Read Online Her Safe Harbor: Prairie Romance (Crawford Family Book 4) by Holly Bush - Free Book Online
Authors: Holly Bush
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prayer to her maker
that she would survive the encounter. It had been Max, thankfully, returning
home from Houston on horseback as soon as he’d heard the influenza had hit the
Hacienda. He’d hauled her up before him on his massive horse and continued on
to find his ranch in disrepair, his staff exhausted or ill, and his daughter on
her deathbed.
Jennifer had hurried to help Jolene, who was barely standing
as she nursed Melinda. When the child’s fever broke, Max asked Jennifer to
check on those who were still sick or recovering in the bunkhouse, especially
his ranch manager, while he tended his wife and daughter. And that is when she
saw Zeb Moran for the first time, finding him alone and thrashing with fever,
sweat-soaked and pale. She’d wiped his face and arms with cool water and
changed the top sheet and blankets covering him. When he finally settled into a
quiet sleep, Jennifer stepped to the window, unbuttoned her blouse, and removed
it.
It had been just five days prior that she stood alone with
Jeffrey in a small, rarely used room near the front entrance of Willow Tree.
Her bags and trunks were being loaded onto a carriage, and her mother
encouraged Jeffrey to say his good-byes to her in private. She was annoyed with
her mother for suggesting such a thing, but excited as well. She and Jeffrey
had been seeing each other on a regular basis and she was flattered with the
attentions of such a handsome, charming man who was the favorite of every
Boston debutante. She was wondering if he would kiss her, her stomach
fluttering, and hoping he would. She remembered smiling up at him and sobering
quickly at the look on his face.
“Jeffrey? What is wrong?” she asked.
“Wrong? What is wrong, Jennifer? You are leaving Boston when
I have expressly told you it would displease me.”
“But we discussed this all days ago and I thought—” Jennifer
said before crumbling to the floor.
She’d never experienced pain of that intensity and struggled
to breathe, finally giving into panic in a faint. She’d awakened in Jeffrey’s
arms as he patted her face with a hanky.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“Oh, my dear Jennifer,” Jeffrey said as he kissed her
forehead. “I am so very sorry to have to punish you, but you must learn to obey
me. It is the nature of the relationship between men and women.”
Jennifer had been confused, wondering if she’d misheard his
speech in the midst of the relentless pain in her side. He had stood abruptly,
pulling her to her feet, leaving her nauseous and groaning.
“ Shush ,” he said. “Certainly you do not want the
servants to see you in such a state. Straighten your back, Jennifer. You must
hurry or you will miss your train.”
She had let him lead her out to the entranceway, her hand on
his arm. She remembered being unsteady on her feet and their butler, Bellings,
looking at her strangely. Jeffrey had led her to the waiting carriage and
kissed her on the lips softly, staring into her eyes and announcing to all that
he would be counting the days until her return, and then had whispered in her
ear that he was very, very sorry that she was in pain. Had begged her to
believe that he didn’t mean to hurt her, that she was the love of his life, but
she’d best be home on the appointed day or he could not guarantee his behavior.
The door had closed on the carriage and then she did vomit,
and the maid accompanying her because Eliza had been ill, a silly girl, had
merely stared at the remnants of Jennifer’s breakfast on the floor of the
carriage, refusing to clean it up. Jennifer had pondered many times since that
morning why she did not just cry out for her father or even to Bellings. Even
as weak as her father sometimes was and Bellings just a servant, neither would
have let her be assaulted in such a way. But she hadn’t cried out. Nor had she
told anyone what had happened until she’d returned from Texas and told Eliza.
Much of it had seemed unreal, and she’d
that she would survive the encounter. It had been Max, thankfully, returning
home from Houston on horseback as soon as he’d heard the influenza had hit the
Hacienda. He’d hauled her up before him on his massive horse and continued on
to find his ranch in disrepair, his staff exhausted or ill, and his daughter on
her deathbed.
Jennifer had hurried to help Jolene, who was barely standing
as she nursed Melinda. When the child’s fever broke, Max asked Jennifer to
check on those who were still sick or recovering in the bunkhouse, especially
his ranch manager, while he tended his wife and daughter. And that is when she
saw Zeb Moran for the first time, finding him alone and thrashing with fever,
sweat-soaked and pale. She’d wiped his face and arms with cool water and
changed the top sheet and blankets covering him. When he finally settled into a
quiet sleep, Jennifer stepped to the window, unbuttoned her blouse, and removed
it.
It had been just five days prior that she stood alone with
Jeffrey in a small, rarely used room near the front entrance of Willow Tree.
Her bags and trunks were being loaded onto a carriage, and her mother
encouraged Jeffrey to say his good-byes to her in private. She was annoyed with
her mother for suggesting such a thing, but excited as well. She and Jeffrey
had been seeing each other on a regular basis and she was flattered with the
attentions of such a handsome, charming man who was the favorite of every
Boston debutante. She was wondering if he would kiss her, her stomach
fluttering, and hoping he would. She remembered smiling up at him and sobering
quickly at the look on his face.
“Jeffrey? What is wrong?” she asked.
“Wrong? What is wrong, Jennifer? You are leaving Boston when
I have expressly told you it would displease me.”
“But we discussed this all days ago and I thought—” Jennifer
said before crumbling to the floor.
She’d never experienced pain of that intensity and struggled
to breathe, finally giving into panic in a faint. She’d awakened in Jeffrey’s
arms as he patted her face with a hanky.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“Oh, my dear Jennifer,” Jeffrey said as he kissed her
forehead. “I am so very sorry to have to punish you, but you must learn to obey
me. It is the nature of the relationship between men and women.”
Jennifer had been confused, wondering if she’d misheard his
speech in the midst of the relentless pain in her side. He had stood abruptly,
pulling her to her feet, leaving her nauseous and groaning.
“ Shush ,” he said. “Certainly you do not want the
servants to see you in such a state. Straighten your back, Jennifer. You must
hurry or you will miss your train.”
She had let him lead her out to the entranceway, her hand on
his arm. She remembered being unsteady on her feet and their butler, Bellings,
looking at her strangely. Jeffrey had led her to the waiting carriage and
kissed her on the lips softly, staring into her eyes and announcing to all that
he would be counting the days until her return, and then had whispered in her
ear that he was very, very sorry that she was in pain. Had begged her to
believe that he didn’t mean to hurt her, that she was the love of his life, but
she’d best be home on the appointed day or he could not guarantee his behavior.
The door had closed on the carriage and then she did vomit,
and the maid accompanying her because Eliza had been ill, a silly girl, had
merely stared at the remnants of Jennifer’s breakfast on the floor of the
carriage, refusing to clean it up. Jennifer had pondered many times since that
morning why she did not just cry out for her father or even to Bellings. Even
as weak as her father sometimes was and Bellings just a servant, neither would
have let her be assaulted in such a way. But she hadn’t cried out. Nor had she
told anyone what had happened until she’d returned from Texas and told Eliza.
Much of it had seemed unreal, and she’d
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