Takes one’s time getting wife into awkward saddle (7)
I believe the answer is:
dawdles
'takes one's time' is the definition.
('dawdle' can be a synonym of 'take one's time')
'wife into awkward saddle' is the wordplay.
'wife' becomes 'w' (abbreviation).
'into' indicates putting letters inside.
'awkward' indicates anagramming the letters.
'saddle' anagrammed gives 'dadles'.
'w' put into 'dadles' is 'DAWDLES'.
'getting' is the link.
(Other definitions for dawdles that I've seen before include "'Hangs back, lingers (7)'" , "Moves slowly" , "takes some time to go" .)