Charles nodded at her, his hand slipping around his wife’s waist. “We’ll have to get together sometime soon. Find a night when your nanny can stay with your boys, though. I don’t need your wild boys around my sweet girls.”
“I’m really hoping Susan will have a calming influence on the boys,” David told him.
Susan looked around, realizing she hadn’t seen the boys for a minute or two. Finally she spotted them off in the corner with the twins and Mrs. Hackenshleimer. Their hands were still linked, and she smiled. “I hope so too. I’m not going to be able to put up with their shenanigans for long.”
Charles grinned. “I can’t say David, Jesse and I were any better when we were boys.” He looked at David. “Do you remember when your mother banned us from ever playing together again? What had we done that time?”
David’s face lit up with a smile. “I think that was the time we tied the two cats’ tails together and then threw a bucket of water on them.” He laughed out loud. “I’ll never forget the sound those cats made.”
Susan shook her head in disbelief. No wonder the boys were so bad. They took after their father. She saw Sadie waving to her from the dining room and quietly excused herself to go talk to the housekeeper.
“Lunch is ready.”
Susan nodded. “Thank you, Sadie. I know this is going to seem odd, but for today, will you serve the boys in the kitchen? The two oldest have to continue holding hands even while they eat.”
Sadie’s eyes widened and she grinned. “I heard they were fighting in the street on your wedding day. That’s a fitting punishment.”
“I’d prefer to take a switch to them, but David says he won’t allow that, so I’ll just have to get clever with my punishments.” The narrowing of Susan’s eyes left Sadie in no doubt that she was up for the task.
Sadie rolled her eyes. “I think the boys need a switch, but David feels like it’s cruel. His mother never used one, so he doesn’t think they’re good for boys. His boys would be much better behaved if he used one, though.”
Susan smiled, thrilled to have an ally. “Would you let me know if they stop holding hands? I have a backup punishment in case they do.”
“I’ll let Mrs. Hackenshleimer know to watch for that. I’ll be serving lunch.”
“That’s fine. Thank you, Sadie. Why don’t you start loading the table and I’ll call everyone to eat when I see it’s mostly full?” Susan had never had a servant before, so it seemed strange to her to ask the older woman to do things for her, but Sadie made it easy to work with her.
“That sounds good. We’re not doing anything formal, just steak and baked potatoes served with butter. I made some beans and a wedding cake as well.”
“It sounds delicious. I’ll send the boys to the kitchen now.”
She walked to the corner where the boys were sitting with Mrs. Hackenshleimer. Her eyes drifted deliberately to the older boys’ joined hands, before she asked Mrs. Hackenshleimer to eat with the boys in the kitchen. “I won’t always have the boys eat in the kitchen, but until I’ve had some time to teach them how they’re now expected to behave, I’d rather keep them out of the way of humans.”
“I’d be happy to.” Mrs. Hackenshleimer stood and took the twins by the hands to lead them from the room. The older boys followed automatically.
Once the four boys were out of the room, she announced that lunch would be served in a few minutes, before rejoining David. Another couple had joined their circle and she was introduced to Anthony and Jane Vandergriff. Jane had dark hair and pale blue eyes. She wore an ice blue silk dress that matched her eyes perfectly, and seemed to think everyone in the room was beneath her. Susan didn’t bother to try to strike up a conversation as she had with Beverly.
David guided Susan to the foot of the table and pulled her chair out for her. She smiled as Beverly took the seat next to her. David sat at the head of the table directly opposite her, which thrilled her. She wouldn’t have to make much conversation with him that way, and she found she was still seething over his deception.
Susan barely picked at her meal, eating no more than a few bites. The food was delicious, but she simply didn’t have an appetite. The four couples David had invited for the meal obviously knew one another well and they all talked and joked while they ate. Susan spent most of her time observing them.
She already knew she liked Beverly, but Jane was someone she had no desire to get to know. One of the other women seemed to snub Beverly and only talked to Jane. Susan had yet to meet her, but she had dark hair and brown eyes. Susan made a mental note to avoid her. The last woman of the group sat to Susan’s left, and seemed very quiet. She was in the same age group as all the others, around her mid-twenties, but she was plump and plain. Her mousy brown hair seemed to be forever falling from her bun and her eyes were brown.
Susan smiled at her. “I’m Susan.”
The woman seemed surprised to be singled out. “I’m Wilma.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Which of these men are you married to?” Wilma pointed out the man Susan had seen her with earlier. He was a tall blond with startling good looks. “Do you have any children?”
Wilma shook her head. “Not yet. We’ve only been married a few months, though.”
“How did you meet your husband?” Susan had always loved to hear stories of how couples met and married. Each story had filled her with a sense of hope for herself when she was single, and now it was a habit to ask.
“I’ve known him all my life. My father and his father were best friends. I think I’ve always known that I’d end up married to Ned. He’s been off fighting the Indians in New Mexico with the Cavalry, but as soon as he came home, he started courting me.”
“We’ll have to get together sometime so you can tell me more about it,” Susan encouraged.
“I’d like that.”
Beverly smiled. “You should join Susan on Wednesday and come to my house for coffee around two.”
Wilma looked at Beverly with a surprised look. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
By the time the guests had left for the day, Susan was exhausted, but thrilled she’d made two new friends. She was finding the Texas women to be easy to get to know. Her mind drifted to Jane and the other woman she hadn’t bothered to get to know.
After they’d all gone, she looked at the two older boys. “How many times did you drop hands? And remember. I was watching.”
Albert and Lewis exchanged looks. Finally, Albert said, “Just twice.”
She’d only seen it happen once, but was thrilled they told on themselves. “Then you know that before either of you go outside to play tomorrow, you’ll be sitting at the table writing forty sentences for me, right?”
“But I don’t know how to spell,” Lewis whined.
“I’ll write it for you once, and you can copy it.” Susan didn’t think it would hurt the boys to sit and write forty sentences before they went outside.
David walked up behind her. “What’s this?”
Susan turned to him. “I told the boys they had to hold hands the entire time the guests were here today. For every time they dropped each other’s hands they have to write twenty sentences about loving their brother for me.” Her eyes dared him to argue.
David nodded slowly. “That sounds like a fitting punishment for fighting.”
“Why were you boys chasing that cat anyway?” Susan asked. Not that it mattered to her punishment, but a reason for their behavior would help her understand them better
Lewis shrugged. “We wanted a cat.”
Susan sighed. “Maybe if you asked your father, he’d get you a kitten.”
Albert looked at David in surprise. “Would you, Pa?”
David thought it over for a moment. “I don’t know why not.”
“The cat will be your responsibility, though. You’ll feed it and give it water. I will not be taking care of a cat, when I have you four boys to take care of.” Susan’s voice was firm, and both boys nodded eagerly.
Sadie came into the room then. “I’ve made sandwiches for supper. I didn’t think you’d want more after the big lunch.”
Susan nodded. “That sounds lovely.” She walked to the table and was surprised when David seated her once again. She’d thought he was only doing that to impress her and their guests. Maybe he really did have manners.
The boys all sat down and bowed their heads while David prayed over the food. She watched as the boys wolfed down their meal. Shaking her head, she knew table manners would have to be one of the first things she worked with them on.
After dinner, Sadie cleared the table while Susan got the twins ready for bed. She enjoyed the little boys and was happy to change them into their pajamas and tuck them into their little beds. She kissed each boy on the cheek and left their room quietly.
The bigger boys were sitting in the family parlor talking to their father. She waited outside the door listening for a moment before going in.
“We don’t want to have to write sentences,” Albert complained.
“I don’t care what you want. You’ll do what your new mother says, and you’ll do it when she says. You’ve been running wild for too long, and you’ll obey her. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, Pa,” Lewis said.
“Yes, Pa, but I won’t like it.” Susan stifled a giggle at Albert’s belligerent tone.
Susan walked into the room. “Go on and get ready for bed,” she told the boys. “You’ll be writing your sentences before you do any playing tomorrow.” She sat down on the sofa and folded her hands in her lap.
The boys jumped up to go get ready for bed, obviously afraid of another punishment coming their way.
“Thanks for backing me up.”
David nodded. “I do know they’re monsters. I just don’t know what to do about it, short of beating them, which I’m not going to do.”
“Well, I honestly wish you’d let me use a switch on them, but since you won’t, I’ll find another way to get them to behave. I’m not going to have our lives in constant chaos just because those boys don’t feel like behaving. They obviously know how. Now it’s just a matter of enforcing some ground rules.”
David eyed her doubtfully. “If you say so.” He stood up stretching his neck. “Would you like to go for a short walk before bed?”
She looked at him skeptically, but then nodded. “That sounds nice.” She did want to see the ranch. The few times she’d been outside had been brief. She enjoyed being outdoors, and wanted to know what was out there.
He walked her around the yard, pointing out the different buildings and explaining their functions. “The ranch hands live there. No women are allowed in there under any circumstances.”
She nodded. “Sounds like a good rule. Do you let the boys go in there?”
He shook his head. “Not without me.”
“You’ll have to let me know about rules like that. I think I’m going to make up a rule board for the boys and let them know what the punishment is for each thing. That way they know what they’re getting into if they break a rule.”
He took her hand in his. “I appreciate you jumping in so quickly to help get the boys under control.”
She sighed and shook her head. “It’s my job now. I don’t think the twins are going to be a problem. They’re still so young; they’ll just learn to obey me. The older two are the ones I’m worried about.”
“Don’t be worried about them. I don’t think there’s going to be a problem. You seem to have it all under control.” He stopped to lean against a wooden fence at the front of the house pulling her to him with the hand he held. “Would you consider making our marriage a real one?”
She sighed staring up at him. “I really don’t want to bring another child into this situation. I can’t imagine having a newborn and dealing with your hellions.” She wasn’t trying to be cruel with her words, but she needed him to know where she stood.
He used his forefinger to tilt her face up to his. “Our hellions.”
“Our hellions.” She watched as he slowly lowered his head toward hers, brushing her lips gently with a kiss. Her hands moved up to his shoulders and she clung to him, almost afraid she’d fall over. There was something about his kisses that left her week in the knees.
“We’ll have the boys under control well before a baby comes along,” he whispered against her lips.
She shook her head, pulling away. “My mother was always so sick with morning sickness she neglected the discipline of my younger brothers and sisters. That’s why I’m the oldest member of a family whose children are referred to by the city of Beckham, Massachusetts as ‘the demon horde.’”
He stifled a laugh. “I promise you, if you get pregnant, I’ll follow through on all your rules and discipline the boys exactly how you think they should be disciplined. Without the switch, of course. I won’t use a switch.”
“How about a belt? Or paddle?” She grinned as she suggested the alternatives that would work just as well.
He grinned. “No beating. Any other punishment you can devise is fine.”
“Would you build a dungeon?” She tilted her head to the side to ask the question. She would never put children in a dungeon, but it was interesting to see just how far he’d go.
He laughed out loud. “You really don’t like children, do you?”
“I love children. Ill-behaved children need to dangle from trees by their toes until they learn the correct behavior.”
He caught her hand and pulled her back into his arms. “Fix my boys for me.” He lowered his head to hers, his tongue reaching out to trace her top lip. “And go upstairs with me and be my wife.”
Once again her hands clung to his shoulders. She was his wife, and she knew as his wife, it was her job to let him consummate the marriage. Besides, she liked the idea. She’d enjoyed kissing him and wanted to see what came next. “Okay.”
Chapter Five
His head came up and he looked into her eyes. “Really?” She nodded slowly, and he started tugging her toward the house as if he didn’t want to give her a chance to change her mind.
She laughed softly. “Are you always in this kind of hurry?”
He didn’t stop as he answered, simply pulling her along toward the front door. “It’s been over two years. You bet I’m in a hurry.” He flung the door open and pulled her up the stairs and into their bedroom. He quickly sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots, and then knelt before her, untying her shoes and slipping them off her feet.
He rose to his feet and stood before her trying to force himself to slow down. He had to keep saying over and over in his head that this was her first time, and he couldn’t be in such a hurry with her.
She stood looking at him by the dim light from the moon drifting in through the window. Her mother had talked to her about the way things happened between a man and his wife before she left, but it hadn’t made her any less nervous. Of course, she’d been raised on a farm, so she’d had a pretty good idea of what went into making babies anyway.
He shut the bedroom door and took a step toward her. “Turn around so I can unfasten the buttons on your dress.”
She obeyed, turning around and presenting him with her back. “I’ll need to get my nightgown.”
“No, you won’t. There’s no need for a nightgown in the summer. It’s too hot for that nonsense.” He quickly unbuttoned each of her buttons, pressing quick kisses to the back of her neck, and turned her around to face him. He pushed the dress off her shoulders and down to the floor. His fingers went to her hair and plucked out each of the pins that held her hair in place. He ran his fingers through her hair his eyes widening as he saw the length of it.
Once she was standing in just her petticoat, he leaned down and kissed her, his tongue immediately demanding entrance to her mouth. She opened for him, and moved her hands to his shoulders while he kissed her. Her hands went to the buttons on his shirt and slipped
them out of their holes. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and down to the floor.
She thought she’d be more embarrassed about standing in just her petticoat in front of him, but the relief of the slight breeze coming through the window was almost worth it. She wished she could throw cold water over both of them, but was certain he’d think she was insane.
He continued to kiss her as he dropped his hands to the waistband of his slacks and unfastened them before dropping them and his underwear to the floor. He stepped out of his slacks and pulled her to him, his manhood pressing against her petticoat.
She was shocked to feel him against her, but knew it was a part of being a wife, so she said nothing. His lips went to her shoulder, and he moved the strap of her petticoat aside to give himself better access to her bare skin. Soon she felt him push the other strap down and he dropped her petticoat to the floor.
“You have a beautiful body,” he whispered.
She blushed. “I’m glad you like it.” He pushed her backward until the bed hit the backs of her legs and then toppled her over onto it. She let out a quick laugh. Somehow she’d pictured him picking her up and carrying her to the bed, not pushing her onto it.
He followed her down, propping himself on one elbow as his hand moved over her bare breast. “Are you laughing at me?”
She shook her head. “At myself more than anything. I just never pictured my bridegroom pushing me onto the bed. I guess I always thought I’d be carried and gently placed there.”
He grinned. “My way is faster and more fun.” His fingers plucked insistently at her nipple.
“I think it is.” She looked down and watched his fingers playing with her nipple in the dim light of the moon which shone through the open window. It was strange to watch him touching her that way, but oddly, it sent tingles through her, making her much more aware of his strength as opposed to her softness.
His lips went to her neck and bit her gently. “That feels nice,” she whispered.
“Tell me if there’s anything you don’t like.”
She laughed. “So far that’s just not happening.”
Mail Order Madness Page 7