Morning dawned with the weakest of light Tessa watched the darkness thin until a pale gray light played at the edges of the curtain. 'Twas so comfortable here in this big soft bed, and so warm with Jonah at her side.
Ah, to look at him took her breath away. He lay on his back, his long dark hair tumbled across the pristine pillowslips, his face relaxed in sleep, but the masculine intensity remained in the cut of his jaw and cheekbones. The covers puddled half way down his chest against bronzed skin faintly dusted with dark hair. How wide that chest was, and his shoulders too. One arm rested on his waist, the other somewhere beneath the blankets.
She lifted the covers carefully and then slid across the sheets quietly so as not to wake him. Sore muscles reminded her of last night's lovemaking. She blushed remembering how she'd responded to him, how thrilling it felt to be joined with him. How on earth did married people manage to look so dour faced and serious all the time? She felt like laughing out loud.
She changed into her favorite work dress, a light gray cotton she'd made herself. Tepid water that had once been warm sat in a pitcher on the corner commode. She washed her face, careful to keep the splashing to a minimum, but Jonah did not rouse. He lay still, his magnificent chest rising and falling with each breath.
She brushed out her hair quickly. She'd been a regular slug-a-bed this morning. Look, the sun was already rising. A rooster crowed somewhere, intent on announcing the arrival of the new day. Why, she had a house full of men to cook for. Between somber Thomas and terrified Andy, she wondered what they would think of her waltzing downstairs so late.
"Trying to escape me?" His voice came raw and husky from sleep. He smiled, low and lazy, and the warmth of it wrapped around her like a hug.
"Aye, I'm late already. I must check on your father and see to the chores."
"We have a servant for the outside work."
"Then I have breakfast to prepare. I can't believe your brothers would think well of me if I let them starve."
"My brothers know how to fend for themselves." Jonah sat up in bed, the sheets gliding down his body to rest dangerously low at his hips. Dark hair gathered there and drew her gaze. "Are you remembering last night? Remembering how you liked it?"
"You are a devil, you are. I was right about you all along." Heat stained her face at the remembered images hardly decent in the light of day, or even in the first scattering of daylight
A brow quirked. "I'm too big to push into a mud puddle, as you did when we were children and I pulled your braid."
"Aye, but not so big that I can't shove you out of that bed."
" 'Tis because you want to see me naked and aroused. I can oblige." He rolled back the covers, revealing bronzed skin and powerfully built man and a jutting hardness that he seemed so proud of. "Forget the chores. Forget breakfast. I want you, Tessa."
"Goodness. 'Tis after six o'clock in the morning. 'Tis not decent."
"And was it decent last night?" He unfolded his big body full length. "You were more than eager in the dark. Let us see how wild you can be in the daylight."
"Go ahead and tempt me. 'Twill not work." In truth, her blood nearly boiled in her veins at the sight of him. Why did it have to be him? She had always prayed to find a nice man, a quiet one, maybe bookish, decent, and kind. But not one of those words could be used to describe this man towering before her, brash and bold and naked.
So very naked. She could hardly ignore that thick stiff length of him, staring right at her. Her knees felt shaky. And her entire body melted.
"Admit it, Tessa. You want me." His bare feet padded on the wood floor. How close he was. She took a step backward. " 'Tis there in your eyes, as dark as desire. You enjoyed making love last night"
" 'Twas not too terrible," she admitted. And lied boldly. Terrible? 'Twas indescribably heavenly. "But already the day has begun and we can't lie about when there's work to be done."
"There will be time enough for work." A slow grin stretched his mouth at one corner as he wrapped both hands around her wrists, holding her captive. "Come, back to bed with me. I'll let you be on top."
"On top?" Humor and a devil's light sparkled in his eyes, so deep and rich she could lose herself in them. "You're naught but a rogue, a wicked man through and through."
"Guilty as charged." A dimple etched into his cheek. He was enjoying this too much.
"See? You admit it. You were entirely responsible for my behavior last night"
"Me?" He crooked one brow, "I was responsible?"
"Aye, you. A proper wife lies there dutifully, but you, you made me-"
"A proper wife? Oh, that's a stretch of the truth. From our first kiss you were a wicked enchantress with that fiery mouth of yours, and in the forest, offering me your breasts the way you did-"
"Offering you? You did as you pleased."
"And you moaned the entire time. Just like last night." His lips grazed her knuckles, and his tongue flicked out to lave the sensitive skin of her inner wrist. "Come, let me make you moan again."
"A decent husband would not know how to make a woman moan like that."
Dark eyes snapped, crackling like fire in a hearth, intense, dangerous. "I never said I was a decent man. Or husband. I know how much you liked it, Tessa. And how much you are tempted now. Your eyes are naught but black, your breath comes fast and light in your chest, and your pulse skips beneath my touch. Admit it"
"I can plainly see how tempted you are." She tried to joke, but there was nothing humorous in his rock-hard shaft, or in the desire plain and naked in his eyes, and all for her. "But your brothers will think-"
" 'Tis none of their business what I do with my wife."
His mouth claimed hers in a storm of heat and fire. Like a flame, she felt burned by him. Burned by a fast crackling want that snapped through her veins and sizzled in her very bones.
He backed her up against the wall until there was no space between them. She could feel the hard wall of his chest against her breasts, the steely bunch of his thighs fitted between hers, and his rock-hard shaft slanted against the curve of her stomach.
"You're not responding like a proper wife." He broke their kiss only to tug at her buttons.
" 'Tis hard to be proper with a man as wicked as you." Her breath came fast and light. Her whole body felt aflame, ready to be engulfed by this sharp pounding need for him.
"So you blame me again?" he chuckled, rich and liquid warm as he dipped his head to draw her bared breast into his mouth.
"Aye. 'Tis all your fault." Such thrilling pleasure. Tessa tipped her head back to rest against the wall, her eyes drifting shut. The sweet pressure of his mouth on her nipple drew taut a band of sensation low in her abdomen. Tingly and heavy and incredible, she was ready to surrender to him even in the light of day and let him strip off her clothes and make love to her until this heady need for him was sated.
A knock tapped at the closed door. "Jonah?"
"Not now, Andy," Jonah growled out, lifting his head from her breasts. "I'm busy."
"But 'tis Father."
Jonah squeezed his eyes shut, the muscles standing out in his strong jaw and the column of his neck.
"I must go." She pressed a kiss to Jonah's stubbled jaw, rough and so wondrously male. "You can be wicked later, mayhap at nighttime when it's much more decent"
"Decency be damned." His gaze clamped on her, intense and intimate, sparkling with a knowledge of what was to come.
Her heart skipped three beats, for she wanted to be held in his arms, pinned beneath him, and feel that spiraling pleasure only he could give her.
She hadn't known married life would be so wondrous. Mother had spoken of the pleasure of the marriage bed but only indirectly.
Tessa fastened her buttons, and Jonah stepped away. Still naked, still aroused, still wanting her, but sadness now snapped in his eyes and tightened the muscles of his jaw.
"Go to him. I'll get dressed and come help you."
" 'Twill be interesting to see how your breeches fit," she could not help teasing.
Imagine, her, Tessa Bradford, teasing. Never in her life had she felt this happy. And it was only one day, less than twenty-four hours of being Jonah's bride.
'Twas a very fine thing to be.
Jonah pushed open the door to Father's chamber. New candles burned on the stand by the bed, where the weak old man coughed fitfully. The hacking painful sound filled the room and the empty chambers of his cold dark heart.
"Yesterday was too exciting for him." Tessa looked up when he entered the room. Her long hair was brushed but not yet tied back, caressing the delicate cut of her cheekbones and jaw, softening her features, rendering her beautiful.
If Tessa had worn her hair down and smiled just once, likely half the men in the village would have dropped to their knees before her. Even he had been guilty in seeing the worst in her, in this woman who had cared so dutifully for an ill and dying mother, as he had not done for his own father.
Aye, she was a woman of courage and strength, of more goodness and beauty than anyone he knew. Even now, she tended Father with tender hands, angelic hands, smoothing a cloth over the old man's wrinkled brow.
"I can't seem to catch air," Father wheezed between dry, chest-deep coughs.
"I told you to take care, not to become overtired. You refused to listen, so don't expect any sympathy from me." But the soft curve of her mouth gentled the words and the caring in her eyes, how mesmerizing it was.
"Jonah, will you bring me some boiling water? I would do it myself, but I don't want to leave him."
He could only nod, his throat tight. Tight with fear for his father who appeared to be scarcely breathing. Tight with gratefulness for Tessa, who did not shirk her duty.
"I'll bring up your breakfast as well." He resisted the urge to kiss her, to thank her for what she had done. This was all the proof he needed. He had made the right choice in marrying her.
He left with the image of her sitting at Father's side, candlelight sheening the ebony beauty of her hair. He tapped down the stairs, glad at least this worry he carried was groundless. Marriage might not prove to be so horrible after all.
"Quite a grin you're wearing, brother." Thomas looked up from the hearth.
"Aye, 'tis amazing you are in such good humor." Andy sat at the table, his plate heaped with baked goods.
"Look how at ease he is. I bet our sharp-tongued Mistress Tessa is not always so severe." Thomas scooped fried eggs from a sizzling skillet. "Comes as quite a surprise to me, but looks can be deceiving, eh, Jonah?"
"More than you know." He grabbed an extra plate from the cupboard. "Is that kettle boiling yet?"
" 'Tis done. I just set it off the heat." Thomas set the platter of food on the table. "How is Father?"
"His cough did not sound good." Jonah filled a plate for Tessa. He didn't know what she liked, so he chose both ham and sausages to go with the eggs. And a slice of pumpkin bread and a piece of tasty looking streusel. "I don't want you gluttons eating all the food whilst I'm gone."
"If you walk away, you're taking your chances," Andy teased with a mouthful of streusel.
"Strike me dead," Thomas roared. "I cannot believe our fearless hero of a brother is fixing a plate for his wife."
"Aye, look how tenderly he set the sausages next to the egg."
"Mayhap he is in love."
"Enough," Jonah commanded. "Love has naught to do with it. Tessa is tending Father. She cannot care for him on an empty stomach."
"See how he blushes?" Andy piped up. " 'Tis lust then."
"Lust is a safer emotion than love, my brother." Jonah swiped a glass of cider from the table. "Andy, you're eating all the sausages. Come with me and fetch the kettle from the hearth. Tessa needs hot water."
"What I can't believe is that you seem satisfied with the match." Thomas stood and handed Andy a hot pad. "Jonah, I know you married her for Father."
"Aye, and right now she is at his side. 'Tis a good match, brother. Try not to scare her with that ugly face of yours when you see her next."
"Too late," Andy quipped. " 'Tis why she thinks you so handsome, Jonah. Poor Tessa looked at Thomas first and even you looked good in comparison."
"How is he?"
Tessa wrung the last bit of herbed water from the basin. "Resting now. He feels warm, but the fever has not returned, at least not yet. I fear it may."
Jonah knelt beside her, both strong hands resting on his knees. "I want him to recover."
"As do I." She saw the worry in his eyes, dark with fear. "You know I will do all I can, for he is my father now, too."
His throat worked. "Aye, that he is. No one could tend him as well, Tessa. Or do so much. I'll always be grateful."
"As will I." The morning had stretched away, a weary time of worry and work, for she feared the worst. If the colonel worsened, then he was far too weak to fight another bout of fever. And yet, Jonah had been there, bringing her breakfast, fetching water and wood, letting her know she was so valued.
She'd tended many ill in this village over the years and had mostly been an outsider intruding into a family's circle, seeing their innermost struggles and problems. Now, for the first time, she belonged.
And all because of Jonah.
"A ship is in at the docks." He reached up and brushed a straggle of hair from her eyes, such a tender gesture. One of a loving husband for a wife. "I know Father is ill, but you have been here since dawn. Mayhap you want to go down and see what they have for sale."
"There's nothing I need more than to take care of your father." It touched her, that he would offer her this. "He could worsen at any minute. Besides, another ship may dock tomorrow. Or next week. I have all I need."
"But we're without a house servant and there may be some on board. I think you should decide if there is anyone suitable, as you will be overseeing her."
"But there is not much to do here. Surely I can-"
"Nay, Tessa." He laid his hand on her shoulder, and his touch sizzled. "I didn't bring you here to work like a servant for us. I'm not like your grandfather, and I will always despise that man for how he treated you. You are my wife now, and you need not work for a roof over your head."
"Oh, Jonah." He truly cared for her, just as he'd said. He loved her, it was written in the gleam of emotion in his eyes, in the gentle bass of his voice. His touches claimed her, and she remembered how he'd treasured her in their chamber last night. How he drove her to such surrender, to sure, unbearable pleasure. Only love could do that.
"Andy and Thomas will stay. Father is resting well now. He will likely do so for a few more hours."
"But I'm not so sure-"
"A new servant is necessary. You've seen how my brothers and I live. Pigs are less slovenly."
"Aye, I had that thought myself." How his kindness made her chest ache, made her heart hurt sweetly.
"See? You'll be saving us, for if cleanliness is next to godliness, we are in deep danger of losing our souls."
"That's been my opinion for a long time." Barely able to restrain her smile, Tessa laid the rag to rest in the basin. "I guess duty calls. I'll find a servant and hope 'tis enough to redeem you."
"You are an angel." Laughing, he stood and held out his hand. His big strong hand that engulfed hers so easily with the thrilling texture of his male-rough skin.
After leaving careful instructions with both Thomas and Andy and after agreeing to wear the cloak Jonah had given her, Tessa stepped out into the weak sunshine with her hand on her husband's strong arm.
The village was not that far of a ride, and the wharf with the wide gray river lay just beyond. Many walked along the common road, and Tessa felt their gazes as Jonah guided the small wagon past
"Looks as if news travels fast." He leaned close.
She shivered as his shoulder brushed hers and stayed there. A small connection, but it made her feel stronger. "Aye, there was much speculation when it was learned you were returning to Baybrooke to marry, as your father requested."
"I'm surprised anyone would even remember me, I had been gone so long."
"You're the eldest son of the colonel, so respected in this town." Tessa's chest tightened. "And there were many who thought they had a good chance of being your bride."
"I bet many didn't think that I would choose you." He smiled then, one that was a blend of warmth and bedevilment all at once. "I am an unpredictable fellow."
"You take pride in that, I see." How good he made her feel inside, in her heart that had been lonely for love. "You married me because my grandfather thought I was compromised."
"I didn't have to marry you." His eyes darkened, and some of the teasing ebbed from his eyes, like sunlight behind leaden clouds. "Your grandfather still wanted you to marry Horace Walling. I had to pay both men handsomely to convince them otherwise."
"Usually the bride brings something to the marriage."
"I do not want a dowry, Tessa. You're prize enough."
He valued her that much. She felt her throat fill and stared hard at her mittened hands. Tears burned beneath her eyes, tears of such great happiness. Who had thought all those years horrible Jonah Hunter had teased her in dame school, then ignored her as they both grew to adulthood, he had harbored these feelings so strong, he had married her, wanted her above all others. He valued her, thought her a prize.
No one, not even her beloved mother, had said those words, made her feel so special. The warmth in her chest grew, expanding beneath her ribs so that it burned in the hollow of her throat, beneath the spot where her collarbones met and her pulse beat fast and fluttery.
"You've done so much for Father." He took her hand in his and only then did she realize they were at the river.
Villagers crowded the wooden dock, faint sunlight glinted on dark water, and a ship with three furled sails waited patiently for the next breath of wind.
"Come, let's see if there is a servant here who will suit you."
The din of the crowd nearly silenced as Jonah lifted her from the wagon. She could have climbed down herself, but she didn't want to miss any opportunity to feel his touch, even here in a public place where so many eyes watched and wondered.
"It seems to me we ought to look at the fabric, too." He took her hand, and his touch never left her as he led her through the staring crowd.
So many of the people she knew and many she'd tended when they were ill stood gaping at her. Or turned to whisper to one another-the Sandersons who had lost their aged aunt early this winter, the Carpenters, whose daughter nearly died when the strange fever had swept through the village last year, and more, so many more.
"Major Hunter, welcome home to Baybrooke." The innkeeper, Bernard Sawyer, extended his hand.
"Bernard, 'tis been a long while. Still serving that swill you call ale?"
"Aye, that I am." The ruddy-faced man tipped his hat to her. "Congratulations, Mistress Hunter, on your recent wedding."
"Thank you." Strange it was, to be greeted as Jonah's bride. And yet she was proud to stand beside so handsome a man, who treated others with respect. Some people in the village believed themselves to be finer than others because they had more money and wore better clothes, but not Jonah.
"Look, the captain has spread out his yard goods on that board table." Jonah, taller than she was, could see more easily through the crowd. "Now, no protests allowed. I want to see my wife in something other than dreary colors. Go ahead, pick out what you like. I'll go see what kind of servants are aboard ship."
Jonah squeezed her hand before he left. Her heart thudding, she watched him weave through the milling crowd, his gait steady and determined, his shoulders broad, especially when compared to so many other men's. Today his dark hair was swept back and tied at his nape, and an unruly shock tumbled over his brow. She saw him in profile speaking to the ship's captain.
"He doesn't love you, you know."
"Violet." Tessa spun around. She'd been so intent on watching Jonah she hadn't noticed anything else.
"Everyone is saying it. He would have married me if you hadn't tricked him." Violet's mouth twisted into an ugly sneer that seemed to drain all the natural beauty from her face. "I was the one he came to see after morning meeting that Sunday. Me. Not a sour-faced old maid who had to act like a harlot to snare a man's last name."
"She's right." Charity sauntered up behind her daughter, mouth pursed, eyes hard. "You ought to be ashamed to show your face among decent people. I have had Ely speak with the selectmen of the village. While you were working your wiles on poor Major Hunter, you were breaking curfew. Not to mention acting lasciviously. There are penalties for that."
Tessa clamped her mouth shut. Horrible, unspeakable words burned on her tongue. Her hands fisted into tight balls of anger. She had endured Charity's cruel tongue and mean spirit for far too many years, and she would not do so any longer. She itched to speak her peace, for once, without the threat of being kicked out into the street, but she could not. She would not embarrass Jonah that way, or herself, by losing her temper.
"Excuse me, Charity."
"You're not going anywhere until I've had my say." The woman darted around her daughter, face set, marching like a soldier to the front line. "You have been the bane of my existence for the last ten years. You shoved your way into my house with that weak mother of yours-"
"Don't say one word against my mother," Tessa hissed, careful to keep her voice low. "You have no right, you who have not lifted a hand to perform a single domestic task for most of those ten years. I chopped the wood and I made the meals and I did the laundry and I made soap and candles and thread for the weaving. So not one word, Charity."
"You are likely to be no better than your silly mother, a foolish weak-willed simpleton who could not see the man she married had a use for her. Not love, a use for her."
" 'Tis enough, Mistress Bradford." Low that voice, rumbling like thunder over a valley, sure and strong and laced with warning. "I could hear your accusations all the way to the water's edge. And I assure you, I never set my sights on your shallow daughter. I married Tessa by choice. Anyone who says differently will answer to me."
Charity shrank at Jonah's quiet, controlled anger. The crowd silenced, all eyes turning toward them, waiting for what was to come next. Violet's face puckered into tears.
Tessa stepped forward. "Jonah, 'tis all right. Vicious words cannot do much harm."
"You're wrong, but I will not argue." He took her hand, his touch reassuring.
Her heart soared, and the warmth in her chest deepened. Her affection for Jonah grew steadily brighter with each breath and with every beat of her heart.