The Mail Order Bride's Deception Read online

  Aunt Betty let out a squeal of delight and clasped her arm. “This is so exciting! That boy is head over heels in love with you.”

  She wanted to ask the woman what made her say that, but the woman went over to the worktable and lifted up a pink shirtwaist.

  “I’m partial to cheerful colors, myself,” Aunt Betty said. “This color will look lovely with your face. You have a natural pink hue in your cheeks.” Giggling, she set it on the table. “You’re such a beautiful woman. It’s no wonder Al was smitten with you as soon as he saw you.”

  Sadie returned her smile. Other people—most notably Madame and Jefferson—had commented on her beauty in the past, but they saw it as something to use for their advantage. Madame insisted men pay more for the privilege of being with her, saying that having a prettier girl should be worth more. Madame was not so nice to look upon, but she prided herself on her keen business sense. And besides, she never slept with any of the men who walked through the doors. No. She’d never degrade herself that way, Sadie thought with a twinge of bitterness.

  “This is for Gilbert.”

  Surprised her mind had drifted to places she didn’t want it to be, Sadie turned her attention back to Aunt Betty and saw the small shirt and pants. “They’re wonderful.” She stroked Gilbert’s back. “What do you think, Gilbert? You like it?”

  He reached for it, so Sadie obliged him and stepped closer to the clothes so he could touch them. But he gripped them and tried to pull them into his mouth.

  Aunt Betty giggled and gently removed his hand from the clothes. “He’s a baby. They love to put everything in their mouths.” She patted his head. “And this little one is so precious. A real gift, I tell you.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Poor Al. He was at a loss when he found him. He didn’t know anything about caring for babies. A man can hardly prepare for it when he stumbles upon a baby who’s been left in the woods all alone.”

  “Al found Gilbert in the woods?” Sadie asked in surprise.

  Aunt Betty stopped going through the pile and turned to her. “Didn’t he tell you?”

  “Well, um… He told me a little bit but not much,” Sadie ventured, hoping she wouldn’t arouse Aunt Betty’s suspicions.

  “The poor man was beside himself when he came to my door with Gilbert. Gilbert had just been born and was wrapped in a blanket by a tree. Al was out hunting at the time and heard a baby crying. There was no note or anything telling any of us who the baby was or who he belonged to.”

  “You mean, the mother just left the baby out there to die?”

  “Or the father. It’s impossible to know who left the baby out there.”

  “That’s awful,” she whispered.

  “Al felt sorry for the little one. I was willing to take Gilbert in and raise him as one of my own, but Al felt like he was meant to do it since he was the one who found him.” She chuckled. “Al’s a romantic. He believes in destiny and fate and all that. You married a good one. If I’d been single and younger, I would have married him myself.” She winked at her. “But I wouldn’t trade my Bear for anyone.”

  Sadie smiled at the woman before turning her gaze back to Gilbert who rested in her arms. This poor little boy had been abandoned and left for dead. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back. Whoever had given birth to him didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was going to have a good future.

  “Thank you for coming all the way up here to marry Al,” Aunt Betty said. “As soon as he found Gilbert, he went right out and posted the ad, but no one responded until you did. I think a lot of ladies would rather be in a bigger town than so far out this way, and who can blame them? It’s a sacrifice to give up the nice things they’re used to. But it’s sure nice you didn’t let that deter you.”

  “It was no sacrifice to come here, Aunt Betty,” Sadie whispered, glancing at Gilbert. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  Aunt Betty smiled and turned back to the other items on the worktable. “You’re a very special person.”

  “Thank you,” Sadie forced out, wishing that was really true.

  “Now,” the woman began as she lifted a shirt, “this is for Al. Oh, he did mention how you need a better pair of boots for living out here, so I got one of my boys on that. And you don’t need to worry. He makes the best boots around so you can trust him to do a good job.”

  As Aunt Betty continued talking, Sadie continued to stroke Gilbert’s back, thinking that she was very fortunate to be able to step in the role as his mother. She’d never take him or Al or anything in this new life for granted.

  Chapter Eleven

  That evening, Sadie held Gilbert in the rocking chair, staring at the sweetest smile she’d even seen. They were both so much alike…both of them having gone through abandonment by those who were supposed to love them. Tears filled her eyes as she caressed his cheek.

  He looked up at her, and she wiped more tears as they fell down her face. Then he laughed in a way that indicated he wanted her to be happy, to laugh along with him.

  She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll do the crying for both of us and you can do the laughing.”

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, she hurried over to the kitchen so she could get his bottle ready. When she returned, she picked him up in her arms and settled back into the chair. He was content to drink his last meal of the day while she slowly rocked him back and forth.

  She brushed a part of his hair from his forehead, pleased to watch him as he continued to drink his meal.

  The front door opened and Al came into the cabin. “Is he asleep?” he whispered.

  “Almost,” she replied then returned her gaze to Gilbert whose eyes were closed. “It won’t be long.”

  He put his hat on the hook then shut the door. As she watched him take off his coat, she couldn’t help but think he had the biggest heart of anyone she’d ever met. She couldn’t think of any other man who’d take in a baby to raise as his own.

  Clearing her throat, she nodded toward the worktable. “I made you some tea. It’s supposed to relax you at bedtime.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” he replied as he took off his boots.

  “I know but I wanted to. Besides, all I had to do was boil some water and add the herbs. It wasn’t like I performed some great feat.”

  He chuckled at her joke and went to retrieve the cup. “Well, I appreciate it. The air’s getting chillier. Winter’s not too far off.”

  “No, it’s not.” And she liked that. She was looking forward to the land being covered in snow, especially when a fresh layer of it covered the tree branches.

  “Did you celebrate Christmas in Atlanta?”

  Lowering her gaze, she focused on Gilbert as he finished the bottle. “Who doesn’t?”

  Even Madame celebrated it. She said it was the ideal time to take care of lonely men. And it was one of the busiest nights of the year. Sadie used to hate it. But in this cabin with Al and Gilbert, it just might be something she could look forward to.

  “I already got you a gift,” Al said, a teasing tone in his voice.

  She made eye contact with him and smiled. “You going to give me a hint?”

  “Nope.” With a satisfied grin, he finished the tea and set the cup down.

  “That’s not very nice of you. If you’re going to say you got me something, the least you can do is give me an idea of what it is.”

  “If I did that, it wouldn’t be a surprise. And what’s the fun of a present if you can’t be surprised?”

  “But if you give me a good hint, then I won’t figure out what it is.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. You won’t get me to talk. Trust me, you’ll be glad you waited when Christmas day comes.”

  Amused, she turned her attention back to Gilbert as Al went to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Gilbert had been fighting sleep, and even now, his eyes fluttered open but quickly shut again
. She gently rocked back and forth in the chair. These moments were precious to her. Too soon, he’d be too big for her to hold like this.

  She continued rocking him for several more minutes until he was asleep. From the other room, she could hear Al shuffling around. She bit her lower lip. She’d been wanting to be alone with him ever since Aunt Betty had told her about Gilbert, and now was the perfect time.

  She eased out of the chair and set the bottle down before tucking the boy into his bed. He let out a sigh of contentment and settled into a comfortable position. Pulling the blanket around his shoulders, she smiled and rubbed his back.

  “You’ll always have a home with me and your pa,” she whispered.

  He smiled in his sleep and she kissed his head.

  She left the room and closed his door. When she reached her bedroom, she saw that Al hadn’t gotten undressed yet. If she guessed right, he’d been searching for a hiding spot, somewhere he hoped she wouldn’t find something. Maybe it was the gift he mentioned. He had mentioned going into town for some supplies, and he’d even brought some back. Maybe while he was at it, he got her the gift.

  What a sweet man. He asked so little of others and yet gave so much. If anyone deserved the best, it was him. And while she wasn’t as good as Hazel, she wanted to be the best she could be.

  She entered the room and closed the door softly behind her. “It’s taking you a long time to remove your clothes tonight. Do you need help?”

  He chuckled and turned from a drawer he was shutting. “No, I can manage it on my own.”

  Closing the distance between them, she decided she wouldn’t search the room and see if her gift was somewhere in here. In some ways, wondering what he got her was fun in itself. Just as he took off his shirt and undershirt, she took them from him and set them on the dresser. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  “You’re a wonderful man, Al,” she said. “I’m glad you’re my husband.”

  He brought his arms around her and smiled. “I am, too.”

  She kissed him again, but this time when it ended, she lowered her hands to his pants.

  “Let me give you pleasure, Al,” she whispered.

  So he would understand her meaning, she unbuttoned his pants and slid her hands beneath his underwear so she could feel his erection. Had it been anyone but Al, she would have quickly let him go. But this was Al. It was his penis. It wasn’t someone else’s. And after all Al had done for her and for Gilbert, she wanted to do this.

  When he placed his hands over hers to stop her from dropping his pants, she looked up at him. She loved him. This wouldn’t be something she was doing for a customer. It’d be something she was doing for him, for her husband. And that made all the difference.

  “I want to do this, Al. I understand we won’t consummate the marriage yet, but I’d like to at least bring you to completion. Will you let me do that for you?”

  He removed his hands and nodded.

  She proceeded to take his pants off and then his underwear. After she encouraged him to sit on the bed, she knelt in front of him. He leaned slightly back, allowing her better access to him so she could wrap her hand around the base of his shaft. It took her a moment to get over the initial repulsion of the penis, but she glanced up at him and her stomach settled. This was Al. And she cared very much for him.

  Returning her gaze to his erection, she brought her hand up to his tip then back down. She’d learned the rhythm long ago and quickly established it. She used to count as she did it to best distract her from what she was doing, but tonight, she didn’t count. She just thought of Al finding Gilbert and raising him as his own. Never was a man more deserving of pleasure than her husband. Men needed sexual fulfillment. It was ingrained in them. And she wanted nothing more than to give this moment to him.

  Leaning forward, she took him into her mouth, catching his slight intake of breath. Being a virgin, he wouldn’t have known what it felt like to have a woman take him into her mouth, but now he did and she had no doubt it felt incredibly good to him. She traced her tongue over the slit in his tip and paused when she tasted the familiar saltiness from a bead of liquid that often preceded a man’s climax. But she pressed forward and traced the rest of his tip. This was Al. She was doing this for him.

  She had to keep reminding herself she was with Al as she continued her ministrations. And his moans helped. She was familiar with his voice. It comforted her. It enabled her to continue stroking him up and down his length as she teased his tip with her tongue. She knew he was close to release when he grew tense. She took a deep breath before she resumed what she’d started. It was for Al. Not someone else. Al would be the one receiving pleasure from what she was doing.

  He climaxed in short time, and she accepted his seed into her mouth. For a split second she had to fight the urge to spit it out, only because this used to disgust her with the men who were particularly cruel to her. But Al was gentle and didn’t shove himself deeper into her mouth. Once he was done, she swallowed and took a deep breath. He didn’t smell the same as the other men, and his taste was different, too. That was good. These were things she could associate solely with him from now on.

  She gently released him and glanced up at him, noting the soft smile on his lips. Despite the slight shaking in her hands, she returned his smile and sat next to him. It hadn’t been harder than she feared it would be, but it’d taken a lot out of her to do this act, though she was glad she’d done it. Maybe next time, it would be easier.

  He slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. His action was so gentle it brought tears to her eyes. He loved her. He truly loved her. And he felt closer to her than he had before. She could feel it in the way he kissed her cheeks, her forehead, and then her lips.

  “I want to give you pleasure, too,” he whispered.

  Surprised, she didn’t know what to say at first. “Oh, well, I got pleasure out of giving you pleasure,” she finally forced out. And it wasn’t a lie. It’d satisfied her to know she pleased him instead of him having to take care of himself.

  “I know, but I want to return the favor.”

  Before she could respond, he was unbuttoning her shirtwaist. She didn’t want to tell him that it was pointless. No other man had been able to do it. Not even the ones who boasted they could make a woman orgasm two or three times in one night. She often thought they were lying but had no proof to make the accusation.

  But she didn’t have the heart to deny Al the right to try anyway. She didn’t think she could ever deny him anything. So if he wanted to run his hands and mouth over her body and touch her intimately in hopes of bringing her pleasure, she’d let him. She’d even pretend he succeeded. She hadn’t ever pretended such a thing with those men, but she’d pretend for Al. For him, it wasn’t a challenge to prove his sexual prowess. It was a desire to do something for her.

  She removed her clothes and settled back on the bed, fully expecting his hands to go immediately to her breasts or between her legs. But instead, he brought his mouth to hers and kissed her, not seeming to be in any hurry. He brought her into his arms and deepened the kiss. She opened her eyes at one point, just to reassure herself she was with Al. Relieved, she closed her eyes again to enjoy this part of what he was doing. His mouth left hers and he showered her with kisses on her cheeks and forehead again. This was nice. Much like his other kisses, but only better because this struck her as an act of devotion.

  At one point, he lifted his head. She opened her eyes and turned her face toward him. “What is it?”

  “Well, I…” He let out a light chuckle. “I don’t think I’m going to be as good as you. I mean, you knew how to do everything. Just now.” He cleared his throat. “Um, I was wondering where you’d like me to touch you.”

  No man had ever confessed he didn’t know what to do. She brought her hand to his and clasped it. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what to say since she’d never gotten any pleasure, but the men had seemed intent on touching her bet
ween her legs so she guided him to that area. Though he’d touched her here before, her face warmed. This was different from the other times he’d touched her. This time he was doing it for a purpose.

  His fingers brushed her, light as a feather. She released her breath and relaxed. She glanced at the top of the drapes but then stopped herself. No. She wasn’t with one of her customers. She was with Al. She needed to focus on him to remember that. Forcing her gaze back to him, she was relieved to note he was looking at the area between her legs where his hand was. That made it easier to watch him as he continued to explore her.

  He was always gentle with her, and this time was no different. She figured she should let out a soft moan, something similar to what he’d done when she began stroking him. But then she realized what he was doing felt good. It startled her for a moment that she was even capable of the sensation. Then she relaxed again and opened herself up to it.

  He slid a finger into her. “Is that alright?”

  She nodded then realized his gaze was still on what his hand was doing. Clearing her throat, she said, “Yes, that’s fine.”

  It didn’t hurt. And in some small way, it was a pleasant feeling. She took a deep breath and forced her attention on the way his fingers felt as they continued to explore her. With him, it was different. Very much so, in fact. He lowered his head to her nearest breast and ran his tongue along her nipple. The action was just as gentle as everything else he was doing, except it caused a pleasant tingle to course through her.

  “I like that,” she whispered in surprise.

  He continued teasing her nipple, choosing to start on the outside then work his way in before lightly sucking it. A soft moan escaped her throat—this one real—and she became aware of a heated wetness settling between her legs. Had she not become aware of the pressure beginning to well up in her core, she might have cried from the way he tenderly touched her.

  Her hands slid up and down his back at a slow, methodical pace, giving her a chance to familiarize herself with the way he felt. He was strong but he never used his strength against her. He used it to protect, and she was safe with him. She didn’t have to constantly watch what she said or worry that he might strike her in a moment of anger.