Bit of smut in this chapter!! I am no expert at writing sex but hey-ho! Hope you enjoy and please review!

June 10th 1871

Denver

Preston woke early on his wedding day, just as the birds were beginning their morning song. For a long time, he lay in bed looking at the ceiling, thinking to himself that it would be the last morning that he would wake up alone. From tomorrow morning onwards, he would only have to glance down and Rebecca would be sleeping by his side, exhausted and sated by her first taste of marital relations. He was slightly shocked by the depravity of his own thoughts, but had to confess that he had thought of little else for weeks now. The moments they had shared together over the last few months had driven him almost to the point of madness. It gave him quite a thought that if Brian had not chanced upon them on their picnic on Valentine's Day that his hands may have strayed further over Rebecca's body than they had any right to do.

It was the knocking at his door several hours later that roused him from a sleep he hadn't intended to fall into. Hurrying to answer it, he saw James on the other side grinning at him.

"Look at you, not even dressed yet," he teased, stepping inside.

"What time is it?" Preston asked.

"Just gone nine. It's all right. We don't have to be at the church until twelve. Time to have a hearty breakfast." He watched as Preston turned and looked at the suit that was hanging on the wardrobe door. "Nervous?"

"Of course not," Preston replied, "Why should I be nervous?"

"It's not every day a man marries his one true love."

"She is my one true love, James," he told his brother excitedly.

"I know she is. So I'll ask you again. Are you nervous?"

"A little," he confessed.

"Everything will be fine," James reassured him. "Remember how worried I was the morning of my wedding and what you said to calm me down?"

Preston turned back from where he had been washing his face. "I think it was something along the lines of 'why on earth would you want to get married anyway?' They both laughed.

"Exactly," James said, "and it worked, didn't it?"

Preston perched on the bed opposite his brother, "What has it been like these last three years? Being married to Louisa, that is?"

"Do you want the truth or what we tell people?" James quipped.

"The truth," Preston replied seriously.

James nodded. "Well, it's not easy. Marriage isn't an easy thing, Preston. It's about two people coming together with a different set of ideas and values and learning to live together. Learning to respect each other's opinions. Learning to compromise. Sometimes you'll be right and sometimes she'll be right. The trick is knowing when to give in and when to stand your ground."

"And the…uh…the physical side?"

James laughed uproariously, "That, my dear brother, is something you're going to have to find out for yourself with your own wife!"

XXXX

By eleven-thirty, Rebecca felt as though she had been primped and preened to the gunnels. Barely had she had time to eat breakfast before Louisa and Alice had appeared to help her get ready. It had been a whirlwind of make-up, hair, jewellery, and finally, the dress. It was exactly what she had wanted, not too plain and not too ostentatious. After all, she was twenty-five, old by some standards to be marrying. She had found it in a store in the city the last time she had visited. It was long and white with jewels encrusted on the bodice and there was a simple veil to go with it. Classic, just how she wanted it.

To her relief, she had woken with none of the ill-effects of her condition. She felt amazingly calm and peaceful, as though all the stresses and strains of the last few months and weeks were gone and she could simply enjoy the day. And the night, a little voice in her head said and she couldn't help smiling. Indeed, tonight would be the night when she and Preston would finally be together as man and wife.

"There," Louisa declared, "I think you're finally presentable to get married."

Rebecca looked at herself in the mirror and wondered for a brief moment who the woman looking back at her was. The dress fit beautifully and Louisa, who it turned out had a talent for styling hair, had swept hers up on top of her head and fastened it with pins. She was wearing jewellery her father had given her for her eighteenth birthday and the whole set up made her look far removed from the little farm girl she had been.

"All we have to do now is fit the veil," Alice said, lifting it from the bed.

"I appreciate everything both of you have done," Rebecca said, "I would have been lost without you."

"Nonsense," Louisa replied, "you would have managed. But where is the fun in doing it alone?"

Alice fitted the veil to the crown of her head and allowed the material to float down over her face, "You look wonderful, my dear."

"Thank you," Rebecca replied and wished, not for the first time, that her own mother was there.

"We should be going," Louisa said, checking the clock on the dresser, "You don't want to keep Preston waiting too long."

"Is Matthew here?" she asked.

"He's downstairs," Alice replied, "and looking very handsome when I passed him earlier."

The three of them left the room and made their way down the stairs of the hotel to the lobby where Matthew was, indeed, waiting. As she approached him, Rebecca saw how stunned he looked and hoped fervently that he wasn't about to repeat his words from the previous evening.

"Matthew," she greeted him cautiously.

"Rebecca," he replied, "you look…you look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said.

He set his jaw, "Preston's a lucky man."

She put her arm through his, "I appreciate that."

"The carriage is outside," Louisa said, "we'd better go."

The four of them left the hotel and climbed into the carriage that would take them to the nearby church. The weather was warm and sunny and Rebecca felt it glow pleasantly on her as they made the short journey. As they pulled up at the door, Louisa and Alice got out first, leaving her and Matthew alone.

"You ready?" he asked her. She nodded. "Last chance to…" She looked at him and he smiled. "Let's go then."

XXXX

"Preston, if you keep playing with your collar, I'm going to cut your hand off!" James reproached his brother quietly at the front of the church.

"Sorry," Preston replied, "I can't help it. It's itchy."

"There's nothing wrong with it," James replied, turning to face him, "You look fine."

"What time is it now?"

"Just going on twelve."

"Let's hope she's not intending to be late," Preston Senior said from the pew behind them.

Preston bit his tongue, but inside, he hoped that she hadn't changed her mind. At that moment, there was activity at the door and he turned to see his mother and Louisa hurrying inside and up the aisle to join his father. He looked questioningly at them.

"Everything is fine," Louisa said, "She's here."

He let out a shaky breath and turned back to face the minister. At that moment, the pianist, who was a hundred and five if he was a day, began playing the wedding march and the small group got to their feet. Preston kept his eyes firmly on the altar.

"Preston, for heaven's sake turn and look at her!" James hissed.

Preston turned and watched as Rebecca came down the aisle on Matthew's arm. He couldn't see her face at first, as it was hidden by the veil but, as she drew closer, he made out her features and saw that she was smiling. When she reached him, she turned to Matthew who gave her a brief kiss on the cheek and then stepped back, allowing her to stand beside her soon-to-be husband.

"You look…beautiful," he said, feeling himself rather choked up.

"Thank you," she whispered, "you look rather handsome yourself."

The minister stepped forward, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to witness the union of this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Marriage is a holy state, ordained by God and is the giving and receiving of mutual love, support and respect."

Rebecca barely heard what was being said. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Preston's, unable to believe that they had reached this crucial stage, that she was in the process of becoming Mrs Lodge…The next thing she knew, Preston had taken the ring from James and was reaching for her hand.

"Preston, repeat after me…I, Preston Alexander Lodge, do take thee Rebecca Caroline McKendrick to be my lawful wedded wife…"

Preston repeated the vows, pausing meaningfully as he said "in sickness and in health." Rebecca felt as though her heart was going to burst, but in a good way.

"Til death do us part," he finished.

"Yes," she whispered so only he could hear, "til death do us part."

XXXX

"A toast!" James declared, getting to his feet, "To the bride and groom. Mr and Mrs Lodge!" The others joined in the sentiment. "I only hope that Preston and Rebecca will be as happy together as Louisa and I have been."

"Thank you, James," Preston said, standing as his brother sat down. "I'd like to thank those of you for attending today. It meant a lot to both of us, I know. And especially thank you to Matthew, who did such a terrific job in giving Rebecca away."

Rebecca met Matthew's gaze and gave him a smile, which he returned.

"But most of all, I'd like to thank my wife," he continued, turning to face her, "who has made me very happy by marrying me today and with whom I look forward to sharing many happy years."

"Hear hear!" James said, as he bent and kissed her.

The 'speeches' over, the conversation around the table moved on to other things and Louisa leaned over to speak to Rebecca. "It really was a beautiful ceremony."

"Thank you," Rebecca replied.

"Was it what you wanted?"

"Absolutely. I couldn't have wished for anything better."

Louisa grinned, "One could say, the best is yet to come." She laughed as Rebecca blushed. "I'll give you one piece of advice, sister."

"Oh yes, what's that?"

"Never go to bed on an argument. Always make sure you've resolved your differences before retiring."

"Why's that?"

"Because believe me, your marital bed is the one place where you can escape all the pain and troubles of the world. You need it to be sacred and special and there's nothing worse than lying there with an invisible barrier between you because of some petty fight." Louisa nodded sagely, "Don't forget it."

Rebecca smiled, "I'll try. In all honesty, I'm quite looking forward to getting there.

XXXX

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

"It's not that I don't want to. I mean, you have to know that I do…"

"I know."

"I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe it's just been all the stress of the last few days or…"

"It's fine."

Rebecca rolled onto her side and propped herself onto her elbow looking down at Preston. "I know it isn't," she said, "not really."

He turned his head and looked at her, "If you're not ready, then you're not ready. I can hardly force you."

"But I am ready! At least, I thought I was. I've spent weeks, months, thinking about us finally being together and then, when the moment finally comes…" she trailed off, thinking back to the moment ten minutes ago when she had told him to get off because he was hurting her. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment and she rolled over onto her back and resumed staring at the ceiling. She had assumed, like in one of those terrible novels Loren stocked, that when the wedding night came she would be swept away on a river of unending passion and pleasure. In the end, the reality was far from it.

It was Preston's turn to roll over and look down at her, "It's not as if tonight's the only night we're going to be together. We'll be sharing a bed for the rest of our lives."

"I know that," Rebecca sighed, "but it's our wedding night! It's supposed to be tradition!" He laughed and she looked at him sharply, "What's so funny?"

"You are," he said lovingly, "so concerned with how you think it should be."

"And you're not?" she challenged, "I know that you're disappointed."

"Not at all."

"Don't lie, Preston."

"I'm not lying," he reassured her, "being here with you right now is good enough for me. The rest will come later."

"I wish I shared your confidence," she replied, stifling a yawn.

"See that? You're tired," he said, "No wonder you don't want to."

"But I do want to!"

"Let's get some sleep and in the morning, you'll feel better. We still have our honeymoon, remember."

"And you conveniently won't tell me where we're going."

"I'm allowed a little mystery, surely?"

"I suppose." She looked at him again, "You still haven't told me this good news you were going on about yesterday." He smiled triumphantly at her. "What?"

"I met with a very important man yesterday," Preston said, "A Mr O'Hagan, who happens to own some land in Colorado."

"And?"

"And, he wanted to sell it to me."

"Why would he think you wanted it?" she asked, "You already have the land for the house and the hotel."

"He thought I might like it as a gift."

"A gift for who?"

"For you."

Rebecca frowned, "Why would this man, whom I've never met, think I would like the gift of some land in Colorado?"

"Well it very much depends on where exactly the land is."

"Preston!"

"It's your farm," he explained. Rebecca's eyes widened, "I made him an offer for it and he accepted. Its mine, which technically means it's yours, if you want it."

"I can't…I can't believe it!" she gasped, "I can't believe that you would…" tears sprang into her eyes, "that you would…"

"I'd hoped you'd be happy about it," Preston said, concerned, "I didn't do it to upset you."

Rebecca shook her head, "You haven't. I'm sorry, you haven't," she wiped her eyes viciously, "I just never thought that I'd ever get the chance to get it back and…thank you, thank you!" She threw herself on top of him and kissed him, kneeing him accidentally in the groin as she did so, causing him to groan. "Oh Lord, I'm sorry!" she gasped, her hand sliding down to his abdomen, "Are you all right? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Rebecca," he interrupted, "if the intention is for us to go to sleep now, then I'd ask that you please remove your hand from…down there." She snatched her hand back as though she had been burnt, but she remained on all fours above him, the angle affording him a tantalising glimpse of her breasts through the open buttons of her nightdress. "In fact," he said, "it may be best if you returned to your own side of the bed."

"Maybe I don't want to sleep anymore," she said, a slow smile playing on her face.

"But I thought…" She cut him off by lowering herself down and kissing him. His hands moved to her waist and then down over her buttocks, dragging the material of her nightdress back up her body, exposing her nakedness, the result of their earlier attempt. She paused and pulled herself back up from him, feeling rather exposed in this seemingly unnatural position.

As though reading her mind, Preston gently put his hands back on her waist and lowered her onto her side and over onto her back where she instinctively parted her thighs and allowed him to rest between them. She still felt nervous, but not nearly as much as she had before, though her heart was pounding in her chest. He pushed her nightdress up her body and over her head, leaving her naked beneath him. Instinctively, she tried to cover her chest with her arms, but he gently moved them away, allowing himself to look at her properly for the first time.

"Beautiful," he murmured, "You're so beautiful."

Rebecca didn't feel beautiful. She felt worried and scared, afraid of how it was going to feel. Knowing that this was what hindered them previously, she tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, but the apprehension must have shown on her face.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered.

"I know," she replied, her voice shaking slightly. He lowered himself onto her and she took his weight, accepting his kiss when it came. Tentatively, she placed her hands on his body, running them gently up the length of his back, causing him to shiver slightly.

"Are you cold?" she whispered naively.

Preston lifted his head from her neck and smiled down at her, "No." Then he kissed down her throat and chest to her breast, his mouth catching her nipple and slowly encircling it with his tongue.

Rebecca felt her breath catch in her throat. "Is this what you did with her?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Preston pulled back and looked at her, "Rebecca!"

"Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to…sorry." He looked vaguely irritated and she cupped his face in her hands, "Don't stop," she said, "please don't stop." He resumed what he had been doing, his hand slowly sliding between her legs to stroke her in places she had never wanted to admit existed. Little by little, Rebecca felt every muscle in her body start to relax, felt herself opening, willing, wanting. Eventually, he slid himself back up her body to kiss her and she knew that it was now or never.

She felt him pushing at her, knowing that he was meeting resistance and yet trying desperately to tell herself that there was no need to resist, no reason to resist. It had been at this point earlier that she had told him he would have to stop, but this time she was determined not to. Slowly, gently, he crept inside her, inch by inch. It burned, but she tried to ignore it and bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. Once he was fully encased inside her, he started to rock against her. The action, though alien to her, appeared to provoke an instinctive reaction and she found herself raising her hips in time to meet his.

"My darling, darling Rebecca…" Preston murmured in her ear, "darling, sweet, wonderful Rebecca…"

Rebecca wanted to say something back, but she didn't know what. It might be so silly that he might laugh at her. Besides, she was too busy trying to concentrate on the heavy sensation within her abdomen. She felt a flush of heat creep up her body and could hear her own breathing becoming increasingly ragged. He was starting to move more quickly within her and she felt a sudden desperate need to keep him there. Her hands slipped down his back and over his buttocks and she instinctively pulled him towards her, needing the sensations to continue.

The action caused Preston to raise himself up and look at her briefly before kissing her again fiercely. She gasped against his mouth and then heard a cry tear from her lips as hot feelings of pleasure began in her lower abdomen and slowly worked their way up her body. She twisted her face away from him and cried out again, all the time holding him within her, unwilling to allow him to so much as give the impression that he would withdraw from her.

"Preston…"

"Look at me," he ordered her in a strained voice and she turned her head back and opened her eyes. "Rebecca…"

"Oh Lord…" she whispered. There couldn't be much longer to go, there just couldn't be. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand it. "Preston, I can't…" He moved even quicker inside her and she cried out again. Then she felt a heat deep inside her, and then him slowing and her own rhythm slowing until he was barely moving inside of her. Then he stopped and rolled over onto his back, taking her with him, sliding gently out of her as he did so.

For a long moment they lay there, their breathing slowly regulating. Rebecca rested her head against his chest, listening to his racing heart beneath.

"Was it all right?" Preston asked finally.

She smiled against him, "It was ok, I suppose."

He jerked back from her slightly and looked down as she looked up to meet his gaze. "It was ok, you suppose?" he echoed.

She kissed his chin, "I'm joking. It wasn't what I expected. In a good way," she added hurriedly. He looked slightly unsure. "I look forward to doing it again and again," she grinned. Preston appeared to accept this and she lay back down on him again, feeling her eyes heavy with sleep. "Oh!" she said, jerking up suddenly.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I should take it out."

Preston frowned, "Take what out?"

"Why the…" Rebecca paused, "I mean the…"

"The…?" he prompted.

"You know…the thing."

"Thing?"

"The thing that Michaela gave me as a precaution." She looked meaningfully at him."Oh," he said, "the thing." She knew he had forgotten all about it, in fact, didn't even know what 'it' was. "Yes, yes, you must."

She retrieved her nightdress from where it had been tossed casually onto the floor and slipped it over her head before sliding out of the bed and moving over to where the chamber pot sat in the corner. When she turned back, Preston was watching her curiously. "Would you mind looking away?"

"Well I…"

"Please," she added. "I'd feel more comfortable…right now…" it did seem rather farcical that having just explored her body in ways no other man ever had that she should feel embarrassed by removing her method of contraception, but there was something different about standing in the middle of the room dealing with that area in front of him as opposed to lying in bed with him.

"Of course," Preston said. He rolled over onto his other side and closed his eyes for good measure. He was incredibly curious, but only good manners prevailed him from turning back. As he lay there, however, he hoped that this would not be the climax to every occasion of lovemaking.