The Cowboy's Lady

Chapter 16 Discovered

It was late at night when David awoke. Moon light streamed through his window illuminating his room. He was surprised to see Em sleeping peacefully next to him. Her head was on his shoulder and her glorious copper hair lying across her shoulder and on the pillow. Her hand was on his chest and her leg flexed and lying across his. She had her spectacles on and they had come free of one of her ears. David gently removed the spectacles and stretched to put them under the bed. He caressed her face. Her lips were pink and slightly parted as she breathed quietly. He took some of her hair and ran his fingers through the silky softness. She stirred slightly and her hand began moving through his chest hair. She slowly opened her eyes, "It's you," she whispered.

"And just who were you expecting?" he teased.

"Love me David," she whispered as she moved closer to kiss him. David returned the kiss and his hands started to roam, caressing her shoulders, her back, her bottom and unbuttoning her night shirt.

"Are you sure?" he whispered and she nodded in response, "I love you Em, with all my heart and soul I love you." She responded with a little giggle and rolled over on top of him.

Later David again awoke, they were laying together with their limbs intertwined. Emeleth was sleeping soundly. Her nightshirt was lying in a lump on the floor and her hair splayed over the pillow. David disentangled himself and got out of bed. He found his clothing draped over a chair and quietly dressed. He felt a rather strong urge to avail himself of the water closet. Looking in the mirror he was surprised by the extent of his beard growth. Had it been so many days since his last shave he thought. He took his straight razor from the cabinet and after lathering his face shaved. He rubbed his face with his fingers and thought he had done a pretty good job. He brushed his teeth and buttoned his shirt tucking it in and pulled up his braces.

Emeleth was just beginning to stir. She quickly realized she was completely naked in bed. She smiled as she remembered her love making with David and stretched languidly feeling gloriously alive if not a little sore. She almost felt giddy. She looked around for her spectacles and could not feel them on the table. When she had carelessly tossed off the bed covers they had ended up on the floor hiding her nightshirt. Without her glasses she could not easily differentiate the sheets from the nightshirt. So she grabbed the blanket and wrapped herself loosely in that.

David had heard a wrap on the door and opened it to the pastor, his wife Phoebe and Emeleth's brothers and aunt all come to check on his progress and David let them enter. Amanda had been awake and not found Emeleth with her. She dressed then heard the door knock. She opened her bedroom door and stepped out to check on her sister and Emeleth at the same time stepped out of David's room. Her hair was disheveled and she was covering herself loosely with the blanket with her bare shoulders, arms and one leg exposed all the way to her hip.

"Where did you put my spectacles and night shirt, Davey?" most of the people in the room appeared as a soft blur to Emeleth, but she was close enough to Manda to clearly see her shocked face and she could hear the audible gasps from their guests. She retreated immediately into David's room and quietly closed the door.

It took a herculean effort for David to defuse the situation. Her brothers and the pastor and wife and Aunt Jane left with assurances that he would make the situation right. He spoke to Amanda who was surprisingly mature about the situation and offered him luck in dealing with Em. David quietly entered his room. Buried in a heap of blankets and sheets lay Emeleth. She had her head covered but her feet and legs sticking out. David lay on the bed next to her. She peeked out from the covering blankets. David could see evidence of tears. He reached under the covers and found her hands.

"Are you OK sweetheart?"

"No." 

David kissed her hands then reached out and cupped her face in his hand."Never expected this to happen," David whispered.

"I'm not a bit sorry," Emeleth said petulantly, "I'm an adult and I made my own choice." She paused then looking into his eyes asked, "How's Manda taking all this?"

"She been rather mature about it. She expects us to get married."

"I don't see the need to," Emeleth said.

"Do you love me Em?"

"Oh yes," she whispered sliding closer and touching his chest, "more than ever."

"Then marry me.

"No." She shook her head.

"Why not?"

"You're asking for a lifetime commitment. Can we just be together. I'll sleep with you whenever you want."

"Are you saying you don't want to be faithful," David asked. His voice cracked and his heart ached.

"NO! That's not what I mean." She looked deeply into his eyes trying to be understood. She saw the pain her statement had caused and wanted David to understand the extent of her love for him, to realize she was being honest with him. "You will be my one and only Davey. My one and only for ever."

"Then why not marry me? I want you as my one and only for the rest of my life too."

"I'm afraid." She bit her lip and looked down. David held her chin gently in his hand lifting her face to look into her eyes. Her eyes were tear filled.

"That I'll be like your father?" he whispered. She nodded in response and he saw more tears as they spilled onto her cheeks. "I understand your feelings," he whispered gently, "I wish I could prove to you my intentions and my resolve to honor and respect you. All I have is my word."

"We've been together less than three weeks."

"I realize that, but I've loved you since that first day."

"I'll stay with you for as long as you want Davey. Think of all the sex we can have together."

"As much as I love you and what we did last night Em, I can't just live with you. I want to marry you. No marriage no sleeping together either." Emeleth was quiet for what to David appeared to be hours. Then she gazed into his face, her eyes partially shielded by her long eyelashes. She took a deep fortifying breath then making full eye contact.

"Okay David, I will marry you." David smiled at her and kissed her with enthusiasm.

"Let's go tell everyone," David said, "we can start with Manda. We can tell her she will be staying with us."

"Not so fast Davey, I'm not dressed," Emeleth whispered coyly.

"You're naked under these blankets?"

"Totally, naked as the day I was born."

"We'll we can...you know...we don't have to rush..."

"Kiss me," Emeleth purred and he did.

Later they made the rounds to announce their intention to marry. Amanda was the first to know and she agreed enthusiastically to live with them. She also accompanied them as they told Sean, Emeleth's aunt, uncle and plethora of cousins. Next they visited the twins and finally the pastor and his wife. They decided that their marriage would take place in two days on September 29th Emeleth's twenty-fifth birthday at the church followed by a breakfast at the hotel's dinning room.