she’d found in David’s bedroom. His small head smelled sweet, she thought, just as an infant should, and it was with joy that she diapered him and found the last clean gown for him to wear.
The laundry must be done soon, for he was almost out of diapers, having only just a few more than a dozen to his name. A washtub on the porch offered her a place to soak his clothing, and she put it in front of the stove, half filling it with warm water from the reservoir.
His bottle ready, she held him in her arms in the rocking chair and sang to him as he ate his meal, his hands clutching at her fingers, his nose nuzzling her as he searched out the nipple she’d carefully washed and readied for his use.
He was warm and soft and she felt an overwhelming love for the mite as she rocked him, holding him close, humming a lullaby she’d heard her mother sing as she worked around the house, one she remembered hearing as a child.
When David returned from his jaunt across town, she had just put Joshua down on the bed, knowing that he would sleep again for at least two hours. He was a good baby, her former neighbor had said, quickly accustoming himself to the schedule of eating and sleeping. Marianne had not spent much time with children up until this point in her life, but tending to her brother was a chore she accepted as her due.
David had good news. “The mayor seems to think it would be a good idea for us to be married. He said every man needs a wife, and a preacher especially so. The parsonage is usually the place where people come with their problems, and it is better if there is a true family living there. I understand what he was saying, for it isn’t a good idea for a man of the church not to have a wife of his own. He said I’ve been the object of several young ladies’ attention of late, and I suspect he is right. For I feel sometimes like I’m on display.”
Marianne nodded at his words. “What do you think we should do?” she asked.
“Did Janet have any ideas?” David wanted to know. “I thought she might speak her mind to you.” Marianne nodded, looking down at her hands, clenched tightly in her lap. “She thinks it’s a good idea, our getting married. I just don’t want you to jump into something you may be sorry for later on. What if you find that you don’t like me well enough to share your life with me?”
The expression on David’s face was almost comical, for he’d apparently not thought of that possibility. “I see no reason why we couldn’t make a good marriage. You’re a woman who would appeal to any man with eyes in his head, and I’m not immune to the allure you offer.”
“Me?” She was stunned by his words. “I didn’t think you had looked at me that way, David.”
“You don’t know much about men, do you?” At the quick shake of her head, he continued, his voice soft, his gaze upon her seeming as warm as a spring breeze. His words were genuine, spoken from his heart, and he felt the pace of that organ in his chest vibrating in a mysterious rhythm. “You are slender and most appealing, Marianne, with curves that speak of feminine form and beauty. Your eyes are lovely, your hair looks like pure silk. It makes my hands itch to touch it and run it through my fingers. Altogether you are a woman any man would be proud to marry. Best of all, your demeanor is modest, your upbringing obviously that of a girl with a good background. I’ll bet your folks were strict with you, weren’t they? I doubt they allowed you to be alone with any young men, did they?”
He halted, watching her with a warmth in his eyes that made her wonder at the many charms he had described, made her stomach swim in a delightful manner. She shook her head in bewilderment. “No one has ever spoken to me this way before. I don’t know what to think, David. I look in my mirror every morning when I wash my face and brush my hair, and I swear to you I don’t see the woman you have described.”
“Perhaps I look with the eyes of a man who is attracted to you, Marianne. Maybe my viewpoint is so different than yours because it is one of masculine interest. Know that I am being as honest with you as I know how. I would never tell you an untruth or exaggerate my feelings. You are a tempting woman and I would find it no hardship to put my ring on your finger and claim you as my wife.”
Chapter Four
“Is this what you told the mayor? That you were ready to speak vows with me?”
David nodded silently, then awaited her answer. It was not long in coming. “I’ve decided to do as you’ve asked, David. I’ll marry you and take up the reins in your home and do my best to make you happy and make your life as easy as possible. I’ll keep your house clean and your clothing in order and in all ways act as a minister’s wife should when the occasion warrants it.”
His hands found hers, long fingers clasping smaller digits, warmth sheltering small chilled fingers, and his smile was enough to warm the entire house, she thought.
“You’ve made me a happy man, Marianne. The circuit judge will be making a stop here tomorrow morning to make a ruling on a man the sheriff is holding in jail. I’ll visit him early in the day and ask for his assistance in this matter. I’m certain he’ll arrange to marry us before the day is over. Will that please you?”
She was speechless. That her whole life could so quickly change, that her position be elevated to that of wife in less than twenty-four hours was something she had not believed could happen. Yet if David were to be believed, that would be the plan for the morrow. And she knew, somehow, deep inside, that David did not make plans without the intent of carrying them out in full. And so she smiled up at him, nodding her agreement.
And as if he was tempted beyond his ability to refrain, he surrounded her with his arms and held her against his body, lowering his head and tilting it just so, until his lips were hovering over her own and his breath warmed her mouth. “Am I being too bold, asking a kiss from you, sweetheart? I ache to hold you and know that you will be mine tomorrow, and I need to know that you are not averse to kissing me and allowing my caresses.”
Marianne tilted her face to his. “I’ve only been kissed twice before, from the man who wanted to marry me, so I’m probably not very good at it, but I’m willing to learn, David.”
In a few long moments she discovered that the whole exercise was an experience of true delight, that the man’s lips were soft, yet demanding, that his heartbeat was strong and rapid against her breast and she was more deeply involved in the brushing and pressing of lips than she’d thought possible. A thrill of surprise ran through her body, her arms developed gooseflesh and her legs felt weak, as if she were standing on limp noodles.
“David?” Her voice had even developed a strange lassitude, for she could not seem to speak aloud, only murmur his name. “David,” she whispered again, and his eyes were lit with discovery, his cheeks flushed with a line of ruddy color over his jawline.
“I think kissing you will fast become a habit,” he said softly. “You are a lovely woman, Marianne. I’ll enjoy very much being married to you.”
His arms tightened their grip on her and she was pulled tautly against his long frame, the powerful lines of his chest cushioning her breasts, his long legs surrounding her more feminine lines. Her hands moved from his shoulders to his hair, to that dark, waving mass of silky stuff that invited her fingers to investigate and caress the fine threads that seemed to be as soft as dandelion fluff in the spring.
She tilted her head back and looked closely at his face, the straight nose and dark brows over blue eyes that glowed with a strange light even now. His jaw was firm, with just a trace of whiskers to mar the surface, and her hand went there, feeling the roughness of his beard, which was so much a part of a man. She was held
