Page 29 of The Gold Rush Bride

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A weekafter their return from town, Barnaby thought he’d seen Grimes watching the camp, but he couldn’t be sure. If anyone was in the trees, they had hidden themselves well...but he didn’t like the feeling he’d had.

At supper that night, he spoke up. “Sadie, we’re running short of meat. I need to go hunting tomorrow. Will you be all right here on the claim by yourself?”

“Just leave me the pistol and the shotgun and I’ll be fine. No claim jumper will have an easy time with me.”

She was so sure of her skills.

He smiled, and then it faded as though it had never creased his face. “I want you to be vigilant for claim jumpers, especially Homer Grimes. He knows you’re a woman. Most of the miners up here now do, but don’t expect any help from any of them. They won’t want to get involved.”

“I’ll be fine. You’ve taught me how to shoot, and I can fight, too. No one will get our claim as long as I’m here. Homer Grimes be damned.”

“Good. Let’s get to bed.” He brought the lantern from the table to the cots and undressed down to his long johns.

Sadie sat on the side of her cot without turning it down to sleep. “Barnaby, can we...perhaps...maybe...put the mattresses on the floor and sleep together? Maybe?”

He went to her and took both of her hands in his. “Are you asking me to make love to you?”

How could she ask him? What if he didn’t want to?

She looked at her boots and kept her head down, then nodded.

“You don’t need to be shy with me. I’m your husband and I want to make love to you as often as you’ll let me.”

Sadie lifted her head. “I want you. Please, Barnaby, make love to me.”

“With pleasure,mo ghra, with pleasure.”

Barnaby pulled off the blankets and lifted the mattress from his cot, laying it on the floor.

Sadie did the same with her blankets and mattress. Then she spread all the blankets on the mattresses. They would certainly keep warm tonight.

When everything was ready, she stripped out of her clothes. She left the cotton blanket from her cot on the bottom to use as a sheet, then pulled back the blankets and crawled beneath them.

She shivered and pulled the blankets up under her chin. “It’s cold in here.”

“I’ll put more wood in the stove. It’ll warm up in no time.” He walked over to the stove, opened the door and placed a good-sized piece of wood inside. Then he returned to her. “Until then, we can lay together under the blankets. I hope we can sleep this way every night.”

She widened her eyes. “You do? I didn’t think you wanted to since you hadn’t mentioned anything.”

He smiled, removed his clothes, and got under the covers with her. Then he pulled her close and wrapped her in his arms. “I was waiting until you were ready. I didn’t want to push you into something you weren’t prepared for.”

“I’m ready.”

“We don’t have to rush things. Let’s just be together and enjoy touching each other. Then, when the tent warms up, we can make love.”

It didn’t take long for the tent to warm and the covers to seem like too much.

Sadie threw back her blankets. “Now, I’m hot under them.”

“So am I.” He pushed the coverings to the bottom of the bed, then sat back on his heels and gazed at her. “You’re beautiful. I think you’re the loveliest woman I’ve ever known.”

She smiled and then lowered her gaze. “You know, I appreciate the flattery, but I’m trying very hard not to cover up with my arms. I know you’ve seen all of me before, but that doesn’t prevent me from being shy about you looking at me.”

“Thank you for not hiding yourself from me. It would be a shame to keep all this beauty covered up.”

“I have to say, you are the most well-formed man I’ve ever known, and I enjoy looking at you.”