Josie: Bride of New Mexico (American Mail-Order Bride 47) by Kristin Holt Page A

you.” She told him, reaching for him out of habit, the way she might touch her sister in passing… a squeeze on the arm, a hug around her waist.
    Her husband responded with the same kind of eagerness to touch her in return. He looped his arm around her waist and drew her close. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then lingered, as if holding her in the bathroom were the most natural thing in the world.
    She couldn’t help but grin. She could become quite used to this man’s efforts to take care of her. It all seemed so natural, so easy for him. No wonder Richard, who knew this man so well, had assured Lessie that Adam would take splendid care of Josie, his wife.
    She was this amazing man’s wife .
    And he wanted to make her comfortable, please her, see her smile, provide the simplest of pleasures and also the greatest of gifts… such as an entire wardrobe filled with ten times the lovely things she needed.
    And this was just the beginning.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Ten
     

     
    When Adam packed his trunks for this journey to Silver Queen, he managed to find a nightshirt to bring along.
    He hadn’t worn pajamas of any kind since he was a child, preferring to sleep in his underwear.
    But he had enough modesty, and knew his bride likely would, too, that he brought the nightshirt along. His wife deserved every bit of courtesy he could show her.
    He’d asked a great deal of her today. He’d asked for one set of qualifications when she contacted him about his advertisement. And now that they were wed, he’d asked her for yet another.
    And she’d taken it all in stride. How had he been so very blessed?
    While she bathed, he washed up in the sink of the en-suite lavatory. He shaved anew. His beard would roughen and chafe her skin… and while he refused to have too high a set of expectations, he did hope she’d allow him to hold her.
    He brushed and flossed, he realized his thoughts had remained squarely on her.
    He’d gone into this marriage with his eyes wide open, and determined to fall in love with his wife. Until now, he hadn’t realized he’d thought it would require effort and determination to develop warm and tender feelings for a stranger.
    But Josie— a pleasant surprise— would be so very easy to love. He already loved her smile, her joy of discovery, her humble approach, and the scent of her hair and skin. He loved how well she fit in his arms, how her little body fit perfectly beneath his chin.
    The door opened and his heart quickened. Good thing he’d put on the confounded night shirt before he’d shaved or her appearance could have made them both uncomfortable.
    But he refused to let this first night together feel awkward for her. “Did you enjoy your bath?”
    “It was glorious.”
    He smiled at her enjoyment, and simply because she smiled. He’d married a beautiful woman.
    “I like your new robe.” She’d buttoned it up to her throat and tied the sash. She’d tucked her hands into the embroidered pockets. She’d washed her hair and combed it through, and it hung in damp strands, nearly to her waist. All that showed was her neck and face… and bare toes.
    Little, pink, clean toes. He could have looked a good long while, but poor Josie seemed uncomfortable, and that was his number one rule— he would not make Josie uncomfortable.
    He finished flossing, rinsed his mouth in the sink, and put his toothbrush in the holder to dry. “Come to bed, Darling. I have a bedtime story for you.”
    “A story?” She approached the big bed, far less uncomfortable, at least in appearance, than he’d thought she’d be.
    Adam folded back the covers and pushed the decorative pillows off onto the floor. Josie picked up the fancy pillows and stacked them on the chair. Just to tease her, he knocked two more pillows off to bounce on the carpet.
    She giggled and bent to pick up an armful of pillows.
    He tried not to look, but what a lovely shape she had.
    A husband could look at his own wife and admire her