stalled in his chest. It was the standard line, the one that always put the shotgun wedding into motion.
Well, he wasn't about to go along with it. “Dishonored? What the hell you talkin’ about?"
Her fiery eyes flashed in warning. “Don’ you swear at me, Jacque Cherchat. Don’ forget, I wrapped your skinny behind in diapers, and you ain’ more important dan me down here, not yet you aren't!"
Instantly contrite, he held up a hand. “I didn'—"
"Da woman seduced you, non ?” she interrupted. “Filled your body with lust and made you do wicked things?"
A few feet away, Sahara gasped loudly and objected vehemently to the charges.
Well, in all honesty he couldn't’ deny the last two, but Sahara certainly hadn't been the guilty party in the seduction. He opened his mouth to protest her innocence, but too late.
Mama Breaux took his hesitation as acquiescence and forged ahead. “An’ your brother, Quinten, too, I hear."
She looked at Quint, who reddened and shot a glance at his wife, who loudly voiced her one word opinion of the étrangère who'd nearly caused her man to stray.
Jacque let out a foul curse. “Tell her, Quint,” he ordered through clenched teeth. “The way it really happened."
Quint avoided his eyes, and nodded to their grandmother. “ C'est vrai , Mama Breaux. It's true. She tried to seduce us both. Luckily, my dear wife arrived jus’ in time to save me. Jacque wasn’ so fortunate. Wit’ him, she succeeded."
"Quint!” Sahara cried, panic rife in her voice.
" Arrète ! Stop it, for Chrissake!” Jacque barked furiously, throwing up his hands in disgust. “ Ça c'est fou ! Quint and I have fucked half the women here, mos’ of dem together! I'm hardly a blushing virgin!"
"You were!” Mama Breaux said, with eyes narrowed and once again pointed her finger at Sahara. “You were! Until she came along."
It was a railroad job. Pure and simple. It didn't matter that everyone in the room knew the truth, Mama Breaux had it in her head he was to marry this woman and dat was dat.
Nobody disobeyed Mama Breaux.
Nobody.
"I haven't been a virgin for twenty years,” he asserted half-heartedly, the fight going out of him.
With defiance in her beady gaze, Mama Breaux demanded, “So you deny she forced you?"
Sahara sputtered.
"Of course I deny it!” he said.
"Samuel!” Triumphantly, Mama Breaux turned to Sahara's young guard. “Tell everyone how you foun’ dem when you went to get dem tonight!"
Jacque shut his eyes and groaned. They were so screwed.
"The woman had him tied to a chair.” Samuel began, pausing dramatically as a murmur spread through the crowd. “Naked."
The murmurs turned to chuckles and bawdy comments until Mama Breaux shushed them all. Samuel concluded, “She'd just finished—” his cheek twitched and he shot Jacque a nervous glance “—er, going ... um, doing things to him."
"Had Jacque said anything to her before dis?"
"He tol’ her to stop, dat she was killin’ him."
Mama Breaux turned back to him, moving in close. “You deny dese words?"
"No. Non .. But—"
"Ah! Den there is nothin’ else but she must make it right. She must marry you, to save your honor!"
"No!" Sahara's angry cries echoed through the room as she fought to free herself from her captors. “ No !"
She looked so sexy in her furor, hair flying, her eyes sparking fire and her pretty breasts bouncing enticingly under her thin T-shirt. For a split second, he was so entranced the thought hit him how lucky he was to have such a lusciously exciting bride.
Merde , he was as crazy as the rest of them!
Her yelling continued. “This is ridiculous! I refuse to be a part of this farce! I can't marry anyone, I have a home! A job! You can't make me!"
A man in a smart khaki uniform stepped forward. “I'm afraid we can, young lady,” he said sternly.
Police Chief Legrand. The old bat had gotten the law on her side. And the fact was, there were real laws against the sort of thing they'd been
Well, he wasn't about to go along with it. “Dishonored? What the hell you talkin’ about?"
Her fiery eyes flashed in warning. “Don’ you swear at me, Jacque Cherchat. Don’ forget, I wrapped your skinny behind in diapers, and you ain’ more important dan me down here, not yet you aren't!"
Instantly contrite, he held up a hand. “I didn'—"
"Da woman seduced you, non ?” she interrupted. “Filled your body with lust and made you do wicked things?"
A few feet away, Sahara gasped loudly and objected vehemently to the charges.
Well, in all honesty he couldn't’ deny the last two, but Sahara certainly hadn't been the guilty party in the seduction. He opened his mouth to protest her innocence, but too late.
Mama Breaux took his hesitation as acquiescence and forged ahead. “An’ your brother, Quinten, too, I hear."
She looked at Quint, who reddened and shot a glance at his wife, who loudly voiced her one word opinion of the étrangère who'd nearly caused her man to stray.
Jacque let out a foul curse. “Tell her, Quint,” he ordered through clenched teeth. “The way it really happened."
Quint avoided his eyes, and nodded to their grandmother. “ C'est vrai , Mama Breaux. It's true. She tried to seduce us both. Luckily, my dear wife arrived jus’ in time to save me. Jacque wasn’ so fortunate. Wit’ him, she succeeded."
"Quint!” Sahara cried, panic rife in her voice.
" Arrète ! Stop it, for Chrissake!” Jacque barked furiously, throwing up his hands in disgust. “ Ça c'est fou ! Quint and I have fucked half the women here, mos’ of dem together! I'm hardly a blushing virgin!"
"You were!” Mama Breaux said, with eyes narrowed and once again pointed her finger at Sahara. “You were! Until she came along."
It was a railroad job. Pure and simple. It didn't matter that everyone in the room knew the truth, Mama Breaux had it in her head he was to marry this woman and dat was dat.
Nobody disobeyed Mama Breaux.
Nobody.
"I haven't been a virgin for twenty years,” he asserted half-heartedly, the fight going out of him.
With defiance in her beady gaze, Mama Breaux demanded, “So you deny she forced you?"
Sahara sputtered.
"Of course I deny it!” he said.
"Samuel!” Triumphantly, Mama Breaux turned to Sahara's young guard. “Tell everyone how you foun’ dem when you went to get dem tonight!"
Jacque shut his eyes and groaned. They were so screwed.
"The woman had him tied to a chair.” Samuel began, pausing dramatically as a murmur spread through the crowd. “Naked."
The murmurs turned to chuckles and bawdy comments until Mama Breaux shushed them all. Samuel concluded, “She'd just finished—” his cheek twitched and he shot Jacque a nervous glance “—er, going ... um, doing things to him."
"Had Jacque said anything to her before dis?"
"He tol’ her to stop, dat she was killin’ him."
Mama Breaux turned back to him, moving in close. “You deny dese words?"
"No. Non .. But—"
"Ah! Den there is nothin’ else but she must make it right. She must marry you, to save your honor!"
"No!" Sahara's angry cries echoed through the room as she fought to free herself from her captors. “ No !"
She looked so sexy in her furor, hair flying, her eyes sparking fire and her pretty breasts bouncing enticingly under her thin T-shirt. For a split second, he was so entranced the thought hit him how lucky he was to have such a lusciously exciting bride.
Merde , he was as crazy as the rest of them!
Her yelling continued. “This is ridiculous! I refuse to be a part of this farce! I can't marry anyone, I have a home! A job! You can't make me!"
A man in a smart khaki uniform stepped forward. “I'm afraid we can, young lady,” he said sternly.
Police Chief Legrand. The old bat had gotten the law on her side. And the fact was, there were real laws against the sort of thing they'd been
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