“What is Pa doing?”
“I don’t know, but we have to trust him.”
“Hurry,” Miles said as he pushed them all from the wagon. Several other emigrants had left their wagons as well and raced to the same ditch Miles directed them to. Adelaide followed him, almost losing sight of him in the torrential rain. A noise like she’d never heard before filled the air, causing panic to rise up in her body. What was that?
Miles shoved them all into the low lying ditch. He put the girls in first, Adelaide on top of them. He placed his body over all of them, his arms outstretched. “Can you all breathe?”
“I’m scared, Pa.” Beth Ann’s voice could barely be heard. The noise grew stronger until the sound of wood splintering and objects slamming into the trees above them made Adelaide realize they were experiencing a tornado.
After only a few minutes that seemed like hours, the noise stopped. Miles climbed off them and pulled Adelaide up. Both girls scurried out of the ditch. The rain continued to pour down, washing away the mud from their clothes. She rubbed the water off her face and looked around.
Several of the wagons had been torn apart, but theirs had been spared. The other emigrants crawled out of the ditch and surveyed the damage. The sound of crying filled the air from some of the women and children in the group.
Easton made his way down the line, asking for injuries. Apparently no one had been injured, but three wagons had been busted up. As they all helped gather up the belongings that had been thrown about, the rain slowed and eventually stopped.
Despite the budding sunshine as the storm moved past them, both girls and Adelaide shivered in their wet clothes. Miles seemed to be oblivious to the cold, and took a leadership role in directing the emigrants, helping Easton get those whose wagons had been destroyed a place to sleep for the night.
Adelaide led the girls back to their wagon and had them strip and drop their clothes outside the wagon. Despite the wind and rain, their wagon was dry on the inside. They both toweled off and climbed into dry, warm nightgowns. Since everything was too wet to make a fire, she fed them leftover biscuits and cold beans.
Miles returned just as the girls were finishing their supper. “Why are you still in your wet clothes?” He frowned at her as he grabbed a biscuit.
“I had to get the girls settled first. Besides, the sun warmed us once the storm passed, so I’m not actually wet anymore.” She turned to Beth Ann and Lizzie. “I think it’s time for bed. It’s been an exhausting day.”
Instead of the usual arguments they both kissed Miles on the cheek and climbed into the wagon. “Good night, Pa.”
Adelaide told herself it didn’t matter that the girls ignored her, even though she was the one who tended to them, made sure they were dry, warm, and fed. No matter that she was left with all the wet, soggy clothes they dropped in the mud that she needed to wash. She brushed away tears and she reached for a biscuit, only to have Miles cover her hand with his.
***
If he wasn’t so tired, he might have dragged the girls back out of the wagon and ordered them to wish Adelaide good night. She looked exhausted herself, still had on her damp clothes, and from the way she swayed on her feet was about to drop on the spot.
He led her over to a tree stump and settled her there. Then he fixed a plate of biscuits and cold beans, and grabbing two spoons, joined her on the log and handed her a utensil.
“Thank you.”
Miles nodded and they ate in companionable silence. Once the plate was empty, Miles set it on the ground and turned to her. “We both have to sleep in the wagon tonight. The ground is too muddy.”
“Yes. I figured that.” Her slight blush was the only indication that she might have a problem with it.
“If you’re ready to turn in, you can go ahead and do what you need to do, and I’ll clean up here and come in when you’re settled.”
Without so much as a word, Adelaide stood, brushed off her skirt and almost raced to the wagon. If only his mind wouldn’t drift toward what she was doing. Taking off her apron, then her dress. Most likely she wore some type of a corset, then a chemise, drawers. Did she take her drawers off before she donned her nightgown? Or did she sleep with them on?
He stood and paced, like a nervous bridegroom. Except he’d been married before and so had she. And with the girls sleeping mere feet from them there certainly wouldn’t be anything going on that would warrant this nervousness.
“I’m finished. Er, ready. I mean, I’m undressed. No! Rather I’m in my nightgown . . .” Her words faded away as she probably fumbled for the right words to let him know he could enter. Of course the problem now was his own clothes. If he climbed into the wagon and began to remove his pants she could very well scream and wake up the entire camp.
If he was a true gentleman, he would sleep in his pants, but his clothes were still damp. Frustrated with the entire situation, he stomped over to the back of the wagon and stuck his head in. “Adelaide, can you find a pair of pants and a shirt in that pile,” he gestured toward the stack of clothes near the girls’ head, “and hand them to me?”
“Yes, of course.” She rummaged through the clean clothes and handed him a flannel shirt and a pair of wool pants.
Once he was in dry clothes, and his damp ones hanging on a nearby bush, he climbed into the wagon. The vehicle dipped with his weight. Adelaide was pressed against the wall of the wagon which left about a three inch space for him to sleep. “Darlin’ you’re going to have to let me in that spot, and you can sleep on top of me.”
“Heavens, I can’t do that!”
He rested his hands on his hips. “Well, it’s either that or we take turns sleeping.”
She looked around the crowded space and chewed her bottom lip. Finally, she closed her eyes and nodded. “All right.”
With a great deal of maneuvering, and a whole lot of “excuse me,” she moved to the center of the wagon and he took the space she had occupied. With his back against the wall of the wagon, he held out his arms. “Come on.”
Adelaide sat next to him, then tried to slide down, but there simply wasn’t enough room.
“Turn on your side with your back to me.”
She shifted her body and Miles wrapped his arm around her middle and tugged her to him. “Not too comfortable, I’m afraid, but I guess we’ll have to make do.”
At first she held her body stiff and he knew she would not get a minute’s worth of sleep if she didn’t relax. “Let go, honey.” He shook her lightly. “Relax against me.”
She tried, but after a few minutes stiffened up again. Miles eased his hand from between them and rubbed her head, massaging her scalp, and at the same time torturing himself with the lemon scent of her hair as it drifted toward his nostrils.
“That feels so good.” Her soft, sultry voice almost had him deciding sleeping in mud might not be such a bad idea after all.
As he continued his ministrations, she slowly relaxed against him until he heard the sound of her deep breathing. He, unfortunately was wide awake with a painful groin. There weren’t too many ways to shift his body, so he tried to concentrate on the rest of their trip, the places they would pass, and how long the rest of the journey would take.
All his efforts were for naught since once in a while Adelaide would move and press her lovely rounded bottom into his swollen member. Lord, she had a fine body. Curved, soft and warm. Everything a man could want in a wife. If only they’d started their marriage in a real house with a real bed, he was certain he would have convinced Adelaide to accept the passion he wanted so much to share with her.
Bright sunlight streamed through the cracks in the wagon boards. Miles was so stiff from lying in the same position for so long he thought he would not be able to walk when he finally attempted to rise.
During the night, his hand had wandered up from Adelaide’s waist to cup her soft breast. He knew he should remove it before she awoke, but he felt it was his reward for suffering through an entire night with her
cuddled so close to him.
No need to worry about moving his hand because within seconds of thinking about her warm body, she stiffened, signifying that she was awake. Slowly, he moved his hand down, but unable to help himself, he kissed the back of her neck. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” Instead of jumping up as he’d expected she stayed where she was, apparently enjoying his kisses. Encouraged, he continued, but when his hand wandered up again, she stopped it with her hand. “Time to get up.”
She scooted away from him and stood. Since it had been dark when he’d come into the wagon last night, he hadn’t seen her in her nightgown. Surprisingly, it was not the flannel affair high up on the neck and down to both of her wrists he had assumed she would wear. This gown was pale blue made of some type of material that was not exactly transparent, but fell in folds around her body, outlining her curves.
Her naked curves. His mouth watered.
“Beth Ann, move off me.” Lizzie’s voice shattered the mood and reminded him the day was starting and he had a lot of work to do.
“Lizzie, don’t shout at your sister.” He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.
“She’s laying on top of me and I want her to get up.” She pushed her sister again. “Beth Ann, move.”
Adelaide looked at the two girls, Beth Ann pretending she was still asleep, but the smile on her face confirming otherwise. “Beth Ann, once you’re up, can you help me make biscuits?”
The girl’s eyes popped open and she jumped up. “Yes.” She nodded and reached for her clothes.
Miles grinned. With his wife’s help maybe he could get some proper behavior out of his two daughters. Seeing as how they would face his parents soon, two well behaved girls would certainly go a long way to help them all settle in. Now if only he could work up some enthusiasm for his new life.
Lord, he hated farming.
Chapter Seven
The wagon cleared the rise and Adelaide was able to see Miles’ family farm spread out before them. She took in the sight of a snug white clapboard house, two barns, and miles of fencing. As they grew closer she identified chicken coops, a vegetable garden, and a pig pen.
The wagon train had ended and they’d left the group behind yesterday morning. After a day spent in town to have the wagon repaired, eat a meal she hadn’t cooked, and sleep in a real bed for the first time in weeks, they’d set out for the farm.
To save money the four of them had slept in the same hotel room. She and the girls shared the bed and Miles took the floor. When he suggested one room, she’d breathed a sigh of relief to be granted one more day before she had to share a bed with her husband.
The night they’d slept together in the wagon had rattled her more than she would have thought. His warm body wrapped around her, as well as the massage he’d given her head had lulled her to sleep. The comfort of a man’s hard body, making her feel protected and cared for had been missing for so long. As much as she didn’t want to become too attached to Miles and his girls, lest she have her heart broken again, the feeling of belonging had overwhelmed her senses.
When she’d awoken with his hand resting comfortably on her breast, another feeling swamped her, one she didn’t want to encourage. Even though they’d been married five weeks, they were still strangers in so many ways. But now that they were going to be settled in one place, sharing a room and a bed, she doubted if she could hold off allowing Miles his husbandly rights.
“The farm looks very prosperous.” Adelaide tried to wipe the tight lines from Miles’ face. The closer they grew to arriving at his family farm, the more tense he became. He’d mentioned once or twice that he had left Santa Fe with a great deal of relief, since he really didn’t like farming. From what she’d seen of her husband so far, he must have been a wonderful sheriff. It was too bad he’d had to leave that job to help out his family.
“What does the farm produce?”
Miles sighed. “Cotton, corn, and pecans.” He looked around, apparently not seeing what she saw since his grim demeanor hadn’t changed. “We also sell eggs and pigs on a small scale. Ma brings eggs in twice a week to the general store in town. Pigs are sold when someone wants one.”
“Pa, I don’t like this place.” Lizzie had most likely picked up her father’s mood.
Adelaide turned to her where she and Beth Ann hung over the edge of the wagon, facing their parents’ backs. “I think you will be quite happy here. It looks like a lovely farm, and I’m sure you will enjoy having your grandparents nearby.”
They all grew silent as they rolled to a stop in front of the house. “All right, girls, we’re home.”
“Not my home,” Lizzie groused.
Adelaide had her own anxiety. Miles had left with one wife and returned with another. From what she’d learned from him, his parents had never seen their granddaughters. They didn’t seem like a close family, so how would they all get on living in the same house?
Miles climbed down from the wagon and lifted Adelaide off the bench. The girls jumped from their spot. Adelaide once again wished she had been able to convince Lizzie and Beth Ann to wear dresses, but they’d both insisted on wearing the trousers they’d worn on the trail. Since she had her own worries, as did Miles, she didn’t make an issue of it. Now she fretted that it would be a bad impression on her mother-in-law who might view her as an inadequate mother.
The four of them stood, almost rooted to the spot, staring at the house, until Adelaide said, “I guess we should go inside.”
Miles gave her a tight smile, took her hand and they walked up the pathway, the girls behind them. Why did she feel as though she was walking to her doom? This was ridiculous. This was Miles’ parents’ home—the place where he’d grown up. The front porch looked inviting. Two rocking chairs sat on either side of the door. Pretty flowers grew in flowerpots scattered over the entire porch.
He opened the door, and placed his hand firmly on Adelaide’s lower back and ushered her in. Next he put his hands on the girls’ shoulders and moved them forward. “Ma?”
“Is that you, Miles?” The voice came from the back of the room, soon followed by the sound of heavy footsteps heading in their direction.
“Land sakes, I was expecting you weeks ago. How long does that wagon train take, anyway?”
He grinned. “Hi, Ma.”
She gave him a hug. “Look at my girls!” She gathered them into her arms and kissed them several times on top of their heads. “It will be so much fun having you here.” She turned to Adelaide, then cast questioning eyes at Miles. “Who’s this?”
Miles placed his arm around Adelaide’s shoulders. “This is my wife, Adelaide.”
“Your wife!” The shock had actually rendered the woman speechless for a moment. “Where did you get a wife?”
“We married along the trail. The girls needed a mother.” His explanation was certainly true, even though he left out the part that he would have been thrown off the wagon train if he hadn’t come up with a wife.
“Well this is certainly a surprise.” She gave Adelaide a brief hug and stood back to study her. “I must admit I thought you would marry Agnes, Miles.”
“Agnes! Why the hell do you think I would marry her?”
“Don’t cuss. She’s your wife’s sister.”
“My wife is standing right next to me.”
“Yes.” She broke into a smile. “Enough of this chatter. I’m sure you’re all hungry, so let’s go into the kitchen.”
“One thing about my ma,” he said. “She’ll feed you to death.”
Mrs. Ryan swatted him on the arm. “Oh, you.” She turned to Adelaide. “You learn when you have boys that they never have enough to eat.”
“Where’s Pa?”
Her mother-in-law busied herself, pulling out bread, meat, and cheese and assembling sandwiches. “He’s out in the field. We had to hire a couple of men to help him. But now that you’re here, we won’t need hired help.”
“Can I do something to help, Mrs.
Ryan?” Adelaide felt foolish sitting here while the woman ran from place to place preparing a meal for them.
“No, dear. You just sit. I’m going to send Miles out to the field when we’re done, and you and I can have a lovely chat.” She smiled at her granddaughters. “Your grandpa hung a swing from our oak tree out front that I’m sure you girls will enjoy.”
A kernel of anxiety landed in Adelaide’s stomach. Miles and the girls would be gone and she and Mrs. Ryan would have a ‘little chat?’
***
Miles had to admit he was a bit rattled when his mother mentioned she thought he would marry Agnes.
Agnes?
He remembered Eve’s younger sister as a little girl, all arms and legs and freckles all over her face. Thank goodness he’d arrived with a wife. His parents had pushed him to marry Eve years ago, and since he was young and had no particular girl in mind, he went along with it. But he certainly didn’t want to get into the habit of having his mother make major decisions for him. He was young no longer, married, and a father.
“I think I’ll head out to the fields and see Pa. Where are we all sleeping?”
“I cleaned your old bedroom, and I thought the girls could use Leo’s room. But if you feel you want more privacy, you can use the foreman’s cottage.”
Miles leaned back and pushed away his empty plate. “I’d forgotten about that place. Is it habitable?”
“Take a look while you’re out. It might need some cleaning up, but it certainly is big enough for all of you. If I remember correctly, it still needs a stove, though.”
He stood and addressed Adelaide. “When you and Ma are finished, come find me out in the field, and we’ll look at the cottage together.”
Adelaide nodded and stood to begin clearing the table.
The girls and he left the house with Ma pouring tea for her and Adelaide. They’d only taken a few steps when he spotted the swing his mother had mentioned. “Look there, girls. Grandpa put a swing up for you.”
Prisoners of Love: Adelaide (Prisoners of Love - Mail Order Brides Book 1) Page 6