Mail Order Maternity (Brides of Beckham Book 6) (11 page)

He stared at the cake for a minute with wide eyes and his face lit up with a smile.  “You’re going to spoil me.”

She smiled.  “I think women should spoil their husbands.”

He picked up his fork and took a bite, closing his eyes as the sweetness of the cake exploded on his tongue.  “This is really good.”

She watched him eat a couple more bites before cutting into her own piece.  She was surprised at how appreciative he was of everything she did and how much she enjoyed doing special things for him.  “I’m glad you like it.”

While she did the dishes, he sat at the table scribbling away at a piece of paper.  “What are you doing?” she asked as she put away the last dry dish.

“I’m making myself a schedule for harvest and replanting time.  I’ll have to be fast and efficient if I’m going to make the winter wheat work this year.  If I harvest in early August, I only have until the beginning of September to prepare the fields.  And I’ll need to get the winter wheat seed.”  He tapped the pencil on the side of the table.  “I really do think I can make the transition this year.”

She stifled a yawn, but sat down across from him.  “Will the neighbors help?”

He shook his head.  “They’re all doing the same thing I am.  We talked about it on Sunday, and all of us feel like this is the year to do it.  We had an early spring, so the crops were in the ground early, and they’re strong healthy crops that grew quickly because of the added rainfall this year.”

“I’ll help however I can.”

“You’ll help by cooking meals and taking care of our baby.”  He sighed and pushed the paper away.  “I can do it, but just barely.  I have one dormant field that I’ll start readying tomorrow.”

“Why did you leave a field dormant?” She’d never heard of a farmer doing such a thing.

“I decided in the spring that I’d do at least that small field with the winter wheat this year.  I was hoping to do them all, but I figured if I couldn’t, at least the one field would be a good trial run.”  He smiled and stretched.  “I hope you’re ready for a hectic month or two.”

She shrugged.  “I’m a farmer’s wife.  Harvest and planting are the most important times of year.”  She stood up.  “I’m going up to get ready for bed.  I’m tired.”

He watched her go up the stairs and decided he’d give her five minutes before he followed.  He was looking forward to going to bed with his wife.  He watched the clock and when he felt like he’d given her enough time, he climbed the stairs after her.  He pushed open the bedroom door and saw her curled up on her side facing away from the middle of the bed.  He blew out the lantern and stripped in the dark, joining her between the sheets.

She didn’t turn toward him as she usually did, so he wasn’t sure what to do.  Was she asleep?  Was she no longer interested in his attentions?  He lay there for a moment staring at her silhouette in the darkness before rolling to his back with a heavy sigh.  If she didn’t want him touching her, he could certainly understand that. 

He lay in the dark staring at the ceiling for a while before he fell asleep.  Had he ruined his chances for a normal marriage with his fears? 

*****

Esther lay in the dark staring at the wall, wishing Thomas would reach out a hand to touch her, but not willing to turn to him for fear of rejection.   Why would he want to touch a woman who was carrying another man’s baby anyway?  She’d made a mess of things, she knew, and she wished she knew how to fix it.  Maybe after the baby was born he’d want to touch her again.

A single tear dripped off the side of her nose and onto the pillow, the only visible sign of how alone she felt. 

*****

That day set a routine for the days to come.  Thomas worked later and later every night trying to get ready for the harvest and replanting.  Doing both so close together was risky, but he was certain he was going to be able to make it work.  Esther spent every day cooking, cleaning and sewing tiny little things for the new baby.  She cut the flannel she’d purchased to make diapers and made another quilt.

The harvest brought a much higher rate than was expected, and Thomas bought the wood for a cradle, and Esther was able to purchase more fabric to make curtains and a matching tablecloth.  She was excited to be able to put her own mark on the house, feeling more like it was her home by doing so.

Thomas and the other three men in their congregation took turns when it was time for planting.  They went to Samuel’s farm first and the four of them worked together from sun-up to sun-down for three days to get the planting done.  The women spent the day together working to fix their meals, and they helped Victoria with the fall cleaning while they were there.

They moved through the four houses of the church members and got everything done as quickly and efficiently as they could.  Thomas and Esther’s farm came last, and Esther enjoyed playing hostess to all the others.  She’d done her fall cleaning early so that the tired women would be able to sit and sew together instead of doing all the work of cleaning another house.

“You shouldn’t have done it without us,” Victoria protested when she realized what her sister-in-law had done.

Esther shrugged.  “I wanted us to be able to enjoy our time, and it’s more fun to sew tiny clothes for a baby than it is to clean house.”

The other women laughed at her reasoning, but they happily settled down at the table with their needles and thread, and hemmed diapers and made tiny little outfits.

The older boys all helped to plant, and the older girls watched the younger children so the women could work together.  It was a system that the group had perfected over their years of living together and it worked well.

Once the planting was done, they were all exhausted.  Esther worried about Thomas, because he looked so drawn, but he was smiling from ear to ear, thrilled to have finally made the switch to winter wheat.  Esther rubbed his shoulders for him.  “Do you think the switch will work well for us?”

“Absolutely.  Most farmers in the country have fresh wheat in the fall, not the spring.  We’ll be harvesting when the wheat is needed the most.  It should mean more money in our pockets.”

Esther smiled down at him, thrilled by his excitement.  “I’m glad you were finally able to do it this year.”

“Now instead of working on growing in the summer, I’ll be working on preparing the fields for the next crop.  I am a little worried about low yield this year, because of growing two crops so close together.”

Esther finished rubbing his shoulders and stepped back.  She knew her belly had been pressing into his back while she’d rubbed them and that made her uncomfortable, but she was getting so big it was hard to prevent.  “Is that better?”

He nodded, turning to take her hand in his.  “Thank you.”

Esther still wasn’t quite sure where she stood with her husband.  He was gentle and loving, but he never made any type of moves toward having an active sex life with her.  It was as if he was content to just hold hands and kiss her on occasion.  She wasn’t sure if she was pleased that he was giving her time to adjust to him or going insane because she wanted more from her marriage than he was giving her.

“It was my pleasure.”  And it had been.  She enjoyed touching her husband, and digging her fingers into his muscled shoulders hadn’t been a hardship for her. 

He used the hand he was holding to pull her onto his lap and he rested his head on her shoulder.  “I’m going to start building the cradle tomorrow.  It should only take a day or two.”

She looked at him startled.  “We’re not in a hurry.  Why don’t you wait until the crop is dormant for the winter, and then we’ll worry about the cradle?”

He shook his head.  “I want to make sure it’s done in good time.”

“I’m not going to complain if you make it early,” she told him with a grin.  “But I’m not worried about it not being done in time.  I have another 4 months to go.”

“It sounds like a long time, but it’ll be here before we know it.  I can’t wait to hold him.”

Esther laughed.  “Have you decided it’s a boy, then?”

He shrugged.  “I have no idea.  I’d be happy with either one.”

Thomas was struck by how pretty his wife was again.  She’d gained back most of the weight she’d lost during her morning sickness phase and her cheeks were fuller.  Everything was fuller.
 
Her stomach was getting huge, but he didn’t dare comment on that.

He rested his hand against her stomach for the first time, and she looked at him, wondering what he was doing.  He moved his hand over the firm mound, surprised by how hard it was.  “It feels odd.”

She smiled and nodded.  “Imagine how it feels when he starts moving in there.”

His eyes grew wide and he looked at her.  “That happens?”

“All the time.” 

“Is it happening now?”

She shook her head.  “Not right this minute.”  She was surprised by his interest.  “Do you want me to let you know when it does happen?”

He thought about that for a minute.  “I don’t want you chasing me down on the farm to tell me, but if I’m home, yes.  Would I be able to feel it from the outside?”

“I think so.  I haven’t tried.  I feel it so strongly you’d have to be able to feel it.”

He grinned looking down at her stomach and stroking it again.  He really wanted to move her dress out of the way, so he could see her bare stomach and see what changes the child had wrought, but he didn’t feel he had a right to do that.  Of course, if she removed her dress, he wouldn’t be as interested in the way the baby had changed her as he was in her body.  He felt himself harden and moved her a little away from him so she wouldn’t feel it.  He didn’t want her to feel obligated to have relations with him if she wasn’t interested.

Esther felt the involuntary movement against her hip and turned to him startled.  Did he want her after all?  She leaned toward him and placed her lips against his, her tongue moving to trace his lips.  If he rejected her, she knew it would devastate her, so she held her breath while she waited to see how he’d respond.

His arms went fully around her and he deepened the kiss, his tongue moving inside her mouth to move with hers.  He pulled her more fully against him, wishing they were upstairs instead of sitting at the kitchen table.

She sank against his body, touching his shoulders and moving against him, getting as close as she could.  She was startled when he stood and swept her into his arms carrying her up the stairs.  Did this mean he was interested in her as a woman after all?

When they reached their bedroom, Thomas set her on her feet.  The room was already dark and he quickly unbuttoned her dress and pushed it down her body.  He wasn’t going to give her the chance to change her mind.

She stood still as he removed her dress and then her petticoats.  His hands roamed all over her body in the darkness.  When she felt his hand against her bare stomach, she was afraid he’d shy away, unwilling to be intimate with a woman who was so far along in her pregnancy, but he explored her all over.

He pushed her back against the edge of the bed, and she fell backward onto it.  He followed her down, pressing kisses to her neck and shoulders, his hands roaming up and down her body.  She was finally willing to be touched by him and he wasn’t going to let her go.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, her hands caressing the shoulders she’d just finished massaging.  She wanted his clothes off, but was too worried he’d back away if she tried to remove them. 

After a minute he stood and quickly stripped in the darkness.  The moon shone through the open window, and the gentle breeze cooled the room.  Once he was completely naked, he dropped down beside her on the bed, kissing her frantically. 

Her hands went to his body as if of their own accord, stroking everything she could reach.  She rubbed his bare back and his shoulders, moaning softly as his fingers caressed her tender breasts.

He hoped she was ready, because he couldn’t hold out much longer against the onslaught of feelings rushing through him for his beautiful bride.  He needed to be inside her.  He carefully rolled atop her, afraid he would squash her, but not knowing of another way to accomplish what he wanted to do.  “Is this okay?” he asked.

“Oh, yes!” She spread her legs wide for him, loving the feel of him moving between them and positioning himself at her opening. 

He pressed carefully inside her, watching her face for any signs of discomfort.  When he saw none, he began moving, quickly with strong, deep strokes.  Her arms wrapped around him, caressing him from shoulders to buttocks as he moved within her. 

The guilt she’d felt as she’d lain beneath him the first time was completely gone, and she was able to fully enjoy her husband’s movements inside her.  Within moments, she felt her body starting to build toward its peak, clenching around him.  She let out a gasp of pleasure, clutching him to her. 

Thomas watched her face as she reached her pleasure, and it struck him that she was more beautiful in that moment than she had ever been to him.  He quickened his pace and followed her just moments later, collapsing to her side, still worried he’d hurt the baby.

He lay panting beside her, but pulled her into his arms to hold her tightly.  “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”