by J. C. Hulsey
“Something sure smells good. Are you a good cook? I don't think we talked about that.”
“We didn't talk at all about a lot of things. I was under the assumption that you were the owner of a big cattle ranch. I assumed that your ranch would look like the ones I saw in the books in the library. I also understood that you said in your letter, that you weighed just under two hundred pounds and stood six two. I heard Texans were prone to exaggeration, but I didn't expect the opposite from you."
"I guess I didn't quite tell the truth. I figured if you knew how I looked you wouldn't come."
“Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn’t, but I’d like to have complete honesty between us from here on. A marriage needs to have honesty and trust to be successful. Do you agree?”
“Absolutely, and I'm sorry for misleading you. Thank you for not running away when you first saw me at the train station. Most women run from me because I'm so big. They're afraid I'm going to hurt them. But you didn't run, thank you for that. Now how about a cup of that great smelling coffee? Say,This tastes really good. What did you do to it?”
“I poured out the old grounds, rinsed out the pot and made fresh. I just added water and new grounds.”
“Are those eggs about ready? I'm starving. I didn't eat any of those beans and bacon last night.”
I dished up a plate of eggs and bacon.
“Ain't you gonna eat?”
“I'll eat after you're done. You will be going out and doing whatever it is that you do. Right?”
“Yes. I need to go check on the cattle after spending all day yesterday in town.”
“Do we have a milk cow? Fresh milk sure would taste good and I could cook a lot more things with milk.”
“I’ve been planning on getting a cow, but I’m running short on money. I had to sell two steers to buy your train ticket. Maybe I’ll see if Sam Jarrod, our neighbor will trade one of his milk cows for a steer.”
“It’ll be winter before we can slaughter the hog. We’re running low on bacon. Some ham would sure be good. Do we have a neighbor for that? In fact we’re running low on everything.”
“Afraid we’ll just have to tough it out. I’ll try to find time first thing tomorrow to go and talk to Sam. Maybe his wife’s got some canned goods they can let us have. It’s been a pretty busy morning. What with rounding up all those cows and patching the fence. I thought I might go hunting tomorrow also. Might be able to scare up a couple of rabbits or some pheasants, or if I’m lucky, I’ll get a turkey.”
“It would be nice to have fresh meat. I sure hope you can get some.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The days and nights all seemed to run together. Working and cleaning up the cabin was backbreaking work. I worked from can till can’t. How I wished for a pump on the well. Pulling a bucket of water up sixty feet is quite a chore. And you need a lot of water each day, for cooking, for washing and for washing clothes. We had running water inside the house in Pennsylvania, so, it was a big change and a challenge for me to adjust to this new way of life. I had to heat water outside over a fire in a big cast iron kettle. I even started cooking some of the meals outside because it was so hot inside the cabin. I learned more where things were located which made it easier to cook meals for Roscoe. When it was time for bed, I was often so exhausted, I just fell into bed without even changing into a nightgown. He looked to be as tired as I was and he was still sleeping in the barn at night.
Whenever we sat at the table for meals, we talked and got to know one another. He was the baby of his family of six kids.
He was born in the Arkansas Mountains, but his family moved to Texas when he was very young. When he was fifteen years old a Comanche war party attacked his home and everyone was killed. The only thing that saved him was one of his brothers’ fell on top of him when he was killed. The Indians thought he was dead, so they rode away.
He buried all his family there on that homestead, said goodbye and rode off. He held many different jobs growing up. But the one he loved more than all the others was punching cows. He decided then and there, that one day he was going to own a cattle ranch. And here he was, his very own cattle ranch. He agreed that it needed a lot of fixing up, but it was all his, free and clear.
I told him about my parents dying and how I had to live with my aunt and uncle from the time I was fourteen. We talked about one another’s wishes for the future.
I felt the heat rise in my face when he said he wanted at least four kids. I felt the desire in my heart that I wanted to be a mother, but did I want this man to be the father of my children? To be completely honest with myself, I was afraid of his size. I was afraid he would hurt me.
The more I learned about him the easier it was to accept that we maybe could be intimate. He explained why he wasn’t dressed up when he came to pick me up at the train station. He had spent half the night helping a mother cow birth a calf. He didn’t take the time to change clothes because he didn’t want me to have to wait for him.
“Do you chew tobacco all the time? I haven’t noticed you spitting since I got here.”
“I chew when I’m under a lot of stress, and it was mighty stressful trying to deliver that calf. I know it’s a filthy habit and I’ll work on stopping completely. I want very much to be a good husband for you.”
“Thank you for that. I want to be a good wife for you.” I could feel the heat rising in my face again. “I think I’m going to the creek this evening. I feel I could use a nice bath.”
“Alright, when you return, I’ll do the same.”
“Roscoe?”
“Yes?”
“When you get back from the creek, you don’t have to sleep in the barn.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“I told you I want complete honesty and to be completely honest with you, I am scared to death. I have never been with a man.”
“You don’t have to worry. I promise I won’t hurt you. You can stop any time you want to. How’s that sound?”
“Ok I guess. Now, I’m going to the creek. I won’t be long.” As I walked to the creek, I thought, “What have I just done? I invited that giant of a man to join me in bed tonight. What would he do if I backed out? He did say I could stop at any time. I can’t do that to him. He does seem like a nice person and he is, after all, my husband. He has every right to demand his husbandly privileges, and he hasn’t done that. Maybe it will turn out alright.”
I washed in the creek and dressed in my frilliest nightgown. I went back to the cabin and passed Roscoe on his way to the creek.
He winked as he passed. “See you in a jiffy, Red Rose, my sweet Red Rose.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
During my cleaning spree, I had stuffed the mattress with clean, fresh straw. It still wasn't the best, but it was a lot better. I pulled the freshly washed covers down and crawled into bed.
"Dear Lord, I ask you to guide me as I begin a new journey in my life. I’ve always wanted to be a wife and mother, but perhaps I didn't think it through. I have to admit, I'm afraid. Roscoe is such a large man, and I'm so tiny compared to him. Please help me to know what to do. Amen" I opened my eyes and Roscoe was watching me from the doorway.
"You pray a lot, don't you?"
"Yes, I find it calms me when I'm afraid. I see you shaved off that awful beard."
"I would have shaved sooner, but as I said, I’ve been pretty busy. I was going to be all cleaned up and looking spiffy to meet you when you came in on the train, but that calf just wouldn’t get born without my help. You have no reason to be afraid of me, Rose. I wouldn't hurt you for all the world. That's a promise." I patted the bed beside me. Roscoe walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Please blow out the lamp."
He leaned over and blew out the lamp. I felt the mattress sink in as he stretched out beside me. My heart was thumping so hard I was sure he could hear it. I thought it might jump right out of my chest.
“I don�
�t know what to do.”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about anything. I’ll show you what you need to know. First, let’s take off our clothes.”
“I couldn’t do that.”
“It’s perfectly natural for what we’re about to do. We’re husband and wife and should be able to share every aspect of our lives, and that includes our bodies.”
I very slowly sat up in bed and pulled my nightgown over my head. I felt Roscoe moving beside me removing his clothes.
As I lay back down, I felt him turn on his side.
“Is it alright if I touch you and kiss you?”
“I guess.”
He leaned over me and his breath mingled with mine as he pressed his lips to mine. His lips were soft and sweet tasting. Nothing like I had imagined. There was a little tingle deep inside my body, like nothing I had ever felt before. He raised up.
“Did you like that?”
“Very much, can we do it some more?”
He pressed his lips against the tender skin of my neck. It sent a thrill through my body. I felt dizzy and weak as a kitten. My body felt like liquid as his hands explored.
His lips stifled my moan as they covered mine. I wanted more. Of what I didn't know. I just knew I wanted more of what he was doing.
“Just relax, darling and let go. I promise you’ll like it.”
He kept kissing lower and lower. I reached down and stopped him from going any lower.
“You don’t have any reason to be afraid, sweetheart. Anything between a man and wife is sanctioned by God. It’ll be alright.”
I released his head as his hands and mouth explored my body, I felt an explosion inside. It was such a glorious feeling I cried out. His hands and mouth introduced me to places and feelings I didn't know existed. Goosebumps covered my body as he moved lower.
“Please, don’t stop.”
“I won’t stop unless you want me to.”
He raised up and placed himself above my body.
“This may hurt a little, so try to relax. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
There was a sharp pinprick of pain. He stilled himself and when he felt my body relax from the pain he started again. I thought what he did before was glorious, what he was doing now was divine. I understood at this moment, why God made a man and a women different. I screamed from the pleasure of completion. As far as me being afraid of his size. His size was perfect.
He rolled off me onto his side. We were both breathing hard.
“Was it alright for you?” he asked.
“I never imagined anything could feel so good. No, not good. Great. Was it alright for you? Did I please you?”
“You pleased me beyond measure. I’m so glad you answered my ad for a bride. I’ve been alone for so long, I didn’t know what I was missing. Thank you my sweet red Rose for being my wife.”
He drew the covers up over both of us, then pulled me against his body, my head cradled on his shoulder.
CHAPTER NINE
When I awoke the next morning, Roscoe had already gotten up, fixed his own breakfast, left a mess and went out to do his chores.
I lay there stretching and remembering last night. What had I been so afraid of? He was a mountain of muscle and strength that towered over me. He could break me in two as easily as breaking a twig, but the way he touched me last night was as gentle as a kitten. He had been so gentle, so understanding, so kind and patient. I hated myself for ever being afraid of him. Could I be in love? Is this what love feels like?
I crawled out of bed feeling a little uncomfortable. After the pleasure I felt last night, a little pain wasn’t going to mess that up.
I poured water in the bowl, washed off, got dressed and started fixing breakfast for myself. There weren’t any eggs, so I was going to have to face Oscar, if I wanted any for breakfast. I went out to the chicken pen, all the time turning in circles, watching for that cantankerous rooster. He had introduced himself to me on my second day here. He didn’t catch me, but he chased me all the way back to the house, without any eggs.
Since then, I’ve carried a big stick with me in case he decides to chase me again. I think he knows what that stick is for because he’s steers clear of me when I carry it. Two of the hens weren’t laying, so I only gathered eight eggs. If I could figure out which two, we’d have chicken and dumplings.
I opened a can of turnips for dinner, cut up pieces of bacon and dropped it in. I had cooked some pan bread a few days ago and still had some left. That would be a pretty good dinner for my new found husband. I was really a wife now, just like I’d always wanted to be.
Roscoe came in around noon.
“How’s my sweet Red Rose today? I didn’t want to wake you this morning. I’m sorry about leaving the mess, but I had to hurry out to the south pasture. The fence had a hole in it and the cows were crossing over into the neighbor’s pasture. I had to drive them back on our side and patch the fence. I’m just glad I caught it before all the cows discovered it. How are you feeling?”
Suddenly, I was shy and felt the heat rising to my face. Why was I feeling shy after last night?
He leaned down, pulled me against him and kissed me, again I felt weak in the knees. If he hadn’t been holding onto me, I think I would have fallen to the floor.
“I’ve got your dinner ready. Did you have time to talk to the neighbor about a cow?”
“I’ll do that right after morning chores. Let’s skip dinner and have desert instead.” He pulled me toward the bed.
CHAPTER TEN
The next day around noon, Roscoe came riding into the yard, pulling a cow behind his horse. It was the most pitiful looking cow, I had ever seen. We were supposed to get milk from this swayback broken down cow?
I walked out into the yard as he dismounted.
“Is that the best you could do?”
“She’s the only one Sam was willing to part with. He claims she was one of his best milkers at one time.”
“She can hardly stand on her own. She looks as if she’s ready to die.”
“She just needs rest and good feed. She’ll be fine. He said her name is Florence.” He pulled the rope and she followed him into the barn.
I followed behind and watched as he put her in a stall and poured a couple of cups of oats into the trough.
He looked at the cow and then at me, “She’ll be fine, just wait and see. Have you got something for dinner? Or is it too early?”
“Yes, it’s ready. Are you going hunting afterwards? And how soon before you think we can milk Florence?”
“I think she should be ready in about a week. Yes, I’m going hunting as soon as I finish eating. Sam’s wife sent over some canned goods in this sack. She said she was looking forward to meeting you. There’s going to be a Fall Festival first of September. She asked if we were gonna be there. I told her we would be. You do wanna go, don’t you?”
“Of course I want to go. You’re the only person I’ve seen since I came to Texas. Not that I’m complaining. I like looking at you.”
He reached and pulled me into his body, leaning down to kiss my lips. “How about you and me have desert before we eat?”
If I had known how wonderful being married could be when I was younger, I would have found a way to have gotten married years ago.
He rode off towards the woods after he ate. I finished cleaning up and started a fire to do the wash. I had pulled up extra each time I had to get water, so I had enough for today. It was a never ending battle to get caught up with all the work around here.
Rosco returned with four rabbits, four squirrels and a pheasant. No turkey this time. The fresh meat was a real treat along with the canned goods that Mrs. Jarrod had sent. They were just what we needed to help through the lean times.
The days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. Before I knew it, it was the end of August and the weather began to cool a bit. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I might be going to have a baby. I needed to check with the doctor before I told R
oscoe. Oh no. The doctor is Chet Wainsworth. I’ll have to let him examine me.
The days, has I said were full of hard work and sweat, but the nights were heaven. The nights spent with my husband made all the hard work seem worth the effort. To be a part of something that was going to grow into something bigger and better. I also learned that it was a lot more fun in the little creek with the two of us.
The morning of September first, we had to get up at one o’clock to get to town by the time the festivities began. I could see it was going to be a long day.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Our rickety wagon ran over every rock, bounced in every hole in the dusty road. I was surprised the wagon held together, it was such a rough ride. Each time it bounced, it jarred my teeth and a little light flashed in my eyes so I was glad when the sight of town came into view.
There were banners hanging across the street. Flags and ribbons decorated all the businesses along Main Street. The excitement was contagious. It had been a while since I had seen so many people milling about. The sight of all the people caused a thought to go through my head. It really was no different than Lewiston. People are people no matter where you’re at. Of course they dressed differently. There were no stripped suits with bowlers on their heads. Here it was blue dungarees, wide brimmed hats and boots. No high top button down shoes here. I was almost two thousand miles from home. No, that's not true. Pennsylvania isn't my home anymore. This is my home now. Bufford Texas.