“You can even have your own drawer in my dresser,” she offered, grasping his hand and leading him to the next store. It was large, with benches out front for the men who sat and watched the world go by. A sign above the door designated it as the Emporium, and Alexis nudged Jamie toward the double doors.

  “What do you need in here?” he asked. “You already look pretty well put together to me.”

  “It’s not for me, love,” she said sweetly. “I want to buy you some clothes. Four shirts is not enough for any man, and I won’t have a husband who has to wait for the laundry to be done and the clothes ironed before he can put on a clean shirt. You need enough clothes to last all week.”

  “You got any money?” he teased, well knowing that his own pocket was ample to buy anything she pointed at. He’d not spent his money for weeks, only set it aside each time a letter from Brace arrived. Now he carried some in a money belt, another portion of his wages in his pocket and still had a tidy sum in his room back at the ranch.

  “I’m well-heeled,” she said smugly. “My father has always paid me an embarrassing amount for doing the housework and cooking and even with Ellen there, he said I still needed to be on the payroll, due to my work with the horses.”

  “Well, I didn’t know when I left him in charge of the cash flow he was going to indulge you this way,” James said, feigning anger. It was no use. She could see through him with no trouble at all, and he was amused at her disdainful look.

  “I earn every penny I get, mister. You don’t scare me, not one little bit. And if I want to spend my money on new clothes for you, I will. Not another word, you hear?”

  They marched in unison up to the counter where a man waited, his white apron in place, his moustache lush and curled at the ends, and his big hands looking capable of lifting down any number of boxes for them to sort through.

  “We’d like to see some shirts for my husband,” Alexis said sweetly, and darted a look of warning at James.

  “What size are you looking for, ma’am?” the gentleman asked.

  James grinned. The little fox didn’t know his size, that was for sure.

  “Extra-large,” Alexis said quickly. “With extra-long sleeves.”

  He bent to her and his whisper was directed at her left ear. “How did you find that out?”

  “Guess who’s been doing the washing?”

  “You looked, you little minx.”

  “I needed to find out all I could about you, just in case I decided you were the man I wanted.”

  “Just in case?”

  Her mouth opened to reply, and then closed abruptly as the storekeeper brought two glass bins to the counter and began lifting shirts from their depths. “Take a look at these,” he said nicely. “There’s more where they came from.”

  “I like this for work,” Alexis said quickly, picking up a light blue chambray, and then another in tan. “What do you think?” she asked Jamie.

  “I’ve already got a blue shirt. But I guess I could use two if you say so.”

  She laughed scornfully. “You need more than just two new ones, Jamie. You haven’t anything to wear to church.”

  “Are we goin’?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow at her.

  “You better believe it. Starting Sunday next. You’ll need a good pair of trousers and a dress shirt and a tie. And you can’t wear your boots. You’ll need a new pair of shoes.”

  “Now that’s where I draw the line. I wear boots. I’ve worn them for thirty years and I’m not about to walk around in a pair of sissified leather oxfords.”

  “How about a pair of river boots from the catalogue?” the storekeeper asked eagerly. “Let me show you a picture.” Without further prompting, he brought a fat book from beneath the counter and opened it with little fuss to a page where boots reigned supreme.

  “Now here’s a nice boot,” he said, pointing at a picture of a hand-tooled leather boot, with the same type of heel James was used to wearing. “It’s only two dollars and ninety-nine cents a pair,” the storekeeper said. “Quite a bargain, and very little for shipping.”

  “We won’t be in town long enough to order a pair right now,” James said. “Maybe we can stop in the general store at home and place an order there.”

  The storekeeper looked a bit disappointed at the loss of a substantial sale, but bore up bravely. “Well, maybe you’d like a pair of the ones I keep in stock,” he said cheerfully.

  “Let’s take a look,” James said, only too aware of Alexis’s frown.

  “Do you need more boots?” she asked in an undertone as the aproned gentleman led them to a counter on the opposite side of the store.

  “Yeah, if you want me to look pretty when we go to church,” James said, tossing a smug look her way.

  With a subdued grumble, she paused by the counter as the man in charge placed three pair of leather boots on the gleaming display case. Sporting the same sort of hand-tooling on the leather, they looked exceedingly masculine, and very expensive.

  “I can let you have this pair for just two-fifty,” the gentleman said, his eyes eager as if he sniffed a sale just over the horizon.

  “If they fit, you’ve just made a sale,” James said, looking around to seek out a chair.

  “Use that bench over there,” he was told. “Just shuck your boots off and put these on. They look to be the right size,” he judged, leaning over the counter to take a look at James’s footwear.

  “I wear a twelve,” James warned him.

  “Well, that’s exactly the size of this pair,” the man said, selecting a pair of black boots, by far the most elaborate of the three he’d shown them.

  James sat down and tugged his own footwear off, then replaced it with the one he’d already decided to purchase. A quick look at Alexis told him her opinion, a smile creasing her cheeks as she nodded her approval.

  “We’ll take this pair,” James said, replacing his own boot and standing. “And whatever else my wife chooses.”

  Given a free hand, Alexis marched back across the store to the counter where shirts were piled in three stacks. She sorted through them all, checking on sizes and holding up several to better judge their quality and workmanship.

  “I think these two will do for Sundays,” she said finally, placing the white, percale items she’d chosen on the counter. “And we’ll need collars and cuffs, too.”

  “Collars are ten cents apiece and cuffs are fourteen cents a pair,” the storekeeper said obligingly.

  “We’ll take four collars and four pair of cuffs,” Alexis said, and then turned to James. “We’ll need a pair of nice trousers, too. Don’t you think?”

  Relieved that he was to be given the privilege of choosing his own pants, James nodded and held up three different pairs to his waist, deciding on the fabric and then allowing the man to measure his waist and inseam to insure the right fit.

  “I think that should do it,” Alexis said, her index finger touching her chin as she debated the merits of several ties the storekeeper had brought out for her approval. “Just this one tie, please.”

  “Not on your life,” James said. “We’ll see a couple of new dresses for my wife, too. Something pretty and bright-colored, with flowers or lace or fancy ruffles on the bottom.”

  “I think I have just the thing for you,” the man said, turning to slide another glass box from the shelf behind him. “You’re not very big, ma’am, and I believe these will fit.” He held up a white voile dress with tiny blue flowers scattered over the fabric, and then another dress in pale green, striped in white with lace on the collar and cuffs.

  “I like them both,” James said firmly. He looked down at Alexis. “What do you think, sweetheart?”

  She looked flabbergasted at his generosity. “Two new dresses?” she asked. “Surely one would do. I already have several at home.”

  “Two new dresses,” James said firmly, “and some shirts for working with the horses. Yours are pretty worn.”

  “All right,” she said, agreeing quickly. “I’d like a blue flannel, probably a boy’s size large, and a chambray double-breasted.”

  James thought she flushed again as she recited the style of shirt she wanted, knowing that her feminine side shrank from saying the words aloud. He grinned down at her and as if she read his thoughts, she jabbed her elbow in his ribs.

  “Unless my wife would like a pair of shoes or boots, that will be all for now,” James said.

  As Alexis strolled across the store to investigate a counter where bolts of fabric rested and ribbons were rolled on wooden spindles, James leaned over the counter and spoke in a low tone. The man behind the counter nodded, smiling with glee, perhaps thinking of the profit he would make from today’s sale, and reached for another glass box, lifting a sheer, lacy shift from its depths. He held it up, one eye on Alexis, lest she turn and see him, and Jamie nodded, then pointed at the next garment in the box.

  “Let me see that one, too,” he said in a low voice. And with a nod and glimmer of pleasure in his eyes, he chose them both, watching as the man wrapped them carefully in a separate piece of paper and added them to the growing pile on the counter.

  They left the store, piled high with purchases, James determined they should return to the hotel to deposit their things before they went any farther.

  Climbing the long staircase, he teased her unmercifully, hinting at a surprise he had for her, refusing to give any details, only telling her that he wanted her to undress as soon as they entered their room so that he could see her dressed properly.

  Alexis shook her head at his foolishness, scoffing at his demands. And then found that he was not joking, that his mind was made up. She should be out of her clothing in record time, and since Jamie was determined to help her accomplish the deed, it was a done deal. Before many minutes had passed she was standing before him, dressed only in her shift and her stockings.

  He’d locked the door upon entering, tossing their purchases on the bed, and now he bent to unwrap one of the parcels, drawing forth a smaller package from within. “Now, I want you to try this on,” he said firmly. “I’ve been waiting for ten full minutes to see you in this thing, and I’m an impatient man, love.”

  With a flourish, he held up the second shift he’d chosen, and allowed the sunlight from the windows to shine through its sheer fabric.

  “I can’t possibly wear that thing,” Alexis said firmly. “It’s indecent. You’ll have to take it back, Jamie.”

  “Not on your life, honey,” he said, approaching her, shift in hand. “Now just lift up your arms and we’ll get yours off and this one on before you know it.”

  She backed away and he followed, until she was pressed against the wall, with his body pinning her there. She tilted her head, a major undertaking, since she was firmly enclosed by him, even her head touching the flowered wallpaper.

  “I’m not going to take off my shift in broad daylight,” she said, alarm lifting her voice to a higher range.

  James stopped, shift in hand, one arm enclosing her in an embrace. “Am I frightening you, Alex? That’s not what I meant to do. I just want to see you in this.”

  He felt her heart beating against his chest, noted the frantic look in her eyes and relented, stepping back from her. “I’ve gone too fast for you, haven’t I? You’re not ready for such foolishness yet.”

  “Foolishness?” she asked. “Being naked in front of you isn’t foolishness, Jamie. It’s a part of being married. I just hadn’t thought about it before.”

  “If I close my eyes, will you slip out of that shift and into this one? I promise not to peek.”

  She laughed. “What a liar you turned out to be. I know very well you’ll peek.”

  He assumed a look of pain, as if she had bruised his feelings. “You really think I’d lie to you?”

  She nodded. “When it comes to not peeking at me when I’m naked, yes. I know you, Jamie, and even though I’ll do as you ask, I’ll almost guarantee that your eyes will be open.”

  He stepped back, the shift held toward her, his other hand covering his eyes. “See, Alexis. I’m not peeking.” And then he laughed, unable to keep back the pleasure he took in their sparring. “But I’m gonna.”

  She lifted the shift over her head and tossed it over him, effectively covering his face, and then snatched the new one from his hand and carefully slid into it. It felt like a bit of cobweb against her skin, the material clinging to her, ending at her thighs, where an inch of lace was gathered.

  “Is it silk, Jamie?” she asked, her awe apparent in the breathless words she spoke.

  “Genuine silk,” he said, tossing her old garment aside as he held her at arm’s length and viewed the perfection of her slender form. Dark circles were barely seen beneath the sheer fabric, there where her breasts formed the silk into a covering for the beauty beneath. He scanned her length, viewing the slender hips and then the length of legs that were exposed to him. Strong and well muscled, she possessed curved calves, rounded thighs and slender feet, her skin soft to the touch, he remembered, her flesh pliant and yet firm.

  It was more than he could resist, this picture of womanhood before him, the knowledge that she was his, all his, and the rest of the world was going past without touching them here in this room. She was a temptation he did not attempt to resist. His hands moved to her hair, pulling the pins from place, allowing it to fall about her shoulders and down her back in a cascade that delighted him.

  With a quick movement he bent and gathered her up in his arms and strode to the bed, holding her close as he looked into her eyes. “Is this all right?” he asked. “You’re not too sore from last night?”

  She smiled, a feminine signal he could not misread, and then her face took on a look of sheer pleasure, as if she were beginning to realize the power she held over this man she’d married. “I’m not too sore,” she said. “I’m not sore at all. Not right now, anyway, and if you’re careful, I doubt I’ll complain much.”

  He placed her on the bed, feasting on the look of her, the creamy texture of her skin, the eyes that had softened, luring him closer. His hands had readied her for him, and he thought of the pins he’d left scattered on the floor across the room. Now the waves and curls lay in a mass of gold, circling her head, tempting his fingers to explore its strands.

  He fought the dark side of himself, the demon that drove him to possess her, the primitive need to conquer, and then realized that she was his already. That her arms were lifting to enclose him, her mouth was forming to his, her kiss warm and damp and all he had ever dreamed of. There would be no conquering here. Only a joyful union of two bodies and souls that sought for true love in the depths of their physical joining.

  And found it. Found the pleasure of pleasing, each of them giving of themselves, patience coming to the forefront with the melding of their bodies, a sense of joyous anticipation accompanying the melding of their souls.

  He could find no words to speak, could only hold her close, his hands touching the places he’d yearned to own, his mouth caressing the softness he had craved and his inner self rejoicing at the blending of two people here in this bed. She was his wife. His barrier against all the problems to come, his champion in all of his battles, the love he had sought for so long.

  “I love you, Alex,” he murmured, not willing to part from their closeness yet. Unable to free her from his hold. And she seemed to be of the same mind, her arms tight around him, her fingertips roaming the muscles and tendons of his back, her mouth kissing wherever she could reach.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered, lifting to reach his mouth again, her own demanding, as if she could not yet be sated by his loving. And he found, to his surprise, that he, too, was more than ready to please her, to please himself.

  “Can we stay here for a while?” he asked her, lifting over her, the better to see the slender body he’d so recently claimed. Her new shift was on the floor, and he’d been careful not to tear it or shred the lace, knowing the pleasure it would bring to him on future nights when they were back at the ranch in their own room.

  She lay before him without a trace of fear or trembling, allowing him his husband’s privilege of viewing her body, watching him with a smile of pure satisfaction. “I think staying right here is a good idea,” she said. “We’ll work up an appetite for supper this way.” Her mouth pursed a bit and then she gave him an arch look of promise. “You are taking me somewhere special to eat tonight, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe I’ll go downstairs and bring some food back up. We can eat right here.”

  “Not on your life, fella,” she said with a grin. “I have two new dresses and I’m planning on wearing one of them to supper tonight. You’ll take me to the restaurant downstairs or that nice place we saw down the street.”

  “Whatever you say, sweet. I can’t refuse you anything right now.” He rolled to his back and propped his hands behind his head. “I don’t think anyone has ever had such a wonderful wedding trip as this. I hate to think of going back home.”

  “We’re not going today, are we?” she asked, full well knowing the answer.

  “Not on your life. We have two more days here. I told your father we’d be gone at least three days.”

  “He almost cried when he gave me away at the wedding,” she said, sobering as she recalled the moment when Hank had placed her hand in Jamie’s and then stepped back, signifying his claim on her was ended and he’d given the responsibility for her care and keeping into the hands of another.

  “I don’t blame him. When it comes time for our first daughter to marry, I’ll no doubt feel the same way.”

  “Our first daughter?” she asked. “Just how many are you planning on?”

  “I thought we’d begin with both boys and girls, a couple of each. Then maybe we’ll want more. It all depends on how much room we have to put them in.”

  “There are seven bedrooms in that house. And I’m not going to attempt to fill all of them. I think four is enough.”

  “Whatever you say, love. After all, you’ll be the one to do all the hard work. Just so long as you give me a son. First or last, I don’t care. I love girls, especially this one,” he said, laughing as he bent to nuzzle in her neck, “and I’d like a whole slew of daughters. But I would like a son.”

 

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