Wyoming Wedding (Culpepper Cowboys Book 1) Read online

  Hope nodded, picking her fork back up. He’d shocked her with his words. “I hope not. That’s the one thing I can’t stand for.”

  He reached out and took her hand in his. “You won’t be asked to. I promise. You can cook for me, you can go get a job in town, or you can start your own business. Whatever you want to do, you can do with my full support.”

  “Thank you.”

  Karlan sighed. “That was really in poor taste, and I’m sorry. I thought you’d know I was joking.”

  “When you think about where I’ve come from, why would you think I would understand that?”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said it.”

  They finished the rest of their meal in silence, and when they were finished, Hope immediately cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher before joining him in the living room. She sat beside him on the couch, curling her feet under her.

  Karlan’s arm immediately went around her shoulders and he pulled her to him, his brain working at how he could talk her into his bed that night. He’d promised to not push anything, so if she said no, he’d have to stop. But oh, how he didn’t want her to say no!

  He found a repeat of Friends and put it on the TV, sure that she had seen it a million times like the rest of the country.

  Hope found herself glued to the television immediately, her eyes wide. “What show is this?” She’d never been allowed to watch anything where there had been allusions to the fact sex existed, and here were characters openly talking about erogenous zones.

  “You’ve never seen Friends?” He stared at her in disbelief. “Where did you say you’re from?”

  She shrugged. “My parents were very strict with us. When we went to college, we weren’t allowed to live in the dorms. They knew what time we were out of classes and expected us home exactly an hour later. They bought us one vehicle to share between us, putting it in my name. All of us were in the same classes. My first kiss was this afternoon on your mother’s porch swing.”

  He gaped at her. “Your first kiss ever? Not just your first kiss with me?” How was that even possible?

  “Yes, my first ever. Joy has never been kissed either, and I don’t think Faith has.”

  “What about Chastity? Shouldn’t she be the one who’s never been kissed?”

  Hope smiled ruefully. “She’s always talked about rising above her name. She never met a man she didn’t want to kiss.”

  “How did she manage to kiss men when the rest of you couldn’t find a way?”

  “The rest of us didn’t find the idea of saving ourselves for marriage repulsive. Only Chastity.”

  “So she’s been with men?” Karlan asked.

  Hope shook her head. “Oh, never. She didn’t have that much freedom. The rest of us didn’t find ways to kiss the boys under the bleachers at school though. Chastity did. I spent most of my formative years coming up with excuses for why Chastity was missing. I didn’t have time to pursue a relationship of my own!”

  “No wonder you want some time.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if I’m pleased or disappointed.”

  “Why would you be disappointed? You knew I wanted time to get used to the idea of being married.”

  “I was hoping I could talk you into changing your mind.”

  She laughed. “Not a chance. To be honest with you, the idea of sex with someone I love is kind of scary. The idea of sex with a man I met this afternoon is absolutely petrifying. No, we won’t be having sex this week. Probably not next week either.”

  He sighed. “All right. Do I get to try to persuade you though? I mean, I think I should at least have that opportunity.”

  She blushed, but nodded. “You absolutely have that right.”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Then I will take that right. I want our marriage to be a real one as soon as possible.”

  “I’m not going to make you wait years or anything. Just let me get used to kissing you and touching you before we go beyond that.”

  “I can deal with that idea.” He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her passionately. “This is how I mean to persuade you, just so you know.”

  She laughed. “I reckoned as much.” She felt tingles rush up her spine. Her belly tightened as he kissed her. “You make my insides feel all funny.”

  “Glad to hear it,” he whispered against her lips. He desperately wanted to touch her breast, but he forced his hand to stay at her waist. She didn’t need to be rushed into anything. He could just sit there and kiss her for hours.

  Hope pulled away from him mid-kiss to stifle a yawn. Three days on the road were finally catching up with her. “I’m sorry!” She didn’t want him to think she found his kisses boring, because really, the opposite was true.

  “I understand. You drove a long way to get here.” He kissed her one last time. “Why don’t you head off to your bed. Mornings start very early on a ranch.”

  “How early?” she asked. She’d always been an early riser, up at seven even when she didn’t have to be.

  “I’m usually up by five,” he said. “I doubt I will be tomorrow, because no one is going to expect me to work.” He frowned for a moment. “Would you promise me something?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t tell anyone we’re waiting to have sex. I don’t want my brothers to know about that yet.”

  Hope nodded. “I would never embarrass you that way. I wouldn’t trust my sisters not to say anything, so it’ll be between us.” She pressed a kiss against his lips before standing. “Besides, I don’t think it will last very long anyway.”

  “I sure hope not.” Karlan got to his feet. “It seems strange to say good night to my bride in the living room.”

  She smiled. “It seems strange to your bride as well. Give me a little time.” She pressed her lips against his and wandered away down the hall toward the bathroom. She needed to shower and brush her teeth. Then she had to put her things away. No matter how tired she was, she’d been taught not to leave her things out that way, so she would put them up before bed. She could sleep in a little tomorrow. No one would expect a new bride to be up and around so early.

  * * *

  It was after midnight when Hope fell into bed, so she slept much later than she’d planned. When she finally got up at eight-thirty, she found that Karlan had left her a note explaining where he was.

  Hope,

  I didn’t want to wake you, so I made myself cereal. I’m out working on fences with my brothers, but I’ll be back at noon for lunch, and we’ll spend the afternoon together. Get some rest.

  I’m going to tell my brothers that I wore you out so much, I’m letting you spend the morning resting. Keep the story going for me, would you?

  Your husband,

  Karlan

  She smiled at the note, taking it into her room and putting it in the drawer of her nightstand. As soon as she opened the drawer, she frowned. She hadn’t known where else to put the lingerie and elephant-sized vibrator Chastity had gotten her. She didn’t want anyone to see it, so she was afraid to even throw the thing away.

  She put the note on top of it and shut the drawer. She’d think about it another time. She wanted to get to the big house before lunch time, so she could talk to her sisters about the ranch’s financial situation. She wanted to be able to help, and she knew that with the combined powers of her and her sisters, they could do a lot.

  She hurried to dress and brush her teeth, and then walked over to Linda’s house. She didn’t know if the others had gone to church, but she had a feeling they were all too tired after the long drive they’d made.

  She knocked on the door, and Linda opened it, a smile lighting up her face. “Good morning, Hope.”

  “Good morning. Are my sisters up yet?”

  “We’re just sitting down to breakfast. Have you eaten?”

  Hope shook her head. “Actually I haven’t. I slept in, and Karlan was gone before I woke. He made himself cereal.”
/>   “I’m not surprised. That car trip took a lot out of you girls. Sit down and eat with us.” Linda waved her hand at the table where her three sisters and Lachele were sitting, eating breakfast.

  Hope walked over and took an unoccupied chair. There was a veritable feast on the table including scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, biscuits, and gravy. She fixed her plate while she thought about how to approach the subject of finances with her sisters.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she said, and her three sisters gave her their full attention. She’d always been a leader for the others, especially where financial matters were concerned. The others had a mental block where math was concerned, barely making it through their required college courses, and she handled their money for the most part.

  “I’m willing to use my full power to help,” Faith said softly, knowing what her sister was about to say. They all fought sometimes, but they were quadruplets. They had a very special bond.

  Hope nodded. “I knew you’d say that, but I think we’ll need more.” She looked at the other two.

  Joy nodded. “My yarn, canvas, and patterns are here. I’m opening up an Etsy shop tonight, and I’ll start an eBay account as well. I know plastic canvas Barbie Doll furniture and buildings may sound strange, but I’m good. People are going to buy my stuff.”

  Hope put her hand over Joy’s squeezing her sister’s fingers. She turned her attention to Chastity.

  Chastity smiled. “I’m going to knit socks. Special socks.” She leaned closer to Hope, who was sitting beside her. “I’m going to find other stuff to make too.”

  Hope closed her eyes before nodding. She just hoped Chastity didn’t get too creative with whatever she made. “Can you share Joy’s Etsy account and eBay?”

  “Absolutely!” Chastity grinned. “I can’t wait to get started!”

  “I’m going to start a daycare in our house. I’m sure there are plenty of local families who need childcare,” Hope announced.

  Linda looked around at the sisters. “Are you doing this to help with finances?”

  “Of course,” Hope answered quickly. “We’ll do anything we can to help, and these are the things we’re good at.”

  “Use my house for the childcare then. I’ll help with the children. I’ll help with any of the projects. I prefer to paint, but I’m very crafty.”

  Hope nodded, a smile covering her face. “Sounds good to me. I think if the parents know that you’ll be here, it’ll be easier for them to sign their kids up for Culpepper Care.”

  “You have my full backing with any of the projects!” Linda said, obviously excited that the girls were planning to help. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

  Hope smiled. “We’ll do it together. Everything starts tomorrow.”

  5

  Hope and her sisters did the breakfast dishes, as much to have time to talk privately as anything else. “Faith, you should really tell Linda about your babies. She’s going to be supportive. You know that.”

  Faith shuddered. “You know, I want to. I’m so used to hiding it that I feel like I should at least for a little while longer. I’ll tell her soon. I promise.”

  Hope sighed. “I think we need to just come clean about everything with them. This family is so different than Mom and Dad. Linda seems to actually care what we have to say and realizes we have personalities. She’s not grouping us all together as ‘the quads.’ I want to sit and talk to her and spill my guts.”

  “Feel free. Just don’t spill your guts on my secret. That’s my place.”

  “She knows you make dolls. She knows you’re going to sell them to help pay off the family’s debt. Why not just tell her everything?” Hope really didn’t understand her sister’s worries about being honest.

  “I’m not doing it.” Faith bent over to keep loading the dishwasher. “Not yet, anyway.”

  Hope sighed. “Whatever.”

  When they finished, the sisters all went into the living room to join Linda and Lachele. “I think you owe me a story,” Hope said. “I want to know about how Wiggieville got its name!”

  Linda smiled. “Well, I know the story, but I don’t know how much of it is historically accurate. Back in the 1860s or 1870s, no one is sure which, there was a new settlement in Texas, between modern day Dalton and Stephenville. A woman lived there with her children, and when her oldest son married, his wife had a little boy. Now that little boy, for reasons known only to him, called his grandmother ‘Wiggie,’ and he told stories about that grandmother as if she was some sort of superhero. He thought she could do absolutely anything, and she was the most wonderful woman alive. When it came time for the town to be named, the boy kept begging for the town to be called Wiggieville. No one had a better suggestion, and everyone had started calling the woman Wiggie, so they all agreed. The town has had the same name ever since.”

  Hope grinned. “I like that story.”

  “I still think I want my grandma name to be Wiggie, if that’s all right with you four girls. Of course, if the grandkids start calling me something else, well, that’s fine too. They can call me pretty much anything they want.”

  Chastity grinned at Hope. “Just think, you could be pregnant right now! I hope your wedding night was everything I dreamed it could be!”

  Hope elbowed Chastity, refusing to discuss it. “I think that’s a lovely idea. If the kids want to call you Wiggie, that’s great. If they want to call you something else, I think they should.”

  “I agree. It’ll be like I’m getting a surprise that way. Who could complain about getting a surprise from her grandbabies?”

  Hope glanced at the clock and saw that it was after eleven. “Oops. I’m supposed to make lunch for Karlan and have it ready at noon. He doesn’t even have any food!”

  Linda laughed. “The boys always come here when they get hungry.” She walked to the fridge. “Karlan loves grilled cheese sandwiches made with pimento cheese.” She gave Hope everything she’d need to make the sandwiches. “Does he have butter? Or should I send some?”

  Hope laughed. “No, he has butter. Maybe some chips? I’ll replace whatever when I go to the store tomorrow.”

  “Oh, no need. And you two come here for supper tonight. I’m sure he doesn’t have what you’d need to make a real meal.”

  “We had omelets for dinner last night, so we’ll need to take you up on that.”

  Linda packed everything into a paper sack and handed it to Hope. “There. I don’t need anything back, but I might send you with a short list for the grocery store tomorrow.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a bit. I’ll need to stop by before I go anyway. I need to know where to apply for a daycare license and all that good stuff. We’re going to make sure Travis doesn’t force the men to sell.”

  Linda shook her head. “I hope we can keep from selling off even a portion of the ranch. The boys are very proud of this place.”

  Hope hugged Linda tightly. “We’ll be back for dinner, or if not, we’ll text and let you know.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Linda watched Hope leave with a smile on her face before turning back to the others.

  * * *

  At exactly noon, Hope put four grilled cheese sandwiches on a plate and shut off the stove. She carried the plate to the table and looked at the Cheetos she’d poured into a bowl. It certainly wasn’t the type of meal she’d ever expected to cook for her husband, but she could make do with whatever was on hand.

  The door opened and Karlan walked in, his shirt unbuttoned, and sweat dripping down his chest. Hope couldn’t tear her eyes away. She’d never thought she would be the type to fall for a muscle-bound cowboy, but one look at her new husband, and she knew she’d been wrong. Maybe it was just this particular muscle-bound cowboy, but she found she wanted to go over and lick one of the rivulets of sweat off his chest.

  As soon as she thought about licking him, a blush slowly creeped across her face until she felt like it was burning. “What do you want to drink with lunch?”
she asked, looking down to hide her embarrassment.

  Karlan grinned. “Now what is that blush about, wife?” he asked, striding across the entryway and dining room to where she stood.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she fibbed.

  He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up to his. She was a tall woman, the tallest of all her sisters at five-nine, but he was so much bigger. Why he had to be six-three or so. “What are you embarrassed about?”

  She shook her head, knowing she couldn’t tell him what she’d been thinking. “Nothing.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, her hands going under his open shirt to stroke his bare back. “Tell me.”

  “What do you want to drink with your lunch?” she asked, as soon as he lifted his mouth.

  “You’re really not going to tell me?”

  “Nope. We’re married, not joined at the brain.”

  He sighed. “Sweet tea is fine if there’s some made.”

  She nodded. “I made some while I was making sandwiches. There’s really nothing here for me to cook for supper, so your mom invited us to eat there.”

  He shrugged. “That’s fine, I guess. I would rather spend the time alone, but I will get hungry.”

  “We could walk over and just stay for the meal and leave.”

  “That works.”

  She poured them each a glass of tea, before taking a chair. He sat in the same place he had the night before. “You should have woken me up this morning. I would have made breakfast for you.”

  He shook his head. “I peeked in at you and saw everything you did last night before bed. There was no way I was going to wake you.”

  “You could have. My mom has always gotten up and cooked a good meal for our family in the mornings. That’s what I was expecting to do.” She felt bad that she’d slept late. “Instead I went over to your mom’s and had breakfast there.”

  “I’m glad you’re getting along well with Mom. She has some friends in town, but we’re far enough out that she doesn’t make it in often.” Karlan took a bite of his sandwich. “Your grilled cheese is just as good as Mom’s.”