Amelia had never so much as kissed a man other then her father. And, other than the few times over her father's knee with her skirt over her head and her bloomers pulled down, no one had seen her naked body since she reached womanhood. When the service was over, Amelia said tearful farewells to her parents. She dutifully joined her husband in the front of his wagon and, when her parents were no longer in her sights, she faced forward and was hit with the weight of what had just happened. 'Is this the road to your house?' Amelia asked William. 'Yes, a few miles down this road and we'll be home.' 'Home,' Amelia said, letting the word hang in the air as she said it. Pa and I built it, once your Pa gave me your hand. I painted it white with blue shutters, thought you might like that. The inside is pretty simple, thought I would leave it up to you to decorate. Only thing in the house now is the kitchen table and the bed.'Īs soon as William said the word 'bed' Amelia stiffened.
