by Lucy Evanson
Melanie rose and went to the door. “Is David out there? He’s not supposed to see me.”
“No.”
She opened up and found Lee with his palm outstretched, a shiny penny in his hand. “She said to put this in your slipper. For luck.”
“Thank you, Lee,” she said. “Go on out and have a seat.” She took the coin, closed the door again, and returned to the sofa. She had just dropped the penny into her slipper when there was another knock. “Did you forget something, Lee?”
There was silence. Melanie stood up and went to the door. “Lee, is that you?” Again, there was nothing said, only another soft knock.
“David, if that’s you, you’re not supposed to see me before the ceremony.”
Another knock, gentle and soft.
She opened the door. Her breath flew away and she felt her core turn to ice as she looked into the face of the man standing there. It was Randall.
He pushed her backwards, into the room, far faster than a man his size would be expected to move, and he had the door barred again almost before she realized what was happening. She was just gathering breath to scream when he leaped at her, thudding on the floorboards in front of her and catching her like an alley cat snatching a dove out of the air.
One arm went around her waist, securing her body against his, and the other went across her chest as his hand flew to her face. His hand, callused and heavy, covered her lips and he stared at her with the same ratlike gaze that she remembered.
“Don’t you scream,” he said. “If you scream, then I’ll have to hit you. And then I’ll take what I want anyway. Do you understand me?”
She nodded. Randall slowly let his hand drop away, coming to rest on her shoulder, ready to go right back in place if need be. “What are you doing here, Randall?”
“Why, we’re here to see our girl get married, of course,” he said. “Your mother is sitting out there with your aunt.”
“She came?” It was odd to have such a sense of relief well up in the middle of the terror she was feeling. “What do you want, then?”
“I just want to spend a little time with my girl,” he said. “Before she belongs to another man.” He pulled her closer into an awkward hug, and she felt his wispy mustache tickling the side of her neck. “You are one beautiful girl, that’s for sure.” Then, although she thankfully couldn’t see it, she felt his tongue slide across her skin, just below her ear.
God help me, she thought. She didn’t have time for a proper prayer, but it was answered nonetheless.
There was a knock at the door. Strong and solid. Like a man was there. “Melanie, it’s David.”
Randall’s eyes grew wide and he thrust his hand across her face again. He smelled of leather and sweat.
“I know I’m not supposed to see you, but I just wanted to let you know that Matt Tremayne showed up, just in time,” David said. “So if you still wanted to change your mind while we got the church all set, now’s your last chance.”
Randall put his face close to hers, shaking his head slowly back and forth. He didn’t need to say a word; the look on his face was warning enough to keep quiet.
But he has no power over me, Melanie thought. At least, not over my spirit. And my spirit says to fight.
“Melanie? I was just kidding around.” David’s voice let out a hint of concern, and she heard the doorknob jiggle. “You in there?”
In about three seconds, she thought, he’s going to decide he has the wrong room, and go look for me somewhere else. And then I’m lost.
One.
She began to squirm, trying to free herself from Randall’s embrace, but he only tightened his grip the harder she struggled, like a python around its prey.
Two.
She tried to cry out, to squeal, to make any sort of noise at all, but Randall only moved his huge hand up, covering her nose as well as her mouth now. Panic burst out within her. I can’t breathe, she thought.
Three.
Her slippers had been bought just for the wedding, of course. It was a shame that they were going to be hidden underneath her dress; they were so stylish and beautiful that she would have liked showing them off. They were made of white leather, with rose petal bows atop each instep, and they were luxuriously soft. Except for the heel. That was made out of wood, quite hard and heavy, and it made a wonderfully solid thunk when she kicked Randall in the shin as hard as she could.
Everything after that seemed to happen all at once. Randall’s eyes nearly rolled back in their sockets as he hurled himself away from her, immediately hopping onto his good leg as he cursed in pain. Melanie backed away from him, screaming for David. The tiny deadbolt on the door flew apart and splinters of wood showered onto the floor as David burst his way in.
He was at her side in an instant, shielding her, cradling her face in his hands. “What’s happening here?” He spun to face Randall, who stood there on one leg like some ridiculous flamingo, massaging his injured shin. “Who are you?”
“I’m her father,” Randall said. “Who are you?”
David turned to Melanie, his eyes alive with alarm. “Is this...”
“Randall,” she croaked, still gasping for air.
David moved almost too quickly to believe. He was across the room before she could blink once, and peppered Randall with three punches before she could blink again. Blood began to run from his nose immediately, reddening the thin blond mustache. David held him by the collar, and the blood flowed over his knuckles to soak into Randall’s shirt.
“Father,” David spat. “You don’t get to use that word about her.” His voice was a low growl like Melanie had never heard, full of barely controlled fury. “Her father was a good man. You’re nothing but a goddamn animal.”
Randall’s gaze had gone unfocused, and his head swiveled around for a moment until he saw the only familiar person in the room. “Melanie—” he muttered.
“Not one word,” David said. He started for the door, handling Randall as though there weren’t a hundred-pound advantage on Randall’s side. “You don’t get to speak to her. Not ever again. Now you get going before things go even worse for you. The preacher’s here for a wedding, not a funeral.”
Randall didn’t dare take a final look at Melanie; he finally seemed to have acquired a bit of sense, and he hurried out without another peep. David watched him go, then tried to shut the door, although the splintered frame was having none of it.
“Oh well,” he said, letting the door swing open again. “Guess it’s kind of late now. I already saw you.”
“Thank God you did.”
He went to her and took her hands, searching her eyes with his. “Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t,” she said. “First the tornado, now Randall...a girl could get used to having you around.” It would be some time before the fright wore wear off, but his smile helped. “My mother’s here,” she added. “At least, she was. I hope she doesn’t leave with Randall.”
“Even if she does, I’ll go and bring her back. I’ve got a little experience chasing down the women in your family.”
“You won’t need to do that, Mr. Tanner.”
They turned toward the door, and for the second time this morning, Melanie was caught breathless. She could only hurry there and throw herself into her mother’s waiting arms.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Caroline cried as she hugged her daughter. “I was so stupid. When I saw Randall running out just now, I finally put two and two together—”
“It’s all right, Mama. It’s going to be all right now.” Melanie wiped her eyes and turned to David. “I’d like you to meet my husband. Almost. This is David.”
“You’ll have to excuse me, David,” Caroline said, gesturing toward the tears streaking her cheeks.
“Nothing to excuse,” David murmured, then stepped toward the door. “I expect you two could use some time to yourselves. I better get on up there anyway. You want me to send Polly on back to help out?”
Melanie nodded and smiled at him, blinking out more tears as she watched him go.
“He seems like a good man.”
“Best one I ever met,” Melanie said. She took a deep breath and turned to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was out of place, her powder was worn away in spots and her dress was sitting on her funny now. There was a lot to fix up. “Will you give me a hand?”
Once Polly arrived, the women soon had Melanie looking as good as new and ready to go. They escorted her through the side hall to the front of the church, where Melanie stood out of sight while Polly and her mother went in.
She stood there alone, breathing deeply, trying to calm her nerves. It was a strange thought, that her old life was winding down. There were only minutes left before she left all of that behind. All the fears, all the hardships, all the unpleasantries small and large that she had borne, about to be gone forever. Thank God and good riddance.
Then the music began, the doors opened and Melanie went down the aisle to meet her husband.
Chapter 16
Six months later.
As with all things, practice made perfect. The first time Melanie and Polly made so much food—for the barn raising—it had seemed like a ridiculous amount of work. The second time, for Melanie’s wedding, it had gone quite a bit easier. By the time they prepared the meal for Polly and Barney’s wedding, it seemed like hardly any work at all.
“The worst part now,” Melanie said as she looked around the kitchen, “is cleaning up. I still don’t like that.” After all the guests left and the newlyweds went on their way, Melanie and her mother had spent over an hour wiping tables, scrubbing plates and drying dishes. Only now, at the end of the very long day, did she feel like she could relax.
Her mother nodded and wiped her brow. “Good thing we don’t have weddings every day,” she said. “I don’t think I could take all this work.”
“Well, it’s going to be a while before Lee’s even interested in girls, so it’ll be some time before the next one, I expect,” Melanie said. “Until you decide to get married again.”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Not again,” she said. “Not anytime soon, anyway.”
“I don’t know, Mama. I’ve seen the way Willie looks at you when you help serve lunch.”
“Now you’re just being silly,” she said, though Melanie saw a smile begin to appear. “Although he’s a very nice man.”
“And handsome.”
“And handsome,” her mother agreed. Her gaze drifted off to the side and her smile grew larger, though after a moment she shook her head to clear out those thoughts for now. “Anyway, it’s been a long day. I’m off to bed.”
“Goodnight, Mama.” Melanie took off her apron and hung it on the door. When she got to her room, David and Lee were sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the boy’s lessons.
“How are things coming along?”
“Better,” David said. “He knows his arithmetic.”
“And how about reading?”
“Ma, I can’t help it reading’s so boring,” Lee said. “All they ever talk about in my school books is doing good deeds and not sassing your folks and stuff like that.”
“Hmm...well, how about you spend some time reading something else, then? You want to read about a white man who lives like an Indian? With lots of fights and chases?”
Lee perked up. “That sounds like it might be all right.”
David laughed. “I’ll see if I still have Last of the Mohicans around here somewhere,” he said. “But that’ll have to wait for tomorrow. Time for bed.”
“Aw, it ain’t that late, Pa,” Lee said.
“It’s not that late.”
“See, you said it yourself, it’s not that late.”
David laughed and swatted Lee lightly on the behind. “Go on, now,” he said. “You have school tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Ma,” Lee called as he turned and went toward his room.
“Sleep tight, honey.” She let a smile grow as she watched David close the door and slide the bolt. “Locking the door? I know what that means.”
David grinned. “Well, that’s good. Saves me the trouble of explaining it.”
They each undressed quickly and got into bed, cuddling up next to each other immediately. The nights were still cold in March, and she was glad to have him beside her in bed even when they weren’t intimate. David cupped her hip and pulled her close, then began to kiss her neck.
Melanie felt the chill begin to disappear. One of the true joys of her marriage was sharing her bed with David; during the long winter they had spent more than a little time keeping each other warm. Tonight, however, she was wondering about something.
“Before you get going too far, tell me something first,” she said. “Do you like being a father?” Lee had been their legal child for only three months, though it sometimes seemed like he had always been a part of the family. Merton Benz had signed away his parental rights in exchange for a case of bourbon, a fact which to this day filled Melanie with joy and sorrow simultaneously. Joy, because it had been so easy to adopt the boy, and sorrow because he’d been saddled with such a despicable father in the first place.
David smiled and looked toward the door, as if he could still see Lee standing there. “I do,” he said. “More than I ever expected.”
She leaned close and kissed him. “I’m glad to hear that. You’re a good dad,” she said. “And a good husband.”
“I’m happy you think so,” he said, then ducked his head low and kissed her throat. Her skin there was soft and delicate, and with the feel of his lips on her, Melanie’s pulse began to speed up. It only went faster as David’s mouth traveled down across her collarbone and onto her chest. His skin was warm and soft as he cupped her breast and began to cover her with kisses.
She was, by nature, a modest girl, and still fairly new to the pleasures of the marital bed. But when he gently took her nipples between his lips, his tongue washing over them, her body began to betray her modesty. Her flesh stiffened. Her blood raced in her veins. Her breath became quick and shallow.
David let his hands glide all over her, taking in every inch of her form as he slowly moved down. He formed a chain of kisses, each one hot and sweet upon her, from her chest down across her stomach and below.
As his mouth dropped lower and David let his tongue slip into her, she clutched the bedsheets in her fists and her breath rushed out in a gasp of pleasure. Her body began to awaken at this touch, at the sensation of his tongue flickering over her most sensitive parts. “Oh, David, I love that,” she whispered, slipping her fingers into his hair. She had never even heard of this a year ago, and now she couldn’t imagine a night without his secret kiss.
He paused only to place his lips against the inside of her thigh. “Darling, you’re not the only one who loves it,” he murmured.
Melanie felt thrills go all through her body as he returned his mouth to her. The stress of the day was washed away beneath his tongue; the only thing she could think of now was how wonderful it felt when he did that to her. If he keeps this up, then this is going to be over quickly. Really quickly. Still, as tempting as it was to let him finish her like that, tonight she wanted more from him.
“Come here,” she whispered. “Give me your love now.”
David crawled up to her, letting his lips trace a path over Melanie’s body, from her belly all the way up over her chest. His lips were hot on her skin and she took him eagerly into her arms as he moved between her legs.
She was ready to take him, and he filled her on the first stroke. A groan of pleasure rumbled in his chest, like that of a man arriving home after too long an absence.
“Honey, I love being with you like this,” he murmured, and she could feel his breath warm against her neck. He took her face in his hands and covered it with kisses, light and quick, as he began to move within her.
Melanie didn’t reply, but there was no need to. He could surely tell that she loved it as well. He held her by
the hip, pulling her tight and fixing her close to him. It was like he wanted to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere, but he needn’t have worried. When they were like this, there was no place she would have preferred to be.
Melanie hooked her legs around his and swung an arm around his neck as he brought his mouth to hers. She could feel something rising within her, like a wave that was gathering to push her over the edge, as David pressed himself into her. He moved not with the urgency of a man who was simply taking his own pleasure, but with the determination, the intensity, of a man who wanted to pleasure her as well.
Like all such sweet moments, it seemed to end too quickly. Bliss swallowed them both together, engulfing them and leaving no bit untouched. It was in these moments that Melanie felt closest to David; physically it would have been impossible to become closer than they already were, of course, but there was more to it. She felt mentally connected. Spiritually entwined. Like they had become one being, supporting each other, strengthening what was weak and relying on what was strong. It was at these times that she knew just how right it was to be with David.
When he finished, he slowly rolled to the side and pulled her to him. They lay quietly for some time, simply watching the shadows grow as the lamp burned low, and listening to the wind outside. It often seemed that after a difficult, tragic adolescence, her adult life was heavily weighted the other way. It sometimes felt perfect. Like now.
“You know, I can’t think of a thing I enjoy more than falling asleep with you like this,” she said.
“I do like the after part,” he said. “But I love the before part too.”
Melanie elbowed him. “I’m not complaining about that, believe me,” she said. “But still, it won’t last.”
“Hmm?” He propped himself up on one elbow and stared at her. The candlelight flickered in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Well, the bed’s so small, for one thing,” she said. “And I’m going to get bigger real soon. A lot bigger.”
His eyes widened to the size of wagon wheels. “You mean—”
