He pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you that you look absolutely incredible in that dress.”
“Thank you,” she whispered as she pulled his head down for one more kiss. “I think you look great in your tux.”
He hugged her close. “Do you want to get changed and go for that walk, or we can stay here and get started on the wedding night? The choice is yours.”
Amanda pulled back. “I think I need a little more time to just be with you first if that’s okay. I’m willing to make love tonight, but can we spend the day just getting used to each other first?”
He took a deep breath and smiled down at her, kissing her palm. “Not the choice I was hoping for, but the one I expected.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“There’s no need to be sorry. It’s only a few more hours. You take the bathroom and I’ll change out here. Something casual with tennis shoes if you brought them,” he told her.
“I did,” she said. “Ummm…I can’t get out of this dress by myself. Would you unbutton me?” She turned her back to him.
He stood looking down at the buttons along the back of her dress. There were a dozen tiny buttons from her back all the way down to her waist. “I have no problem undressing you.” His hands felt huge and clumsy as he began unfastening each one individually. “Do I need to undo them all?”
“Yeah, I don’t want the dress to tear. I should have thought of that and changed before we left the church. Stephanie would have helped me.”
“But then I would have missed out on the fun.” He dropped a kiss to the top of her back. “Have I told you that I love how tall you are? I hate getting a crick in my neck when I go to kiss a woman. You’re just the perfect size.”
She laughed. “I never expected a man to say that to me. In my experience tall men only like tiny little women. It has always driven me crazy.”
“Not me. I’ve always prayed for an Amazon goddess.”
She felt more and more buttons coming undone. He had to be almost finished. She held the dress to the front of her to make sure that it didn’t fall off. “Amazon goddess? You’re going to be great for my self-esteem!”
“There, that’s all of them.” He eyed her back covered in a thin slip. “You’d better go get changed if you want to go on that walk.” He swallowed hard and reminded himself how nervous she was.
She smiled at him over her shoulder, holding the dress up with one hand, and carried her overnight bag into the bathroom with the other. She quickly changed into jeans and a blouse and put on her socks and shoes. She pulled her hair out of the elaborate twist it was in and let it fall past her shoulders.
Walking out of the bathroom she hung up her dress. Jason was waiting for her in jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. Her fingers actually itched to touch his shoulders. She’d always loved nice broad shoulders.
His eyes swept her from head to toe. “That’s perfect for walking. You ready?” He put the key card to the hotel room onto his key chain and put his hand to the small of her back as he guided her out of the room.
He held her hand as they walked. She’d never truly appreciated hand holding before Jason. When he held her hand, he made her feel like she was protected. She didn’t know from what she felt protected, but it made her feel protected and cared for in a way that she never had before.
She listened as he explained about the Native Americans who had once lived in this part of the state. She, like most other Texans, had never really thought of the rich history of the mid-western states. She was amazed at all she learned from a short walk. She asked questions about his work as they got closer to the river. She’d been in a small town her entire life, but it had been a town and not a farm. She had never known a dairy farmer. Ranchers, yes, but not dairy farmers.
He talked about the early mornings and late evenings. “I usually hire a couple of boys full time in the summer to help out with the milking and some of the field work. Sometimes they stay on through the school year, but not usually.”
He led her to the edge of the river where the whitewater rafting events took place. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back against him and said, “It’s beautiful. I’m glad you suggested this.”
“I can’t wait to share all the beautiful things about Wisconsin with you. So many people write us off as just the cheese state, but we’re so much more than that,” he told her.
“I’m beginning to see that. I wish I would have accepted one of Stephanie’s invitations to come up here and visit during the summer,” she said.