13. Rebecca

13

Rebecca

I slowly opened my eyes, my mind and body still remembering last night. As I turned my head, I saw Rhonda watching me.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, and she let out a howl. Chewy jumped on the bed next to her. "I told you both yesterday, no more sleeping in bed with me now that I'm married."

They didn't like being kicked out of the bed. Mamm would be shocked if she knew I let the dogs in the house, let alone in bed with me. But back then, I was scared, and Rhonda made me feel safe. I'm sorry, Mamm, I know you'd be ashamed of me for loving an English man. But I love him with all my heart.

I smiled, remembering the night. Do all Amish women feel this way when they make love to their husbands? His touch alone was enough to make me ready for him, and I was a little ashamed of how my body responded.

Then I glanced at the clock and gasped—it was already ten in the morning! I rushed to the shower and hurried downstairs. I wanted to cook something for my husband. But first, I ran out to the field where he was working—I couldn't stay away from him. He saw me coming and stopped, meeting me halfway.

"What is my wife doing out here?" he asked with a grin.

"You should have woken me. I want to be awake with you every minute of the day. I love you so much."

"Are you sore?" he asked, his voice softening.

"No," I replied as he scooped me up and carried me back to the house, straight to our bed. My dress came off, and soon we were both naked. "You can keep your hair up. I want to see my Amish wife while I make hot, sweaty love to her."

I could feel my face turning beet red. "Yes, I love hot, sweaty love," I admitted, laughing shyly. "I'll have to pray for forgiveness a hundred times tonight and tomorrow," I said, kissing his shoulder.

Two hours later, he got out of bed, and I turned over and fell back asleep. When I woke up again, it was three in the afternoon. I stripped the bed and washed the sheets. As I hung them on the line, I silently asked God for forgiveness. Am I supposed to enjoy making love this much?

I looked up when I heard Maverick walking over. "How about I heat up last night's dinner for us?" he asked, taking off his boots.

"You've worked all day. Let me take care of dinner. I've made some cold tea, too. Why don't you shower while I get everything ready?"

"Okay," he agreed, picking me up once more and carrying me into the house. I laughed—truly laughed, something I hadn't done in what felt like forever.

"I'll take a shower and be right down," he said.

"Dinner will be ready when you're done," I replied, kissing him.

I heated the food and sliced some bread to go with the fresh butter. I wasn't sure if Amish women were supposed to feel what I felt or express love to their husbands the way I wanted to with Maverick. But I couldn't help myself.

Everything was set on the table when Maverick came down. "Yum, I'm ready for this," he said. "How do you feel?"

"I feel wonderful," I smiled. "I've never felt better. How about you?"

"I feel great, too. I have to say, I've never felt this way before. My love for you makes everything seem different," he said, reaching across the table to take my hand and kiss each of my fingers. "Even your fingers taste good," he teased.

I chuckled, but our moment was interrupted by Rhonda's growl. "Stay here while I see who's outside," Maverick said.

"Hi, Kevin. How can I help you?" Maverick asked at the door.

"My bishop said you're looking to hire someone full-time. I'm a hard worker, and I'd like to apply for the job."

"I know you're a hard worker, Kevin. Is your dad okay with you working here?"

"Yes, we could use the extra money, and it's close enough that it won't take me long to get here in the mornings."

"That's great. We'd be happy to have you. When can you start?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll be here at daybreak."

"Aren't you curious about the pay?" Maverick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We can talk about that after you see how hard I work. And congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you. I'll see you in the morning."

After Kevin left, Maverick turned to me. "What do you think about Kevin working here?"

"I think it's perfect. I know how hard Kevin works, and I trust him. I'm glad Daniel is letting him work for us."

"I don't want to leave you here alone, but that's part of my job. At least we've got a couple of months before that. I'll get you a phone so we can stay in touch when I'm away. You can always call Michael if you need anything."

"Okay, that's fine with me. I'd love to talk to you before bed every night. Just give me all the numbers I need. I'm going to feed Milly and the chickens now. You should rest—I've been resting all day."

"I'll walk with you. Let's feed the animals together," Maverick said, taking my arm.