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the center of the middle side and entered into a foyer there.
    “To the right are the parlor, dining room, kitchen and Martha’s bedroom,” said Nathan. “And to the left are the family bedrooms.”
    “Let me introduce you to Martha. She’s the one who keeps the place running smoothly. I’m sure you’ll want to take over some of her duties, but I leave that up to the two of you.”
    They headed to the kitchen where Ella saw a short, middle-aged woman with beautiful black hair and sparkling brown eyes.
    “Ah, you are the missus for my Nathan.”
    “Your Nathan?” Ella looked back and forth between Nathan and Martha. “Are you his mother?”
    Nathan chuckled. “She might as well be. She’d been with me since my father took me from my mother, Singing Bird. You might say Martha is my white mother.”
    “Now you’ve got me thoroughly confused. Maybe later you can explain it all to me.”
    “We’ll have plenty of time for that.”
    Ella turned to Martha. “Please don’t let me interrupt your routine. I want to learn all I can. We had a cook, housekeeper and maids in New York, so I’m woefully ignorant, but I want to learn to do things myself. I know I’ll need your help so don’t worry about me taking over all your duties. That won’t ever happen, but I want to learn. Will you teach me?”
    “Sure. I’ll teach ya. Looks like ya got a keeper, Nathan.”
    “Thank you, Martha. I think so, too.” He placed his hand on Ella’s waist. “Let’s go drop off your valise and then I’ll show you the rest of the property.”
    They went to the last of the four bedrooms in the other wing of the house. The master bedroom was the largest by far. Next to it was the room Ella would use as a nursery. It was the smallest of the bedrooms. There were two other bedrooms in addition to these two. Plenty of room for children. Babies. The thought make her smile.
    Nathan carried her belongings into the room and set them down by the double bed. It was covered with a beautiful patchwork quilt.
    “This is gorgeous. Who made it for you?” asked Ella, as she ran her fingers over the quilt and admired the fine detail of the stitches.
    “My aunt Sara made it. She’s actually my great aunt on my father’s side, of course.”
    “It’s lovely and I can tell it took a lot of work to make.”
    “Yes. I can see bits of shirts that I wore in several different years, so I know she worked on it a long time.”
    “And the fur rug in front of the fireplace? Did you shoot the animal?”
    “It’s a buffalo and yes, I killed it, with bow, arrow and spear. It was the first buffalo I got as a man. My mother prepared it for me.”
    “What do you mean as a man? You were only fifteen when you left your mother’s people. That is hardly a man.”
    “Not in white culture, but as an Arapaho, I’d been a man for a couple of years.”
    “I see.” She didn’t, but that would be something for later as well. There were a lot of things for later. Her gaze came back to the bed. “Um, Nathan. We need to discuss something.”
    He followed her eyes to the bed. “What would that be?”
    “I, uh, I think we should get to know each other before we, us, you know.”
    Nathan knew exactly what she was talking about. It had been on his mind since he’d kissed her that morning. That kiss had been the sweetest in recent memory. His new wife was many things, including, if he wasn’t mistaken, a virgin. He hadn’t expected that. He didn’t know why, but he’d thought that anyone who’d sign up to be a mail order bride would be experienced. But there was no hiding the blush that rose from her neck clear to the top of her head.
    “What would that be?”
    “You know. I don’t think we should be,” she stopped and whispered, “intimate yet. Not until we get to know each other better.”
    Grasping his chin by the thumb and forefinger as though he was contemplating it, he said, “No. I don’t think we should put it off.”
    “But if we decide that