The Mistaken Mail Order Bride Read online

  He brought his mouth back to hers, and this time, there was a sense of urgency in his kiss. Perhaps the change should have shocked her. She was sure it would have if he’d started out kissing her this way, but in this particular case, something in it excited her. She couldn’t say why. Well, maybe that wasn’t completely true. She suspected it had something to do with the fact that he wanted to kiss her.

  He shifted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. Now this, she liked even more. She melted in his arms, and this time, she was the one whose kisses were more insistent than they’d been earlier. He groaned and continued kissing her. She lost track of time as they remained in each other’s arms, content to slowly stoke the fire that was building between them. She was sure he’d become aware of the fire before she did, but either way, it didn’t matter. The fire was something she enjoyed, and she wanted to see where it was taking her.

  He encouraged her to remove her nightgown and then pulled back the blanket so she could get comfortable in the bed. As she did, he unbuttoned his shirt. She glanced away. Yes, she was married to him and could look at him, but there was no way she could bring herself to watch him as he removed his clothes.

  In fact, she didn’t know if she could continue with whatever it was they were about to do if the light was on. So before he could finish unbuttoning his pants, she asked, “Would you mind if we continue with this in the dark?”

  “No, of course not.” Holding his pants so they wouldn’t fall, he crossed the room to the lamp and turned the knob until it was dark.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, that was better. Now she didn’t feel quite so exposed, and she didn’t have to risk seeing him without his clothes on. Maybe in the future, she wouldn’t feel this way, but then, she’d know what to expect and that would make it much easier.

  She suspected he’d be naked by the time he got into the bed with her, and sure enough, when he put his arms around her, there was nothing but bare, warm flesh pressing up against her. One part, in particular, was touching her abdomen, and it was hard, though it didn’t hurt her. She just thought it was strange something like that should be on his body. What exactly was it, and was it something she’d have to deal with?

  Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him to turn the light off. It’d be nice if she knew what this thing looked like. As it was, she was left guessing. Yes, she could touch it, but there was no way she could do that. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing a lady with proper upbringing did.

  He brought his lips back to hers, bringing her attention once more to the thrill of kissing him. Kissing was quickly becoming one of her favorite pastimes. Soon, the fire was back, and this time, it seemed to be sweeping over her faster.

  Once again, he reached for her breasts, and without the nightgown, she was much more sensitive to his ministrations. She sighed as he explored her. This was something she could enjoy, regardless of how many times they did this. The strange ache between her legs came back.

  He shifted, and his mouth left hers. He left a trail of kisses from her neck to one of her breasts while he continued fondling the other. This was even better than the way he’d made her feel while simply touching her. The contrast between the ministrations with his hand and his mouth sent more shivers through her.

  Then his hand descended to the curls between her legs, and his fingers brushed a part of her that was far more sensitive than her breasts. Without meaning to, she let out a moan and lifted her hips so she could feel him brush his fingertips against her again.

  Quick to pick up on this source of pleasure, he used more pressure on her sensitive nub, and once again, she instinctively let out a moan. He proceeded to continue touching her, experimenting by tracing the length of her nub and then rubbing his fingers over it in slow, circular motions. She found she preferred the latter of the two and let him know by squeezing his arm.

  She lifted her hips and began rocking against his fingers, needing more of this pleasurable act, and thankfully, he was willing to oblige her. The last of her inhibitions drifted away as she gripped the bed sheet underneath her. The only thing she could do was focus on the new sensations coursing through her, all centered in that one part of her body that suddenly seemed like the most important part she had. Truly, she had no idea it was capable of such pleasure. But now that she knew this secret existed, she needed to find out where the mounting pleasure was leading.

  She parted her legs further, and he slid a finger into her and then another. Yes, it felt good, but she missed the contact with his fingers. She cried out in protest, too late thinking that, as a lady, she shouldn’t complain.

  Thankfully, he hadn’t seemed offended by it, for he brought his thumb to her sensitive nub and resumed his circular movements. “Is this alright?” he softly asked, the underlying tone in his voice indicating his excitement in bringing her pleasure.

  “Yes,” she replied, grateful he hadn’t found her bold action displeasing. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him.

  But all thoughts to that quickly vanished as he proceeded to stroke her in earnest, and all she could do was rock her hips in time with his ministrations and murmur for him to keep going. Then, all at once, she found herself at the peak, and it was then she knew what all of this had been leading to. She cried out and stilled her movements as her orgasm crashed into her. Wave after wave of pure bliss—bliss she’d never known—consumed her to the point where she couldn’t think of anything but how wonderful she felt.

  By the time she relaxed, he pulled his fingers out of her and settled between her legs. He leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue sparring with hers. She barely had the energy to respond to him. Indeed, she was still lightheaded from her ascent into heaven, but she did her best to keep up with him, realizing he must still be in need of the same release he’d just given her.

  The tip of the hard thing she’d felt earlier pressed between her legs. So that’s what the thing was for. He was going to put it where his fingers had just been. She ran her hands down his body, emboldened enough by his heightened state of arousal to grasp it in her hands. It was smooth and silken despite its hardness. Curious, she let her fingers trace the length of him, taking care to note what it felt like at the base and then at the tip. She ran her thumb along the slit in the tip, surprised when she felt a drop of moisture there.

  He groaned and moved his hips back and forth so the length of him slid in and out of her grasp. On impulse, she grasped him more firmly in her hands to better feel him, and she was rewarded with another groan, this one louder than the first. So he liked it when she touched this part of him. Maybe when she touched him this way, it felt similar to how she’d felt when he’d stroked her between her legs. In that case, she wanted to continue with what she was doing. Maybe she could bring him to the brink of pleasure, too.

  But before she could further tighten her hold on him, he stopped thrusting into her hands and pulled himself out of her grip.

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked, praying that hadn’t been the case. She was already inadequate when it came to cooking and sewing. She didn’t want to be inadequate in this, too.

  “No,” he was quick to assure her. He kissed her, the heat of his passion still as intense as it’d been moments earlier. “You’re doing everything right. I like it when you touch my penis. I just need to get inside you before I release my seed.”

  Release his what? Before she could ask, the tip of his male hardness settled at her entrance, and he entered her. A sudden pain shot through her, and she cried out in shock. That hadn’t happened when his fingers were in her. But then, his fingers hadn’t been as thick as his… What did he call it? Oh, right. His penis.

  He stilled inside of her, so she looked up at him. In the dim light, she could see his worried frown. “Did I hurt you?”

  She waited for a moment to respond, choosing to gauge what was happening and how much it really had hurt. She shifted her hips. His penis was still inside her, but the initial pain had seemed to ebb
somewhat.

  “Move in me,” she said.

  “What?”

  Realizing she hadn’t been polite, she amended, “Please move inside of me.”

  He did, his movement slow as he slid partly out and then back into her. This time, it didn’t hurt quite so much.

  She brought her hands to his hips and encouraged him to move again. He did, and he moved more easily within her. So maybe that was it. There was the initial pain, and then things got better from there.

  To test her theory, she wrapped her legs around his waist, the action allowing him to fill her completely—and more easily. “Please keep going,” she whispered.

  For a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to, but then he let out a strained moan and moved inside her again. His actions were slow, perhaps even calculated as he slid almost all the way out before sliding back in.

  Realizing the pain had, indeed, lessened, she whispered, “It’s alright. I feel fine now.”

  And it was after this, he grew bolder in his thrusting. But even so, it wasn’t long before he grew taut and groaned, his penis throbbing within her. Shortly after this, he collapsed in her arms, spent and out of breath. He must have reached his peak. That being the case, she was happy for him.

  After a minute, he lifted his head and kissed her. This time, the kiss was much like the first one he’d given her that evening: gentle and uncertain.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, caressing her cheek.

  His concern warmed her heart. “I feel fine,” she replied, her voice soft in the quiet room.

  “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

  “No. I mean it. It hurt at first, but it doesn’t anymore.”

  “Good.” With a relieved sigh, he rolled off of her and gathered her into his arms. “I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.”

  “I know you don’t.” She snuggled up against him until she got into a comfortable position. “I don’t think it’ll hurt next time. It must be one of those things women have to go through when they haven’t been in a gentleman’s bed before.”

  “Did you like what we just did?” Eric asked.

  Despite the heat rising up in her cheeks, she said, “Yes, I did. Did you?”

  “Yes.” Then, with a chuckle in his voice, he added, “A lot.”

  She chuckled. “I enjoyed it a lot, too.”

  “Good. I want it to be something you want to do.”

  “It is.”

  He gave her another kiss, and from there, they fell into a comfortable silence. Before long, he drifted off to sleep. She supposed she should be tired. She’d gotten up early, and it’d been a busy day, what with making arrangements to get a bed made for Caleb, going to the doctor, and consoling Caleb. Then there was the consummation of her marriage. But sleep eluded her.

  She’d made a long journey here, not knowing what to expect, and she still had to figure out how she would fit into this new life. There was still so much to learn and do. But she was happier than she’d hoped she’d be when she answered her first mail-order bride ad. She didn’t see how she could have done better than Eric. With a smile, she closed her eyes and, in due time, drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Nine

  The next day, shortly after Caroline kissed Eric good-bye before he went to work, she sat with Caleb on the floor and played jackstraws with him. Halfway into the game, there was a knock at the door. Surprised, Caroline put the small stick back down. Who would be coming over here when Eric was at the jailhouse?

  “I need to see who that is,” she told Caleb.

  She rose to her feet and made it to the window in time for the person to knock again. She saw a lady waiting for her to open the door. The plate of cookies in the lady’s hands indicated she wanted to stay for a while and talk.

  Caroline looked back at Caleb, who was watching her. “We’ll have to continue our game later. Why don’t you play with your top for a while?”

  Without a word, Caleb picked up the top next to him and began playing with it.

  Just as Caroline was thinking Caleb had to be one of the best behaved children she’d ever seen, the lady knocked on the door again. She hurried to the door and opened it.

  “Good afternoon,” Caroline greeted.

  “Hello. Are you the sheriff’s wife?” the lady asked.

  Caroline suspected the lady already knew the answer to the question, but she said, “Yes. I’m Caroline Johnson.” She stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. “Please, have a seat.”

  She couldn’t be sure, but she thought the lady’s eyes sparkled at the thought of sitting down and talking to her. The lady went to the kitchen table and put the plate of cookies on it. “I’m Ida Conner. My husband is Mike. He owns the butcher shop. Have you seen it?”

  “I’m sure I passed it by yesterday, but I don’t remember it. So much has happened in a short period of time.” Caroline indicated for Ida to sit. “Would you like some tea?”

  Ida sat down. “Actually, I prefer coffee. May I have that instead?”

  Caroline hadn’t made coffee before, and Eric had helped her make tea that morning because they thought Caleb would like it. She debated whether or not to admit she didn’t know how to make coffee. It was embarrassing to have a guest over and not be able to give them what they wanted. But then, if she couldn’t make it, then what choice did she have?

  Clearing her throat, Caroline ventured, “To be honest, I haven’t had a need to make coffee before. I’ve had it, but I don’t know how to make it,” she clarified. “Where I came from, we drank tea more than we did coffee.”

  Ida’s eyebrows rose in interest. “Where did you come from?”

  “Charleston, South Carolina.”

  “I haven’t heard of Charleston.” She smiled and added, “But then, I’ve lived here my whole life. My parents took one of those wagon trains before I was born. They came from Germany. Mike’s family was on the same wagon train. Mike and I grew up together. I think we always knew we’d get married.” She patted her hair with a chuckle and then asked, “I heard you came to the wrong town. Tell me, how did you end up marrying Eric Johnson?”

  Caroline glanced at the lemonade and then at the pitcher of water. It’d be terribly rude if she didn’t serve Ida something to drink. But the lady had also asked her a question, and her expression indicated she wanted Caroline to answer right away.

  Caleb spun the wooden top on the floor.

  “I see you brought a darling little boy with you,” Ida said. “I heard he isn’t yours.”

  “Well, I didn’t give birth to him,” Caroline replied. “I found him on the way here. He had no one to take care of him. I could have put him in an orphanage, but I thought it’d be best to give him a home.” She went to the pitcher of water and poured Ida and herself a glass. “I couldn’t see putting a child in a place where he wouldn’t have a mother and father. Since I was on my way to get married, I took the chance my husband would be willing raise him, too.”

  “That reminds me, how did you end up marrying the sheriff? I heard you weren’t supposed to get off at this place.”

  So they were back to that question. That being the case, Caroline figured she might as well answer it. She gave Ida a glass of water then sat down across from her. “When the stagecoach stopped and the door opened, there was a handsome young gentleman expecting a mail-order bride, and I assumed I was in the right town.”

  “Didn’t he tell you his name?”

  “No, actually, and I didn’t think to tell him mine. Caleb got sick while on the stagecoach, and my main concern was getting him cleaned up and better so he could finally sleep.” She glanced over at Caleb and smiled. “He’s such a good-natured child.”

  “Having ten children, I will say he’s unusually quiet.”

  “Oh, well, I think every child is different. I know I was quieter than other children while I was growing up. I especially felt shy around those I didn’t know or when I was in a larger social gathering.”<
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  “You had large social gatherings when you grew up?”

  Caroline took a sip of her water. “It was part of growing up. My parents entertained prominent people in society.”

  Ida’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’re wealthy?”

  “No. Not anymore. The war took everything away.”

  “But you grew up wealthy?”

  “Yes.”

  Ida leaned toward her in interest. “What was your life like?”

  Caroline took another sip as she thought over the best way to answer her. “Well, I grew up learning how to present myself as a lady. I learned how to properly greet people, how to host a dinner party, and how to dress in order to make a good impression.” Letting out a chuckle, she added, “All were useless lessons. My life here is nothing like what it used to be. I have so much to learn about living in a place like this.”

  “That must be hard for you.”

  Touched by the lady’s kind tone, Caroline swallowed the lump in her throat. “I knew there would be some challenges out here, but Eric’s been so patient with me.” Again, her gaze went to Caleb. “He’s been good to both of us. Eric’s a good man. But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that since you’ve known him longer than I have.”

  “No, you certainly don’t. We’ve been very happy with him. The sheriff who was here before was awful. He didn’t care if there were fights at the bars or people shooting at each other in town. And there were other things he did that shouldn’t be mentioned in front of a child.”

  Though Ida shot Caroline a pointed look that was meant to send a secret message to her, Caroline had no idea what kind of things Ida was eluding to. But rather than risk sounding stupid, she opted to nod as if she understood what Ida was telling her.

  After a moment, Ida motioned to the plate of cookies. “These are for you and the dear boy.”