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THE NEXT MORNING, BOB and Tessa woke early, planning to get a quick breakfast in town before heading to Yellowstone. When Bob woke, he got a shower and then immediately woke his wife. “I want to leave within the hour, so I thought I’d wake you so you could get ready.”
She nodded, going immediately into the bathroom which still had steamed mirrors from Bob’s shower. It was strange living in such a close space with someone else, but she was certain she’d get used to it. When he wasn’t insisting she act like his grandmother had, Bob wasn’t a bad man. There were definitely things to work through, but they’d get there. She hoped.
After breakfast, they headed into the park, and Tessa tried to look in every direction at once. Mainly what she could see was simply a heavily forested area, but she wanted to get out and explore immediately. She knew it wasn’t safe, but it didn’t seem like a dangerous place.
She spotted a bear off in the distance and squealed. “There’s a bear!”
“There are lots of bears in Yellowstone,” Bob said calmly. “And bison. And Moose. You want to stay away from all three, because they could each kill you.”
“I’m sure they could. I’ll be careful. Where are we going first?”
“We’ll head toward Old Faithful first. I think if you saw nothing else here, you’d want to see that geyser, and I’d like to walk the Lower Geyser Basin, but we’ll do that after.” He was surprised to find himself actually excited to show this place to his sweet wife. She was special and he wanted to move the earth for her.
“Is it a long walk?” she asked. Tessa loved hiking, but it had been a long time since she’d had the chance. She was sure she’d be sore for a few days, but she didn’t care. She was getting to see things she’d only dreamed about.
“Not too long. We can keep it short, and just hike next to the pots, but if you’re up for a bit of a climb, we could go up and see the whole area from a different trail.”
“Let’s see how I feel then. I haven’t done a lot of walking recently, and I don’t want to die on my first day here.”
“Die, huh? You’re not being melodramatic?”
“Never!” she said with a grin. “I’m extremely level-headed. Ask anyone.”
“I don’t have to ask. I can see it for myself.” He drove into the parking lot closest to Old Faithful, and was able to find a spot a good distance away. “This is where you’ll see Old Faithful and there’s a place to eat here and even a shop or two.”
“You’re never going to get me out of the shops,” she said, teasing him.
“Women love to shop!” Bob responded, teasing her back.
She narrowed her eyes at him, growing serious. “Don’t paint me with the same paintbrush you use on other women, please. Get to know me first.” He was starting to make her crazy with his blanket statements about women.
He frowned, but he realized she was right. He wasn’t getting to know her, and he was expecting her to act a certain way, because other women did. That wasn’t fair to her at all. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll do my best to not do that again.”
“I appreciate it.” She was pleased he understood what he’d done wrong finally, and she didn’t resist when he took her hand and walked with her. Every time she started to think their marriage could work, he did something else that was stupid. Hopefully, they’d make it through the day.
“There’s already a crowd gathering to see Old Faithful, but that’s normal. We’re not going to be able to avoid that, so let’s join the crowd and watch it erupt, and then we’ll do the shopping you want to do.”
“Sounds good to me!” She didn’t love crowds, and she really preferred it when people practiced social distancing, but she joined the throng of people waiting for the geyser to erupt.
She wished she could get closer, but the huge crowd of tourists blocked her view. When the geyser erupted a few minutes later, she wasn’t disappointed though, and was instead filled with awe as the geyser shot water straight into the air.
When the short eruption was over, she and Bob headed toward Old Faithful Lodge. “They’re renovating the lodge, and I have a friend who’s part of the project. It’s pretty amazing from the pictures he’s posted on Facebook, but I’m excited to look at it for real.”
“Will we see your friend?” she asked, looking around them.
He shook his head. “No, he didn’t have time today, and he didn’t want to interrupt my honeymoon.” He was glad John hadn’t wanted to join them. He didn’t want to have to share his beautiful wife even for a minute of conversation.
“I can appreciate that,” she said. The entire place was lovely.
From there, they walked into one of the tourist shops, and she grinned. So many of these things were in West Yellowstone as well, but she wanted to support the park by buying their overpriced souvenirs there. She rubbed her hands together, anxious to get started.
By the time she’d finished gathering the mementos she wanted, it was time for lunch. He led her back to the restaurant in Old Faithful Lodge. “Are we going to spend more time inside shopping than we do outside on the trails?” he asked. He wasn’t really bothered by her time in the shop, but he was curious about how she ticked.
Tessa shrugged. “Maybe. I hate normal shopping, but put me in a souvenir shop, and I’ll spend all day, wanting to get just the right things to remember my time by.”
“You hate shopping? You mean like grocery shopping, right? I bet you go shoe shopping all the time.” Bob couldn’t imagine a woman who thought she had enough shoes. Every friend he’d ever had always complained about his girlfriend and her need to have hundreds of pairs of shoes.
“You know what? I don’t like shoe shopping at all. I find it annoying and aggravating. I buy shoes when I absolutely need to, and I still wish you’d quit comparing me to every other woman you’d ever known.” She took a sip of her water as she watched him. Would he realize he was being a jerk? She certainly hoped so, because if the man wasn’t teachable, he would have to be pushed off a cliff somewhere. She couldn’t make it the year she’d agreed to in Matchrimony’s contract.
“You’re right. I keep doing that, don’t I?” He shrugged. “With all the women in town being afraid of me because of the triplet thing, I’ve never really had a relationship. I was too busy at college to even try for one, and when I got back to Cauldron Valley, the women were still afraid of me.”
She looked at him as if considering his words for a moment before nodding. “That makes a lot of sense actually. Not ever having a relationship would mean you had no idea how to deal with women. You’re going to have to let me teach you.”
He shrugged. “Sure. If that makes you happy.” He was sure he did well in his dealings with women, but if she thought he needed to work on them, he would. No questions asked. He wanted nothing more than to please his beautiful bride.
“Trust me, it will make me very happy.”
“Then I’ll learn all I can from you.” He was determined to make her happy and keep the family name going. Pops needed great-grandbabies, and he was the only one who was married. He’d make sure they happened.
After a very long day of hiking, shopping, and eating, they returned to the hotel room, and she collapsed onto her bed. Her feet ached, and she pulled one onto her lap to try to rub it. “You need a foot rub?” Bob asked. He had immediately gone to the table to work on the puzzle some more.
“I do!” She never would have asked, but if he was offering, there was no way she’d turn him down. What woman in her right mind didn’t want a foot rub from a handsome man like Bob?
He sat at the foot of her bed, pulling one of her feet into his lap. He peeled her sock off and applied pressure to her foot, trying to find the spots that hurt her. He’d never given anyone a foot rub before, so he hoped he was doing it right.
“That feels good. Thank you!”
He smiled, keeping up the pressure. This was the first time they’d been on a bed together and the most he’d ever touched her. He couldn’t help but wonder if he could turn this into something more. “Did you have fun today?”
Tessa nodded. “It was a good day. I feel like I know you better, and I got to see a lot of Yellowstone. It’s an amazing place. I can’t believe we were in a traffic jam today that was caused by a herd of bison. I guess in my head they’re extinct.”
“They’re really not extinct at all. Yellowstone can only handle so many of them, so they actually have to ship off part of their herd frequently. They go to other protected areas, but there are even ranchers who raise them instead of European cows. Since they are the only cattle indigenous to North America, they don’t need all the immunization and things that the European animals do and they end up being healthier for human consumption.”
She smiled. “I love that you know things like that. If I want a dog, will you research its lineage for me?” She’d wanted a puppy for years, but she’d never been in a position to have one.
“If you need me to.” He shrugged. “I’m pretty good with human genealogy as well. I studied some of the genetic experiments they did on the Amish to keep from inbreeding. It was pretty fascinating.”
“Do the Amish allow themselves to go through genetic testing?” she asked, surprised.
Bob nodded. “They do. They don’t want to risk having any of their people become sick because they married too close of a relative.”
“That’s really interesting,” Tessa said. “I guess your knowledge is good to keep around.”
He laughed, tickling her foot. “Be nice to me. I’m your favorite husband.”
“This is true. Of course, you’re my only husband, so that would make you an automatic favorite. Also, a least favorite, if you think about it. Hopefully, I won’t have another anytime soon.”
Bob frowned. “Aren’t you going to swear that you’ll never marry another man as long as you live?”
“I’ve known you for two days. I think that may be a bit premature.” Tessa wiggled her foot, reminding him to keep rubbing it. She wasn’t going to promise anything ridiculous for his ego.
“That’s true. But I don’t think Pops will ever marry again.”
“He was married for fifty years, and presumably loved your grandmother even before they married. You and I have known one another for forty-eight hours. I think there’s a big difference, don’t you?”
He shrugged. He was surprised how much he wanted her to tell him she would only love him and no one else for the rest of her days. He hadn’t really been worried about how she felt about him before they met, finding the whole meeting at the altar thing more of a genetic experiment than anything else. Now that he’d done it though, he was surprised at how much his feelings came into play.
When he’d finished with her foot rub, he crawled up to the head of the bed, stretching out beside her, both of them with their backs against the headboard. “Did I do all right?” he asked.
“The foot massage?” she asked, looking over at him. At his nod, she said, “You did great.” She was surprised at how needy he seemed for compliments.
“Thanks.”
“Do you need one?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I thought a little canoodling might be fun though.”
“Canoodling?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and giggling. “How can you say that word so seriously?”
He shrugged. “No idea, really. My grandmother used to say it, so I guess it’s just a normal word to me.” Before meeting her, he’d never realized just how old-fashioned his upbringing had been. Being raised by his grandparents had definitely given him some antiquated ideas about things and definitely an antiquated vocabulary.
“Well, I like it.” She turned toward him, putting her palm flat on his chest. “Thanks for a good day. I really did have fun.”
“I did too,” he said, surprising himself. He’d thought he was only going to Yellowstone to appease her, not to enjoy himself. It turned out, just being in her company made him happy.
“Don’t look so shocked,” she said, grinning at him.
He dipped his head, and leaned down to her, pressing his lips against hers. She had been eating a small piece of chocolate she’d gotten in the park, and he could taste the sweetness on her lips.
Deepening the kiss, one hand went to her waist to pull her closer to him. He wanted so much from her, but he knew it was too early for them. She would never allow him to make love to her yet. And she’d refused to negotiate a date.
Tessa wrapped her arms around Bob’s neck and kissed him back with everything inside her. She’d had a wonderful day with him, and his touch made her knees weak. She stroked her hand along the side of his neck, enjoying the feel of his hot skin against her cool hands.
He pulled her against him more completely, his lips roaming from hers to lightly kiss her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access to the skin there.
Finally, Bob sat up, looking directly into Tessa’s eyes. “If you’re going to stop me, then you need to stop me now,” he said.
Tessa debated with herself for a moment, before she finally shook her head. “I’m not ready.” She wanted to keep going, but she knew she’d regret it later.
He groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
“I’m sorry. I just want my first time to be with someone special to me, and you can’t be special if I’ve only known you a couple days.”
“Your first time?” he asked. “You’ve never?”
She shook her head. “No, I always said I’d wait until I was married, and I know we’re married, but it doesn’t feel right yet. If we’d had time to get to know each other before the wedding, I’m sure I’d have slept with you on our wedding night.”
“But you don’t mind if I keep trying, right?”
“Are you asking for permission to canoodle with me at a future time?” she asked, grinning at him.
He nodded. “Yes, I guess I am.”
“Yes, Bob, you’re welcome to try again. I’m sure soon the answer will be yes, but it doesn’t feel right tonight.”
“All right. I understand.” He got out of the bed, and walked back over to the puzzle. “Come over and play puzzle with me some more. We have fun doing that.”
Tessa smiled and joined him at the table, each of them sitting in the chair the other had been in the previous night. She loved seeing the puzzle from a totally different angle. Bob too for that matter. He may make her crazy at times, but he was always good to look at.
* * *
ON THE LAST FULL DAY of their trip, they hiked the trails near the Lower Falls, and Tessa felt at peace as she stood looking out over the beauty of the waterfalls with Bob at her side, his arm around her. “It’s so powerful,” she said, and he could barely hear her over the sound of the falls.
“It is. I feel like Yellowstone shows us God’s raw power in ways other places don’t. Here we see the falls, and we’ve stood at so many geysers watching water spew into the air. Truly, this is an amazing place. We’ll come again.” He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been enamored of the place as a child, but it probably had to do with being there with his brothers and cousins. They’d always fought when cooped up together, but they loved each other more than words could express.
“I wish we could come every weekend,” she said softly, then she shook her head. “Which is absolutely unrealistic, and I realize it.”
“It is, but we can at least come every year.” They turned and walked back down the path to the truck, and he could still see how awestruck she was by the beautiful experience. “Now we just need to see a moose. We’ve seen bears, been stuck in bison jams, but no moose. Are they hiding this year?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m sure we’ll see one before we’re out of the park. I’ll watch, and you go super slow.”
“Like there’s any other way to drive in Yellowstone,” he said softly.
Just before they reached the gates, she pointed off to the right. “Three moose!”
“Our trip is now complete!” he said, grinning over at her. Their easy camaraderie of the past few days filled him with hope about their relationship.
After a leisurely supper, they returned to the hotel, and Tessa headed for the shower right away. It was time, and she wanted to be nice and fresh smelling for their first time together, instead of smelling like she’d spent the day hiking.
When she came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a thin nightgown she’d purchased when she knew she was going to be getting married, knowing she would eventually want it.
Bob was sitting at the table, putting the last few pieces into the puzzle they’d worked on every day for almost a week. “You’re almost done,” she said softly, when she came to the conclusion he’d never look up and see how she was dressed if she didn’t speak to him.
“Uh huh,” Bob said, putting another piece in place. He glanced up and saw her wearing a flimsy, soft pink nightgown. He felt as if he’d swallowed his tongue, her appearance having rendered him completely speechless.
He got to his feet and walked to her as if mesmerized, taking her into his arms and pulling her close to him. Words weren’t needed after that, as he lowered his head to hers, kissing her with passion.
Her arms went around him, and she clung to him as he caught her by the waist and lifted her, one of her legs on either side of his hips. He lowered her to the bed and his hands roamed over her body. If her nightgown wasn’t an invitation to make love, he didn’t know what was, and he wasn’t about to ask her if she was sure. No, he was going to take advantage of the situation before she changed her mind.
His hands stroked over her nightgown and toyed with her nipples, smiling as they tightened into buds under his fingertips. Her hands roamed over his back and he groaned with pleasure. This woman set his body on fire like no other, and he couldn’t wait to join with her, finally consummating their marriage.
It had been far too long in his opinion, but hopefully this was the start to a new part of their marriage. His hand went between her thighs, and he stroked the tight bud he found there, one finger sliding inside her to test her readiness for him.
He got to his feet, throwing clothes in every direction as he stripped. Tessa had only eyes for his erection, which made her gulp hard. He was a large man, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for him, but this first time, she would simply have to trust him.
He rolled atop her, and when his member found her core, she let out a gasp as he entered her. The feeling of fullness was too much, and she wasn’t sure if she could bear it for much longer.
Bob could see the pain on her face, and he leaned down to kiss her softly, his hand going between them to stroke her more and help her adjust to him.
When her legs wrapped around his hips, he knew she was ready, and he began the slow thrusts that were the mating dance he’d wanted to share with her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Finally, she was his wife in every way.
When he groaned with pleasure as his seed flowed into her, she clung to him, feeling the same thrill he did.
The last thing she thought as he tucked her against him for sleep that night was that she shouldn’t have waited so long. Bob made her feel special.