can talk about this matter all day, but for now we have chores to get done and people to feed. I suggest we table this discussion until tonight. After Lissa goes to bed.”
Edward cocked a brow. “If you think I’ll let you talk to me until you go to sleep, that situation won’t happen. I fully intend to make love to you tonight.”
Adele kept milking the cow while glancing back and forth between Edward and the milk bucket. “Good. I fully intend to let you. I’m no miss just out of the schoolroom. I’m a widow. I know what is expected of a wife and even though I was nervous last night, I’ve no intention of shirking my duties.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like it’s the end of the world. I’ll take care of you.”
She cocked a single brow and pursed her lips. “I’ll have you know, sir, that I don’t need to be taken care of. What I need is to be made love to.”
Edward ran his hand through his hair. “I thought that’s what we’re discussing.”
Adele stopped milking and started laughing. “How did we go from talking about your dying to making love?”
Edward grinned and then chuckled. “I’m not sure I know. But I agree we can discuss all of these issues,” he made a large circle with his arm. “Before we go to sleep, after we make love.”
Adele rolled her eyes and started milking again. “Let’s not go there again. You gather the eggs and I’ll take this to the kitchen. Where is the cheesecloth?”
“Bottom drawer next to the icebox.”
She stood, lifted the pail from under the cow and patted Elsie on the flank. “Thanks. I should have this strained by the time you get inside with the eggs. Oh, where is the milk can to strain into?”
“On the porch to the left side of the door.”
She smiled. “See you inside.” Turning, she headed for the kitchen. She wondered how much they would discuss before surrendering to making love. The one issue she should be discussing she couldn’t, not yet…Richard.
CHAPTER 5
Edward watched his new wife sashay out of the barn carrying the full milk bucket. She smiled at him as she left and darned if he didn’t smile back. How was it that in one day he found himself caring for her?
Lissa would be the tough nut to crack. Though she hadn’t been close to Catherine, she still missed her, and he couldn’t figure out why. He thought the person paying attention to her, like Adele was, would be the person she would gravitate to. But not so with Lissa. His daughter baffled him. When he and Adele went to Lissa’s room, Adele sat on the side of the bed, tucked Lissa in and kissed her on the forehead much to Lissa’s surprise. He smiled at the memory.
She wanted her mama, regardless of whether her mama wanted her. Maybe that behavior was the way with little girls or maybe with all children. They all wanted their mama’s. I hope she will bond with Adele.
He took his gloves from his back pocket and pulled them on before picking up a bale of hay by the wire holding it together and carried it to the middle of the barn. Once there he pulled his wire cutters from his other back pocket and cut the wire. With stalls on both sides this was the easiest place to put it. Using the pitchfork he broke off a flake of hay for each animal until the bale was gone. Nineteen animals. In addition to Elsie, he had five stallions and ten mares. Three of the mares had foals, two colts and a filly.
Every stall he had was full. Some of these animals would eventually go to the Army, but for now, they represented his breeding stock. He intended to breed and raise horses in addition to cattle. He wanted to breed the best Kentucky Saddler horses in the country.
The horses were strong and powerful at an average of fifteen to sixteen hands high. Edward knew the horses could be used from riding to pulling a wagon and everything in between. In the war they were used as officer’s mounts, He couldn’t think of a thing these animals couldn’t do.
He fed all the animals hay in the morning and gave them a measure of oats at night. The young ones were still on mama’s milk. He’d bring Adele here to show her the babies. From her reaction to meeting Lissa and then