The sun was soon to rise over
the tops of the surrounding mountains when Ellen awoke. Beside her slumbered a long masculine
form. After the months of close quarters
and the weeks of nursing him through his injuries, she was finally free to
touch the planes of his face and run her hand the length of his wide chest
without reservations.
She giggled as she leaned down
to whisper her lips along his jawline.
Slade brushed at the tickle but Ellen leaned back quickly enough that
his hand encountered nothing. She leaned
over and lay her head on his shoulder.
Her cloud of wild curls brushed his face and tickled his jaw in
earnest.
Startled, Slade sat halfway up,
then flopped down with a whoop of laughter.
“I couldn’t imagine what that was!”
He wrapped his hand in a fistful of curls, letting them tangle through
his fingers. “What a wonder. Not only am I married to my beautiful dream,
but I am free to twist her hair through my fingers. And she isn’t complaining!”
He pulled her close to kiss
her. “Is it all right with you if our
wedding night becomes our wedding morning instead?”
“Mmmm.” Ellen answered. “Does that sound like a
complaint?”
As the sun made its sedate way
above the mountain and spread its beams across the land, Slade made his bride
his wife in every slow and beautiful way he could envision.
When the bright sunlight burst
through the windows of their bedroom, Slade was awakened for the second time
that morning. His wife, he smiled to
himself, his wife was rattling amid her boxes and packages.
“What are you doing at this
dreadfully early hour?” He asked her.
“Early?! I’m sure you were the one talking about getting
an early start!”
“I’ve thought it over and
decided noon will do just as well.”
Slade pulled the blanket up around his ears.
“No! I cannot believe it. I’ve never known you to laze in bed. Even when you were all broken up, you were fussing
to be out of bed!”
“Yes,” Slade returned. “But someone woke me very early this
morning. And yesterday they woke me in
the middle of the night! I’m exceptionally
exhausted.”
Ellen threw one of her packages
at him. For such a tired man, Slade
caught it neatly before it hit him in the head.
He got out of bed and pulled his underpants up. He fumbled for the trousers he had worn the
night before and before he bothered to find any other clothes he took a minute
to catch Ellen in a giant hug and kiss her thoroughly. After that he was dressed in short
order.
“For someone who is so awake and
perky, why aren’t you dressed yet?”
“I’ve been sorting through the
things in here and trying to
get things packed. You were the one who wanted to have things packed this
morning!
“I think I have the other room
organized, but you will have to look it over.
The things remaining have to be used for our trip home and I’m not that
familiar with how they must be packed.
“Eli! What are you doing!? I am trying to be serious here!” Ellen giggled. Slade had finished dressing and was tickling
her and untying her robe. He kissed her
neck and pulled her hair loose from the twist she had bundled it into.
“I like your hair loose like this,
but I’m trying to help you get dressed.”
Slade pretended hurt and he continued to pull her robe off.
“You are incorrigible! In all those months I lived in your house I
never expected you to be so..so forward!”
She wiggled around to face him so his kisses landed on her mouth instead
of her ticklish neck.
After a brief loving, Slade set
her back, holding her upper arms in his hands.
“I could stay here with you all day.”
He pecked her forehead quickly.
“But we have too much to do!
“What are you wearing for our
trip?”
“I think I must begin in my red skirt
and shirtwaist that Mrs. Coulter made me,” Ellen told him. “She would be so disappointed if she saw me
setting out in anything else. I will wear that with the shawl and my beautiful
cape. Besides, which, I have to stop and
pay her for the work she has done and all these beautiful things.
“When we get a ways out of town,
maybe where we camped on our trip in, we can pause a bit and I’ll put on
Madeline’s dress with my old work skirt over it. I’ll wear el Viejo’s ugly old coat because it
is still the warmest thing I have!”
“I think you will need it for
the trip home.” Slade stopped and
savored the sound of the word ‘home;’ it was exciting to consider that the
little house was not only his home but now it was hers also. “Our supply load is heavy and our team will
have to go slowly. It may take a couple
extra days to get back.”
He stopped for one more
kiss. “I will go and get the things for
camping organized and ready to put in the wagon.
“Get dressed.” He turned away to go in the other room.
“Are you sure you don’t want to
help me?” Ellen teased.
“I do want to help you!!” Slade returned. “But we haven’t enough time for that.”
Ellen laughed at him and pulled
her night dress over her head. Slade
stood another second watching and then made himself go in to the sitting room.
Ellen quickly dressed and
finished packing the few things into boxes and wrapping them in canvas. She folded Madeline’s green dress with its
petticoat and the work skirt and tucked them inside the old coat. She stacked everything close to the door with
her little trunk beside them. The little
trunk held her comb and personal things with her new underthings and new
dresses. It was much fuller now than when she made the journey to Santa Fe
‘I’m ready.” She announced,
going into the sitting room.
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