for them. There were sandwiches of rare roast beef with butter, left over from supper the night before. A little cheese, some apples and four of her favorite sugar cookies.
In the pantry, she’d found a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. She gathered it all together, put it in the saddle bags and then put them on the front porch before going back in for a blanket to take along.
When she got back, Tom was waiting with two horses. He’d already put the saddle bags behind his saddle. She gave him the colorful blanket. It was a quilt that she assumed his mother had made. Based on what little Tom had said about Sarah, she doubted the woman had ever had the patience to do a quilt. Even with one of those new sewing machines she wouldn’t have done it. It was too domestic for her.
It was time to mount. She knew how to mount a horse. It was, after all, the best mode of transportation out here. But she’d never ridden astride. It would take some getting used to. Ladies in Philadelphia used a carriage or buggy or rode side saddle. Come to think of it riding side saddle was much harder than riding astride, so she shouldn’t have any problems learning this in no time.
She took a deep breath and went to the left side of the horse.
“It’s not that bad,” said Tom. “I’ll help you. Grab the saddle horn and then put your foot in the stirrup and pull yourself up.”
She did as he asked put her left foot in the stirrup and tried to pull herself up. It was harder than it looked. Then she felt strong hands on her waist lift her up. Oh my! Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her skin tingled even as his hands left her. It was always the same. She craved his touch. And touch she would have this day. Rosie was determined to seduce her husband. Today.
They rode through the pasture toward the mountains, glorious in their majesty. It always took her breath away when she looked at the mountains. There was nothing like them. When she’d been on the train from St. Louis to Denver and first saw them rising out of the nothingness of the plains, she literally had lost her breath for a moment. She’d never seen anything so magnificent. And here, living among them, the feeling of being in the middle of grandeur never left her.
The path they followed was a rough track up the hillside. Pine trees lined the sides with chokecherry and sergeant berry bushes interspersed between the trees. When they reached the top, they looked down over a gorgeous green valley with a small lake on one end and a lovely little creek running south the length of the valley and out the other end into the mountains beyond.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I thought you might like it. This is one of our summer pastures. We’ll be bringing the cows up here for the summer and take them down to the railhead for shipping to Kansas City in September.
“Come on. I’ve got the perfect place for our picnic.” He rode forward slowly, walking his horse, not only in deference to her lack of riding skills but because the path was a bit steep.
Riding into the meadow at the bottom of the hill, Tom nudged his horse into a canter, a much easier gait for the rider than a trot. Rosie’s horse followed suit and though she was a little scared, she held on to the saddle horn and remembered to move with the horse.
Laughing she pulled alongside Tom and then overtook him, her horse in a full gallop. She rode to the creek.
“Whoa,” she pulled back on the reins and stopped, waiting for Tom to catch up. “That was exhilarating.”
Tom dismounted in one graceful move and came to her side. He reached up for her. She leaned down, put her hands on his shoulders and fell into his arms. He let her slowly slide down his body to the ground.
He was so strong, holding her like she was no heavier than Suzie. His member was hard and she knew he wanted her.
Her eyes locked with his and he held her close. Firm lips claimed hers as he crushed her body to him.
Suddenly he broke away and rested his forehead against hers. “Rosie, I want you.” His chest rose and fell with each breath.
“I want you, too.”
“But I don’t want you here, in the woods like some floozy. Your first time should not be on a blanket in the dirt.”
“I don’t care.”
&
nbsp; “Well, I do. I want it to be special, something you’ll remember always. Now grab that blanket and I’ll get the saddle bags before I change my mind. We’ll leave the horses here and walk a ways downstream. It’s not far.”
They walked about one hundred yards downstream to an opening in the trees. Flat and grass covered it was right next to the stream. The water looked inviting and about a foot deep. Rosie couldn’t wait.
“Oh, how wonderful. And that stream is so clear I can see the rocks at the bottom.”
She shook out the blanket, spread it on the ground and then took the food from the saddlebags.
“Will you open this for me, please?” She handed him the bottle of wine.
“Where in the world did you get a bottle of wine?”
“It was in the pantry. Were you saving it for something?”
“No. I didn’t know it was there. Sarah, must have put it there. I knew she was drinking my whiskey, I didn’t know she’d started buying wine. I didn’t keep a close watch on the household accounts then. She was my wife. I trusted her.”
The reference stung, but Rosie wasn’t going to let anything mar this day. “Why don’t you open the wine. We can let it breathe while we wade for a little while.”
“Good idea.” He uncorked the wine and set it between two good sized rocks so it wouldn’t fall over and spill.
Rosie sat on a large boulder at the bank of the creek and took off her boots. She rolled her pants legs to about mid-calf, she didn’t plan on going out too far. When she was done she walked to the stream and waded in.
“Oh. Good Lord, it’s freezing.” She turned quickly to get out of the water. “Eeee! Tom!” On her backside in the freezing water, she hollered, “help me.”
She tried to get up on her own and fell back into the water, drenching herself from head to toe. Tom ran to her and pulled her up into his arms and waded back out of the water.
“We’ve got to get you out of those wet clothes. I’ll start a fire. It’ll help them and you dry out.” He set her down on the blanket. “Strip while I get some wood.”
Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance Page 7
