The Marriage Agreement Read online

  “Will you check on the animals?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’ll do that.”

  He offered her a smile before he left the house. She walked up to the door and watched him as he went to the small home he’d built for Fanny. He knocked on the door, and after a long moment, she opened it. He went in to grab the trunk. Soon, the two were going to the barn. Not long after that, they were in the wagon heading for town.

  From the distance, Laura couldn’t tell if they were talking. All she could see was that neither one was happy about this. Laura sighed. Things could have been so different. If only Fanny hadn’t been so impossible to deal with…

  “Mama,” Elliot said, touching her cheek.

  It was then Laura realized she’d been crying. What an odd thing. She didn’t think she’d ever cry because Fanny was no longer going to be a part of her life. But really, was she even crying because Fanny was leaving? No. That wasn’t why she was crying. She was crying because things hadn’t turned out the way Jesse had hoped when he’d left New York. He must have had so many dreams of what he’d thought life would be like once he was here.

  “I love your father,” she whispered to Elliot. “But even so, I wish things had turned out the way he wanted them to.”

  ***

  “I will never forgive you for making me go back,” Fanny snapped as she and Jesse sat on the bench.

  Fortunately, the stagecoach was due at any time. He’d already been sitting here with her for the last hour and a half. For the most part, she’d been quiet. It was only in the last five minutes that she’d chosen to speak up.

  “You dragged me all the way out to this godforsaken land just to turn around and send me back,” she continued. “I’m an old woman. You think this trip is going to be easy on me?”

  “You should have thought about that before you yelled at Laura yesterday,” he replied, praying the stagecoach would hurry up and get here.

  “All you wanted was someone to warm your bed, and that whore wasn’t about to do the decent thing and close her legs.”

  “You stop it right now,” he hissed. “We’re in public. People might overhear you.”

  “I ought to tell them how cruel you’re being to me.”

  “I’m doing what needs to be done.” Elsie would have wanted him to do what was best for him and Elliot, and she would have wanted him to be happy with Laura. “I’m not going to have you interfering in my life any longer.”

  “So you and that whore can share the same bed without any shame.”

  “Stop calling Laura that. She’s my wife. We got married. There’s nothing shameful in what we do. Someday Elliot’s going to have brothers and sisters, and I won’t have you treating them badly just because their mother is Laura instead of Elsie. I need to get you out of here for all of our sakes.”

  Fanny huffed and crossed her arms.

  Thankfully, she didn’t say anything after that. The stagecoach came ten minutes later, and he gave the driver his fee and arranged for him to see that Fanny got on the train so she could go all the way back to New York. He was afraid Fanny might argue that she wasn’t going to leave, but to his great relief, she got in the stagecoach.

  He waited until the stagecoach was on the way out of town before he finally went back to his wagon, feeling as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Free. Finally, he was free.

  Chapter Seventeen

  That evening after they ate, Laura expressed an interest in seeing the fields, so he saddled up a horse for her and another for him. Taking Elliot with him, he led her out and showed her the rows of corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and beans.

  “Are you sure you didn’t mind having biscuits again?” Laura asked after dinner as Jesse led her and Elliot into one of the fields.

  Jesse glanced at her as the horses made their way around the corn. “No.” With a chuckle, he added, “That’s the third time you asked me about it. We can have biscuits every supper if you want. I’m not hard to please.”

  “I know, but if you have the same thing every evening, it’s bound to get boring.”

  “Before we got married, I ate a lot of the same things. I’m not any good at preparing meals.” Recalling the fuss Fanny made about the soup Laura had made her, he asked, “Are you afraid I think you’re not good at cooking?”

  “No, it’s not that. I’ve been cooking ever since I was a young girl. I just don’t want to make something so often that you get sick of it.”

  “You have no need to worry. You can make biscuits every day for the rest of our lives, and I’ll be happy to eat them.”

  She shot him an amused grin. “I won’t make them that often.”

  “Well, you can if you want.”

  Elliot held his hands out and leaned forward as if he meant to touch the corn. Jesse held him in place so he wouldn’t fall out of the saddle.

  “Hold on there, Elliot,” Jesse said and pulled the horse to a stop. “I’ll be right back,” he told Laura then led the horse between one of the rows of the tall stalks. “Someday, you’ll be growing corn just like this. You’ll grow other crops, too, but corn will probably be one of them.”

  Elliot made another attempt to touch one of the stalks, so on a whim, Jesse pulled one up and handed it to him. Elliot let out an excited cry and started exploring it.

  “Don’t get used to that,” Jesse told him. “I’m not going to go through all these fields and let you have everything you see. It takes a lot of hard work to care for all of this. When you get older, you’ll help me, and then you’ll know how much work goes into all of this.”

  When Jesse emerged from the row, Laura laughed. “So that’s what you were doing in there.”

  “I warned Elliot that I’m not going to be doing this again, so he better not think every time we ride through here, he’ll get a stalk of corn or some other crop.”

  “He’s only a year old. I don’t think he’ll remember this.”

  “Probably not. Maybe I need to tell myself he won’t be getting any more crops. He’s hard to say no to.”

  “He is,” she agreed. “Even though he’s young, I think he already knows it because he managed to sweet talk me into a cookie the other day.”

  “How did he do that?” he asked as they resumed their casual trek through the fields.

  “He called me ‘mama’ and said he loved me.”

  “He said the word ‘love’?”

  “Well, it didn’t sound exactly like ‘love’. It was more like ‘wuv’, but I knew what he meant.”

  “He probably picked that up from you. I heard you tell him you love him on several occasions.”

  “I do love him. He means the world to me.”

  “I know he does, and I appreciate the fact that you love him as well as you do. He needs that.”

  “Well, you love him.”

  “Yes, I do,” he said, “but a mother’s love is different. When a boy gets hurt, he wants to be with his mother. Mothers can give a child something fathers can’t. I’m glad you’re here.”

  She smiled at him. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  It was then he noticed—really noticed—her. He already knew she was pretty. But for some reason, she seemed especially so this evening.

  “You must be proud of all this work,” Laura said, scanning the fields.

  Forcing his gaze off of her, he turned his attention back to the crops. “I’m satisfied out here. It’s harder work than what I did back in New York, but it’s more rewarding. There’s something wonderful about watching something you did with your own hands growing up from the ground.”

  “I’m glad you’re getting a chance to live your dream.”

  It was so much like Laura to think of him. Ever since he’d met her, she put others before herself. “You’re helping with that dream. By being here for me and Elliot. I don’t think I could have done this without you.”

  She seemed pleased by his words, so he figured he would end the conversation on this high note and enjoy the rest of t
he ride in a comfortable silence.

  ***

  That night, Jesse brought his arm around Laura and pulled her closer to him. He knew he was half-asleep, hovering in that space where he was in a dream and the waking world. But even as he drifted in and out of consciousness, he was very much aware of Laura. He was on his back, his arm around her, and she was snuggled up against his side, a position that made it easy to feel her body. The thin fabric of her nightgown did little to conceal the feel of her breasts and legs. And he couldn’t be sure, but he thought her hand was tracing his chest.

  Had it not been for his erection, he might have been able to sink fully into sleep. But he was fully erect, and the ache had reached the point where it was almost unbearable. From time to time, he had woken up, fully aroused, but he’d managed to fight off the urge to let things progress from there. On this particular night, though, he wanted to let things progress further.

  With a groan, he forced himself awake and rolled onto his side. Keeping her close to him, he began kissing her, starting at her cheeks and then moving down her neck. She smelled nice. Like the wildflowers that grew close to the house.

  And she felt even better. Soft and warm. He ran his hand down her back and cupped her behind. She let out a moan and wrapped her leg around his waist, letting him know she was willing to do this with him.

  Caught up in the thrill of the moment, he urged her closer to him so that his penis was intimately against her. How he missed this. Lovemaking had been one of his favorite activities, and now he was about to have the pleasure of doing it with Laura.

  Bringing his mouth to hers, he rolled on top of her and rocked his hips, the action meant to tease them both, to give them both a foretaste of what was to come. And she responded willingly to him. Her fingers were digging into his back, her tongue sparring with his, her hips rocking along with his.

  He brought one of his hands to her breast and cupped it in his hand. She filled his palm nicely, as he’d thought she would. His thumb sought her nipple through the fabric of her nightgown and soon found the bud, which hardened under his caress.

  She moaned and brought her legs around his waist. She lifted her hips, her actions growing insistent, notifying him of her full arousal. He had to make love to her. There was no resisting the pull to finish what he’d started.

  Ending the kiss, he rose up so he could remove his undershirt and drawers. She, delighting him with her own urgency, threw off her nightgown and slipped out of her drawers. Then she settled back onto the bed, allowing him a full view of her naked body.

  In the moonlight, he took in his fill of her. She was perfect in every way. Her blonde hair was spread across the pillow. Her breathing was faster than normal, an action which only emphasized the bountiful size of her breasts. And since he sat between her legs, he got a generous view of her entrance. He brushed his fingers against it, and sure enough, she was so wet he could slide right in.

  He glanced back at her face. The desire in her eyes encouraged him to slide a finger in. Her flesh wrapped around him, pulling him deeper. Soon it would be surrounding his penis. Just the thought made him harder.

  But before he entered her, he would give her the completion due to her. He slid a second finger into her and then leaned forward to kiss her breast. She wiggled against him and lifted her hips, guiding him deeper into her core. He proceeded to stroke her, glad to note she wasn’t so tight that her first time would be uncomfortable.

  She was a virgin. There was no denying that, but she was also relaxed enough to make the consummation of the marriage a smooth process. Elsie had been so tense from all the fear Fanny had put into her that it’d taken considerable care and time to help her learn to enjoy lovemaking. Thankfully, Fanny hadn’t been able to scare Laura the same way.

  In fact, Laura’s reaction to what he was doing was perfect. She was completely uninhibited. She wasn’t the least bit shy in taking full enjoyment from what they were doing.

  Further encouraged, he brought his mouth between her legs and pressed his tongue to her sensitive nub. He was rewarded with a moan, so he worked on establishing a rhythm that would ensure her climax. He was so caught up in the process of giving her an orgasm that he hardly noticed the way her fingers dug into his shoulders. If anything, her need for him only excited him all the more.

  And then, when she finally reached the peak and cried out his name, he warmed with a strong sense of satisfaction. He slowed his ministrations, coaxing her orgasm to continue for as long as her body would allow. He wanted this to last for her, wanted her to know lovemaking was going to be something she could anticipate and get full pleasure from, that it wasn’t about duty or necessity, that it was something to bring joy to them both.

  When her fulfillment was complete, he inserted another finger into her, just to make sure she was ready for him. Then he slid his fingers out of her and settled on top of her. Before he entered her, he gave her a long, lingering kiss, but soon his passion prompted him to slide into her.

  Once he was all the way in, he glanced down at her. She let out a comfortable moan and kissed him. Deepening the kiss, he proceeded to make love to her. The process was even better than he remembered, and he gave himself completely to her. It was wonderful to be totally engulfed in their lovemaking, to be so immersed in being with her that, for this point in time at least, they were the only two people who existed.

  Clasping her hands in his, he released his seed. He held onto the moment for as long as he could. But it seemed that all too soon his climax had ebbed. He chose to stay inside her, not willing to break the new bond between them. And, in due time, he drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  When Laura woke up the next morning, her first thought was that something was different. Then she realized she wasn’t wearing her nightgown. In fact, she wasn’t wearing anything. It was then she remembered the previous night. So it hadn’t been a dream. Jesse really had made love to her. She opened her eyes to see if Jesse was still in the bed with her.

  He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, and it was hard to figure out what he was thinking by the expression on his face. Did he regret it? Did he wish he hadn’t acted so impulsively? Was he disappointed because she wasn’t Elsie?

  He turned his head in her direction and offered a tentative smile. Not sure how things would go from here, she returned his smile with one of her own.

  He rolled onto his side so he could face her. “Laura, about last night. I know I didn’t ask you if it was alright to…that is, before we started to…” He cleared his throat. “You know. Anyway, I hope you’re not upset with me.”

  “No, I’m not upset.” She took a deep breath then admitted, “I wanted to do it.”

  “Really? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “No, I’m not just saying it. It’s the truth. You didn’t take advantage of the situation.”

  She hoped they would do it again, but she wasn’t brave enough to add that. It made her nervous enough to say as much as she had. It’d been much easier to act out her feelings instead of voicing them.

  He cupped the side of her face with his hand then brought his lips to hers. As she had last night, she melted against him. He could do whatever he wanted to her, and she’d enjoy every minute of it. Last night had been much better than all the fantasies she’d been entertaining for weeks.

  With a moan, she brought her hand up to the back of his neck and encouraged him to deepen the kiss. He relaxed against her and proceeded to brush her tongue with his. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to the initial spark of pleasure that swept over her when their tongues interlaced, but there was no doubt she’d never tire of it.

  This kiss wasn’t the kind of kiss one friend would give to another. It was far too intimate for that. He was kissing her in a way a husband should kiss his wife. In fact, his hands were caressing parts of her that spoke of the kind of closeness a husband and wife were supposed to have, too. At least here, in this bed, she wasn’
t only a friend. She was his lover. And, that being the case, she didn’t have to hide her feelings when she was in this room. She was free to give into the passion swirling around her.

  Her core ached for him, so she urged him to roll onto his back and then took him inside her. Maybe she should have shown more restraint, but she was too caught up in the moment. Weeks of longing for this had taken their toll, and now that she didn’t have to resist giving into her desire for him, her body demanded to take her pleasure.

  She leaned down and kissed him then whispered, “I don’t think I have the patience to go slow. The need is too strong.”

  “Don’t hold back,” he replied, excitement laced in his voice. “Give into the need, Laura.”

  She managed enough patience for one more kiss before she began rocking her hips in earnest. He brought one of his hands between them and rubbed her sensitive nub.

  It surprised her how intense lovemaking could be. She’d thought after he’d taken her to the heights of heaven last night that the ache for him would have ebbed, but in many ways, it’d only made the ache that much more demanding. Because now she knew what to expect, knew the kind of ecstasy being with him could give her.

  Before long, she reached the peak and grew still, barely aware he was murmuring her name. When she relaxed, he rolled her over and kissed her lips, her cheeks, and her neck, not at all shy about showing his enthusiasm in being with her this way. No wonder he didn’t want her to hold back. It was wonderful to be assured he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  She let out a contented sigh. If only they could spend the rest of their lives right here, consumed in the moment where it was just the two of them. No one would come between them. In this moment, she didn’t have to feel that her love was one-sided. When he was with her this way, she felt that he loved her in return. There was no wondering. It was a certainty she could depend on. And she chose to concentrate on this warm feeling.

  She held him as he continued making love to her. His body fit so well with hers, and besides feeling complete during this act, she couldn’t deny it felt wonderful, even after she’d climaxed. When he grew taut and released his seed, she brought him closer to her and pressed her cheek against his.