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  When they reached the fourth floor, she was barely winded. She waited as he unlocked the door to their room and stepped in, putting her package on the small dresser. When he went to kiss her, she asked for the one thing she felt like she needed from him that day. "May I have thirty minutes to get ready?" She knew she was asking for a lot, but she wanted to be clean and wearing her new nightgown. Surely he'd understand that she wanted to look and feel her best for their first time together.

  Bernard eyed her, not wanting to wait even that long, but realizing she probably wanted to bathe and change into her nightgown. "I'll go for a quick walk. Be ready." He left the room, closing the door with a snap.

  As soon as he was gone, Elizabeth hurried into action. She got the nightgown out of the brown paper wrapping and ran a tub full of water. She was thrilled to see the hotel had hot and cold running water, making it easier for her to ready herself.

  She bathed quickly, wanting to wash her waist length hair, but knowing it wouldn't have time to dry if she did. Instead she hurriedly bathed and dried off, pulling the nightgown over her head. She pulled the pins out of her hair and brushed it until it shone. By the clock on the dresser, she had three minutes remaining of her time alone when she climbed between the sheets. She only pulled them up to her waist, even though everything inside her was screaming to cover herself up to her neck. Bernard had a right to see her, though. She was his wife.

  It was exactly thirty minutes from when he left when she heard the key in the door. She lay on her side facing the entry, her breasts mostly visible through the thin linen of her nightgown. Bernard dropped the key onto the dresser, his eyes never leaving her. He seemed almost predatory to her as he undressed, dropping his clothes in a path from the door to the bed.

  When he was down to just his pants, he stopped and walked to the bed, but instead of walking to the far side of the bed, as she'd expected, he walked to the side she was lying on. He sat beside her, his hand going to her new nightgown, running up and down her side. "Is this the gift you purchased for me?" he asked.

  She nodded. "I thought I needed something special for our wedding night." She blushed, feeling silly now for bothering.

  "I have something special for our wedding night—you. But this is beautiful on you." He put a hand on either side of her head on the pillow and leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. "You're on my side of the bed."

  She blinked up at him a couple of times. "You have a side of the bed? Didn't we just get married a couple of hours ago?" What did it matter?

  He grinned at her words, leaning down to kiss her again. "We did. But I will always sleep on the side closest to the door, where I can protect you better. So you need to scoot over."

  She pouted. "I wasn't aware we were going to sleep so soon." Truly she was stalling because she didn't want to move out from under the sheet. It made her feel like she was a little bit covered with her legs under it.

  He laughed at that. "You know we're not going straight to sleep, but you need to get used to sleeping away from the door. No matter where we are, that's your place." He stroked her hair away from her face. "I've never seen your hair down before."

  "It's a mess when it's down. I keep it pinned up even at home. Of course, you know as well as I do that we never know who will be coming in the front door of my house."

  He nodded. "Will you do something for me?"

  She bit her lip nervously. This was all so new, and she had no idea what he wanted of her. "Within reason..."

  He laughed. "Skeptical little thing, aren't you? I like that!" He sat at the edge of the bed and tugged on her hand. "Will you kneel on the bed? I want to see you in your pretty nightgown, with your hair spilling all around you." He'd rather see her without her pretty nightgown of course, but all in due time.

  She blushed but nodded. It was a simple enough request. She got to her knees on the bed, letting her hair fall all around her. She watched his face as she did so, wanting to gauge his reaction.

  Bernard let his eyes travel from her blond hair down to her knees and back up again. He wondered if she realized the gown she'd chosen was sheer enough that he could see her nipples right through it. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, and he lifted a hand to smooth it behind her back.

  "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are to me?"

  Elizabeth sighed, relieved. She was so worried he'd be disappointed in her. She reached out and touched the side of his face, stroking her fingers over the stubble she found there. He'd shaven early that morning, but his face was already a bit prickly. "I'm glad you're not disappointed in me."

  Bernard blinked a couple of times, feeling that he must have misunderstood her. "Disappointed? You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Your body is perfect. How could I ever be disappointed in you?"

  Elizabeth felt the tears sting her eyes at his words. "I just always worried I was too—scrawny to be desirable."

  He reached out and cupped her breast in his hand through the fabric of her nightgown, his thumb finding her nipple and flicking it softly. "This does not feel scrawny to me. It feels perfect."

  He knelt in front of her on the bed, his hands going to her waist to pull her toward him. "I plan to worship your body with mine, Elizabeth. You are everything I've ever dreamed of in a woman." He lowered his head to kiss her, his tongue tracing her lips as his hands roamed over her back.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. His shoulders were bare, and she rubbed her hands over them, kneading the muscles there. "I want this to happen," she whispered against his lips, "but I'm scared."

  He pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes, his thumb stroking the corner of her mouth. "There's no reason to be scared. If I do something you don't like, tell me. I might stop!"

  She giggled at his words. "Might?"

  "Well, you do want me to be honest with you, right?" His fingers went to the bow at the front of her gown, untying it slowly.

  She looked down at his fingers, watching as he undid the ribbons, thinking how strange it was to see his big hands handling the fine ribbons. He unbuttoned the six large buttons going down to her waist, and then carefully spread the gown open, his eyes locked onto what he'd uncovered.

  She'd always thought her breasts were too small, but he didn't seem to mind at all. He rolled one nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he leaned down to kiss the other.

  Seeing his head against her breasts, feeling him suckle her nipple, she let out a moan. She wasn't certain what was more arousing to her—his touch or the sight of him there. She ran her fingers through his blond hair, encouraging him to continue.

  He kissed a trail up her chest to her neck, biting it gently, before taking her lips again, this time in a passionate kiss, his tongue moving into her open mouth to tangle with hers. While he kissed her, he pushed her nightgown off her shoulders and down around her waist, leaving it bunched there.

  He pulled her closer to him, so they were in direct contact from shoulder to stomach, and she let out a gasp. The hair on his chest caused a strange friction against her breasts, and she moaned softly. "That feels nice," she whispered against his lips.

  "To me too," he responded, his hand stroking her cheek.

  She let out a sigh. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do." She knew she was probably being too blunt, but she was good at blunt, and she didn't feel very good at this!

  He grinned. "Do you know what one of my favorite things about you is?"

  She shook her head. "I don't think it's that I don't know what I'm supposed to do right now!"

  "No, it's that you're not afraid to say what you think. You're not afraid to ask questions. What do you want to do right now?"

  Elizabeth thought about that for a moment, her cheeks turning pink immediately. "I'm not that blunt."

  He raised an eyebrow at her reaction to his question. "That blush is intriguing." He took her hand and put it on his chest, letting her know it was all right to touch him. "What do you want to do?"
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br />   She shook her head, the blush deepening, but she didn't remove her hand from his chest. "I'd rather not answer that question."

  "I don't think I can move on without an answer," he said, humor filling his eyes. Whatever she was thinking, it couldn't be as naughty as she was making it out to be. She didn't know enough about what they were doing to have naughty thoughts.

  She bit her lip, wondering how she could answer him without seeming more wanton than she really was. "I want to touch you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Everywhere."

  He grinned, liking the idea. He caught her hands and put them on the waist of his pants. "Do you want these off?" he asked.

  Her face grew redder, but she nodded. She averted her gaze as he moved to the side of the bed and removed his slacks, climbing back into bed and lying on his back with his hands behind his head. "Have at it!"

  She started at his feet, running her hands over them, feeling the coarse hair on his legs. Slowly she moved her hand over his knees and up to his thighs. There was a scar on his thigh, just below his hip. She touched it with her hand. "What happened here?"

  He sighed, wishing she hadn't noticed. "I was shot during the robbery that killed my partner."

  She leaned down and pressed her lips to the scar, still avoiding looking at his member. She kissed up his hip to his chest, her hands touching him everywhere but the place he needed to be touched the most. She leaned over and kissed him, only then realizing her nightgown was still bunched up over her hips, so she kicked it off, pressing her naked body to his.

  Bernard kissed her back, his mouth opening as she kissed him, more aggressively than she ever had. He brought his hands out from behind his head, and caught her closer to him, roaming his hands up and down her back and over her bottom. "I like how you feel," she whispered against his lips.

  He smiled, looking deep into her eyes. "Aren't you going to feel all of me?" he asked.

  Elizabeth blushed, shaking her head. "I thought I could, but..." She peeked down toward it, seeing it for the first time. "I..."

  He could see the sight of him made her nervous, so he quickly caught her hand and brought it to his erection, pressing her hand against it.

  Elizabeth jerked her hand away in surprise. "No, it's not right for me to touch it."

  "We're married," he said simply. "It's not wrong for you to touch me. Anywhere."

  "Maybe when we've been married for five or ten years, I'll have the courage," she said, leaning on her elbow, her hand skimming over the muscles of his abdomen. "I promise, if I haven't touched it voluntarily by then, I'll do it on our fiftieth wedding anniversary."

  He laughed at that. "I have a feeling you'll be touching it much sooner than that." He abruptly rolled over, reversing their positions so that he was poised above her. "No more playing around, Mrs. Tandy. It's time to get serious!"

  She looked up at him with wide eyes. He had one leg between both of hers, and he was stroking her insistently. "I still don't know what I'm supposed to do!" she protested.

  "Just touch me. Or lay back and enjoy me touching you. Either way, enjoy yourself." His hands stroked over her insistently, cupping her breasts. One hand roamed down between her thighs, testing her readiness.

  As soon as his hand landed at her core, she gasped, a feeling of warmth flooding through her body. "Is it okay for you to touch me there?" she asked.

  "Stop worrying about what's okay and what's not. How does this feel?"

  She pulled his head down for a kiss instead of answering him. How could she tell him she'd never felt anything so wonderful in her life?

  Before she knew what was happening, he'd rolled atop her, and was inside her. She gasped at the feel of him moving inside her, not quite certain if what she felt was pleasure or pain or some combination thereof.

  Chapter Seven

  Afterward, Elizabeth snuggled up against Bernard's side, her head on his shoulder. It was just starting to get dark outside. She kissed his shoulder. "I'm hungry."

  He laughed. "That's all you can say after our first time together? You're hungry?" In his fantasies, she'd thanked him for making love to her. Reality never did match his fantasies.

  She nodded emphatically. "I am. I was too nervous to eat much earlier, and now my stomach is growling."

  He sighed. "All right. Get up, and we'll go get something to eat." He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her. "Are you always going to be difficult, wife?"

  She giggled. "Most likely! You wouldn't want me any other way, though." She was glad he knew her so well already. She didn't feel like she had to try and hide her impatient nature from him.

  Once they were dressed, they went down the stairs of the hotel to the dining room there. It was late, just before they were about to close. Once they were seated, she took his hand and wove her fingers through it. "I think I feel married now."

  "And how does it feel to be married?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

  She tilted her head to one side, studying him with a grin. "I think I like it!"

  "I hope so! There was this little thing about not parting 'til death in our vows. That might be important."

  "You know, if there's one thing Harriett taught me before she left Beckham, it was to never stay in an unhappy marriage, even though you'd taken vows. She's a brilliant woman." She took a sip of her water. "What time do we need to catch the train in the morning?" She hated that they already needed to move on. She'd seen very little of St. Louis, but it was now her favorite place in the world.

  "Not until noon."

  "And how far to Fort Worth?"

  "We're about halfway. Is Susan expecting us?"

  Elizabeth grinned. "She's expecting us, but she only expects me to stay with them, of course. We may want to get a hotel anyway."

  Bernard smiled. "I like the way you think."

  Her face grew serious as she thought of something. "Why didn't you tell me about getting shot when Michael died?"

  He shrugged, his face shutting down.

  "Is there more to the story?"

  Bernard frowned. "I was shot first, and when I fell, Michael ran between me and the bank robber. He died saving my life. I've felt responsible ever since."

  "Would you have done the same for him?"

  "Well, of course, I would, but he had a wife and four children. I should have saved him. He should have let me die." Bernard shook his head, as he thought out that day for the thousandth time since the incident. "His wife was devastated, but I have no one."

  "Maybe it's selfish of me, but I'm glad you didn't die. I'm glad you're here and married to me."

  He shrugged. The idea of her being alone with four children because something could happen to him frightened him to no end. There was nothing to be done for it though. He'd taken the selfish road and married her, and it wasn't like he could keep his hands off her to prevent children. No, he had made his bed and it was time to lie in it. He only hoped he could do it in a way that would make her happy.

  *****

  By the time they got to Fort Worth three days later, Elizabeth felt like she was living a charmed life. Bernard made his love for her obvious in everything he said and did. He hadn't said the actual words to her yet, but she knew it was just a matter of time. Susan and David were waiting at the train station in Fort Worth, and Elizabeth launched herself at her sister.

  Susan had the presence of mind to pass off the baby in her arms as her sister came barreling at her. They hugged for a full minute, both of them laughing and crying at the same time. When Elizabeth pulled back, she wiped her eyes with the handkerchief Bernard held up in front of her.

  Susan smiled at Bernard through her tears. "You must be Elizabeth's butler, Bernard," she said brightly.

  Elizabeth blew her nose loudly. "You're only half right, sister dear. This is Bernard, my husband. We got married in St. Louis."

  Susan gaped at Bernard for a moment, but then she opened her arms wide, hugging the big man. "Welcome to the family." She put her hand on David's arm. "
This is my husband, David, and our little one, Gustav. Mrs. Hackenshleimer insisted it was her turn to name one of the children."

  Elizabeth remembered immediately that Mrs. Hackenshleimer was Susan and David's housekeeper. "He's beautiful," Elizabeth whispered looking at the baby in her brother-in-law's arms. "May I hold him?"

  David immediately gave her the baby, before turning to shake hands with Bernard. Elizabeth stared down at him in wonder. "Where are all the others?"

  "At home with their nurse, Georgia," Susan answered quickly. "Well, Albert and Lewis are probably helping to break some horses, and the twins are probably watching. The younger ones stayed with the nurse."

  "It's hard to picture you as the mother of seven," Elizabeth said with a laugh, remembering how much her sister hadn't wanted children.

  Susan shrugged. "I find myself a natural mother. I love them all." She took Elizabeth by the arm and led her back to the wagon. In a whisper she asked, "How did it come about that you married your butler of all people? And why didn't you at least wait to get to Fort Worth to do it? I could have been there for the wedding."

  "Maybe I was thinking about your letters about your wedding with your boys rolling in the mud fighting immediately after."

  "Were you?" Susan asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Well, no, but I could have been."

  "And the real reason?"

  Elizabeth blushed and whispered. "We couldn't keep our hands off each other for another minute!"

  Susan let out a loud laugh. "You're awful, Elizabeth. Really?"

  Elizabeth nodded. "I'm not ashamed of it either. I married him instead of having relations outside marriage. I did the right thing." She didn't add that she'd practically begged Bernard to do the wrong thing, but that was only because she didn't think it was any of her sister's business. "I know you don't have room for a married couple to stay with you, Susan. We'll just stay at one of the hotels here in town."