WANTED

Chapter Eighteen

   Elizabeth followed the men inside. The Forman was almost as large as Nickolas, and the two burly men handled the crate with ease.
"Anything else, Boss?"
"Eh. You don't need me to tell you what to do. How 'bout you pop by for supper later?"
"I think Jacob is on supper duty tonight. You might've just saved my life." The men chuckled, Elizabeth gathered whoever Jacob was,he must be a terrible cook.

  Marcus saw himself out, and Nickolas turned to Elizabeth with a devilish grin.
"You ready to open it?"
"Me?" Why would she open the crate?
"It's for you. To be honest, I don't know what's in there. It's heavier than I expected." He still had that strange smile.
"I don't understand."
"I don't know much about women. But I know enough that you have different needs than men. Especially in the hygiene department. I had miss Ellen pack things a lady would need if she were starting over with only the clothes on her back." He shrugged. "I picked a few things too."
"Y-you, you didn't have to do that." Elizabeth was confused, and her head and stomach ached. What was he doing? What did he expect in return?
"How about you just open the crate."
Elizabeth obeyed. Inside, she found several individually wrapped parcels. Carefully picking one up, she unwrapped the brown papper to find a bar of soap, with little bits of flowers inside. Elizabeth held the bar under her nose and couldn't suppress her grin. It smelled devine, lavender, and rose hip with hints of sage. She noticed Nickolas watching her with a grin. She carefully set the bar aside and reached for another parcel. This one was so soft that her finger poked through the paper. She tensed and snuck a peek at Nickolas, expecting a blow. Why was he just standing there? Maybe it wasn't fragile?
She unwrapped the package to find a beautiful bath robe. A small package held a matching comb and brush. A little bag had hair pins and several colored ribbons. Elizabeth was overwhelmed as she unwrapped one parcle after another. Perfume, ruge, an appron, a sewing kit, several pairs of stocking, a second pair of boots, a small brush for her teeth, two bonnets, a hot water bottle, even femenin napkins.

  She looked at Nickolas as silent tears began to fall.
"W-w why?" Was all she could muster.

Nickolas stepped forward and put his hands on her waist. "I told you, I would provide for you."
"W-what, d-do you want? I-in return?"
Nickolas thumbed tears from her cheek, "Sweet girl." He leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "I want to see you, happy and healthy, I want to provide for you, I want to ease your fears. I want to build a life with you, Elizabeth."
"N-no."
"No?" He looked genuinely bewildered.
"Men a-always w-want something."
He cupped her face in his big, warm hands and pressed his forehead to hers. "Elizabeth, you are a beautiful woman, and I'd have to be a blind man not to want more with you. But I'd also have to be blind not to see your fear and pain. I'd never do anything to add to that fear. This crate is simply a husband providing for his wife's needs. This is not a transaction."
Elizabeth searched his eyes. He must want something. Men never do anything from the kindness of their hearts.
"You don't believe me?"
"I don't know. You are a strange man." Nickolas laughed, "I'm just a man trying to love a complicated woman."
"Love?" She choked. "You've known me less than a week."
"Love is an action. It's not something you feel it's something you do. I love you by seeing your fear and softening my voice. I love you by soothing your fears when you wake up screaming. After supper, I'm going to love you by running a bubble bath with scented oils and loads of candles. And I'll love you by continuing to learn as much as I can about you, your habits, your favorite foods, how you relax, and providing opportunities for you to enjoy those things."
"So, h-how do I l-love y-you?"
"Right now, you focus on loving yourself. You put some weight on. You start making decisions for yourself. You be open about what you want and adamant about what you don't. Set boundaries. Get outside, explore the ranch. Make friends in town. Find yourself."