Yankee Mail Order Bride (6 page)

In the kitchen…

As are most ranchers, Josiah was up and at his chores before daylight. He was trying to be quiet, but Anna was awake. “Do you get up this early every day,” she asked.

“I do, and sometimes even earlier. There are chores to be done and I like to be out there with the hands. They seem to appreciate that I am willing to work along side.”

“How many, you called them hands, do you have?” she asked.

“We,” he said pointedly, “have six, including Jud, the foreman. We have a cook for the hands, a housekeeper, and Beulah, who pretty much runs the house. I call them ‘hands’ which is short for ranch hands. I said six, I forgot, Jud hired another yesterday. Grandpa started the spread with a homestead and added onto it, and now we’re around 12,000 acres. It’s one of the largest ones in Wyoming. I’ll introduce you to everyone later today.” He leaned over and gave a modest peck on the cheek. “Gotta go now, I’ll be back in for breakfast later. Beulah knows my schedule.” Dressed in jeans and a work shirt and boots, he put on a worn, sweat stained Stetson and was out the door.

Anna rose and got dressed. She removed the sheets, one of which had a blood stain and took them to the kitchen, where she found Beulah at work preparing breakfast. “Good morning, Beulah,” she said. “Does everyone get up early around here?”

“Land sakes, child. This ain’t early. On a ranch, the livestock has to be fed and turned out in the pasture. The men have to go out and check on the herds. Lots to be done on a ranch.

How are you this morning? I’ll have your breakfast in a bit unless you want to wait until Mr Josiah comes in for his.”

“I’ll wait,” she said. “In the meantime, where can I wash these sheets? They’re stained..”

“Bless your heart, you don’t do the washing. Maybelle, the housekeeper takes care of that, and makes the bed too,” Beulah said.

“Beulah, these are stained. I don’t want to just sit around doing nothing,” she said.

“Miss Anna, you can maybe help Mr Josiah with the books, but I do all of the cooking and Maybell does the cleaning.”

“I don’t know how to cook. I don’t think I could even boil water,” she laughed. “Do you think you could teach me? You’ve earned some rest and I want to help. It’s important to me. I intend to take care of Rebecca, and when she’s a bit older, teach her to read and write. If we had a piano, I could teach her that too. I’ve taken piano lessons for years.”

“Miss Anna, could you teach me letters and reading,” she asked.

“Yes, I can, and I would love to do that,” Anna replied. “Would it be all right if I just looked around?”

“Miss Anna, you the lady of the house. You can do anything you want to do. You just tell me if you want something done and I’ll take care of it.”

“What time does Rebecca usually get up?” asked Anna.

“I get her up in time for breakfast. Mr Josiah likes to eat with her,” Beulah said.

“That’s something I can do. Her clothes are in her room?” asked Anna.

“Yessm, they in the closet and the big chest of drawers.”

Anna went down the hall to Rebecca’s room. She smiled when she saw the little girl asleep with Susie and Mary in her arms. She went to the bed and sat on the side, and laid her hand on the sleeping girl’s cheek. “Rebecca,” she said softly. “Rebecca?”

Rebecca opened her eyes and saw who had called her name. “Hello,” she said sleepily.

“Would you let me help you get dressed for breakfast?” asked Anna.

“Uh huh,” Rebecca said.

“Okay, let me get a wash cloth and I’ll wipe the sleep out of your eyes,” she said. There was a pitcher of water and a wash basin, so Anna wet the cloth and gently washed Rebecca’s face. “Would you like to help me pick out your clothes for today?”

“Uh huh, ” said Rebecca. She took Anna’s hand and together, they picked what she was to wear.

“Where is your hairbrush?” Anna asked.

Rebecca pointed to the dresser. Anna found a comb and a brush. She sat in the rocker, and had Rebecca stand between her legs and brushed her hair to its full, lustrous best. “What color ribbon do you like? Can you show me?” she asked.

She picked Rebecca up and took her to the dresser drawer she had indicated, In the drawer was an array of ribbons. “You pick the one you like and I’ll fix it in your hair.” Rebecca picked one and Anna sat back down and put it in the front part of Rebecca’s hair, offset to the left. “Now, if you can get your shoes, I’ll help you with them.”

With Rebecca sitting in her lap, Anna soon had her shoes and socks on. She held her in front of the mirror and asked, “Now, see how pretty you look?” Rebecca smiled at the image in the mirror and nodded her head. “Now, let’s go see if your Papa is back.” They went into the kitchen. “Well, Auntie Beulah, what do you think of our little girl? Isn’t she just about the prettiest girl you’ve ever seen?”

Beulah nodded in agreement. They heard the stamping of boots on the back porch and then Josiah came striding into the kitchen. “Don’t you look pretty this morning? Who got you dressed?”

Rebecca pointed to Anna, and said, “She did.” She hugged Josiah, her short arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled the child’s chair to the table and placed Rebecca in and lowered the tray.

“Good morning again, Beulah,” he said. To Anna, he said, “Good morning again, honey.” And kissed her cheek.

“Is that the best you can do, cowboy,?” Anna asked.

“No, actually, I can do better than that.” He proceeded to demonstrate.

When he released her, she licked her lick as if tasting them. “That was better,” she agreed. Beulah chuckled her agreement.

Beulah put the breakfast before them. Anna indicated the other chair, and asked, “Beulah, won’t you sit and eat with us?”

“Oh nome, Miss Anna. That wouldn’t be fitten.”

“You said I was the lady of the house and could do what I wanted, didn’t you?”

“Yessm.”

“I would like for you to sit and eat with us.” Anna didn’t see the smile that flitted across Josiah’s face.

Later, he told her, “Beulah ate breakfast most every morning. Caroline insisted on it. She didn’t know where you stood, so she took the way she thought was right. I think you made her day.”

“Mother always had the nanny eat with us, Anna said. “When father was home, it wasn’t allowed. “Servants have to know their place,” she mimicked.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about him now. You’re here. All you have to worry about now is me,” Josiah said. “Or maybe the Indians. We have occasionally had problems with the Lakota Sioux. They take a few head of cattle now and then, but we don’t worry about that. They need to eat too.”

“After last night, I guess I had better worry about you,” she said, with the hint of a giggle.

“I guess you had better. I might do it again,” he said.

“You know where I’ll be,” she replied.

Seeing the laughter in her eyes, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.  “I had better get out of here and get some work done,” he said.

“What time do you finish?” she asked.

“Well, on a ranch, there’s always something that needs doing.  If it isn’t fences to be mended, it’s strays to be rounded up, horses to be broken, saddles to be mended, things like that.

“Beulah, we’re going to be moving to the far pasture this morning, so I won’t be in for lunch.  Can you fix me a cold lunch?”

It was nearly dark when Josiah returned to the big house.  “I’m so tired, I can’t even spit,” he said.  “We moved about three hundred head today and they were cantankerous. They wanted to go everywhere except where they were supposed to go.”

“I’ll bet you’d feel better with a nice hot bath.  Why don’t  get some water heated, and you can soak the tiredness away?” Anna asked.

Beulah said, “Child, that’s Maybelle’s work.  I’ll tell her to take care of it.”

“What is there for me to do?” she asked.

“Do you do shoulder rubs?” Joshiah asked.

“I can do a shoulder rub,” she said.  “You turn around.  I have strong hands from playing the piano and should be able to loosen those tight muscles.”  She began kneading his shoulders.  He groaned with the pleasure. 

“You do have strong fingers.  It feels as if you’re trying to make your fingers meet right through the shoulder.” 

After about ten minutes of intense massaging, she said, “That makes my fingers tired.”

Maybelle told him his bath was ready.  “If you want me to wash your back, let me know,” Anna said.

“That  might  be asking for trouble,” he said.

After his bath, he walked into Rebecca’s bedroom in time to catch the last half of
Thumblelina
.  He listened as Anna deviated from the story and added some parts that were new to Rebecca.  “That’s not
Thumblelina
,” the little girl said. 

“This is a special version I learned just for you,” Anna said.

When she finished reading, she told Rebecca, “Hug and kiss your Papa good night and I’ll tuck you in.”
 

After the hug and kisses to Rebecca and the two dolls, Josiah said, “I’m about ready for bed too.  Will you tuck me in?”

“It will be my pleasure,” Anna said. 

In their bedroom, she watched while Josiah readied himself for bed.  When he finished, she asked, “Are you too tired to help me get ready?”

“Never,” came the quick reply.  He unbuttoned her dress, and pulled it over her head.  Then layer by layer, he helped her disrobe.  When she was totally revealed to him, he said, “Turn around for me please. I want to see all of you in the light of day.” Smiling, she clasped her hands together and did a slow turn. Facing him, she put a hand under each breast and pushed them up, the nipples firm and erect.  He pulled his night shirt off and divested himself of his underwear.

He took her into his arms and pulled her tightly against him, her breasts against his chest and her place of dreams against his manhood. He pushed her down on the bed and lay on top of her.

She looked at him with eyes open wide. “I could lose myself in those eyes,” he thought. He sheathed himself and moved his hand down her belly to the entrance to her vault of treasure. He inserted a finger and probed the interior of her body.

“Be gentle,” she asked. “It’s sore from last night.”

He found the magic spot and as he massaged, it she moaned. Moving his finger back and forth against the clitoris, she began to moan loud, bucking and thrusting upward. Nothing last night had prepared her for the intensity of the feeling that took control of her body. She dug her fingers into his back and clung tightly to him, the lower part of her body repeatedly pushing hard against him. Then, it was over.

She went completely limp in his arms. “That was wonderful,” she panted. “I didn’t know my body could feel that way.” As she lay there beneath him she reached down and took hold of his member and guided it into the place it was wanting. He began moving in and out of her. She caught the rhythm and moved in counter thrusts. The undulations of her hips increased in speed, as did his thrusts.

“Wait for me,” he urged.

“I don’t think I can. It’s almost here. Here it coooommmmes,” she said in a low throaty voice. His speed increased as did the pumping, and together they went the rest of the way up their mountains of ecstasy and over the edge together.

“That was good,” she said as she languished in his arms. “What a feeling,” she said. And she pulled him to her and began to move again.