Free Mail Order Mistake by Kirsten Osbourne Page B

explained her reasoning, she asked, “Are you going to be at my wedding
     tomorrow or not?”
    “Of course, I’m going to be at your wedding.  I wouldn’t miss it.”   How could she not go to her only sister’s wedding?  No matter what had passed between
     them, Ellen was her sister and Malinda loved her.
    “I’m happy to hear it.  For a while there I was certain you were going to ignore nineteen
     years of sisterhood over money.”  Ellen reached out and took Malinda’s hand.
    Malinda shook her head, hoping she could make her sister understand it wasn’t about
     the money at all.  “It’s not just that.  I’m scared.  I care about Wesley.  I really
     do.  But I’m not sure that I’m ready to be anyone’s wife.”   Her eyes, still red from the tears she’d shed, met Ellen’s.
    “I know.  I don’t think anyone is ever sure of that.  You just have to trust your
     heart and move on with your life.” 
    “Aren’t you scared?”  Malinda’s eyes searched Ellen’s face, looking for some of the
     same fear she had inside her.
    Ellen looked embarrassed.  “Sure, a little.  But I know Patrick well enough to know
     he’d never do anything to hurt me.  He cares about me.”
    “And I know that about W esley too, but I talked to Harriett about…well, marital relations.  She said the first time
     really hurts.”  But it was more than just what she’d said.  It was the look on her
     face.  Malinda could tell that Harriett had held something back from the conversation. 
     As if there were more to it that Malinda wasn’t allowed to know about.   “Aren’t you
     worried about the wedding night?”
    “Obviously not as much as you are.  When Patrick touches me, I don’t want him to stop. 
     God wouldn’t have made the way to make children pleasurable for just men.  Besides,
     I’ve had friends who have married and they said only good things about the marriage
     bed.  I really don’t think we have anything to be afraid of.”
    Malinda bit her lip, which she always did when she was thinking hard about something. 
     “Do you think if I married Wesley tomorrow he’d agree to wait for relations until
     I felt comfortable with it?”  
    “I don’t think you should even ask that of him.  I think if you marry him, he has
     every right to expect a wedding night.” 
    Malinda wondered if Ellen was right.  “Well, if I marry him and I’m not having relations with him, I’ll still be cooking and cleaning and doing all the other things he needs his wife to do.  I’ll just sleep in his spare
     bedroom.”   If only Ellen would agree with her it wasn’t a bad idea, she’d feel like she could
     do it.  She was too afraid to do anything else.
    Ellen laughed.  “You wouldn’t like his spare bedroom.  Patrick says the mattress is
     lumpy and almost impossible to sleep on.”
    Malinda was certain she could put up with a lumpy mattress better than letting a man
     do that to her.  “Well, I may talk to him about it in the morning before the wedding.  I
     decided to go in my wedding dress just in case I decide to marry him tomorrow as well. 
     It seems unfair that you and Patrick are marrying before Wesley and I are.”   She made a face at the thought.  How could their double wedding be turning into
     Ellen getting married while Malinda watched?
    “That’s your decision, though.  Patrick and I decided we wanted to marry and left
     it at that.  You’re the one dragging your feet .”  Ellen looked like she wished she could take the words back as soon as she’d said
     them.
    Malinda stood up.  “I’m sorry I was so mean to you about your decision to marry Patrick. 
     I know you care about him, but I know you care about me as well.”   How was she going to figure it all out?
    Ellen smiled up at her sister.  “I’m really glad you’re going to be there when I marry
     Patrick.”
    “How could I miss that?  Of course I’ll be there!”
    Malinda lay in bed