AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, your ass was beaten, and I’m sorry for that. But it was no worse than getting your due from the judge—which you clearly earned. My violation will never be mentioned again.”
“It will not be easy,” Jolie said.
“Oh, yes, it will be. You erase the memory, Jolie, just as I will. You hold your head up high and so will I.” She began to soften. “But you will do what I say.”
“Yes, yes, I will.” Her eyes were filled with tears again, and the two women hugged long and hard before they filled a wash tub with scalding water and washed the stench of the three men from their bodies. If only they might have washed the memories from their minds, but that would be impossible to do.
CHAPTER SIX
The first time she met, actually met Daniel Crowe, he spanked her. She had seen him a dozen times before in town, and always the handsome fellow filled her with lustful thoughts. On those occasions she never would have believed how the passionate relationship between them would begin. Rather than opening with a polite hello, or a proper introduction, it started with an argument that became a fight that evolved into an incident neither one would forget.
She was in a hurry that day, moving briskly from the small lending library to the store with a load of books in her arms, her head down against the cold chill of wintry air. It had rained all morning and the sidewalks and streets were wet, which made it important to concentrate on what she was doing. Although the wind was strong and she could hardly hear anything beyond her own thoughts, Hannah heard a voice speaking to her from behind. In a hurry to get home, she chose to ignore it, tucking herself in a little tighter while shunning the man’s increasing requests for her to stop.
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Not an angry hand. Just a determined one. She jerked about, rattled by the unexpected intrusion and was knocked off balance. Unable to right herself, she stumbled off the sidewalk step, into the mud and landed flat on her bottom, with the books falling all around her. She came up fighting mad.
“What is God’s name is the matter with you!” she blared, still not seeing who she was talking to. Her upswept hairdo toppled forward, carrying with it her modestly small black hat, so they were in her eyes, obscuring her vision. Again all she could hear was the strange voice above the rushing wind.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but you claimed the wrong package of books. I was simply trying to call you back, but you paid no attention.”
“Maybe I didn’t hear you!” she declared. She attempted to sit up without making a further mess of herself. When she finally pushed back her disheveled hair and looked up at the man, she was startled to see the young man known as Daniel Crowe towering above her. A loner, she’d been told. He lived on a small farm a few miles outside of town. “It’s you!” she said, making it sound like an accusation.
“Me, yes, it’s me,” he said calmly. “Let me help you.” He held out his hand.
“Help me? You’ve already helped me enough, thank you, sir!” She indicated her muddy books and hands, her eyes shooting fire from beneath the bobbing hat brim. “Look at what you’ve done to me! I’ll thank you to leave me alone.”
His kind face turned grim. “And I’ll thank you to place the blame where it’s due, Miss Noble.”
“How. . . how,” she sputtered, “You know my name?”
“Everyone around knows your name. I’m Daniel Crowe.”
“Yes. I know who you are. Not that I care to know you now.”
“Oh, you cared to know me before?” He looked amused.
She pursed her lips and struggled to stand, shaking off his offer for help. Once on her feet, she looked down at her muddied dress in disgust.
“Maybe you should take that off and get cleaned up,” Daniel Crowe advised her.
She was already shaken; her nerves were on edge and her heart fluttered so excitedly with emotion, that when she gathered up a full head of steam and hauled off and slapped his face, hard as she could, she was as stunned as the man with the burning cheek.
“How dare you make such an improper suggestion!”
Daniel glared back at her angrily. “What the hell!”
“Don’t you dare swear at me! Anyone who makes imprudent advances to a woman gets exactly what he deserves.”
“What did I say?”
“Something about removing my dress.”
“I didn’t mean in public,” he said tersely.
That was enough to silence her for the moment, until she came back with a flustered, “Well, you certainly should take care with the words you use, or not bother to come to town where you might encounter civilized women.”
“Oh, and you consider yourself a civilized woman?” he mocked, as he rubbed his sore cheek again.
Her eyes flashed fire. “I expect an apology!” she exploded.
