Her husband was hungry. Was it any wonder? Their lovemaking had been quite rigorous the night before. She smiled to herself, happiness and womanly knowledge enveloping her. In her mind's eye, she could see Jake's handsome face, contorting as he reached the heights of ecstasy and then relaxing as he reached completion.
She carefully slipped out from between his arms, shivering as her bare feet hit the cold floor. Dressing quickly and quietly, she tiptoed downstairs to start breakfast for her man.
She glanced around the kitchen and sighed. At least all those years of toiling for her uncle would have some benefit. She tied on an apron and got busy. The sun continued to brighten the room and just as she pulled a pan of cornbread from the oven, footsteps thudded on the floor above.
She smiled. It was a simple thing, being in the same house with Jake, and yet it wasn't simple at all. It was personal and intimate and it filled her heart with happiness. She'd had her doubts about whether she could make him happy and those might never go away, but his tender reassurances in the night as well as his many whispered words of love had reassured her of his devotion.
No one understood her the way Jake did.
She'd be lost without him. But now, her future looked bright.
"Mm. Something in here looks good enough to eat."
She turned to see Jake, their first time in daylight after the private times they'd shared in the darkness. Despite her feelings of contentment with Jake, she still blushed remembering the way her body had responded to his.
"Now, don't be gettin' shy on me, pretty Posey." He tipped her chin up to look at him. "Ain't nothing for you to be embarrassed about or shy with me. Right?"
He forced her to look at him and in his eyes she saw love, the depths of which made her gasp. It was the kind of love and acceptance she'd been looking for ever since she arrived in Juniper Junction.
"Right," she replied.
"Good girl." He pulled her close and kissed her senseless, right there in the middle of the kitchen.
After the kiss ended, she stood for a moment to gather her wits about her.
"I-I made b-breakfast," she stammered.
"So I see." He helped her put the food on the table and then they sat together for the first time as husband and wife. Jake took her hand in his, bowed his head and said, "Heavenly Father, I thank thee for this woman which thou hast sent to be my wife, my helpmate and partner. I vow to always love and honor her for all the days of my life. Amen."
When they raised their heads, Posey had tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Jake," she whispered. "That was beautiful."
"It's the truth. Now, this looks like a fine meal and I'm hungry. You need to eat up too. You're going to need your strength." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled.
And then she tucked into her meal. If today was going to be like last night, she didn't want to miss a second.
Chapter 6
Just over a week had passed since her marriage to Jake and Posey could not be happier. After a few heavenly days together, Jake had returned to work and though Posey missed him when he was gone, she also enjoyed the opportunity to keep house for him and have a nice meal waiting for him when he got home. He seemed to enjoy it as well because he was quite complimentary of her cooking and showed his appreciation in a number of ways that left her swooning.
After one particularly good meal, he'd bent her over the edge of the kitchen table and drove deep into her from behind. She still got a little flushed whenever she leaned across the table to wipe it off and her torso pressed against the hard wooden surface. His thrusts had driven her up on her toes and she’d gripped the edge to keep her balance as he claimed her. The kitchen windows were open so she'd been careful not to cry out too loudly, lest the neighbors hear. After that, she made sure to keep the windows closed during dinner just in case Jake decided to show his appreciation in the same manner again.
The houses in town were close together. She hadn't minded so much when she lived with Uncle Fritz. The proximity of other people and activity had helped her to not feel so alone at the sterile house. But she also knew how easy it was to hear what was happening next door and took extra precautions not to shock Mrs. Weatherly, their widowed neighbor.
Mrs. Weatherly was a nice lady and now that she was married, Posey couldn’t help but feel extra sorry for her due to being a widow.
However, Mrs. Weatherly was also a bit of a gossip. More than a bit. Since Posey had committed to reforming her ways, having a neighbor like Mrs. Weatherly had been like putting an alcoholic in charge of the liquor cabinet.
So far, however, she had managed to avoid Mrs. Weatherly and temptation. She planned to keep it that way.
It was Monday. Wash day. After she finished the breakfast dishes and swept the kitchen floor, she put the kettle on and heated water before going upstairs to gather the dirty clothes. And the sheets. Lord knew, they'd been given a workout over the past few days. She giggled as she tugged them from the mattress, the scent of their carnal activities lingering on the fabric. She blushed, but managed to carry all of it downstairs.
She'd left her uncle's house with barely more than the clothes on her back and it wasn't as though Jake had any household items. He'd been living in the bunk house at Windy River. Thankfully, their wedding guests had been generous enough to include a laundry tub and washboard in the pile of gifts.
She carried the tub outside and then returned with the hot water from the stove. Several trips later and she had all the supplies as well as the dirty clothes gathered for the task. It was a cool morning with a light breeze. Ideal for washing and she hoped to have everything dry and put away before Jake got home.
She glanced toward Mrs. Weatherly’s house and was relieved that the woman was not on her porch where she tended to sit to keep an eye on the goings on of the neighborhood.
Not that Posey would be doing anything attention worthy, just the laundry. Still, a determined gossip could be hard to put off.
Putting thoughts of Mrs. Weatherly aside, she set about the task and when she picked up Jake's clothes a warm feeling came over her at the intimacy of washing his garments. It seemed odd to find this intimate, considering all the liberties he'd taken with her body, and she with his, in the days (and nights) since their marriage. But somehow, she hadn't touched his clothes before. Although he'd taken great pleasure in undressing her, she'd never done the same for him. She blushed and made a mental note to remedy that situation as soon as she got a chance.
For not the first time, she was grateful they were living in town and not at Windy River Ranch. She had nothing against the ranch itself and Mr. Conners had always been nice to her. She'd never forget his kindness in walking her down the aisle when she got married. Not to mention hosting the whole event.
But, she liked the idea of Jake coming home to her, separate from staying on the ranch. A place of their own. Besides, her body always heated when she looked out the window and saw him riding up on his big mare, Sadie. Jake was one very attractive man, but on horseback...the pulses between her thighs started up.
She paused for a moment to catch her breath before resuming her laundry chores.
Another reason she was glad they weren't at Windy River—Myrtle and Aggie. Her blood boiled a bit when she thought about the fact that Myrtle and Aggie, the two hired girls at Windy River, had been the last to wash her man's clothes. She scrubbed with renewed vigor as if to get their touch off his clothes.
He was her man.
And she was his woman.
With so many pleasant thoughts, the morning passed quickly and she managed to get everything hung on the line in plenty of time for it to dry by afternoon. Feeling accomplished, she returned to the house to relax a bit before she started preparing supper.
A stew was bubbling away on the stove, filling the kitchen with fragrant aromas and the promise of a tasty dinner. And possibly one of Jake's special thank yous. Posey giggled as she thought about it.
Everything was in order and she was
running right on time. She hurried outside to check the laundry.
She took the kitchen stool with her as she had earlier in the day. Jake had kindly hung a clothesline for her but it was still a bit too high for her to reach. But in order for it to accommodate the sheets and Jake's longer than usual pants, the line had to be a bit higher than normal. She managed with the footstool just fine. Another reminder of the vast differences between her and Jake, though she liked to think they had more in common than not.
She'd developed a habit of glancing toward Mrs. Weatherly's whenever she was in the backyard. She hated the idea of avoiding the lady, for she was basically harmless. The only danger she presented was to Posey's resolve against gossiping. She was sure that Mrs. Weatherly would be crushed if she knew Posey was avoiding her.
However, this time she was relieved to realize that the sheets on the clothesline shielded the rest of the yard from Mrs. Weatherly's view. How convenient. She gathered the laundry basket and moved the stool to start taking down the laundry. She decided to start with the sheets in order to make the bed up first and give Jake's heavy denim pants more time to get dry.
Standing on the stool she reached for the clothespins holding the sheets in place when voices from next door wafted her way.
"Oh, my stars, you would not believe what I heard today at the general store." Posey recognized Mrs. Weatherly's voice and her ears itched to find out more. She snuck a peek over the top of the clothesline to see Mrs. Summers, the housekeeper from Windy River Ranch, seated next to Mrs. Weatherly as the two ladies sat on Mrs. Weatherly's porch with their stitching.
"Well," Mrs. Summers said, "I cannot wait to hear it. I cannot believe that Mr. Conners gave me the day off. He said it was a thank you for all my hard work putting together the wedding for," Posey ducked when she saw Mrs. Summers nod in the direction of her house, "your new neighbors."
Posey gasped and then stooped down further behind the sheets and covered her mouth with her hand. Something about the way Mrs. Summers said 'your new neighbors' felt like a stab in her heart. Like she had nothing but contempt for Posey and Jake. More than likely, just Posey.
"You sound like you don't care much for my neighbors. I thought Jake was the foreman at Windy River. Did Mr. Conners make a poor choice in promoting him?"
Leave. Leave right now. Go back in the house, close all the doors and windows and stuff cotton in your ears.
But her resolve was not that strong. Besides, they were talking about Jake. Her man.
"Oh, I have no quarrel with Jake. I think he's a fine man. In fact, he's such a fine man that he married her even after she trapped him."
Posey clamped over her mouth to keep from speaking up to defend herself.
It wasn't true. How could they say that about her?
She glanced toward the house. She really had to get away from their chatter.
So why weren't her feet moving?
"Now, don't you think that sometimes a man likes to let himself get caught? I've seen the way he looks at her. He doesn't seem like a man who got trapped to me."
Well, thank goodness Mrs. Weatherly stuck up for her.
This would be a good time to leave. She could go back in the house and then when she came back out, she'd be sure to peek around the laundry and say hello so they'd stop talking about her. Then she'd get the laundry and go about her business like a mature married lady.
She stepped off the stool and was just about to do exactly as she'd planned.
"You know he was sweet on both my nieces. Either of them would have made a much better match for him."
She saw red. Would she never be able to get away from those two mean girls? And what Mrs. Summers said wasn't true at all. Couldn't be.
She finally turned to go back to the house, but her progress was stopped. Jake. Standing right there in front of her. How long had he been there? How much had he heard?
Based on the look on his face, he'd heard as much as he needed to. And more than she'd wanted him to.
He beckoned her with his finger and she reluctantly stepped down from the stool and followed him into the house.
The backdoor closed with an ominous click and then Jake turned to look at her, his massive arms folded over his chest. She chewed her lip worriedly and kept her gaze on the floor. She knew better than to try to talk her way out of this. She'd been caught in the act. She couldn't blame Jake for being mad, but the worst part was the disappointment in his gaze. Why, oh why, hadn't she just taken down the laundry and come back inside? Would that have been so hard? Apparently, the answer to that was yes because there she stood, feeling horrible.
"I'm s-so-sorry, Jake," she finally said, stealing a glance upward. His usually affable face was unreadable. "I'll get dinner on the table and then I'll go and get the laundry." She turned toward the stove.
"You'll do no such thing." His voice was a deep rumble that seemed to reverberate through her whole body. She stopped in her tracks and turned back to him.
"I-I know I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but I wasn't gossiping." She smiled sweetly and hoped he'd be swayed. He wasn't.
"Listening to others gossip is just as bad, if not worse, and you know it."
"I promise not to do it again."
He pulled one of the straight back chairs away from the kitchen table and sat upon it, then patted his lap. "Come here, Posey."
Dragging her feet, she made her way to where he sat and stood in front of him. She was a little confused about what he had in mind, though she had an inkling...
He patted his lap again. "Get into position," he said and her heart flipped. He didn't really mean to spank her, did he?
She stared into his eyes. He wasn't joking. He reached out his hand and guided her across his lap. He lifted her skirts and opened the ribbons on her drawers to bare her backside to him.
"Didn't you tell me you wanted to stop being a gossip? That you hated being called Nosey Posey?" He caressed her bottom cheeks as he spoke and even though she was nervous about a spanking, his warm palm reassured her that she could trust him too.
"Y-yes," she said, tears already forming in her eyes. She was so angry with herself and filled with remorse. "I truly am sorry, Jake, and I'm sure that if you understood just how sorry I am, you wouldn't think it was necessary to spank me."
She felt his chuckle. "Is that so? Well, just to be on the safe side, I think a few swats with my hand will be necessary to help reinforce this lesson and remind you of what you promised me."
His hand came down with a smack on one side of her rear end with a biting sting. "Ouch!"
"You'd best keep your voice down if you don't want the nosey neighbors to know you're being punished. I'd hate to give those two busybodies anything else to gossip about."
Posey buried her face in his strong thigh as the spanks continued. Both sides of her bottom heated and stung as he continued to swat. "I'm disappointed in you, Posey. I expected better of you. I know that living next to Mrs. Weatherly is a challenge for someone who doesn't want to gossip, but we're not moving and neither is she, so you're going to have to figure out how to behave better."
"I-I know," Posey wailed, trying her best not to make enough noise for the neighbors to hear, but she was so sad and disappointed in herself. Tears flowed down her cheeks as Jake spanked and lectured. She wasn't sure, but it seemed his words might have hurt more than the swats on her bottom.
When he was finished, he turned her over in his lap and held her close, letting her cry herself out on his shoulder. "Please don't be m-mad at me, Jake."
"Hush now, I'm not mad. I was disappointed, but you've been punished and I'm proud of you for taking your spanking like a good girl." She perked up a bit at his praise.
"I don't want to disappoint you ever again," she whispered against his shoulder.
Chapter 7
It was the third Tuesday of the month. Everyone in town knew what that meant. The Juniper Junction Quilting Society met at 9 a.m. sharp at the church. For Posey, it had b
een a lifeline during those lonely years living with Uncle Fritz.
She’d be attending for the first time as a married lady. And the first time since the incident down by the river. As she left her house that morning, she felt a sense of both excitement and a bit of trepidation.
For some reason she felt compelled to walk by Uncle Fritz’s house. It wasn't on her way, but she was somehow drawn down that street. Perhaps a part of her hoped she'd see him. Maybe he'd tell her why he'd missed her wedding. Say he was sorry.
She gave herself a shake. Don’t be a fool. She was just a couple houses away from her former residence and with a sense of independence she decided to turn at the next street and go directly to the quilting meeting. Uncle Fritz was no longer her concern. He couldn't hurt her any more.
Determined, she made the corner and felt a sense of accomplishment. She had a new life. A husband who loved her. Uncle Fritz knew where he could find her.
"Hello, Posey. What brings you to this part of town?" The cold tone was unmistakable and sent a familiare shiver of dread through her. So much for her decision not to be bothered with him.
"Hello, Uncle." She braced for whatever he might say. "I was simply out for a stroll."
His gaze landed on the basket of sewing supplies on her arm. "Out strolling with your sewing? Still just as strange as ever. Everyone knows that silly quilting society meets today. But, you're far out of your way. The church is in that direction." He pointed, then glared at her. "But you know that."
"Oh, y-yes, I guess that's s-so." She hated that he made her flush and fumble with her words.
"So, you're lying again. I knew that man, that Jake, would be a bad influence on you but it's too late for all that now."
Her face heated and anger rose in her. "I am not a liar," she gritted out. "And don't you dare talk about Jake that way."
He looked her up and down and then huffed dismissively. "Be on your way, Posey. I have no interest in talking to you. We have no business together any longer."
Cowboy's Orders (Brides of Juniper Junction Book 2) Page 5