Genny’s eyes widened. “How did you know?” She took a bite of the ice cream. “Every payday I gave a portion of my paychecks to the orphanage where I grew up. At least I did until my last paycheck. I knew I’d need the money for expenses to get here.”
“You haven’t wanted anything for yourself? You will use Martha’s dresses for clothes for the children, but not for yourself and yet you need them as much as they do.”
Genny knew her clothes weren’t the best, but she didn’t want to wear Martha’s clothes. She was having enough trouble with Stuart. She didn’t need to remind him of his wife every time he saw her. She frowned. “I have clothes.”
He waved his hand up and down, taking in her attire. “Not appropriate ones.”
“They’re fine.”
He leaned forward, keeping his voice low. “You don’t have one wool dress do you? One that would be appropriate for this time of year. One to keep you warm or at least warmer.”
Genny had no response. He was right. Her wool coat, though a good one, was not enough here on the high plains of Nevada. But she hated the thought of wearing Martha’s clothes. She wanted her own clothes, not ones that would remind Stuart of his dead wife.
“Very well, if I find any of Martha’s clothes that fit and I think will be useful, I’ll keep them. The rest I’ll use for the children or we’ll give to the church. Fair enough?”
“Yes. Fair enough.”
They finished their midday dinner and returned to the mercantile. The snow was coming down a little harder, but wasn’t sticking to anything. The road wasn’t even wet…yet.
“Did you get everything loaded, Edna?” asked Stuart.
“Yes, the boys just finished. They put the tarp over everything so it wouldn’t get wet on the way home. Don’t you want to stay in town tonight? Darkness will have fallen before you get home.”
Stuart shook his head. “Thanks, but we’ll be fine. The snow’s not sticking so the trip should be okay.”
Genny wasn’t so sure, but Stuart had made this trip many more times than she had.
They climbed onto the buckboard and left town. The wagon was especially heavy because Stuart bought enough supplies, including grain for the animals, for another six weeks. Two horses would have struggled with such a load. The four he’d hitched to the wagon could only walk, a faster gait being out of the question.
The snow fell harder and harder the closer they got to home. The flakes came down so fast Genny could barely see in front of her, and she was freezing on top of it.
Finally, they pulled up to a cabin.
Stuart looked at her and said loudly so he could be heard over the wind. “This is one of the line shacks on our property. The cowboys use them when they get caught out here in bad weather and can’t make it home. We’re staying here for the night and will start out again in the morning.”
Genny nodded, her mouth clamped shut to keep her teeth from chattering.
“Go inside and start the fire in the stove and hearth. They are both set up so just light a match to the kindling. The matches are on top of the stove’s warming shelf. I have to put the horses in the shed out of the weather.”
She climbed down and went through the door into the one-room cabin. Along the wall to her right was a double bed with blankets and pillows, though no linen that she could see. She guessed cowboys didn’t care if sheets were on the bed, just that it had blankets to keep warm while they slept.
The kitchen was to her left, the small fireplace directly in front of her. After closing the door, she went around the wooden table with four straight-backed chairs in the center of the room and found the matches just where Stuart said they would be.
Striking a match she lit the kindling in the stove. It sparked to life immediately. Then, she went to the fireplace and did the same thing. She returned the matches to their spot above the stove and checked the coffee pot. It was full of water, ready for the coffee grounds which she found on the shelf directly behind her. Also on the shelf were several cans of beans and a can opener.
Genny found a pot, opened two cans of the beans and put them in a pan on the stove to heat. As she moved around, the heat from the stove and the fireplace sent warmth into Genny’s limbs. She took off her coat and laid it over the back of one of the wooden chairs.
Stuart opened the door, pounded his boots against the door jam and got rid of most of the snow before entering.
“Snow’s coming down very hard now. I’m glad we stopped. I see you found food and coffee.”
“Yes. Food’s not fancy but it’ll be hot and filling.”
“That’s all I ask.”
The cabin warmed rapidly as both the stove and the fireplace poured heat into the room. Genny removed her scarf, stocking cap and gloves and placed them on the seat of the chair holding her coat, and then moved the chair in front of the fireplace to let her clothes dry.
“You should put your clothes in front of the fire, too.” Genny moved a chair next to hers. “The air is warm enough in here now you could take off your pants. They’ve got to be soaked clean through.”
“They are. So are my long johns.”
“Then take those off, too.” Genny was matter of fact about it.
“You didn’t take off your dress and I know it’s wet as well as your coat,” observed Stuart as he shucked his clothes and placed them on the chair she’d provided.
It was true, she was wet and with every step her dress rubbed against her legs freezing them all over again. She looked down and unbuttoned her dress placing it over the chair. Now she wore only her chemise, bloomers and long johns
She turned to look at Stuart and he was down to his red long-handles. He seemed hesitant as to what to do.
“Stuart, we’re married and I’ve seen you naked plenty of times.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you looked.”
“Well, I do. I was curious. Besides you can wrap a blanket around you to keep warm.”
“There are two. You can do the same.”
“Yes, I suppose I should. I don’t want either of us to catch our death while were stuck here.”
She walked over to stir the beans and check the coffee. Both were hot and ready to consume.
“Well, are you putting on the blanket or are you a coward?” teased Stuart.
Buoyed by his teasing tone, she shook her head. “Of course, I’m not afraid. I want to get the food on the table and then I’ll take off the rest of my wet things.”
She found plates and utensils, and then she poured them each a cup of coffee and set the pot of beans on the table.
“Supper is on.”
True to her word she removed the rest of her clothes and spread them on the floor in front of the fireplace, then wrapped herself in the second blanket. She released her hair from the bun and let is cascade down her back to her waist. The heavy mass was wet and she ran her hands through it to separate the strands so they’d dry faster.
*****
Stuart watched every move Genny made as she removed her clothing, and wondered why in the world he was putting himself through this torture. She was so beautiful, with creamy white skin that was such a contrast to her long black hair.
And that hair, it was always shiny and when she let it down and brushed the gleaming tresses at night, it was all he could do not to run his fingers through them. He wanted to make love to her in the worst way and have all that black hair spread out beneath them on the pillow.
She wasn’t paying him much attention as she undressed, so he drank his fill watching her. With each piece of clothing she removed he desired her more. Tonight he’d get to hold her without the encumbrance of clothes. He couldn’t wait to feel her skin under his fingertips and yet he dreaded the situation at the same time. What if he lost control? He was close to doing so now.
The thought of Genny naked in his arms nearly undid him. Perhaps they should just stay wrapped in their blankets as they slept. That arrangement would be much safer…for him.
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She bustled around using the water in a bucket on the counter to wash the dishes, getting them ready for the next person who needed the shack.
“Where will we get the water to replace this bucket and fill the coffee pot again?”
“There’s a stream not far from here. I’ll fill them in the morning before we leave.”
Genny nodded and kept glancing at the bed. She went to the shelves in the kitchen and grabbed something off of one of them.”
“Do you play cards? Faro? Poker? Whist?” She took cards from a box. Her face lit up as though she’d answered a difficult question.
His eyes widened. “You know how to play poker?”
She smiled. “Yes, one of the nuns taught me. She apparently had been quite good before she gave up everything to marry God.”
He grinned. “I’d suggest strip poker but if either of us loses, the game is over. So how about five card draw? We’ll use matchsticks for money.”
“Done.” She put the cards on the table and went to get the matches making two piles before shuffling the cards.
Genny dealt like a pro.
“You and that nun must have played a lot.”
She grinned. “Just about every night after the other nuns went to bed. Prepare to be trounced.”
They played for hours. Genny cackled after every hand she won and frowned when he won—which wasn’t often. She was very good at poker.
“If you ever want some spending cash, get the boys to play poker. You’d clean them all out in a few hands.” He pointed at his dwindling pile of matchsticks. “I think now would be the time to go to bed. You’ve won practically all of my match sticks and we’ll have to leave early if we can.”
“And if we can’t? If there is too much snow?”
He frowned. “We’ll face that problem when we have to.”
CHAPTER 6
“Shouldn’t we put both blankets over us and put our bodies together for warmth?”
Genny was the one that made the suggestion, much to his surprise.
“Aren’t you worried I’ll take advantage of you?”
Genny rolled her eyes then looked at him with a cocked brow. “If I thought all it took for you to make love to me and for us to have a real marriage was to flaunt my naked body, I’d be walking around naked all the time.”
Stuart snorted back a laugh. “I bet you would, too.”
Genny unwrapped her blanket, spread it on the bed and then held out her hand.
“Give me your blanket.”
He stood, stunned seeing her body completely naked for the first time.
“Stuart.” She snapped her fingers.
“What? Oh.” He unwound the quilt from around his body and handed it to her.
She spread it on top of the bed as well, and then she climbed under the blankets and looked up at him. “What are you waiting for?”
He shook his head to get the image of Genny’s naked body out of it and climbed in next to her. He tried to stay away from her body. She scooted next to him, flung one arm over his stomach, and then used his chest as a pillow.
Stuart had no choice but to wrap his arm around her back.
Genny was asleep in minutes.
He on the other hand lay awake for awhile, just listening to her breathe. Watching the rise and fall of her chest and being completely happy doing so. Happier than he’d been in a long time, simply because he was holding his wife in his arms.
Was what she wanted from him so bad? A real marriage. Could he afford to give in and let them both be happy for as long as she lived. He couldn’t abide the idea of her dying, just like Martha had.
He remembered when Martha died. The incident had nearly ripped apart the family. Joe had been inconsolable for weeks and though he knew Martha had loved Joe, too, seeing his brother’s reaction to her death was hard to watch. The same was true of Nettie and Pete, both devastated at the loss of their daughter. Stuart didn’t have a chance to really mourn. With a newborn baby and a two-year old to take care of, he wasn’t allowed to grieve except at night, in between Lucy’s feedings. He had to be there for them. His children had kept him sane.
Eventually life settled into a routine and his in-laws and brother returned to normal. Nettie helped with Lucy, watching her during the day, so Stuart could do his chores. Joe was the one he couldn’t understand. Stuart knew that Martha and Joe had had a relationship, but all that seemed to end when she turned sixteen. He’d always liked Martha, though with five years difference in their ages he didn’t consider her as wife material until she’d approached him after a dance in Elko. She’d insisted he escort her home and then had kissed him in a way that was not that of a little girl. After that they courted until he felt she was old enough to marry. He wanted to marry a woman not a child.
He’d grown to love Martha even though he wondered at her love for him. She and Joe often didn’t speak, only nodded to each other at meal times. But then he’d catch them in the kitchen or the barn or wherever, talking together in what sounded like angry hushed tones.
Stuart never thought that Martha strayed with Joe. Even had she wanted to, she never would have received Joe’s participation. His brother was fiercely loyal and honest to a fault.
But Stuart also knew that he’d not been Martha’s first choice. Joe was. When she was angry, she didn’t let him forget it. Then she’d calm down and apologize for the things she’d said, that they’d been said in anger. He always accepted her apology, even though each time tore away a piece of his heart.
But now he had Genny. She didn’t want Joe, she wanted him. Stuart MacDonnell. Her husband. Why was he digging in his heels so much? He said it was because he didn’t want to wind up with more children to raise alone, but the real reason was he could lose himself in Genny. She was brave and honest and she loved his children almost as much as he did. For that alone he should grant her wish and let her become a mother to her own child, but what if she died, too?
No. He argued with himself. Genny is nothing like Martha. Martha was delicate, Genny is strong. Martha was a blonde like Billy. Genny had shiny, glorious, black hair. He knew just by looking at her that together he and she would make beautiful babies. He didn’t move her out of his arms. She felt too right there.
Genny stirred.
Stuart looked down at his beautiful wife sleeping contentedly in his arms. He would enjoy this for as long as he could. Tomorrow would be back to their normal relationship with each other, but for now, for this night, he could pretend that they were in love.
*****
Genny woke slowly. She’d had the loveliest dream that she was laying in Stuart’s arms and that they’d just made love. It was definitely a dream. Or was it? She remembered them crawling under the blankets last night and her head was pillowed on Stuart’s chest. A very fine chest of taut skin and a sprinkle of dark curly hair.
He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders as though he was protecting her and his breathing was even and deep. Probably he was still asleep.
“I see you’re awake.” His deep voice rumbled through his chest where her head lay.
She moved to separate them, but he tightened his arm.
“Stuart, let me up. We have to dress and go home.”
“I know. But I want to enjoy holding you naked in my arms for as long as possible.”
She thought this was too much of a temptation, teasing her with an experience she couldn’t enjoy to the fullest.
“Well, this is as long as possible. We have to get home to the children and so we don’t worry the family.”
“Nobody is worried. As soon as they saw the snow, they would know I either stayed in town or came here. So relax and let me hold you.”
Genny finally relaxed and placed her hand on his chest. “I have to admit this is nice.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “For now, for the time we’re here, let’s pretend that we are happily wed and just enjoy each other.”
Genny stiffened at his words. “We could be a happily
married couple if you’d just relent and make me your wife in all ways.”
Stuart turned toward her a little so he could rub her arm. “You know that’s not possible. I don’t want more children.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I don’t want to lose you in childbirth like I did her.”
She lifted her body so she was looking into Stuarts’ eyes. “So you do care about me?”
He released her. “You’re right. It’s time we got up and traveled home. It’s not far from here a little over an hour.”
Genny closed her eyes. Perhaps she pushed too hard. Maybe she spoke too quickly. In any case the moment was over, and they were back to their indifferent selves. Refusing to give in to the tears that threatened, she rolled away and rose from the bed. Ignoring her nudity, she walked to the chair holding her clothes and dressed as quickly as she could.
“Do you want some coffee before we go or do you just want to leave?” she asked without any inflection to her voice. She’d been rejected again.
“We’ll leave. I’ll harness the horses and we can get out of here. Back to our real lives.”
“Yes. Our real lives.” She felt a tear fall down her cheek and turned quickly away.
If Stuart had seen the droplet, he said nothing about it.
He grabbed the bucket and the coffee pot before going outside.
He was gone for about twenty minutes and returned with both the bucket and coffee pot full of water.
Genny folded the blankets and put them on the end of the bed where they’d found them. She spread the coals in the fireplace and made sure they were out, just like Stuart had taught her. She’d used the leftover coffee to finish any hot spots before Stuart left, but wanted to be certain.
They couldn’t prepare the stove the same way because the embers were still warm, but Stuart brought in wood for the next person to use. It would be dry by then.
Finally, she’d done everything inside that needed doing. “I’m ready to leave.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
They climbed back on the wagon and didn’t speak the entire way home. When they arrived, he helped her down and then started unloading the wagon of the food supplies which he carried inside and put on the kitchen counter. When he was done, he left without a word and took the wagon to the barn to unload the grain and care for the horses.
Genevieve: Bride of Nevada (American Mail-Order Bride 36) Page 6