LEATHER AND LACE
Chapter 9-Road To Richmond
Franklin County, Virginia, July 1817
The summertime heat was baking central Virginia that year. It thankfully wasn't a drought but even when it rained it was hot. Fabray Fine Goods were selling quickly in Roanoke, Bedford, and Lynchburg. Thomas was ready to expand to the state capitol, Richmond. Whereas it took 1 day to get to Bedford and 3 days to get to Lynchburg, it was going to take at least 14 days to get to Richmond. Thomas wanted to take two wagons and the entire family. Peyton and Martha would follow in a third wagon. Miranda Fabray and her daughters were excited about traveling to the large city; Quinn and Kate had never been. Once there, they were staying for a week and then returning to the farm, so in total, their trip would last for more than a month.
Other than the God-awful long time it would take to get to Richmond, Sam was looking forward to it. He'd be driving a wagon with the twins, Thomas and John, and Joseph. Quinn, her mother, and sister would be riding with Mr. Fabray. Even though the majority of traveling days would be spent in the wagon, at least during the evenings he'd be able to see her.
Before the big trip to Richmond, though, Thomas wanted to get to Roanoke. The week following the Fourth of July, Thomas, Peyton, and Sam traveled there to conduct business. While they were gone, Miranda, Quinn, Kate, and Martha got clothing and provisions ready for the Richmond trip.
Quinn was also looking forward to the Richmond trip. The thing that fascinated her most was she had never seen Sam sleep. They obviously wouldn't be sleeping together or probably anywhere near one another but she hoped to catch him cat-napping. Since admitting to one another that what they felt for each other was love, things seemed so much easier between them. She spoke more freely, as did he, and there seemed to be more smiling and laughter.
Nothing like the episode by the gate had happened again, both feeling slightly strange about it, somewhat guilty. Quinn was afraid to even discuss it with Martha. She agreed with Sam, though, it had felt natural between them, not forced or wrong.
When the three men returned from Roanoke, they had a day to spend at home before leaving for Richmond. The first half of their "day off" was spent loading the three wagons with furniture and their personal belongings. The second half of the day was for rest and relaxation.
"Shall we go swimmin', Sam?" Quinn asked him as he helped Peyton load the wagons. The heat was so intense they had both stripped their shirts off; Sam was glistening with sweat. His pants rode low on his hips, and she could see a thin line of light brown hair arising from underneath the pants to his bellybutton. The question was intended for Sam but Peyton answered.
"Let's go to the swimmin' hole by Bell's farm! I'll get Martha!" He left Sam alone to finish loading.
"So is it a pond or something?"
"Oh no…you'll see!"
All in all, Sam and Quinn went, along with Peyton and Martha and James and Kate. James and Kate were in quite miserable moods since James Martin was not accompanying the Fabrays on their Richmond trip. The boys had to find their winter long john's to swim in; the girls just stripped down to their shifts, minus the corsets.
Sam and Quinn followed Peyton, Martha, James, and Kate to the swimming hole, which turned out to be a gigantic lake.
"Wow, Quinn, that looks so much nicer than a little ol' pond!" Sam said.
The boys ran ahead, stripping off their shirts, pants, and boots as they went, leaving their long johns on, and sloshed into the water, whooping and hollering.
The girls changed out of their dresses behind a small grove of trees, having left their stays at home. They ran giggling to the water, arms crossed across their chests, and walked slowly and daintily into the water.
"Oh no, ladies! No slow and easy about it!" Sam yelled to them, walking through the water and picking up Quinn in his arms, taking her out farther, and tossing her in. Peyton and James followed suit with a lot of screaming from the girls.
The water was actually warm due to the recent hot days, yet it was refreshing. Quinn came up from underwater, wiping her face off, looking for Sam…he was nowhere to be seen.
Then she felt something grabbing at her legs and he swooshed up from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Samuel Evans! You scared me half to death!" she said, only partially joking.
"I'm sorry, miss." He turned her around to face him. "If your pa saw you swimming in your shift, he'd have my head, you know that, right?"
"Pa and ma are napping now; they have no idea where we all are!" she said gaily.
He realized they were very close together; their bodies wet, barely any clothing between them. The other two couples had paired off and were kissing and doing whatever they did together.
"Let's swim," he said, thinking the best thing for them to do would be to split up. He couldn't tear his eyes off her supple breasts beneath the white muslin chemise, her rose-colored nipples standing erect.
She frowned a bit; she enjoyed being held in his arms. But, she swam off and dove in and under the water a few times, enjoying the colder water down below. He somehow managed to get the guys to play games with him in the water, rougher than what they could play with the girls, until eventually all three couples had paired off again.
She swam up to Sam, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed his neck lightly.
"You'll have to turn around, Quinn," he said, his voice cracking a bit.
"Why Sam?" she asked, kissing the other side of his neck.
"I can see right through your chemi…please," he said again.
"Sam…" Her lips found his; her fingers were running through his hair. He knew he needed to stop what was happening.
"I want to feel you…" she mumbled.
"No Quinn…we can't…" he whispered. He felt her hand run down his arm to his hip. She was beginning to understand that the heat she felt between her legs might very well be related to his protrusion.
She moved her hand between them and felt it, hard, almost throbbing. She watched his eyes close, his head drop back a little, and heard him whisper damn.
"I need to feel you…" she said to him and lifted her leg around his waist. He grabbed her other leg and moved her against him and held her still. She could feel him between her legs, hard and pushing against her. He stared at her, holding her legs around his waist.
"Quinn, no, we've gotta stop…it's gonna happen again…" he mumbled, pushing at her hips to try to get her off him, but she had locked her ankles behind him. He glanced down and watched her breasts push against his chest as she moved slowly against his hardness. Even in the cool water, he could feel her heat through his long johns and suddenly he realized there was nothing under that shift she had on. Her lips were on his; she wanted to make it happen again, whatever it was.
"Quinn," he whispered one last time. "I can't make it stop…"
The shudder coursed through him then, and he groaned into her shoulder, again embarrassed that she had this kind of effect on him. He was nearly 21 years old; he should be able to control himself in such situations.
She finally dropped her legs down from around his waist. When he had trembled against her and groaned, she felt the warmth expel from him against her.
"What happens, Sam?"
"Uh…" He was still breathing heavily against her shoulder, hoping the others hadn't noticed anything strange happening between them.
"Does something come out?"
"Yeah…" he said, huffing.
"I felt it…"
"You did?" He stood up straight and looked at her.
"Yes, it was warm…" she said. "What is it?"
He shook his head. "I dunno."
"What does it look like?"
"Uh…" He couldn't believe she was asking him all these questions. "It's white, I guess."
"What does it do?"
"You ask a lot of questions," he said, smiling a little at her.
"I'm curious…"
"I think it's what makes babies, if you must know," he said.
"Oh…"
"We can't do things that anymore, at least not 'til I talk to your pa, Quinn," he whispered.
She knew exactly what that meant.
"He said no daughter of his can get married until she's 18," she pouted.
"He told me to come talk to him when I'm ready…and I think I'm ready…" Sam said, smiling even wider.
Quinn squealed and even though he had just admonished her for getting so close to him in her wet chemise he picked her up in the water and twirled themselves around until they were dizzy and fell over into the water.
xxxxx
After swimming for a couple hours, the boys clamored out of the lake to strip off their long johns and put on their dry clothes. The girls ran discreetly to the grove of trees and pulled on their work dresses over their wet chemises. They all then sat together in the shade to allow their hair to dry before returning to the Fabrays. Sam lay next to a sitting Quinn with his head in her lap, nodding off for a little while as she gently ran her fingers through his wet hair, brushing it away from his face.
At the Fabrays, the entire family was excited about setting out the next day. Peyton and Martha stayed for supper but then returned to their own household. James Martin stayed as late as possible, whispering into Kate's ear on the porch. Sam and Quinn took their usual walk down the drive. At the gate, they stopped.
"About today, Quinn..." he said.
"I know, we can't allow that to happen again, Samuel."
He sighed and held her arms. "It felt right, though."
She sighed, as well, nestling into his shoulder. "I agree..."
"I do look forward to sleeping with you under the stars, Miss Quinn," he said softly, taking her hand and walking back toward the house.
In their bedroom that evening, in the still darkness, Kate whispered to Quinn. "Sister! Sister! I need to tell you something!"
Quinn was nearly asleep, drifting off to thoughts of seeing Richmond with Sam. "Hmm Kate?"
"I need to tell you something!" Kate then hopped out of her bed and into Quinn's thereby fully awakening Quinn.
"What is it, sister? Have you taken ill?" Quinn asked, now concerned.
"No! No! Something happened..." she giggled. "Between me and James Martin!"
"What happened?" Quinn asked, not really wanting to know. "Not...?"
Kate nodded vigorously. "I had to tell someone!"
"Oh, Kate...you're not even 16 yet...what if something happens?" Quinn said, disappointedly.
"What would happen?"
Quinn sighed. "What if you're with child?" she whispered.
"What do you mean, sister?" Kate now looked very worried.
"That's what causes babies...relations," Quinn whispered. She knew if she raised her voice their mother would surely overhear their whispers and be in their room in a heartbeat.
"Oh...maybe not if it happened in the water," Kate said.
"The water?"
"At the lake today..." Kate told her. Quinn then knew that she and Sam were not the only ones doing unmentionable things underwater.
Kate nibbled on her finger. "What will papa say? If that happens? I know James Martin will marry me..."
"I'm sure mother and father will be disappointed, Kate. They'll just say the baby came early when it's your time," Quinn said. She had heard that many times while assisting her grandmother at deliveries, 'the baby came early'. It seemed to happen often and usually a month before the baby was expected. "When was your last monthly?"
"I don't know...I can't think now," Kate said, whimpering. Though Quinn felt sadness for her sister, she also understood how easily it could happen.
"Well, what was it like?" Quinn finally asked her.
"It just happened. Quickly."
"Was there pain?"
"Not that I recall...maybe..."
Quinn hugged her little sister. "Get some rest, Kate. Will James Martin be here in the morning?"
Kate nodded.
"Try to talk to him then, so he's aware of the consequences," Quinn told her.
xxxxx
In his cabin, Sam made final preparations for their trip. He recalled the events of that day, swimming with Quinn in that large refreshing lake. Things were happening between them that he had never experienced before, had never anticipated, and he was somewhat nervous. In his journal, he penned: Went swiming with Quinn t'day. We're becoming closer. I told her I'd speak to her pa abt aksing for her hand. I want to marry her...soon.
xxxxx
The next morning began early for the Fabray clan and Sam. Everyone seemed to be excited but Quinn noticed Kate's dour expression most of the morning, which was spent taking care of last-minute tasks. James Martin had arrived to see Kate before she left for the month. Kate pulled him away from the group and spoke with him quietly. When she returned to the wagons after James had ridden off, Quinn noticed she had been crying.
"Sister, what did he say?" Quinn asked her quietly.
"He said he loved me and he'd talk to papa when we return, if anything happens," Kate said.
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because I love him too!"
Quinn hugged her and told her to dry her tears or else their parents would catch on. Sam had pulled his wagon around to follow Quinn's father. She walked over to him, and he stepped down to speak to her before they left. He held her hands in his, loving how she looked when in her bonnet and plain dress. To him, she looked beautiful in anything she wore, from ball gowns to plain work clothes.
"This shall be an exciting trip, eh? I've never been to Richmond," he said to her.
"Neither have I. I've heard it's a bustling town, much larger than Lynchburg even," she said.
"I'm excited to explore it with you, Miss Quinn," he said, smiling. "I plan on talking to your pa during this trip, too."
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly and kissed him quickly along his jaw.
"I'll see you when we stop," she said and ran back to her father's wagon, climbing up at the front and taking a seat with next to Kate behind their parents.
Sam had her three younger brothers riding with him and Peyton and Martha were there, loaded up and ready to fall in line behind Sam.
Thomas snapped the reins of his four-horse team and their caravan of wagons lumbered down the drive to the road, first stop Bedford.
xxxxx
The first day of travel was hot and dry. The novelty wore off quickly for Quinn and her sister. They stopped once for lunch and then were on the road again. Thomas said travel was moving slower than he anticipated with their three full wagons; the trip to their destinations would probably take longer but coming home would go faster.
In Sam's wagon, the youngest Fabray, Joseph, sat next to him on the bench while the twins rough-housed in the back of the wagon. Sam continually had to yell at them to stop jerking the wagon around. He decided he was going to make them go with Peyton the next day. He had always been closest to Joseph, of all Quinn's siblings, probably because he was the most like Sam, quiet and introspective.
"You still like Mary from school?" Sam asked him, making conversation.
"Nah, now I like Francis Covington. She has pretty eyes," Joseph told him. "Are you gonna marry Quinny?"
That came out of nowhere, Sam thought. "I hope to, if your pa allows it. I think Quinny has pretty eyes, too."
"What about that lady in the picture?" Joseph asked him. That kid doesn't forget a thing.
"I'll always love her, too," Sam said distantly.
"Do you love Quinny? How can you love two ladies at the same time?" Good question, kid.
Sam shrugged. "You make room in your heart, I guess."
"Oh..." Joseph said. "I think I could love Mary and Francis too."
Sam laughed. "One at a time, young sir!"
"But you love two girls!"
"Not at the same time, though...Elizabeth was at one time and Quinny now." Sam tended to use Quinn's family nickname when speaking with Joseph.
"Why'd she die?"
"She got sick..."
"And the doctor couldn't help?"
"There was no doctor...it happened quickly," Sam said quietly.
"Did it make you sad?"
"Very sad."
"I think I'd be sad if Francis died," Joseph pondered.
"Well, don't worry yourself about something like that!" Sam said, reaching over and ruffling the 13-year-old's shaggy hair. "You're much too young."
"I like you, Sam. You're like a big brother."
"You already have three big brothers," Sam said, smiling.
"Well, those two are jackasses," Joseph said, thumbing back at the twins. "And Peyton is so much older than me."
"I'm older than Peyton..."
"But you listen to me..."
"Then I'll be your big brother, Joe...after I marry Quinny I'll officially be your big brother!" Sam told him.
Joseph smiled warmly at him. "Can I take the reins, Sam?"
"Sure..." He handed them over to Joseph and leaned back to nap for a bit, pulling his hat down far over his face. He thought how no one had ever called him a big brother before, not even his half-siblings in North Carolina. He was in a very happy place, feeling more a part of Quinn's family than ever before.
They rode in silence until stopping for the night, just before sundown.
The men pitched tents for the ladies while the ladies cooked supper over an open fire. One of the treats that evening was popcorn. After supper, they popped the corn and sat around the fire and listened to the elder Thomas Fabray tell how his ancestors came to Virginia from England. Sam sat next to Quinn, sharing the popcorn, engaged in the story. He didn't know much about his own family history and hearing about Quinn's was fascinating to him. When the Fabrays arrived from England around 1610 to James Towne, Indians were still present in the territory but they were helpful to the pilgrims until a struggle broke out between the natives and the colonists. Thomas Fabray mentioned an Indian girl, Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan, who was captured by the colonists, thus ending the war. He said his great-great-grandfather had been involved in the capture of the beautiful Pocahontas and had witnessed the signing of the peace treaty.
Sam let his mind wander, thinking of how exciting and breathtaking it would've been to be involved in such events, fighting off Indians, protecting the women and children. He didn't like the idea of men taking a woman hostage but it resolved the matter so he supposed it was for the best and she had not been injured, even went on to marry John Rolfe, an early colonist in James Towne.
As the fire died down, it was decided the ladies should rest. The men were sleeping under no tent, just under the stars.
"I'll be right outside your tent should you need me in the night," Sam whispered to Quinn.
"Count the stars for me, Sam..." She ran a hand over his cheek, feeling his rough beard beginning to appear, smiled and ran off for the tent.
Sam set out his bedding near her tent, but not too close, under the watchful eye of her father, and lay back, hands behind his head, staring at the stars. He began counting them like she had asked and before long was snoring.
xxxxx
The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and Quinn slipped out of the tent hoping to run off into the woods to relieve herself before anyone else woke up, anyone else being Sam Evans. The group was quiet, so she assumed she was the only one awake. She slipped her shoes on quickly and poked her head out of the tent and saw the men and boys on their various sleeping pads, mostly all snoring. She snuck out of the tent quietly and tiptoed past Sam, glancing down at him and then taking a double-take. His trousers were tented up at the crotch. She averted her eyes and practically ran to find a private tree. As she snuck back by him a couple minutes later, she glanced again and saw the same thing.
I thought that only happened because of kissing? she thought. I'm just going to ask Martha later.
He looked so peaceful when asleep; she had to stare at him a couple more seconds before retreating back to her tent. When she did, he opened his eyes. He knew she had been looking at him; he didn't know for how long though as he only woke up when he heard her going back into the tent. He waited a few minutes and then got up himself to find a tree. At some point, he thought, this trip is going to get awkward.
xxxxx
Day #2 went much the same way as the first day of travel, though Sam did relegate the twins to Peyton's wagon. They finally arrived in Bedford at nightfall. They set up camp on the outskirts of Bedford. Quinn talked Martha into taking a walk with her.
"Are you feeling some better, sister?" Quinn asked her.
"Yes, much better," Martha replied.
"I have another question..."
"Go on..."
"I thought you said it only gets stiff when there's kissing...does it happen when they sleep too?" Quinn asked.
"Sometimes they wake up that way..." Martha replied.
"Oh..." Quinn wasn't quite sure what to think of that. She sighed. There was so much about the male species that she did not know.
The next morning, Thomas, Sam, and Peyton visited the general store to unload new inventory and then they were on the road again, next stop Lynchburg. Thomas finally relented and let Quinn and Kate ride with Sam and Joseph, and Peyton kicked the twins out of his wagon to their mother and father's wagon.
"Your pa said business is still going fine at the Bedford store. Hope we get the same good news in Lynchburg," Sam said to the three.
"You do such fine work, Samuel," Quinn mumbled from behind him.
"Can you teach me how to be a carpenter like you?" Joseph asked him.
"Sure Joe, I'd be happy to," Sam said.
To make the driving less boring, Quinn and Kate read from their poetry books and the Bible.
"The story your pa told us about his great-great-grandfather was interesting," Sam said at one point and the talk turned to Indians.
"I like hearing those stories, about history," Quinn said from behind him.
"Me too...I wish I knew about my own family," Sam said.
"You ought to write your pa and ask him, Sam!"
"I might do that from Lynchburg. I'll need your help with spelling, though. I don't want to send him a letter full of errors," Sam told her.
They drove on until nearly sundown, stopping at a wooded area off the road to make camp.
After supper, Sam was tired of sitting, which was all he had been doing the past few days. "Would you like to take a walk?" he asked Quinn, sitting at the fireside.
"I'd like that," she replied, wanting to stretch her legs also.
He held her hand and they walked down the road in silence for awhile.
"Joseph really likes you, Sam," she said.
"Yeah, he called me a big brother," Sam laughed a little. "He's a great kid."
More silence.
"I'd like for you to meet my pa's family someday," he said.
"I'd like that," she answered.
They had walked at least a half-mile down the road.
"We should probably head back," Sam said.
"Yes, they'll be looking for us," she laughed some.
As they neared the campsite and could see the smoldering campfire, he stopped her.
"I've missed you," he whispered, hugging her to him. He kissed her softly on the lips and pulled away.
"I haven't told you properly yet and you deserve it...I love you Quinn Fabray," he said quietly.
She smiled and he could see her blush even in the darkness. "I love you Sam Evans," she answered, kissing him back before they began walking again.
"I'll count the stars for you again tonight," he said to her, squeezing her hand. He wasn't sure what it meant, and neither was she, it was just something they shared between them that they found special.
"I wish I could count them with you," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek and running to the tent.
xxxxx
The next day, Quinn and Kate had to go back to their parents' rig and the twins were back with Sam and Joseph. The twins were identical and only could be told apart by Thomas Junior having a mole on his right ear. As they grew older, they learned that John could smear a bit of ash on his right ear and suddenly become Thomas. This provided them countless hours of entertainment, their parents, siblings, and friends countless hours of annoyance.
They were fighting in the back of Sam's wagon and when one of them hit the floor of the wagon after being thrown down, Sam handed the reins to Joseph and crawled into the wagon himself.
"Hey! You two need to calm down! I'm gonna stop your father and let him handle you!" Sam yelled, grabbing each boy by the collar, pulling them off one another. "Someone is gonna get hurt or something's gonna get broke but either way don't come cryin' to me!"
Both twins were 14. "You don't scare us Sam! What're ya gonna do? Whip us?"
How could these two be brothers to Quinn Fabray? Sam wondered.
"If that's what you want," Sam said, matter-of-factly, and held the collar of one boy and let go of the other boy. He sat down on boxes in the wagon and yanked whichever twin over his lap, bottom up. Sam was obviously much stronger than either boy and needed to get the upperhand in the situation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joseph keep looking over his shoulder, not watching the road.
"Don't whip him Sam!" the other twin cried.
"Joe, watch the road!" Sam hollered in his general vicinity.
"Now, you either calm down and act normal or you're getting 10 lashes, your choice," Sam said calmly, looking around him for the leather straps they used to tie things down with. He pulled one from around a box and could feel the boy's body stiffen on his lap when he heard the sound of the leather strap.
"We're sorry Sam! We'll behave!" the twin on his lap cried. Sam glanced at the standing boy; his eyes were wide with fear. Sam had absolutely no intention of whipping either boy but if they were riding in his wagon he needed control.
"Why can't we drive the wagon like Joe?" The standing twin asked.
"If, and I mean if, you two behave, you all three can take turns. That means treating Joe nicely. The first time he tells me one of you two have hurt him or been rude, then this..." Sam snapped the leather strap, causing the twins andJoseph to jump. He let the twin on his lap scramble off. "Joe's gonna drive for the next hour...after we stop for dinner, if you two have behaved, you can take turns driving."
For the next hour or so before stopping for their noontime meal, Sam's wagon was quiet. The twins sat in the back playing checkers, sometimes watching out the back, talking quietly.
When they stopped, Sam pulled Mr. Fabray aside and told him what he had had to tell the twins.
"I have the leather strap, sir, but I don't intend on using it; Joseph saw the whole thing," Sam told him.
"Sounds like you put the fear of God into them, at least for awhile!" Thomas laughed. "Maybe Peyton and I should have a leather strap handy."
Sam and Quinn ate their lunch in the shade of a tree, apart from her family.
"Thomas and John were driving me crazy the entire morning but I think I got them under control...it just took a threat," Sam laughed.
"What kind of threat?"
"To be whipped with a leather strap...they behaved like angels after that!"
"Hmmm...they typically do not behave for mother or father or anyone, you must've got through to them," she said.
"Well, they can drive the wagon now for the rest of the day...so a threat and a bribe, I guess," he told her, smirking.
"I can rub your head for you," she told him, leaning up against the tree and letting him lay his head in her lap. She rubbed his temples and moved the sweaty hair away from his face.
"I hope your pa let's us stay in a lodge in Lynchburg...I need a bath...or at least camp near water," he mumbled, nearly falling asleep as she massaged his head.
"Mmm, yes, a bath would be nice," she mumbled too, the heat making her sleepy.
Before long, they were being shouted at to load the wagons. They had both drifted off to sleep in the shade.
xxxxx
That night, Thomas did stop near a river as everyone needed a bath, not just Sam. The men bathed first, and then the women. Quinn talked to her mother privately about their sleeping conditions.
"May I please sleep outside the tent tonight? The air inside the tent is just rank, and heavy, and suffocating," Quinn argued.
"It would be inappropriate for you to sleep near your suitor, Quinn Amelia, you know that," Miranda said, hanging clothes to dry.
"Mother, you know Kate snores like a sick sow, please, I need some rest," Quinn continued her argument.
"Your father will not agree to this," her mother said.
"If you approve it, he will. I'll sleep next to papa if that's what it takes," Quinn cried.
Her mother sighed. "I'll speak to your father."
Later, after supper, Quinn's mother pulled her aside. "I've spoken with your papa."
"Yes?"
"You may sleep right next to him and Sam is not to know," she said.
"How will Sam not know?"
"After he is asleep, your father will call for you to leave the tent," Miranda said.
"Thank you, mama. I might be able to get some rest tonight in the clean fresh air," Quinn said, hugging her. While it was true she wanted to get out of that tent and sleep in the fresh air, she truly wanted to sleep next to Sam, maybe even hold his hand. She couldn't be caught speaking to Sam alone either or her parents would know she told him. So, the first night she'd sleep next to her father, and she'd tell Sam the next day.
That night, her father poked his head in the tent sometime after the moon was high and told her to come outside if she still needed to. Quinn followed her father, wrapping a quilt around her shift. Her father's bedding was on the other side of the tent from Sam. At least it was nice to sleep in the fresh air. As she lay there next to her snoring father, she counted stars until she was asleep.
xxxxx
She woke up to the sound of what sounded like water being poured on the ground. Her father was still snoring next to her; it was just getting light out. She sat up a bit and looked in the general direction of the pouring water sound.
She saw Sam peeing. She knew she should avert her gaze and not stare but how could she not. She could see him holding his flaccid...thing...in his hand-she didn't know the word for it-standing next to a tree, very relaxed. Where his pants drooped down, she could see the white flesh of his hip. He turned her way a bit, looking down at himself, and she saw hair! She never thought about men having hair there. He tucked himself back into his pants and began walking toward where she and her father lay. She dropped quickly and covered up her head so he wouldn't see her blonde hair. Also, that thing looked nothing like her brothers' when they were young children. Of course not Quinn! He's a man! she thought.
"Quinn?" he whispered very quietly, right above her quilt, breaking her thoughts. She pulled the quilt down just to expose her eyes.
"Yes?" she squeaked.
"You slept outside last night?" he asked, again very quietly.
"Mmhmm..."
"G'morning then..." he smiled and went back to his bedding.
xxxxx
He expected her that evening and lay there pretending he was asleep, then heard Mr. Fabray get her from the tent. He chose to sleep the farthest from the tent that night. He only wanted to hold her; even though they had not said one word about it he knew she'd join him eventually.
She waited until her father was snoring loudly, just like Kate, and she stood up silently from her bedding, pulling the quilt up to the pillow, and stole over to where Sam lay, pretending to be asleep. She lay down next to him, on her side to face him.
"I've come to count the stars with you..." she whispered. He rolled onto his side to face her.
"This is wrong, Quinn. You need to go back to your bed," he said quietly. He leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the cheek. "G'night..." He closed his eyes, but she lay there motionless.
He reached out and put his hand on her upper arm, moving slowly down to her hand.
"How many stars are there tonight?" he asked, his eyes still closed.
"I only look at you, not the stars, tonight," she replied. She leaned into him, putting her lips on his. He moved his hand to her side, to her hip, pulling her against him.
"I'm weak around you...I say no but don't mean it," he mumbled.
Her hand was trapped between them. She couldn't even force herself to back away from his mouth; all she could feel at that point was that her lips needed to be on his. She slowly, slowly moved her hand to the front of his pants. He broke the kiss then, leaning into her, breathing on her neck, whispering no Quinn please no.
"What happens? What happened at the lake?"
"I dunno..." he whispered.
"What do I do?" She just placed her hand on his hard length. It was pushing against his pants; she could feel his heat.
He swallowed thickly. "Quinn..."
"Please...show me what to do..."
He moved his hand over hers. "Rub it..." he whispered and began kissing her again.
He was moving her hand up and down his length, moaning quietly into her mouth, moving his hips against her hand. He was breathing so hard he couldn't even kiss her any longer but held his mouth just above hers, his body tensing up.
"It's...I..." he said, glancing down quickly at their hands moving together over his pants. He felt the heat explode then and let his eyes close, dropping his head against Quinn's. "Uh...uh...uh...uh..." he panted quietly, pressing her hand down hard on his penis.
His pants became wet under her palm from the warm fluid that spilled from him. She watched him lose control in the darkness, wondering how and why it had that kind of effect on him.
"I'm so embarrassed," he said finally.
"Don't be. This is something natural that we should share, that we should want to share with each other," she whispered.
"I do want to share this with you, but your pa'll kill me if he finds out...I mean, literally kill me!"
"No, he wouldn't..." She kissed him on the forehead. "G'night..." She returned to her bedding, next to her still snoring father. She fell asleep thinking of being next to Sam on his bedding.
xxxxx
The next three days of travel were marred by steady rainfall. At their campsites, the tent was set up for the elder Thomas, Sam, and Peyton while the women and younger children made room in the wagons to sleep. Quinn hated it. Not only did she not get to spend time with Sam during the dreadfully boring travel but even meals were spent in the wagons to stay out of the rain. And meals in the rain were awful since they couldn't start a fire. And at night, it was too muddy to walk anywhere except to a nearby tree to take care of your private business. She was never so happy to see a sign proclaiming Lynchburg was just ahead.
