Wild Kat (8 page)

“Have
you slept with him yet?”  Julie’s cheeks reddened slightly.

“Of
course I slept with him.”  Kat made a face at her sister.

“How
was it?”  Julie grinned, stupidly Kat thought.

“How
is sleep usually?”  Julie was so silly sometimes.  Julie smiled knowingly now.

“I
meant have you made love?”  Kat blushed and shook her head.  “What if you do
not like it?  He is very big Kathleen he might crush you.  You should find all
of these answers before you are stuck with him.”  Julie giggled.

“You
are wicked Julie.  Truly you are.  That is between Thomas and me.  It is not
your concern.”

“Don’t
worry it will be fine.  I am sure of it.”  She crossed her arms across her full
bosom and leaned back in the chair.  “He loves you; hopefully he knows how to
treat you.”

Kat
paced the hayloft waiting for everyone to go to sleep.  It was well past
midnight when Julie finally extinguished her lamp.  Kat gave them ten more
minutes and went into the house.  She crept silently up the stairs.  Once
inside Thomas’ room she slid out of her buckskins.  Her eyes now met his.  He
had been watching her.  Kat’s face filled with heat but he could not see.

“Breathtaking.” 
He murmured.  She came to the side of the bed to climb in with him.  “I told
you, not until we are married.”  He put his hands behind his head revealing his
naked chest.

“How
will I know if I like it?”  Her hands were planted on her hips, her breasts
jutted out unashamed.

“If
you love me it will not matter.”  Thomas’ eyes soaked up every inch of her.

“How
do I know if I love you unless I try?”  She leaned against the bed now.  Her breasts
only inches from his arm

“Either
you love me or you do not.  The physical part has no bearing.”

“Thomas
please, I need you.” Her eyes begged.

“You
do not need anything yet, you cannot know need.”  She stood beside her parent’s
bed proudly.  She made no attempt to cover herself. 

“May
I have a goodnight kiss?” She sulked.

“As
soon as your clothes are on I will kiss you all you like.”  Kat walked to the
doorway and pulled her clothes on quickly.  Thomas waited for her to return to
the bedside. 

“Goodnight.” 
She called over her shoulder, as the door slammed shut.  Thomas chuckled to
himself.  Kat walked down to the creek for a swim.  Thomas followed her to make
sure she was not leaving again.  She left her clothes on the bank and dove into
the deep spot.  When she surfaced on the other side she turned to face him. 
“Haven’t you seen enough tonight?”

“I
wanted to make sure you were safe.”  He squatted on the bank in nothing but
underclothes.

“You
wanted to make sure I was not leaving.”  She leaned against a big moss covered
rock.

“Yes,
that as well.”  Thomas dove in and surfaced in front of her.  “You should be
careful out here in the dark Kat.  You never know what is in the woods.”  He
shook the water from his head.

“I
know exactly what is out here Thomas.  You need not worry about me.”

“I
am sure you do.”  He moved closer.    “I am sorry if I made you angry before. 
I was not raised that way and I do not believe it is right.  You need not worry
if you will like it or not, we will find our way.”  He leaned down and kissed
her cheek.

“I
know that in my heart Thomas, it’s just that Julie...”

“Shush
love. Do not listen to your sister.  You listen to your heart and to me.  I love
you and you love me.  The rest will work out, I promise.”  He kissed her softly,
nibbling on the skin of her jaw and throat.  An ache swirled around in her
belly she wasn’t sure what it was but she knew he could make it go away.

“I
do know need, no matter what you say.”  She whispered.

“You
think you do.  You
will
know it soon enough.”  He crossed back to the
side the house was on, “are you coming?”    She swam toward him.

“Yes,
it is beginning to get chilly out here.”  She put her clothes on and walked
with him to the house, he kissed her cheek again, he went inside and she to the
barn.

 “He
says that it does not matter Julie.  Please drop it.”

“Well
I would not marry him not knowing.”

“You
aren’t me.  I have chores to tend to.  Are you and Doug going to his parents’
house today?”

“Yes,
we will be out of your hair soon.”  Kat gathered the dishes and started washing
them.   Julie sat feeding her twins.  “He will probably be very good at it.  I
would not worry.”

“I
am not worried and I said drop the subject.”

“Fine,
let’s talk about Papa’s business.”  Kat rolled her eyes heavenward.  “Are you
going to run the business?”

“I
have considered it but what for?  I do not drink and I do not care if anyone
else does.”

“If
you do, I would like my share of it.”

“What
share?  If I make it after Thomas grows the corn, what share is yours?”

“It
is our father’s business.  I think I should be entitled to some of it.”

“I
am surprised you have not cleaned his account out.”  Kat snapped at her.

“I
was going to mention it next.  I would like to make a trip to the bank for my
half.”

“We
will go Monday.”  Kat conceded.

“The
business?”  Julie pushed again.

“If
you can get it out of the cellar you are welcome to it.”  Kat offered.

“That
is hardly fair Kathleen.”  Julie got louder.  Emily whimpered at her mother’s
raised voice.

“I
think it is plenty fair.”  She threw her wash water out the window.  “Why
should I do all of that work?  I have enough money to live on the rest of my
life.”

“It
is always nice to have more.”  She smoothed Emily’s hair.

“Just
how much of a share do you want Julie?”  Kat’s stomach turned while she argued
with her sister, it always had.

“I
think at least a quarter of what you make, would be fair.”  Julie made faces at
the baby suckling her breast.

“Fine. 
If I decide to start the business again, I will send the money.”

“Have
you told Thomas about it?”  She goaded her sister.

“He
knows.  He does not know where it is, or where the recipe is hidden and I hope
you will keep it to yourself.”

“Why? 
Are you afraid he will not marry you if he has his own money?”  ‘You dirty little
heathen.’ Kat’s mind finished.

“No,
he says he loves me and he needs me.”

“They
all say that you silly girl.”  Kat sighed heavily and slammed the porch door on
her way out.

Kat
found Thomas was gathering eggs in the hen house.  “I just gave Julie Papa’s
business and his bankbook.  She will be leaving soon.  She said they have
fallen on hard times.

“I
wish you had not done that.”  He glanced at her, his eyes soft.

“Why?” 
Tears stung her eyes.  He reached under a chicken for an egg.

“She
is lying to you.  Doug says he is very successful and half of it was certainly
yours.  You were just as much his daughter as Julie.”

“So
you do not wish to marry me now?”  She held a sob back.

“I
did not say that Kathleen.  I still love you and I still need you.  Money cannot
change my feelings.  The vows say for richer or poorer.”  He turned to hand her
his basket.  “What’s wrong?” He saw she was about to cry. “Was she mean to
you?”

“Always.” 
Thomas hugged Kat tightly. His lips brushed her forehead.

“She
and Doug will be leaving shortly and things will return to normal.”

Sunday
morning dawned bright and warm.  Kat was in a good mood.  Julie left with Doug
to visit his parents and she and Thomas were alone again.  If the preacher had
time, they would be married today.  She put a new dress on to wear to church. 
Thomas was coming down the stairs just as she started up to wake him.  

“Are
you ready to go already?”

“I
have been up for hours.  The chores are done and breakfast is on the table.”

“Let’s
go.  I will eat on the way.”  Thomas put his eggs and a tomato slice on a
biscuit and followed her out to the wagon she had tied to the porch.  “You look
nice.  Is that a new dress?”  She nodded and smiled brightly at him.  “It was
hard to draw a deep breath with the tight corset around her mid-section.  She
would never understand why ladies bothered with such nonsense.  She adjusted
her hat and smoothed her hands down the bodice of the dress.

Thomas’
knee bounced nervously throughout the service.  He was barely able to sit still. 
Kat chewed her thumbnail.  Julie watched them across the aisle.  She wondered
what was going on.  She sat with her in-laws and babies.  Doug stayed at home.
He claimed he did not feel well.  Julie had not been able to get him in a
church since their wedding day.

Kat
worried over getting married.  Would she be a good wife and would he be a good
husband?  Except for sleeping in the loft she had been his wife for the past
months.  She took care of all the things her mother had and a few that her
father had.  She would no longer be able to leave on a whim nor would she be
Kat Whitley.  She would be Kathleen Woods.  She rolled that around in her
mind.  She wanted to say it out loud but the preacher was talking about Noah
and the flood.  Noah had faith.  Kat needed to learn to have faith in Thomas,
she thought.  He patted her knee like he could hear her thoughts.  She looked
up into those smoky adoring eyes.  He looked pale to her.  She was unable to
tell if it was nerves or if he was coming down with something.  After the last
hymn Thomas stepped outside of the church to wait for the preacher.  Kat spoke
to Doug’s parents and Julie.

“Grandmother
will have the twins all to herself tomorrow morning when we come to town Kat.  Will
you stop by for me?”

“Yes,
I will be by first thing to fetch you Julie.  I need to find Thomas.  Will you
excuse me?”  Kat did not wish to discuss it anymore.  Money never meant much to
her but it was everything to Julie.

“As
soon as everyone has gone we can take care of that Thomas.  I will have to find
my wife to witness the ceremony.”  The preacher’s gray head nodded to a young
couple leaving the building.

“I
will wait inside sir.”  Thomas shook his hand and stepped back in the door.

“I
was just coming to find you.”  Kat almost ran over him. 

“He
will be in to perform the ceremony as soon as everyone has gone and he finds
his wife.”  Kat sank down on the nearest pew.  “Are you feeling all right?”

“I
am just fine.”  She whispered.   

“Did
I hear right?  You two are getting married today?”  Julie stopped beside her
sister.

“In
a few minutes, will you stay Julie?”  Kat asked out of a feeling of duty.

“I
would not miss it.”  Julie handed the twin she held to her father in law.  “I
need to take care of something first, do not start without me.”  She hurried
out a side door.

“I
would have brought you a gift if I had known Kathleen.”  Doug’s mother hugged
her.  She smelled like roses.

“I
would be very pleased if you would make us one of those berry cobblers Missus
Crenshaw.”  Kat smiled brightly.

“I
will get started on that this very afternoon.”

“Will
you bake two Hester?”  Doug’s father asked, grinning.  He was an older version
of Doug.

“Oh,
you stop.”  She giggled like a young girl.  The twin she held cooed at the
sound.  Julie came in on the preacher’s arm.  She was carrying a bunch of
flowers she picked from the field behind the church.  Kat was amazed her sister
had been so thoughtful.  It was unlike her.  She handed the daisies and violets
to Kat.

“Every
girl needs a bouquet to carry.”  Julie hugged her quickly.  “Good luck.  Mama
would be so proud.”  The preacher was whispering to Thomas and he was nodding. 

“Okay
Kathleen and Thomas anytime you are ready.”  The preacher was flipping through
his Bible as he walked to the pulpit.  Kat followed him and Thomas.  Her wildflowers
trembled slightly.  Kat’s knees weakened but she stood firm resisting the urge
to run screaming from the church like a madwoman.  She stared into her flowers
until the preacher said the word, obey.  Her head jerked up so fast Thomas was
sure her neck might snap.  He smiled at her and she knew everything would be
all right.  “I do.”  She answered.  She watched Thomas throughout his vows. 
His gray eyes looking into her soul she felt.  She is the most fascinating
woman I have ever met he thought as he answered, “I do.”   The preacher said a
prayer as he held the ring in his hand.  He gave it back to Thomas who placed
it on Kat’s finger.