by Gem Sivad
He pressed her tight against him, and she could feel the hard proof of his arousal against her hip.
“I love you, Comfort,” Hamilton said again and lifted her, carrying her to their bed. “Say you love me too.”
She remained mute and he tossed her high and caught her again in his arms until she giggled at his silly antics.
He captured the sound of her mirth with his lips when he covered her mouth, continuing their afternoon kiss.
I do love him so much. I will always love Hamilton Quince. “I am not six years old, Hamilton. My affections cannot be bribed with a doll or empty promises.” Nevertheless she didn’t remove her arms from around his neck.
Their first coupling was fast and hard, neglected needs turning ardor into fiery lust. Afterward, they lay spent in each other’s arms, Comfort resting her head against Hamilton’s chest.
He nuzzled the top of her hair, brushing his lips across her temple before he said, “Do you still love me, Comfort? My life’s not worth shit without your head on my pillow and your heart beating in time to mine.”
Comfort turned her head and kissed his nipple before she playfully bit it.
“Yes, I love you. But please, Hamilton, promise me…”
“I promise you forever and a day, Comfort. That’s how long my love will last. I’ll for damn sure never give you cause to worry about unfaithfulness. I swear, sweetheart. I swear on my soul and Jacob’s too. I made a stupid mistake once.”
“I understand that it happened before our marriage; but oh how it’s changed our lives.” Comfort shivered, thinking about secrets in her own past she wouldn’t want known.
“Just because it happened before we were official isn’t an excuse, and I know that,” Hamilton said, nuzzling the spot behind her earlobe that made her moan. “Before I ever put a ring on your finger, I gave you my heart along with a jar of tupelo honey.”
She turned under him, smiling up. “You remember.”
“Honey more precious than gold, just like you, sweetheart.” Hamilton repeated his words from years before, his voice gruff with emotion.
Comfort cupped his face between her hands and kissed him, recognizing that he’d won. Her mind was already busily selecting inventory from her catalogs to be ordered for the ranch or hauled there the next day.
“What you said to Jacob and Sally earlier was lovely. I hope they accept me.”
“They will. How can they resist? I can’t.”
“Does my irresistible charm include keeping our home here in Eclipse?” Comfort asked hopefully.
“Of course. There’s going to be plenty of times you need to stay in town overnight. Me too for that matter. But not for days on end.”
She felt her pleasure in their intimacy beginning to dissipate.
“I have a business to run.”
“My days start earlier than yours. Always have. I need to headquarter on the Double-Q for now.”
“There’s nothing there.”
“We’re about to put it all together.” Hamilton kissed her neck and squeezed her teasingly. “It will be fun.”
Comfort groaned and pulled the hair on his chest. The immediate work was the least of her worries. It was the actual living out in the middle of nowhere that panicked her.
“Hamilton, I can’t even toast bread with success. Separating me from civilization may not be such a grand idea when we’re all starving.”
Rolling her under him Hamilton entered her with one quick thrust. “We’ll learn together,” he murmured in Comfort’s ear. “One burned slice at a time.”
*
Morning came very early, and though he’d not wasted time on sleep, Hamilton rose energized, ready to move his family to the ranch.
Comfort wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, but the night before, one kiss at a time, he’d convinced her to give Double-Q living a try.
“Make sure you get a bedroom outfit that includes a vanity and mirror.” Hamilton grinned and added wickedly, “And don’t forget linens. Like those big towels in the boardinghouse bathing room.”
“You’re absolutely shameless.” Her scold didn’t ring true when she couldn’t hide her smile.
The kids had already been in the kitchen waiting for Alex when Hamilton had led Comfort downstairs.
“Alex will find us at the store.” Hamilton had bundled all of his family into the wagon ready to go shopping before Comfort could find an excuse to escape.
“Kids, this is a once in a life time offer. I’ll buy anything you find at your mama’s store today. Just make sure it’s something you can put to use where you’re moving.”
“How would they know what they need? I certainly don’t,” Comfort murmured. But both kids gave him their attention.
“Anything? I can have anything I want from the store?” Sally asked.
Hamilton gazed at the little girl. Her eyes were round at the promise of unknown treasures. He needed to be careful or he was going to spoil her more than Comfort already had.
“Anything,” Comfort told her. “And don’t worry about the cost.” The look she sent Hamilton confirmed he’d better brace himself before he inspected the final bill.
He winked at Jacob. His son rolled his eyes at the excited females. But the boy’s face held a look of anticipation too.
Hamilton counted whatever the future cost, as money well spent. They were shopping together for their new home. The CQ Mercantile stocked about anything Comfort and the kids could need. And all he needed was them.
*
Comfort wet her lips nervously. She could taste Hamilton there, and his sudden bold demands roused both her ire and her desire. She was acutely aware of his hip pressing against hers as he drove the wagon to the Mercantile. When they arrived, he jumped down quickly and Jacob hopped to the ground next to him.
“Jacob, take your sister into the store.” Hamilton lifted Sally carefully from the bench and turned back to Comfort clasping her waist in his big hands and squeezing her once before he set her on her feet.
“Get the essentials now, Comfort. Beds and mattresses should be top of the list.”
“Hamilton, don’t forget I offer delivery. Your ranch house will be filled with curtains, cutlery, and costly furnishings before I’m through.” She looked at him pityingly.
“Our ranch house, Comfort, it’s our new home.” He only smiled at her taunt and corrected her.
Comfort loved to shop but today she enjoyed watching. Sally went straight to the items she’d found captivating during her days with Comfort in the Mercantile.
“I’ll need clothes for my new doll baby, for sure,” Sally looked sideways at Hamilton to see if he’d protest.
“That you will,” he said. “And I expect your doll will need a cradle to sleep in at night.”
“No, she’ll cuddle with me. I used to sleep with Jacob. I get afraid sometimes when I’m alone in the dark. Now I won’t be alone,” Sally said, smiling in anticipation.
Comfort’s breath caught and she wanted to give the little girl everything in the world. Once the doll clothes were chosen, they moved on to a canopied bed, white vanity and rugs for the floor.
“Is this a wild place Jacob’s pa is taking us?” Sally’s inquiry troubled Comfort.
“Hamilton’s your father too, Sally, just as I’m mama to both you and Jacob now.”
The little girl looked doubtfully at the two males across the store. Hamilton lounged next to Jacob where the boy was scrutinizing the saddles and horse supplies.
Jacob’s sister was shy, not stupid and everyone, Comfort included, skated over the child’s relationship to Hamilton. Comfort used Sally’s question to change the topic, though it was a subject Hamilton needed to address.
“As for the ranch being wild, I think of it as wilderness—no cook, no housekeeper, no store down the street.” Her playful tone gradually changed as she listed realities.
“The holidays are upon us. We not only have to furnish our new house, we have to be ready to entertain company in time
for Thanksgiving and then Christmas. And I have to get the store ready for the biggest shopping season of the year.” Her voice dwindled to a whisper. “It’s impossible.”
Sally patted her hand, lending silent support. Then she said, firmly, “I’ll help you when we get to the new house, Mama.” The little girl’s eyes glowed with purpose.
“Your father has no idea what he demands,” Comfort grumbled, but Sally’s one word had restored her mood. She had a daughter. Maybe Sally’s affections were not real, maybe they were sham so she could get more presents. Comfort didn’t care. From little seeds mighty oaks grew.
She and Sally prepared for their ranch move, and gave the Eclipse citizens a shopping spree the gossips would talk about for years.
Chapter Six
Once they arrived at the ranch, Alex helped move the furniture inside, but disappeared as soon as the wagon was unloaded.
Hamilton lingered long enough to move the couch three times for Comfort, as she attempted to arrange the drawing room furniture. After she requested he return the sofa to its original position, he complied, and then fled, taking Jacob with him.
“Come on son,” Hamilton urged the boy. “Let the women play in here. We’ve got work to do outside.”
Play? The beds had been set up, but had to be made ready for sleep. Boxes needed unpacked. Pictures waited to be hung. And clothes needed to be folded or hung—as soon as Comfort decided in whose bureau or closet, in which room.
Any sulking she might have considered, evaporated, swept away by Sally’s enthusiasm. With the little girl’s help, Comfort set aside her doubts and embraced the enormous task of establishing a home.
Comfort’s heart warmed as the little girl worked beside her, enthusiastically tackling all the chores. They finished making up the canopy bed with the pink comforter and frilly pillows Sally had chosen.
“This is all my own room?” Sally asked several times getting Comfort’s assurance it belonged just to her. “Etta can rest here while we work.” Sally tucked a blanket around her doll and propped her on the bed pillow. She took Comfort’s hand and pulled her toward the kitchen saying knowingly, “Best get to the hard part.”
Eventually someone would be hungry. It wouldn’t take long for the magically appearing and disappearing men to empty the basket of fried chicken Mrs. Carmichael had sent along.
After unpacking the boxes, organizing the children’s rooms, arranging the living room, and preparing her own bedroom where she and Hamilton would sleep, it was time she faced the dreaded kitchen.
It was the one room Comfort had avoided. One wall was dominated by an elaborate six-foot tall iron stove installed when Hamilton built the house. Comfort knew how expensive it had been because she’d chosen it. Even at cost, Hamilton had paid the earth for it. It had never been used.
Hamilton had fashioned a brick cubbyhole to set the stove in, so the monstrous size didn’t claim all the floor space. A flat iron cooking area covered the top. Either wood or coal could be burned below, where heavy doors closed off fire boxes.
Mrs. Carmichael had said Comfort’s kitchen would be the envy of every woman in the state if anyone knew about it. Hamilton had been so proud when he’d pointed out the two large ovens that stood above the flat stovetop.
“You can bake pies in one while you have meat roasting in the other,” he’d explained as though she would understand.
Comfort murmured her worries to the little girl who shadowed her as they walked through the house. When they ended their journey in the well-lit and surprisingly cheerful room, Comfort sighed. “Sally, I’m about to reveal all my flaws and limitations. I don’t know how to cook.”
Sally grinned at Comfort mischievously. Her expression startled Comfort since her new daughter’s smiles were small and infrequent. “Reckon Jacob and his pa will be hungry enough to eat whatever we fix when they get in from all that work.”
Comfort had come prepared to at least look the part of a ranch wife. Dressed in matching aprons, the two women—a five year old and a nervous cook—tackled the meal of eggs and toast. As anticipated, the bread was burnt and blackened on one side and barely brown on the other.
Sally seemed well-pleased with their accomplishment. When Jacob and Hamilton came in for supper, Comfort silently dared her husband to snicker or complain at the plain fare.
He didn’t bat an eye, wolfing the meal down as he listened to Jacob’s stories of the horse he’d been given to ride.
“Will it carry double?” Sally asked almost anxiously.
“Course he will.” Jacob assured her. “Pa’s got a step stool you can use to reach the stirrups. I can boost you up the rest of the way.”
The children exchanged a look of anticipation. Hamilton beamed when Jacob called him, Pa, but cautioned him just the same. “No riding double or otherwise outside the paddock, yet. There’s a lot of territory to cover and until you ride the ranch with me, too many places for you to get lost.”
After supper, Comfort stood in front of the kitchen window doing the dishes and looking out at the silent landscape so different from the town of Eclipse.
Hamilton ushered the children into the room and said, “You young’uns do the wash-up for your mama. I’m taking her for a walk in the moonlight. I expect to find this kitchen spotless when we come back.”
“That’s woman’s work,” Jacob muttered, his face scrunched mutinously.
Hamilton frowned. “Work’s work. You and Sally will have this chore every night. Get used to it.”
Comfort was fascinated by the change in Hamilton. He’d never shown ability with children or interest, other than his attempts to give Comfort her heart’s desire. Now, he brought out parenting skills from a part of him she’d never known.
As soon as they were out of the house, Hamilton slid his arms around her shoulders. “You think they’ll do what I said?”
Comfort was startled by his question. “You doubt it? How do you know just the right thing to do with them? You’ve taken to parenting with an adeptness I admire.”
Hamilton laughed ruefully. “I’m fumbling around in my mind, trying to think of everything my pa made Ambrose and me do when we were kids. We survived. I figure our young’uns will too.”
They reached the barn and he ushered her inside. As soon as they stood in the barn’s shadows, Comfort pulled his head down for a kiss. “I love you Hamilton,” she whispered.
“Sweetheart,” he said gruffly when their kiss ended. “Hold on to that thought. I’ve got some news to impart.”
“What?” Comfort stared up at him, fear suddenly flooding her. As turbulent as their acquisition of a family had been, the children were now firmly entrenched in her heart and her mind had just begun to wrap around all of the changes their presence had already brought.
*
Hamilton held Comfort in his arms, savoring the feel of her body pressed against his own. They were back together. In tune. A strand of hair curled next to her face, softening Comfort’s usual immaculate perfection.
As though sensing his thoughts, she brushed the stray curl from her face and said apologetically, “I’m a mess. Without Sally’s help, supper would have been even worse.”
“You did fine. You’re smart. It won’t take long for you to figure out the cook-stove.” He chuckled and kissed her again.
He remembered the news he had to deliver and his stomach clenched apprehensively.
“Jacob and I rode over to Quincy’s place with Alex after we unloaded the furniture. Lucy and Ambrose will be back from Austin for the holidays.”
“That’s wonderful. And?” Comfort asked, smiling at Hamilton.
He shifted, trying to find the best way to phrase the next part.
“We’re having Thanksgiving here this year. I figured you’d want your sister with us, so I sent word for Charlie and Naomi to come too.” He confessed everything in a rush of words and watched Comfort’s expression change to horror. “We’re having the family dinner? I’m supposed to cook?”
“Yep,” he said quickly.
“Hamilton Quince, what were you thinking? I can barely manage fried eggs and burnt toast. How am I supposed to prepare a turkey and fixings for ten people?”
“Maybe a few more,” Hamilton mumbled, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “The rest of the McCallisters are coming too.”
While Comfort remained speechless blinking outrage up at him, Hamilton hastily assured her. “We’ve got a month to get ready. We’ll figure it out.”
Chapter Seven
I can do this. In the past month she’d amazed herself at what she could accomplish. First of all, she’d had to arrange for the store to continue operating without her constant attention.
She’d pinned a Help Wanted sign on the Eclipse Community bulletin board and had Marta Carmichael circulate the notice as well. She’d planned on hiring a woman to manage the store, although she didn’t like the idea of a woman lifting and carrying boxes as Comfort had done for years.
She’d ended up employing Mrs. Carmichael’s son Mel, as temporary help. So far it had worked out well and if he managed the holidays successfully, Comfort planned to offer him the job on a permanent basis.
She’d shifted many responsibilities to Mel already and eagerly contemplated shifting more. It had surprised her at first how ready she’d been to step away from the everyday running of the CQ Mercantile.
At the moment other business was on her mind. Comfort stood in the doorway of her kitchen, eyeing the enemy. It was a monster, challenging her in the battle ahead. The cast iron stove Hamilton was so proud of, leered at her, promising her defeat.
“Merciful heavens, I can't do this,” she whimpered aloud.
“Don’t worry, Mama. We can do it.” Sally took Comfort's hand and squeezed it, reminding her she wasn't alone.
“It doesn't much look like our kitchen at home, does it?” Sally and Comfort sighed together. If they were in their Eclipse home, Marta would have the pies waiting on the counter, the turkey ready for roasting, and the side dishes organized for the coming event.