The Rancher's Mail Order Bride (Dalton Brides Book 1)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  "Well, there's no cooking involved with something simple like bread and butter. Or bread and jam. You could get that for us," he suggested politely. He wanted to order her to do it, but since he planned to bed her as soon as she'd finished the supper dishes, he was certain he should be a tad bit more polite about it than that.

  "I've been traveling for ten days. I'm tired. I'm hungry. I want a bath. I think it's only fair that you take care of supper tonight while I rest." She stood and walked into the small bedroom that was sectioned off from the main area with a makeshift curtain.

  Walt watched her go, shaking his head. He'd let her get away with her behavior just this once, because she was right. She had traveled for a long time, and she must be tired. Tomorrow, though. Tomorrow, she was going to fix supper for him, or by God, she'd have to deal with his anger.

  Chapter Three

  After supper, Gwen reluctantly washed the dishes. Walt had cooked, and it was the least she could do. After she finished, she turned to see him watching her, his eyes filled with lust. She knew the look, because she'd seen it so many times on the men she'd stepped out with. She knew what the look meant as well. It meant he'd do anything for her.

  She smiled at Walton flirtatiously, sidling up to him. "The meal was lovely. I do appreciate you cooking for me." She really wanted a nice hot bath after all that time on trains. Surely he'd fetch water for her if she spoke sweetly enough.

  Walt looked at her for a minute, knowing she was up to something. It was time for him to assert his authority over her. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down onto his lap, one hand cupping her breast, while the other went behind her head to pull it down for a kiss.

  Gwen had never had a man be so forward with her. No one had ever just grabbed her, other than that one time in the park with Stanley. She was used to men who asked permission before kissing her, not that she'd never been kissed against her will.

  She melted into his kiss while her hand went to his and removed it from her breast. He had no right to touch her where no other man ever had. She put it on her waist, and then concentrated on kissing him back.

  Walt almost chuckled at her puny attempts to thwart his advances. She was going to be under him in bed within the hour. Why did she think she shouldn't let him touch her now?

  His hand moved back to her breast while his other hand stroked up and down her back, soothing her.

  Gwen was startled at his touch. Did she have to ask him not to touch her there? What was his problem?

  Her hand once again went to the hand on her breast and put it back on her waist. She nipped at his bottom lip. This man certainly was a pleasure to kiss, unlike most of the men she'd stepped out with back in Beckham. They'd all made her feel like her skin was crawling when they'd touched their lips to hers.

  Abruptly, Walt stood up and swung her into his arms, carrying her past the partition and to the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed.

  Gwen propped herself up on her elbows. "I want a bath before bed." She'd kissed him, so surely he would do whatever she asked now. That's how it worked. That's how it had always worked.

  Walt nodded. "You do smell a bit rank. Sure. The well is about a hundred yards behind the house. Fire's still going in the stove, so it shouldn't take too long to heat up."

  She smiled. "Thank you for getting it ready for me." She knew she'd be able to wrap him around her finger with her kisses. Marriage wasn't going to be so bad after all.

  He laughed. Did she really think he was going to fill her tub for her? Had the girl never done anything for herself in her life? He grabbed her hand and looked at the palm and fingertips. "Have you always had servants?"

  "Yes, of course. Haven't you?"

  He sighed. "Go to the well and get your water. I can wait." Not for long, but he could wait. She was going to be a joy in bed. He just hoped it made up for her spoiled attitude the rest of the time.

  "Me? I thought you were going to carry the water in."

  "No, ma'am. I'm not the one who wants a bath tonight." He eyed her for a moment. What was her name again? He knew Bonnie was the oldest, but she'd married Bart. Started with a G didn't it? Gertie?

  "But it's hard work. I've never had to carry water into the house before. My family had running water." Gwen couldn't believe he was refusing to carry water for her. Hadn't she just let him kiss her?

  "Well, I don't have running water, and you're going to need to get used to carrying your own water." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her on the bed. She really did need a bath.

  Gwen pushed up into a sitting position on the bed, glaring at him the whole while. "I don't want to carry the water." She stood up and walked toward him, trailing the tip of her finger down the middle of his chest. "Would you do it for me? Please?"

  Walt had to stifle a laugh. Did she really think she was going to get around him that way? He'd seen women get men to do what they wanted by flirting before, but he'd never seen a married woman try it with her husband. And really? She was his to do with as he wanted. What difference did it make to him if she flirted with him? "I'll show you how."

  He stepped away from her and led the way through the yard to the well. He carefully lowered the bucket and showed her how to do it, before taking it out and handing it to her. "You get this started boiling while I get the tub for you."

  He usually just washed up at the basin, but a tin tub stood beside the house. He carried it into the kitchen and set it on the floor not far from the stove. He was finished before she even got into the house with the bucket.

  Walt put a huge pot on the stove for her to heat the water in and sat down at the table, watching to see how she'd handle it.

  Gwen couldn't believe he wouldn't heat the water for her. What kind of man would leave his own wife to carry water on her own? She was mumbling under her breath as she carried the bucket into the house and poured it into the pot on the stove. She looked at him. "How many more do I need?" She didn't want to talk to him ever again, but she had to. She should have just stayed on the train to the next stop. Surely there would have been a man there who knew how to treat a lady.

  He shrugged. "Depends how full you want the water. I'd say at least ten hot and five cold."

  She gaped at him openly. "And you expect me to carry it all myself?"

  "I cooked dinner."

  "Walton Dalton! What kind of man are you to expect me to do this kind of work when I've never done it before? Don't you think I need to learn to do this kind of hard work gradually? Do a little more each day?"

  He sighed. She was probably right whether he liked it or not. "I'll help you. You stay here and boil the water, and I'll carry the buckets." He was annoyed with her. What kind of woman agreed to marry a rancher when she had no work skills? How was she ever going to adjust to ranch life?

  He carried in bucket after bucket while she boiled the water and dumped it into his bathtub. He needed to make sure she knew he wasn't going to be doing this every day. She was a beautiful woman, but she couldn't use her beauty to get out of doing the work a ranch required of a woman.

  When the tub was full, and the temperature was to her satisfaction, she turned to him. "I'll bath quickly. You won't have to wait outside for more than a half hour."

  "I'm not waiting outside." He took a chair at the table and pulled a piece of paper to him. "I won't watch, but I'm not going outside." It was his house, and she was his wife. Why on earth would he go outside?

  "But...I can't disrobe in front of you." Gwen couldn't believe he was being so difficult. What would her life be like?

  "Why can't you? I'm going to be seeing you naked for the rest of our lives," he asked reasonably. The woman was crazed.

  "You will not be seeing me naked! How dare you?" What kind of woman did he think she was?

  Walt looked at her again. "How old are you?" She couldn't be more than fifteen if she thought he wouldn't see her naked when they made love.

  "I'm twenty-one." How her age was relevant, she didn
't know.

  "So you know I'll be touching you everywhere tonight, right? Why are you worried about me seeing what I'll be touching in just an hour?"

  She gaped at him. "What do you mean you'll be touching me everywhere? I haven't given you permission to even kiss me yet!" He was crazed.

  He sighed. "You do know what happens between a man and a woman when they marry, right?"

  "They love each other for all eternity, and he then can kiss her whenever he would like," Gwen answered primly.

  Walt groaned. "On second thought, I will go for that walk." He got up and left the house, needing to have one of her sisters talk to her. Thinking about which one would be most appropriate, he stormed to Bart's house. Scrawny Bonnie would be the one to help him. She seemed to know everything.

  He pounded on his brother's door, and for the first time ever waited for him to answer before storming inside. He hoped he wasn't interrupting his brother's wedding night, but from the look on Bart's face when he'd met Bonnie, he really didn't need to worry about that.

  Bonnie answered the door, peeking out. "What can I do for you, Mr. Dalton?"

  "I'm Walt. Can I talk to you for a minute, Bonnie?" There were delicious smells wafting out of the house. He knew that Bart's larder had been practically bare, and he immediately saw this woman as a sorceress in the kitchen. He could feel the saliva pooling in his mouth and wished he had the right to walk in and eat whatever he wanted.

  "Yes, of course." She glanced over her shoulder, and he noticed Bart for the first time, asleep with his head pillowed on his arms at the kitchen table. She took a shawl from a nail by the door and stepped outside. "How can I help you, Mr. Dalton?"

  Walt sighed. "It's kind of a delicate subject." How did one ask his new sister-in-law if her sister had any idea of what happened in the marriage bed?

  "Just say it. I'm tired, and would like to go to sleep." She looked as annoyed as she had at the train station, so he desperately hoped she would help him.

  "Does Gertie have any idea what happens in the marriage bed?" he asked quickly. He wasn't a shy man, but talking about this subject with his sister-in-law just felt awkward.

  Bonnie tilted her head to the side for one moment, studying him. "Who is Gertie?"

  "Isn't that my new wife's name?" He should know her name. He sent up a quick prayer that he hadn't gotten it wrong.

  "No, it's not. Her name is Gwen." She shook her head at him. "Maybe you were the right man to marry my sister after all. To answer your question, I don't believe she does know about the marriage bed. Why? Is she refusing you?"

  Walt shrugged. "I just got the impression she didn't know. Would you be willing to go to the house and explain things to her? Please?"

  Bonnie sighed heavily. "If I must. I suppose it's the least I can do for her since I'm the one who dragged her out here under false pretenses." She motioned for him to go ahead of her. "After you, Mr. Dalton. I'm afraid I don't know which of these pitiful shacks is yours."

  Walt glared at her before turning and leading the way to his house. She may be the best cook of the three, but her tongue was so sharp, he wasn't sure he would be able to survive a meal with her.

  "She's bathing. I'll wait out here." He opened the door for Bonnie, not looking at his wife. Just the thought of her being in his home, undressed, had him aroused. He didn't need it to be any more obvious around her sister.

  Gwen looked up as Bonnie approached. She was half asleep and enjoying her bath immensely. "Bonnie!" Why she'd been certain she'd never see her sisters again, she didn't know, but she had been even after Walt's assurances. "It's so good to see you!" In that moment she forgot all about her anger for Bonnie dragging her to Texas.

  Bonnie smiled and pulled up a chair beside Gwen's tub. "Let me wash your hair for you." While she worked at her sister's hair, she asked, "Gwenny? Do you know what happens in the marriage bed?"

  Gwen laughed. "What kind of question is that? Of course I do!"

  Bonnie eyed her sister skeptically. "You do? Why don't you tell me then? I want to be ready."

  "Well, in the marriage bed, the couple sleeps together every night. It's a way to help bind a couple together." Gwen knew that, because someone had mentioned the marriage bed to her, so she'd asked her mother.

  Bonnie sighed. "That's not exactly the whole truth. Did Mama tell you that?"

  "Yes, of course."

  "Well, there's a bit more to it than that." As soon as she'd finished rinsing her sister's hair, she started washing her back for her. "Here's the whole truth, Gwen..."

  By the time Bonnie was finished with her explanation, Gwen's face was burning hot. "Do you think Walton wants me to do that with him? Tonight?" She would die of embarrassment, but he'd said something about seeing her naked. He'd wait for a few years for her to be ready, though, wouldn't he?

  "I'm certain he does, Gwen. All men want that on their wedding night." Bonnie got to her feet. "He asked me to come over and explain what would happen to you."

  Gwen was still shocked. "Have you done it? With Bart?"

  Bonnie shook her head. "No, all we've done is cook a meal, and he kissed me at the wedding."

  "Oh. Well, do you know if it hurts?" Gwen tried not to panic about the idea of what was to come, but she needed to know as much as she could so she could prepare herself.

  Bonnie shrugged. "I've never done it, but I've been told the first time does hurt some."

  "I want to come home with you then. I don't think I feel like doing that this evening."

  Bonnie shook her head. "You're a married woman now, Gwenny. It's your duty. The Bible says so."

  Gwen hated the idea of being in such a vulnerable position with her husband. Why hadn't someone told her about this before she married? "Do you think Libby would let me stay with her?"

  "It's not a matter of whether we want you around. It's time for you to fulfill your duty." She took the drying cloth from the table and held it up for her sister. "I'll help you brush your hair dry."

  Gwen stepped out of the tub and allowed Bonnie to engulf her in the towel. "I'm scared, Bonnie."

  "I know you are. You'll get through it."

  Bonnie painstakingly brushed out Gwen's hair.

  Walt paced back and forth in front of his cabin, glaring at it. How long did it take to explain? Were they trying to put him off?

  He sighed. He was impatient because it had been a long time for him, but he had to keep in mind that he'd married an innocent. He had to be kind and understanding. Dagnabit. He had to be someone he wasn't. How was he going to do that?

  When Bonnie finally left the house, he rushed forward. "Did you explain everything?"

  Bonnie nodded, not meeting his gaze. "I'd appreciate it if you walked me home."

  Walt nodded. "Absolutely, ma'am." He walked across the lawn to Bart's cabin. "Thank you for taking the time to help me."

  "I look at it as helping my sister." When they reached her new front door, she turned to him. "Be patient with her. She's not used to ever hearing the word 'no.'" With that she slipped into the house and closed the door behind her.

  He could hear Bart's snores from the yard. What was his brother doing falling asleep at the table on his wedding night?

  Walt turned to go back to his own cabin. He said a quick prayer for patience and opened the door. His bride was nowhere to be seen. Was she waiting in bed for him?

  He walked into the bedroom, and sure enough, she was curled on her side, fast asleep. He wondered for a moment if he should wake her but decided to let her sleep. He'd wake her early in the morning to start their marriage. He was a strong man and another few hours wouldn't hurt him a lick.

  Chapter Four

  After breakfast, Gwen stood doing the breakfast dishes. She'd protested to Walton that she'd just done dishes the night before, but he just shook his head at her. "You'll be doing dishes three times a day every day. I'll be home at noon for lunch." He'd kissed her softly and plopped his hat on his head, heading out to work for the day.

/>   She blushed as she thought of how Walt had woken her that morning. The man must have fifteen hands. He was so good at kissing, though. And she'd enjoyed it more than she'd thought possible. Surely he'd hire a maid as soon as they could afford it and rescue her from her life of servitude.

  Gwen hated doing the dishes. Maybe if she learned to cook, Walt would do the dishes. It was at least worth trying, wasn't it?

  There was a knock on her door, and Gwen hurried over to open it. Both of her sisters stood in front of her. "Come in!" She wondered how she could get Bonnie to do her dishes for her without coming right out and asking.

  Bonnie looked over at the basin and smiled. "I see you're almost finished with the dishes. I came over to bake bread for the next two days. You two need to learn to cook as soon as you can so you can please your husbands."

  Gwen knew she'd pleased her husband without knowing how to cook, but she said nothing. What could she say? I can please my husband in bed just as well as I please him in the kitchen? She could just imagine her sister's reaction to that statement.

  She rushed over and finished the dishes, looking forward to learning to cook. Anything to get out of dish duty.

  The three sisters talked about their husbands the whole while. "Nate was angry with me for refusing to share the marriage bed with him. I made him sleep on the floor. I told him he'd have to woo me."

  Gwen blushed. How had Libby managed to keep Nate from doing that with her? She'd certainly tried with Walt, but he'd been very insistent. Of course, now that she'd done it, she wouldn't complain about doing it again.

  Gwen held her tongue. She wasn't going to say a word. Her sisters didn't need to know that she'd enjoyed what she and Walt had done together.

  She put the last dish into the cabinet and hurried to the table, sitting with her sisters. "I want to know everything there is to know about cooking," Gwen announced, deliberately changing the subject. "Do you think you could teach us everything today?" She had visions of putting a beautiful meal on the table in front of Walt that evening, and him kissing her feet, promising her he'd wash every single dish in their home for the rest of their marriage.