Chapter 12

He grabbed the garden supplies out of the tack room and walked back out in to the sunshine. It had taken four days to dry up the yard and the garden enough so they didn't get full of mud. Pulling his hat lower over his eyes, he trudged to the house, and stepped inside.

Setting the pail on the floor, he walked in to the kitchen. Elizabeth was piling the seeds for the garden while chatting with Anna. He gave her a smile, when she looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. "I found the shovels and a couple pairs of gloves. I also have the wood for the picket fence already by the garden. Are you ready to start planting?"

She stood and set Anna on her feet. Grabbing the seeds in one hand, she held out her other hand for Anna. The little girl grabbed her hand and followed them out of the house. Will set down the pail of tools by the garden plot and laid down a blanket for Anna to lie on if she got tired.

He held out his hand for some of the seeds and set to work. Elizabeth watched him for a moment, admiring that he was keeping his promise about helping out. Dropping to her knees, she dug her hands in to the fresh soil, and set it slide through her fingers.

Grabbing the carrot seeds, she started planting them in a neat little row. After a while she glanced up and saw Will watching her. She returned his gaze and saw an emotion swim through that she couldn't place. Turning her attention back to her work, she finished planting the next row of seeds.

"Beth, you have something on your face."

Glancing up from her position on the ground, she shaded her eyes, to look up at him. He was smiling down at her and pointing to his cheek. Using her hand, she brushed at the cheek, but he shook his head. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet.

Will took his thumb and swiped away the dirt on her cheek. He cupped her chin in his hand and lifted it so he could look in her eyes. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed from being outside. Lowering his head, he placed his lips on hers.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. She stood on tiptoes to be closer to him and felt his wrap his arms around her waist. Pulling her closer, so their bodies were touching, he deepened the kiss.

She squirmed in his hold and he pulled back. Still holding her in his arms, he gazed down at her. "I'm sorry Beth. You haven't told me if you are ready for this." He let go of her waist and walked back over to the garden to finish the fence.

Her arms fell to her sides, as she watched him walk away. She put a hand to her lips and could still feel his lips there. She hadn't meant for him to pull away, but Elizabeth wasn't used to being so close to him before. I think I made a mess of things.

Grabbing her supplies and the empty seed packets, she walked over to where Anna had fallen asleep with Scout. Setting the supplies down, she sat down and leaned back on the blanket. She watched her husband pounding the fence in to the ground.

Even from a distance she could see his muscles straining against his shirt. Her eyes opened in shock when he unbuttoned his shirt and hung it on one of the posts. As he pounded the next post in, the muscles on his back rippled.

He must have felt his eyes on him, because he turned around, and raised a brow at her. She averted her gaze and blushed. She didn't see the smirk play about his lips when he saw her blush. Will pounded in the last post and finished the fence. They could now paint it white and the gate would be painted red. Setting the hammer on the ground, he grabbed his shirt off the post, and walked over to where she was sitting.

"Would you like to paint the house or the fence first? It is only a little past eleven and we can head in for lunch. Then if you want we can come back outside."

Elizabeth lifted her eyes, but her gazed rested on his chest. She could see his hardened muscles and the curls of black hair. "We should paint the house first after lunch." She said as she stared at his chest.

"Beth my eyes are up here," Will said gently and smirked again.

She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "I will go make lunch if you go and find the paint. I also need to wake Anna up and get her washed up." She averted her gaze to the little girl sleeping on the blanket. Scout was curled in to her side. She had dirt on her face, dress, and hands.

Elizabeth sat up and pushed herself to her feet, but Will grabbed her arms, and pulled her close to him. Reaching out to clutch his arms, she steadied herself, before raising her eyes again. "You can let go of me now Will."

He dropped his hands to his sides, and reached down to pick up Anna. Settling her against his shoulder, he looked down at his wife. "I will bring Anna inside and wash her up." he said and turned to walk to the house. The only thing I want to do is hold her in my arms, but after what happened earlier I am not sure if I should do it again. I should have asked if she was ready for that.

Carrying Anna in to the house, he walked to the basin, and washed the dirt off her hands and face. Moving some of the loose hair out of her face, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Are you hungry Anna?"

She nodded her head and followed him in to the kitchen. He picked her up and settled her in her chair. Handing her a small piece of bread to eat, he turned slightly at the sound of hurried footsteps. Will's eyes opened wide when he saw Elizabeth angrily staring up at him. "Beth?"

Elizabeth stood toe to toe with him and poked him in the chest. "Why did you walk away from me?"

"I said I was bringing Anna inside."

"I meant when you kissed me. Why did you walk away without letting me say something?"

"I said I was sorry for the kiss."

Her eyes flashed up at him and he felt himself drowning in their depths. "I didn't say I wanted you to stop kissing me. I was uncomfortable with being so close to you. I am not used to that kind of physical contact. You don't have to stop kissing me, Will."

"I don't want to push you Beth. If you keep letting me kiss you the way I have been doing, then one of these times I won't be able to stop myself. I don't want to push myself on you." He said and racked a hand through his hair. Walking away from her, he grabbed the items to make sandwiches, and set them on the table.

Elizabeth silently watched as he set about making their lunch. She didn't want him to stop kissing her, but she could also see that he was thinking of doing that. Walking up behind him, she tapped his shoulder and waited for him to turn around.

He turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw her standing there. When she didn't leave or say anything, he fully turned around, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you have something to say to me?"

Standing up on her tiptoes, she grabbed his shoulders, and kissed him. He didn't yield, but only gently pushed her away. "Not now, Beth."

Backing away from him, she frowned at him, and walked out the front door. He heard the door slam and stood there for a moment. I will give her a few minutes to calm down and then go after her. The same thing that happened a few days ago play in his head and he hoped she didn't injure herself this time.

Grabbing a sandwich, he handed it to Anna. Will grabbed his own, and sat down. Biting in to his sandwich, he set hers on a plate and decided to bring it out to her, when he put Anna down for her nap. A few minutes later he finished the last of his lunch, and rose to grab a wet rag.

Moving over to Anna's chair, he washed off her hands her hands, and lifted her out of her chair. Walking to her bedroom, he laid her down, and settled the blanket over her. He heard Scout padding across the floor, and picked the little puppy up. Setting him on the bed with Anna, he smiled at the little puppy. "Are you going to sleep with Anna again?"

The little puppy looked up at him with large brown eyes and licked his hand. "I guess it is okay for a few more days." He placed a kiss on Anna's forehead and brushed some of the hair out of her eyes.

Shutting the door behind him, Will grabbed Elizabeth's sandwich, and walked outside. Standing on the porch, he looked around, and tried to find where his wife had run off to. Striding down the porch steps, he decided to check the barn first.

Opening the barn door, he stepped inside, and walked down the aisles. As he neared the last stall, he heard muffled crying, and stopped. I made her cry.

Looking over top the stall door, he found her huddled in the corner, her head resting on her arms. Unlatching the door, he stepped inside, and knelt down in front of her. Setting the plate on the clean straw, he placed a hand on her knee. "Beth. Will you please look at me?"

Elizabeth shook her head and in a muffled voice spoke, "I don't want to talk to you. Please just leave me alone."

"I am not leaving you Beth. We need to talk about what happened in the house."

She lifted her head and he sighed softly when he saw the tears staining her cheek. Using his thumb, he brushed them away, and cupped her chin. "Would you like to talk now?"

Taking a deep breath, she let the words flow. "Every time I try and get close to you, you either stop talking or walk away from me. I know we have come a long way since we first married, but I feel like we are back where we started."

"I pushed you away today because you haven't told me if you are ready to consummate our marriage. I told you that it was your decision to make, not mine. I am not going to push you to do something you don't want to do."

She scooted a bit closer to him and rested a hand on his knee. "I have spent the last five nights sleeping in your arms. I am ready to consummate our marriage Will."

He laid a hand on top of hers and gazed in to her eyes. "Are you sure?"

Nodding her head, she placed a light kiss on his lips. "I'm sure."

Will stood to his feet and she looked up at him. "Where are you going?"

He looked down at her, "I'm not going anywhere, Beth. I stood up so I could do this." Bending down, he placed one hand under her knees, and the other around her shoulders. She gave a shriek of surprise when he lifted her off the ground. Carrying her out of the stall, he walked to the house.