Billy woke first, and as usual, Alice was snuggled tightly behind him with her hair covering his face. They were both warm now, and Billy did not look forward to leaving his current position to get the fire going in the small fireplace. The hideout was not built for long term comfort, and he was glad Rud had not agreed to him moving up here permanently.

While it had been fine during the summer months, the small cooking fireplace did not provide a comfortable amount of heat as the temperatures plummeted with winters approach. With Rud and Patience now sharing a bed, he felt like he did need to move out of the cabin, but had no place to go.

Billy rolled over, lying flat on his back, and pulled the blankets as high on his neck as he could. Alice's sweet face was somewhere under all that hair as she opened her eyes and looked at Billy. Alice moved closer, her body was lying against Billy's left side, her head was on his chest.

Billy wrapped both arms around her, pulling Alice even closer. Alice responded by reaching up and giving Billy a long, deep kiss on the lips. Retreating to his chest, she wiggled a bit to get comfortable and closed her eyes again. In all the times they had slept next to each other, Alice had never kissed him like that before.

Billy knew that someday when their bodies demanded more from each other, they would not be able to sleep together again until they were married. That they could sleep in the same bed now was mainly because at their age, their bodies were not ready, nor did they have an insatiable desire to do the things men and women did in their beds. The things Rud and Patience surely did last night.

Bessie had made it clear this cute habit of sleeping with Alice snuggled tightly against his back would come to a sudden end once the desire was there. Billy had desires just as he was sure Alice did but neither wanted to do those things yet. Alice lying next to him was enough for now. Billy leaned forward and kissed his sweet Alice on the head. Alice responded only with the sound of steady breathing as she slept.

Billy needed a cabin of his own and later told Alice his plan. They would pick out a spot, and after his chores each day, he would work on his cabin. Billy guessed it would take about six months of work. He was sure Rud would agree since it would benefit Rud and Patience as well.

Billy told Alice, "When you come to visit, you will stay with me in my cabin." "Our cabin," Alice shot back, "You mean our cabin, right?" Billy told Alice he was sorry, "I meant our cabin." Alice reminded Billy he had promised, and she would be with him no matter what. Anything he built was for her too.

Billy agreed, kissed her cheek, and said, "I am sorry. You are right. Where one of us goes, so does the other, we are together, always." Alice was happy again having that settled. Not content with a kiss on the cheek, she pulled Billy's chin towards her and kissed him softly on the lips. Billy loved it when she kissed him on the lips, then thought again about what Bessie had said.

Billy finally got up and stoked the fire. Alice was up and changed into her clothes behind the cloth partition hung for that purpose. Billy changed while Alice was still behind the partition and had already set the frying pan over the fire by the time she came out. Alice cooked bacon and three eggs for Billy and two eggs for herself. Biscuits made earlier in the week, and honey from Patience's bees rounded out breakfast for the doves.

Once they had finished eating, Billy told Alice what he needed to do this morning. She said she would clean up the hideout and meet him down near the cabin. Billy reminded Alice to leave Rud and Patience alone as Bessie had instructed, Alice said she remembered.

Billy milked the goats and collected the eggs from the hen house, then set what he had gathered on the stone steps in front of the cabin door. He knocked on the cabin door, then noisily walked away. Alice came down and helped Billy with splitting wood. She would set the chunks of wood to be split on the stump, so Billy just had to swing the splitting ax.

Alice was never afraid when doing this as she knew Billy would never hurt her. If she came too close to the path of the ax with her hand or arm, a word from Billy and Alice would quickly move back. Alice was working the hardest as once in a rhythm, Billy could easily swing the ax for quite some time.

When Alice started to slow down, Billy knew it was time for her to do something else before, out of fatigue, she made a mistake and was injured. Billy asked Alice to get him some water and check to see if the milk and eggs he had left by the cabin door were still there. Alice did as he asked, gave him a long drink from the gourd dipper, stated there was nothing on the stones in front of the cabin, and then settled down near where he was splitting wood to watch him work.

Unlike Patience and Rud, Billy was not nervous or distracted around Alice. He continued to work as well whether Alice was watching or not. There was no reason for Billy to be nervous. Billy belonged to Alice, and Alice belonged to Billy. They both knew it, and it was the main reason they were so comfortable around each other.

After their morning chores, Alice and Billy started walking towards the lake. Billy had some ideas about where he thought Alice might like their cabin, so they walked around, talking, and looking for the right spot.

Billy saved the best spot for last, and as soon as he pointed it out, Alice said she loved it. Rud had picked a location where his cabin blended into the surrounding landscape. Rud, given his circumstances, had chosen to hide away as much as possible, but Billy and Alice wanted to live out in the open.

Billy and Alice picked a spot on high ground with a large stand of pines behind it and the meadow leading down to the lake in front. It was close enough to the other cabin but not too close either. There was plenty of cleared ground for a barn, animal pens, and a garden. There was a spring close by that produced plenty of clean water all year.

They would have to ask Rud, but Billy believed Rud would not object. Alice sat down in the grass where her new home would eventually stand. Billy joined her as they began to talk about things to come.

* * * * *

Patience had gotten up and put on her robe once the cabin warmed up. They were both hungry after their first night together. They had heard the knock on the door earlier and knew it was Billy bringing them fresh eggs and milk. Patience retrieved the supplies from the door, cooked eggs, and made drop biscuits. Rud stayed in bed watching Patience prepare their breakfast.

Once the food was ready, she climbed onto the bed. Rud had dozed off, so she kissed him sweetly and said, "Rudolph, wake up." Rud wanted to feel Patience pressed up against him again, but right now, he was hungry. He would have to settle for tickling Patience mercilessly until he was in a position to beat her out of bed and to the table. Rud groaned in pain as he reached for the honey to go with the biscuits. Patience set all the food in front of Rud then sat on Rud's lap while they ate.

It wasn't a comfortable way to eat, but it kept her in close contact with her man. By the time they had finished breakfast, it seemed they were kissing more than eating. Patience had let her robe slip off both shoulders as Rud's rough hands searched for bare skin to touch. A few drops of honey "accidentally" dropped off Rud's biscuit and onto Patience's neck and shoulder. Patience squirmed and laughed while complaining that it tickled as Rud cleaned up the spilled honey with his tongue.

Having satisfied their need for food, it was time again to satisfy their hunger for each other. Rud picked up his woman, her arms locked around his neck, never breaking their kiss. As parts of her robe drug the floor, her man carried her to their bed. No playfulness now as they set about the serious task of bringing each other to the edge of ecstasy, then pushing each other beyond. Patience's robe, finally freed from their intertwined bodies, was tossed off the bed.

Patience had seen an old bathtub in Charlotte's barn and inquired about purchasing it. Instead, Charlotte had her men deliver the tub to the cabin as a wedding gift. It was old but still watertight, and Patience was very happy to have it. Rud built up the fire and put two pots filled with water on the fireplace crane. Once the water was hot enough, Patience went first so she could wash before Rud got in.

There was just enough room for both of them in the tub with Rud on the bottom and Patience lying against his chest. Patience washed Rud the best she could with both of them in the tub. It took a while as they often stopped and kissed or just held each other. By the time the water had cooled, both were feeling relaxed but tired. Patience changed the linens on the bed before they settled in for their second night as man and wife.