This was as good of time as any to open the subject he asked, “Will you tell me why you slept on the couch?”
The toast she was about to bite into stopped midair before reaching her lips. “I don’t know. I suddenly was overwhelmed with all of these fears...I didn’t...”
His hand reached out and touched hers. “Darlene,” he said as softly as a caress. “I would not hurt you and most definitely will not force you, even if you are my wife.”
“I know that, Daniel. I just...I don’t know how to explain it,” she mumbled.
He held up his hand. “Are you telling me the great litigator, the great voice of the planet and downtrodden, can’t find the words to tell me you are not ready to make love with me?”
She exhaled trying to gather the right words. “I was ready for our wedding night, but when things changed and I went to lie down beside you...and there is a lot of you, I felt overwhelmed...”
“I will never hurt you in any way,” he assured her.
“I know, but you are a lot of man,” she told him, her eyes cast down at the table
“Darlene, look at me. I will never harm you, intentionally or otherwise,” he told her. He cleared his throat as if he were physically shifting gears and changing lanes. “You peeked under the covers to see my feet, you didn’t take a peek at anything else?”
Her cheeks warmed as her hands came up to her face. “No. I wouldn’t dare!”
Daniel leaned back in the chair extending his hands, “All of this is your playground. I want you to get to know every inch of me. Lovingly bend me to your will, train my body to respond to your every whim, I am yours to command,” he told her.
Her hands were over her mouth when she spoke nervously. “What if I want to be with you in the middle of the day, or late at night,” she asked him.
“If I am home, of course,” he told her. “Why do you ask that?”
She hated to bring up her life with George because it wasn’t fair but this was important to her. “George and I only...on Wednesday’s and Saturday mornings,” she told him.
His eyes sparked with something mischievous. “I am not the kind of man you schedule. If I walk in the front door and you are looking good enough to eat...well,” he started. He leaned forward onto the table, the hairs on his forearms lying smoothly against his skin.
“Well what?” she wanted to know, her eyes wide in anticipation of his words.
“Shit, you’re gonna to get eaten!” He said with a burst of laughter.
Darlene laughed with him. “Okay then Mr. Wilstrom, taking out the kindling, making a note to stay fresh before the park ranger checks into the campsite.”
“Damn skippy; only you can prevent forest fires,” he told her. “Now eat up, we need to get this southern heat behind us Mrs. Wilstrom and get home to start living our life.”
Darlene suddenly felt much better about a very delicate subject she was always uncomfortable to discuss with George. Instead of expressing to him what she wanted sexually, she allowed him to dictate the terms and she followed along. She didn’t want that kind of life with Daniel.
She wanted an equal partnership in life, in the upcoming business and definitely in the bedroom. There was no doubts in her mind that he would not hold up his half of the deal.
Chapter Seventeen – Day Light
Daniel was surprised at how little Darlene had brought with her to take to Wyoming. There was only a purse sized overnight bag for toiletries and one suitcase. He had an overnight bag and his sister Camellia, one of the twins, had taken back his tuxedo. Overall, even with the disaster of peeing on himself and having a wedding outside in a tent in the middle of summer in Georgia, he was proud of his sisters. He had given them a specific budget, sent the money ahead and they had done him proud. His bride looked amazing. All of his family and friends had shown up to celebrate him finally tying the knot and life was good. The drive home to Wyoming would give his bride a chance to get comfortable being in close quarters with him.
Roosevelt and James had her vehicle serviced. James even drove down from Virginia with her to ensure she made it safely. Moreover, Daniel knew he was given a special gift in her as wife to take care of and nurture. He glanced over at the blushing bride with all of her notes and pieces of paper as they chugged up through Chattanooga, needling their way through Nashville.
“You are mighty quiet,” he said to her.
“I’m just thinking,” she said as she scribbled on the paper.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
She looked over at him with a huge smile on her face, “Nope, I am $500 per hour, keep you penny mister, and pull out the wallet.”
He glanced over at her briefly as he maneuvered through the traffic. “Are you going to miss that portion of your life?”
Her answer was swift, “Not at all. I am going to be too busy creating a new life with you, but I was wondering can we talk about a few things?”
“Shoot,” he said.
Darlene opened the discussion about the store, inventory and partnerships. “I want to be an equal partner and be responsible for a certain amount of the business.”
“No problem,” he said quickly as he signaled to change lanes. He was enjoying driving the powerful Range Rover.
“Just like that? No problem?”
“No problem. You have more experience with businesses than I do. I learn pretty fast and I am a quick study. I have a good idea of what I would like in the store besides my handmade furniture pieces,” he said.
“I was thinking with the furniture, there needs to be smaller pieces that can fit on the back seat of a car or in the back of an SUV, that way people can buy, load and keep rolling,” she told him. “I also like the idea of shelves, wall curios, and jewelry boxes, you know, gift ideas.”
Daniel arched his eyebrows, curling his lips downward and bobbing his head. He asked her, “And what would you like to put in the store besides jams and soaps?”
“I have to learn to make those things first, but I also want to learn to quilt, so I want to stop in Paducah and pick up a sewing machine, fabric and supplies to get me started with a crib, a lap size and one for the guest bedroom to begin. Once I get the basics down on those, I will make some for the store. I mean I have two years to perfect all of it and create some inventory. We will need decent storage space to put up two years’ worth of merchandise and product before we open the store,” she told him.
His only response was a wide grin. The idea of the country store he’d shared with a couple of potential spouses over the years and none of them could see the vision. None wanted to work with him to build something longstanding. None but Darlene.
“Awesome,” he said. “I can make that happen.”
Little did she know, in the past two months of preparation for her arrival, he’d done just that; he prepared.
Daniel had not been lying when he said he was going to roll hard. They arrived in Paducah in plenty of time and he patiently drove by fabric stores until Darlene found the one on her bits of paper. He located a seat in the fabric store designated for husbands and grabbed a magazine. The shop owner brought him coffee and snacks while he waited for his wife to complete her purchases. She selected a state of the art sewing machine, four pre-cut quilt projects, three quilting kits, a rotary cutter, mats, rulers, and bag of fabric scraps. Since they lived in a cold climate. The sales lady suggested a bolt of heavy batting. Daniel had no idea what any of that stuff was but his wife was ecstatic. She even bought a long arm quilting machine that he was uncertain was going to fit in the vehicle with Sheila D still needing to be picked up. He met her at the register and reached for his wallet to pay for her purchases.
“No, I got this. This is my portion of our business,” she told him. She pulled her credit card from her purse and paid for all the products. It only took a few buttons pushed in the savvy vehicle and everything fit compactly and neatly with more than enough room for Sheila D on the back seat. Darlene was all smiles as she slid into the d
river’s seat.
“I’ll take us on into St. Louis,” she said. She handed him a slip of paper. “This is the bed and breakfast we are staying in when we get there.”
He took over navigation and guided them to the bed and breakfast. They checked in and parked the vehicle. It was a cozy place full of old charm. Even the clerk looked like a throwback to a time long forgotten.
“Would you like a king bed or two doubles?” the clerk asked.
Daniel spoke up first, “The two doubles please. I am having some back issues so I have to stretch out.”
Darlene played along. “Baby are you sure?”
“Yeah, we still have a drive ahead of us, so better safe than sorry,” he said to her.
No comments were made over dinner at a little out of the way spot with perfect St. Louis ribs and awesome bar-b-que sauce. Daniel only ate the chicken since he didn’t eat pork, but he purchased six bottles of the finger licking sauce. He showered after Darlene and said goodnight, kissing her only on her forehead before climbing into the second bed and tried drifting off to sleep.
Darlene was disappointed that he didn’t at least try to seduce her. She lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling. Why didn’t he try?
“Because when you are ready, you will come and join me. Until that time, I will not push the issue. Now, try to get some sleep,” he told her.
“How did you know what I was thinking?” she asked in the darkness.
“Because I want more than anything to try, but I would rather have you come to me when you want me instead,” he told her.
“But what if I...”
“No,” he said flatly. “If you want me, come and get what’s yours. Other than that, I don’t want to feel as if you are giving in because as my wife it is what is expected of you. When I make love to you I want you more than ready and telling me so,” he said.
She wanted to say more.
She wanted to go to him.
Her legs would not move.
Neither would her courage.
So different.
So manly.
She smiled in the darkness.
I am falling in love with this man.
For Daniel, there was no doubting in his mind. He had fallen in love with her the moment she wrapped her arms around him at the side of the river. He had waited his entire life to marry the right woman. She was the right woman. He only had to wait a bit longer until she understood how right he was as her man.
Chapter Eighteen – Daytime
Breakfast was a light fare of fruit and hot cereal. Daniel fueled the vehicle, checked the fluid levels, and away they rolled, arriving in Laramie in late-afternoon on Sunday. He continued on I-80 heading into the Elk Mountains as he signaled to exit right outside of Hanna.
“Is Sheila D. with Cassandra?”
“No, I couldn’t risk her coming home infested with fleas or raccoon bites. I tried leaving her there once and my lady did not like all the coons; she fought with them constantly. Hell, when I picked her up she wouldn’t even interact with me. It took her a while to forgive me for that, so never again. She is with a young man named Jamar Smalls.” he said his as he made a turn into the Lazy B Bar Ranch.
Heavy construction equipment had been delivered along with pallets of bricks, loads of lumber and a modified tract home sat in the center of the makings of a town. Daniel parked the vehicle next to a beat up red pickup truck with a Kinson Construction sign on the door. That one was parked next to a green BMW that seemed totally out of place. Daniel rolled down the window and gave a quick whistle and seconds later the front door of the house open freeing a very happy border collie who was anxious to see her master. She was followed out of the building by two men. One was a tall thin black man and the other was a burly white man with a beard, intense eyes, and a smile that would melt the heart of a tin man.
“Come, meet the guys,” he told her as he cut the engine.
The second his feet touched the ground Sheila D was on him covering her master with licks, dog kisses and affection.
“Hey pretty lady; I missed you too,” he said to Sheila D as he rubbed behind her ears and gave the dog firm pats with his large hands.
Darlene was quiet as she waited for an introduction. “Darlene, this is Jamar Smalls and Jack Kinson,” Daniel said.
“Pleasure to meet you both. If I may ask, what are you building here?”
“A town,” Jamar said with pride.
“Really?”
“Yep, welcome to Serenity,” he told her. He turned on the freshly constructed porch as he pointed. “Over there will be the post office, the doctor and dentist office, the café to start out the town. Those are needed most in this area. We have a farmer coming out soon, so we will have fresh milk and eggs...produce and the like.”
Jack spoke up, “Yeah, I am building as fast as we can, but I don’t know if we will be able to keep up.”
Darlene’s interest was piqued, “do you mind if I take a look at your city plans, schematics and allocations for the use and preservation of natural resources?”
All three men looked at her as if she had let out a loud sour burp.
“Sure thing, this way,” Jamar told her.
A few minutes later, she was walking down the middle of a dirt cleared Main Street as Jamar began to explain and answer her questions. She came to the marked intersection on Main and Smalls Streets.
“You named the street after yourself?”
“It’s my town, of course,” he said with a lopsided grin. She liked him a lot. There was an easy way about him. He reminded her a bit of her son.
“Mrs. Wilstrom, why are you asking so many questions,” he wanted to know.
“Please call me Darlene. Hubby and I are looking to open a general store and I think this may be the perfect place. Actually this spot here on the corner of Main and Smalls Street,” she told him.
“Darlene, I will sell you the land. You can work it out with Jack to build the store to your specifications, but it will be well after the winter before he can get started. We have a lot to get laid in before the first snows in November,” he said as he shoved his hands in his front pockets.
Daniel had walked down the dirt street with the dog and Jack to see what they were talking about. Jamar looked up, “Hey Dan, I went by to check on your place and there were some boxes on the back porch, so I put them into the kitchen. We got a heavy rain storm a few days back and you have some clearing to do from the river. You have got to put you a break up there to divert any water and crap from your house,” he said adamantly.
“I’m working on it. Right now my priority is to get my ladies home and get them settled,” he told her.
“I was thinking,” Darlene started. “That by maybe mid-week, you two would like to come over for a home cooked meal?”
Jack’s face perked up. “Please? Can we really? I am sick of my own cooking and the stuff this man puts together should be illegal!”
Darlene laughed. “Of course, we would love to have you,” she said as she turned her attention to Daniel. “How far away is Serenity from our house?”
“About 15 miles,” Daniel said.
“So technically, we could put our general store here?”
Daniel arched his brow. “Yes we could.”
“Would you like that?”
“Yes I would,” he said.
“Jamar, I assume you handle all land sales?” He nodded yes. “Draft up a bill of sale for this corner lot for...” she paused, “...The Double D General Store....” She grinned at Daniel. “I will have a check ready for you when you come to dinner.”
Daniel held up his hand, but to his surprise she stepped into his arms, wrapping her around him. “This is my wedding gift to you. I bought the land, and we can work with Jack here to have him start to build next Spring.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, but right now, I want to go home.” She leaned up on her toes to kiss him. Daniel pulled her tight against him, kissing her deeper than he ha
d planned.
“Get a room, a cot, and away from us with that,” Jack growled as he stormed off.
Her husband was full of surprises. He had a blanket saved to cover the back seat where the dog was to sit. A window was cracked as they all rode to the cabin, her excitement building more and more as they neared her new home.
A new life.
A new man.
A new way of thinking...of living...of loving.
All of which were going to have to wait. Most of the yard was covered in debris which needed to be cleared before night fell. The longer the debris sat, the faster the chances of critters inhabiting the remnants. He didn’t want either of his ladies to be in any danger.
The cabin looked bigger. The carport definitely was. Well now it was a two car garage.
“I made a few changes in the last couple of months with Jack’s help. Make sure when you park your truck it is inside the garage and the doors are down. I don’t want any stragglers coming through here seeing that vehicle and thinking they hit pay dirt, okay?”
“Understood,” she told him. Darlene wanted to see the other changes to the cabin. Before she had time to react, he lifted her from her feet, threw her over his shoulder climbing the stairs by twos. She giggled like a school girl as he sat her gently on the floor.
“Welcome home Darlene,” he said as he cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I will help you unload, but I need to clear some of that debris before critters that slither, claw and sneak up on you, make a new home.” Together they unloaded the vehicle. Her eyes were wide as he took the sewing machines into a new addition with a potbellied stove, loads of shelves with storage bins, and a walk-in storage closet. The perfect craft room also included a brand new handmade desk and table.
He made these for me.
He built this room for me.
My own space. No office with power pictures on the wall. A clean space.
To create.
To breath.
To create a life for us and our business.
“I’ll see what I can do to rustle us up some dinner,” she told him. His focus was on the back yard. Pulling gloves on, he and Sheila D headed out the back door and began to carefully remove the loose debris. Thirty minutes into the clearing, he had to stop to get an axe. He was in a full blown sweat as he removed his cotton button down shirt and worked in the khakis and wife beater. He started cutting up the larger branches adding them to the wood pile to dry out for use in the colder months.
Wyoming Nights Page 10