She looked at him. “You mean that? You’d let me out of our agreement if I asked?”
He looked into her blue eyes, his heart hammering in his chest, his mind thinking that he’d never let her go. “Of course. I’m not about to make you stay with me and us both be unhappy the rest of our lives. If you want out of our agreement, just tell me now and I’ll find a judge to set you free. But if you stay then you must try, Betsy. I won’t live in a name-only marriage. You have to try to open up your heart to me.”
She gasped, and he knew she’d not be willing to do it. The connection he thought he’d felt between them was all him. She stared into his eyes and he felt the same tug to be one with her body, soul, and heart again. There was no way he could stay married to her if she wouldn’t try to let that connection grow. Even more so, if she didn’t feel it at all. “I will try, Alexzander, but you have to give me time.”
He let out his breath not realizing he’d been holding it. “I have already said that I will give you some time. But I won’t give you forever; it’s not fair to either of us. Two months. I will give you two months to try and let me in your heart. However, in that two months, you have to let me show you that I want to be your husband.”
She frowned in confusion “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean I get to kiss you whenever I want, you will live with me in the house the town has given me after we clear out Little’s things. And you will sleep in my bed.”
“What! I thought you said you would give me time!”
“Sleep, Betsy, just sleep. I have two reasons for this. One it gives us the chance to become close like a husband and wife should without the physical side. The second is that Charles Little is still out there, and I don’t trust him not to try and snatch you away. If you are in my bed, I’ll rest better knowing you are safe. That’s what I mean. Is that acceptable to you?”
She looked at her friend then back to him, biting her bottom lip, the one that Alexzander wanted to nibble on himself. Then she sighed, “It is acceptable. Does this mean you will come back to the hotel with us?”
Her friend laughed “Not me, I’m going home. You two don’t need me here anymore.”
She started to walk away but Alexzander couldn’t allow her to do so. “Wait, Miss!”
She turned and smiled. “It’s Maude James, Mr. Sewell. If you are going to stay married to my best friend, you should probably know my name.”
He smiled at her spunk. “Yes ma’am, Miss James. However, as marshal, I can’t allow you to walk home alone at this late hour. If you insist on returning home, at least let me and Betsy walk with you.”
“I wouldn’t want you not to do your job, Marshal, so if it’s acceptable to your wife, then I will be fine with it.”
Alexzander looked at Betsy. “What say you, Mrs. Sewell? Shall we see your friend home safely before we take a stroll in the moonlight together?”
Betsy nodded. “That sounds perfectly fine, husband.”
Alexzander picked up the lantern, turned it out, then set it on the desk and escorted the ladies out before securing the jail for the night. He’d start on his rounds tomorrow and hope that anyone who needed him tonight knew to ask at the hotel. Betsy tucked her hand into his left elbow with her friend on the other side.
As they walked through town, the two women pointed out the business and homes in town, giving him the gossip on each one. He tried to concentrate on what they were saying but it was if Betsy’s hand on his arm burned every ounce of concentration away. He couldn’t wait to get her alone, away from her friend and kiss her sweet lips under the full moon shining down on them.
Nine
Betsy couldn’t believe it. She’d gone to tell Alexzander she was sorry and had ended up agreeing to try and make their marriage work. She felt so guilty. She still loved Ike and that would never change. This man while handsome and kind and whose kisses stole her breath wasn’t Ike. He was nothing like Ike. Yet here she was walking with him, arm in arm and all she could think about was once they got Maude home he wanted to kiss her again.
More to the point she wanted him to kiss her again. How was she going to live with him, sleep beside him and let him kiss her whenever he wanted and keep Ike in the center of her heart?
She couldn’t give up on Ike. It felt wrong to let go of the only man she’d ever loved. She couldn’t let herself love this mountain man. She wouldn’t let herself. She’d be kind and friendly, and then when the two months was up she’d tell him she didn’t love him, that she’d been wrong. Until then, she would keep a list of the ways he wasn’t like Ike and she’d start visiting Ike’s grave to talk to him. To keep her love and memories of him alive. Even if his kisses hadn’t stolen her breath and left her heart racing like her new husband’s did.
The conversation was all about the different homes and shops in town that they passed, and she was sure the Alexzander was only interested because it would help him with his position as Town Marshal. If he knew that the towns folks didn’t really like Hattie Richards, but knew that her medical training was needed, then he’d be better equipped to handle any dispute that came her way. Which several did.
Most of the men in town considered her suspicious because she was a woman who claimed to be a doctor and secondly because she was part Indian. Ike didn’t think much of her and had lamented that he wished she go back to the reservation, but Betsy had thought her very civilized. She’d even become something of a friend.
Maude did most of the talking and Betsy filled in where needed, but her mind wasn’t on the walk or the conversation. It was on the fact that soon she was going to be alone with this man. He made it plain that he wanted a romantic stroll back to the hotel and then he expected them to lie in bed together and sleep. How was she supposed to do that? She’d never slept with a man and she didn’t know how she was supposed to rest with just a thin layer of her nightgown and whatever he slept in between them. What did he sleep in? What did any man sleep in? The only man she knew anything about was her father and even then, she had no clue what he wore to bed. The thought of seeing Alexzander Sewell in less clothing than he was wearing now caused her cheeks to heat. Thankfully, they were walking in the near dark between lanterns so no one could see her blush and ask about her thoughts.
Soon enough they arrived at the Howard sister's house. Even this late there were the sounds of girls talking and giggling and lights burning in several rooms. “What is this place?”
Maude smiled at Betsy and they both laughed. “This is the Howard sister’s home for girls. It’s where I live.”
“You live at a girl’s home?”
“Oh, it’s more than just a home, it’s also a school.”
The look on Alexzander’s face caused Betsy to laugh even harder. “A school?”
“Yes, the Howard sisters are a couple of spinsters who opened their home to orphan girls, and teach young ladies how to be proper wives.”
Alexzander looked at her “And did you attend this school, Mrs. Sewell?”
Betsy blushed, and Maude laughed. “Betsy did attend the school. The sisters said she was their most aggravating student ever.”
Alexzander smiled at his wife, “Oh?”
“I refused to walk around town with a book on my head or sit and do needle work for hours on end. I told them none of those things would make me a better wife. They didn’t agree.”
She smiled when Alexzander threw back his head and laughed. Maude thanked them for seeing her home and gave Betsy a hug. “Give him a chance, he seems perfect for you.” She whispered before she raced up the steps and into the huge Victorian house.
Alexzander stilled and looked down at Betsy, their looks connecting as his voice deepened. “Well now, it’s finally just us and I believe that I owe you a real kiss. All that ruckus at the end of our wedding stole my chance to kiss the bride properly.”
He pulled her into his arms and she shivered at the tingle that raced down her spine, Alexzander leaned closer and whispered into her mou
th, causing the shiver to happen again. “Are you cold, Sweet Betsy?”
She closed her eyes as the feelings intensified, the closer he came. What was wrong with her? She had to remember she belonged to Ike. Then when she shook her head, he captured her lips with his and every thought about Ike fled from her mind and all she could concentrate on was how Alexzander's lips made her feel.
As he pulled her even closer so that their bodies were pressed right against each other and his kiss deepened, she felt herself melt into him just like she had earlier on her father settee. Her arms came up and started playing with the hair on the back of his neck, as she lost herself in the sensations swirling inside her. Then much too soon Alexzander pulled away leaving her feeling hollow and empty. She swallowed and forced herself not to pull him close again. Kissing him was dangerous she needed to remember that.
Alexzander smiled as he watched his pretty bride try to act unaffected by their kisses. While she tried to pretend she was unaffected, her responses when they were touching gave away the lie she tried to present to him. If he was perfectly honest they affected him too, and it was all he could do not to forget his promise to her and do more than kiss her. He wanted to hold her, touch her and show her how good they could be together.
But he was a man of his word and he’d promised her two months to get used to him and decided if she wanted to be married to him. So, he would control himself and not ask for anything more for two months. However, kissing her and laying in bed with her was going to be a slow agonizing torture for all that time. He would win her heart. If her response to his kisses were any indication, it might not even take the whole two months. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm again and they started back to the hotel.
“So, the mayor says that we have a house. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes, it’s the one just past the jail on Adams' street. The town council gave it to Ike when he first took the job as marshal, but I don’t know what condition it’s in now. Charles and his band of deputies were staying there the last few months.”
“Would you be willing to go look at it with me tomorrow and see what we need to do to get moved in? I don’t think we should keep staying at the hotel for very long.”
“I will come with you tomorrow and we don’t have to stay at the hotel. We could stay with Papa for a while if we need to.”
“Let’s see the house first, and if we need to, I’ll speak with your father after. I’m sure the Mayor and Town Council will want to meet me tomorrow, as well. I need to ride out to the Bennett ranch and speak to Roy Rogers and see if he wants to return as my deputy.”
“What will you do for deputies? Most of the men who worked with Ike left after Little took over and replaced them.”
“I’ll go to the newspaper office and ask them to run an article about needing deputies and I’ll send a few telegrams to other towns as well. It might take a few weeks but I’m sure I can find a few more.”
They arrived at the hotel and Alexzander’s stomach rumbled. He realized he hadn’t eaten since that morning. Betsy giggled. “Let me see if the kitchen has anything they can make you right quick. It hadn’t occurred to me you might not have eaten today.”
“If they don’t, it will be all right. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone without a meal or two.”
He watched as his wife peeled off his arm and walked through the dark dining room to the kitchen beyond. She came back with some bread and cheese “It’s not much but it will be better than going to bed hungry. I think the growl of your stomach would frighten me in the night and cause me to think a wild animal had gotten into our room somehow.”
Alexzander smiled at her attempt to joke and seem at ease with him, but he could feel her nervousness building. “Thank you, Sweet Betsy, this will indeed keep the bear at bay till morning.”
They slowly made their way up the stairs to the room Alexzander had gotten earlier that day and he could see the tension settle on Betsy the closer they got to the room. He stopped and looked at her before they entered. “It’s alright, Betsy. I promise nothing will harm you tonight. We’ll sit and talk while I eat this meal you found for me. Then I’ll give you time to get ready for bed and we will sleep. That’s all.”
Betsy bit her lip again and Alexzander had to hold in the groan that threatened to escape him. She had no inkling of what that simple nervous response did to him. He wanted to pull her into his arms and take that lip into his and suck on it till she opened her self to him and allowed him to truly taste her mouth. But as scared as she was he knew he couldn’t do so yet. She let out a breath. “I’ve never slept beside anyone but my Papa when I was little.”
He opened the door and directed her inside. They sat on the small Divan in the corner as he began to slice or pieces of the bread and cheese. “Tell me what happened when you used to sleep with your Papa as a little girl.”
She looked at him and he could see her get lost in her memories. “I would climb in the bed with him and he would pull the covers up over us. Then he would hold me in his arms and we would talk until sleep came. It only happened when I was scared, or a bad storm was happening.”
Alexzander smiled. “This will be no different. I’ll leave and allow you time to get changed and in the bed. Then I will come back and get in the bed. I’ll hold you and keep you safe and we can talk until sleep comes. Nothing else will happen except for a goodnight kiss.”
She blushed and looked down. “But we will be in our night clothes.”
Alexzander smiled. “Yes, I imagine we will. That is normally what people wear to bed.”
“But it would be unseemly for you to hold me like that.”
Alexzander chuckled, “It won’t be.” He looked into her eyes. “Surely someone talked to you about all this Betsy. What to expect once you were married.”
She turned a deeper shade of red and looked down at her hands. He reached out and lifted her chin until she was looking into his eyes. “Fannie Pearl came by today and we talked about what happens between a husband and a wife, but no one thought to talk about sleeping together or about, uhm, other parts of the night.”
He nodded, “Parts we agreed to wait on for a time.”
She nodded biting her lip again.
Alexzander sat the plate of bread and cheese on the end table beside him and scooted closer to his innocent young bride. “Sharing a bed with your husband isn’t unseemly. It is part of trying to open our hearts and lives to each other. It is what you promised me to try to do. I have given my word that I will not ask more of you than that and kisses, and I won’t break my word.”
He leaned forward and kissed her again and she instantly responded. He finally let his hands go to her hair and run his fingers through it. It felt like silk to him and he marveled at how much he enjoyed playing with it. He pulled back before their kiss became heated and looked into Betsy’s glassy eyes. “How long do you need to get ready for bed?”
She thought for a moment. “About ten minutes.”
He stood. “I’ll return in ten minutes then.”
With those words, he stood and walked out of their room. He wandered down to the bathing room at the end of the hall determined to wash the smell of horse off his skin before climbing into bed with his wife. He sighed at the weight of the ghost of her dead fiancé that remained between them. He uttered a prayer heavenward that he could keep his calm and allow Betsy time to want to be his wife.
When ten minutes were up he walked back to their room and gently knocked before entering. She was in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. He turned his back, so she couldn’t see the smile that crossed his face, then he looked at her. “All ready for sleep, I see?”
She nodded, “Yes.”
He walked over to the lamp and extinguished it, leaving the moonlight streaming through the window to light his path to the bed. He quickly stripped off his buckskins until he was in his small clothes. Then he slid under the covers with her and pulled her close to him. She shivere
d, and he knew it wasn’t from the cold. “Relax, Betsy. You’ll never get to sleep this way.”
She sighed, and he put his arm around her. “Ask me any question you want. Let's get to know each other. We can make it part of our night time routine. One question each about something we don’t know about the other.”
She seemed to relax a little as she thought then she asked, “Why did you shave before the wedding?”
He was surprised out of all the things he thought she would ask that wasn’t one of them. He laughed. “You can ask me anything you want, and this is the question you ask me?”
“Yes, it surprised me to start down the aisle and see you’d shaved. I wondered why.”
“Fair enough. Honestly, I came here with the intention of spending as much time as I could in the mountains. That’s why I wanted to leave Beckham. I’m a mountain man, I don’t like city life. But after meeting you in my dirty buckskins and wild hair I realized it was time to let go of the past and move forward as the husband and lawman you and this town needed me to be. I will still go to the mountains on occasion or at least into the timber line to hunt and trap. But I wanted to be the man you sent for. Cutting my hair and shaving just seemed like a good start to doing that.”
“You can grow it back if you want. I thought it looked handsome on you. Not that this clean shaven look isn’t, as well.” Her hand came up to stroked the side of his face, Alexzander caught it in his and pulled it to his lips and kissed her palm, causing her to gasp a little.
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