One moment she felt warm all over – she really liked Seth and Jacob – and the next she felt hollow. Not only would she have to leave Noah, whom she’d come to love, but also his brothers. They were decent people, all of them, and they’d made her feel like part of their family.
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “It was a lovely evening,” she told him quietly.
He reached out and put an arm around her shoulder. “I’m sure it helped sending them home with leftovers.” He grinned down at her. “You made enough food to feed a small army.”
Before Mary had a chance to answer or protest Noah pulled her to him and kissed her. Not gently on the cheek like an aunt or uncle might do, but directly on the lips.
His mouth came down over hers and her heart fluttered. She felt warm all over, and her arms slid up around him without her permission. She tipped her head back to give him more access to her, and she admonished herself. That was not the act of a lady. But then again, they were married, and this was what she’d been waiting for all these months. Wasn’t it?
His hands slid into her hair, and she felt the pins come out one by one until her hair cascaded down her back. He lifted a piece of her hair and sniffed it, then suddenly he pushed her away, as if she was forbidden fruit, and touching her might kill him. She stared up into his face. She felt hurt, pained at the fact he didn’t want her after all, so his next words took her by surprise.
“I want you, Mary,” he said, his voice husky. “Like I’ve never wanted anyone before.” Without warning, he slipped his strong arms underneath her and carried her to the bedroom. His bedroom. She didn’t complain, and soon she was Noah’s wife in every sense of the word.
When she awoke, Noah was gone. He’d been so gentle with her, caring and loving.
Was this what it would be like to be Noah’s wife? For the first time in her life, it felt as though someone cared for her. Really cared for her, not just because she could clean house and cook, but it was as though she meant something to him.
Which was crazy because she’d been here all this time and it was only now that he’d wanted to... Of course men had longings, and their wives need to fulfil those longings. She was surprised he’d waited so long.
She suddenly sat up in bed, her heart pounding. How long had she laid about like a lady of leisure? She needed to prepare supper, not to mention organize the household chores. The last thing she wanted was for him to think of her as lazy. Just because they’d…she swallowed…it didn’t mean she got to laze around and do nothing.
Mary stood, then straightened the bed, embarrassed at the thoughts of what had occurred in that bed a short time ago. She had to get it through her head she was a true married woman now, and this is what men expected of their wives. She suddenly realized she stood naked. Noah had slowly removed every item of clothing from her body, and then removed his own. At first she was shocked to see him undressed. She’d never seen a naked man before.
Well, that wasn’t quite true. She felt the heat creep up her face at the memory of the first time she’d seen him – that day in the bathtub. But she’d averted her eyes as quickly as she possibly could.
But he really was beautiful to look at, and Mary decided she would never tire of seeing him that way. Then it hit her, this was meant to be a marriage of convenience. Or was she a convenience to him?
Was that how it would be from now on – that Noah would use her body when it was convenient to him?
She felt hollow and wasn’t sure what she should do now. She couldn’t leave, she’d signed the contract and agreed to stay for one whole year. There was far too much time left on that contract.
One thing she did know – it was going to be a very long year. It seemed silly, but after only a matter of months, she felt enamored to the man. No, that wasn’t true. Mary was deeply in love with him.
~*~
The sun was shining, the air was warm, and Mary decided to work in the garden. She’d recently planted all the vegetables Seth had obtained for her, but there was still a lot to do. The garden beds had been overgrown with weeds, and it had proven a lot of work to be rid of them.
The chickens had a great curiosity toward those plants too, and it was all Mary could do to keep them away. “Shoo! Shoo!” she told them as she stood up to chase them away. She loved the eggs they produced, but had never been fond of chickens. Especially the ones that pecked.
Nor did she like roosters. She’d been harassed by more than one rooster over the years. She shivered. They really did bother her.
She collected up the eggs and took them inside. Noah had stopped selling the eggs to the mercantile. He didn’t need the money, and most of the time Mary used them up with her baking. If there was one thing she knew about Noah, it was that he loved food. In particular, he loved her food. If she were truthful, she loved to cook for him. With all the supplies at her fingertips, Mary got so much joy from baking.
She spent the time to bake for him, and he spent the time teaching her to read and write. It was slow going, but
