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Authors: Jillian Hart
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look at her sisters--Iris was stitching away with laughter in her eyes, Elise and Maebry were greatly amused as Rose and Magnolia bantered away. They were precious to her, beyond price. "We'd decided I'd return the locket he gave me with everyone around. In public. So we all invited Ernest over to our boardinghouse. It was busy, and we assumed he wouldn't want to damage his much-cherished reputation by having a tantrum in public."
"You were wrong?" Penelope's gaze scanned Verbena's face, going from bruise to bruise.
"He got violent. He wanted to hurt me. I was so startled, to see him suddenly so completely revealed, his true self he'd been hiding. My sisters crowded in front of him, trying to keep him back, but he wouldn't stop raging. When he finally left, I thought, whew, that's over, he's gone. I couldn't stop shaking because I couldn't believe how benign he'd seemed in the beginning."
"But it wasn't over, was it?" Concern drew little furrows into Penelope's forehead. She set down her sewing to brush brown little wisps of hair from her eyes.
"No. He came back with a gun." She remembered the chill that had raced through her veins, the absolute horror of seeing that weapon pointed at her. "He strode into the dining room, we were eating supper. Daisy jumped up to try to stop him, but he punched her in the face and she tumbled to the floor."
"That's horrible." Tears gathered in Penelope's eyes.
"My other sisters jumped in to protect me." That had been the worst moment for her. Looking at Penelope, she realized that her new friend already understood that. How seeing those she loved in danger was worse than anything she could face alone. "Iris was traumatized by him, it was a terrible thing to see her so terrified. I begged him to hurt me, not my sisters, but he threw Rose against a wall and knocked the wind out of her. He turned his gun on Magnolia, but she knocked it out of his grip. The gun went off as it fell, other people were coming to see what was going on, so he left. But he said he wasn't finished."
"Oh, Verbena, I'm sorry." Tears stood in Penelope's eyes, glistening there, full of compassion. "And he followed you here. He's still after you."
"He's still hurting my sisters." She blew out a shaky breath, glancing again at the merry women talking about Rose's new beau. She was denying he was her beau--one drive home from church did not make a beau, she argued, but she was hopeful, blushing pink the way she did.
Watching them, she knew what she had to do. There would be no more waiting, no more wondering when Ernest would strike next and who he would harm. Daisy's fiancé, Beckett, was bedridden, so wounded he was still unable to walk. Kellan, one of the cowboys, was back at work but he had twenty-five stitches in his back and side from a knife attack. She let her gaze stray to the window, where Burton walked the perimeter with a rifle resting on his shoulder. Who would be hurt next? Or worse, killed?
She wasn't worth that. She couldn’t live with what had happened already. The guilt was too much to bear.
"That bounty hunter is going to take care of this for you." Penelope reached out, touched Verbena's hand with a brief, reassuring squeeze. "I've never seen any man as capable. He looks as if he could move a mountain with a shovel if he had the mind to."
"Agreed." She managed a weak smile. She appreciated Penelope's attempts to comfort her, to try and put her mind at ease. Zane Reed flashed into her mind, the gentleness that had shown in his eyes right before he'd stormed out into the rain.
Gentleness.
She wouldn’t have guessed that from a man like him.
The sound of the back door unlocking echoed down the hallway. A key jiggled in the lock and a burst of damp air breezed through the house.
"It's only me," Daisy, back from checking on her fiancé, called out cheerfully. "Where is everybody?"
"In here!" Magnolia bellowed back. "How's Beckett?"
"He's feeling well enough to be crabby, so that's a great
"You were wrong?" Penelope's gaze scanned Verbena's face, going from bruise to bruise.
"He got violent. He wanted to hurt me. I was so startled, to see him suddenly so completely revealed, his true self he'd been hiding. My sisters crowded in front of him, trying to keep him back, but he wouldn't stop raging. When he finally left, I thought, whew, that's over, he's gone. I couldn't stop shaking because I couldn't believe how benign he'd seemed in the beginning."
"But it wasn't over, was it?" Concern drew little furrows into Penelope's forehead. She set down her sewing to brush brown little wisps of hair from her eyes.
"No. He came back with a gun." She remembered the chill that had raced through her veins, the absolute horror of seeing that weapon pointed at her. "He strode into the dining room, we were eating supper. Daisy jumped up to try to stop him, but he punched her in the face and she tumbled to the floor."
"That's horrible." Tears gathered in Penelope's eyes.
"My other sisters jumped in to protect me." That had been the worst moment for her. Looking at Penelope, she realized that her new friend already understood that. How seeing those she loved in danger was worse than anything she could face alone. "Iris was traumatized by him, it was a terrible thing to see her so terrified. I begged him to hurt me, not my sisters, but he threw Rose against a wall and knocked the wind out of her. He turned his gun on Magnolia, but she knocked it out of his grip. The gun went off as it fell, other people were coming to see what was going on, so he left. But he said he wasn't finished."
"Oh, Verbena, I'm sorry." Tears stood in Penelope's eyes, glistening there, full of compassion. "And he followed you here. He's still after you."
"He's still hurting my sisters." She blew out a shaky breath, glancing again at the merry women talking about Rose's new beau. She was denying he was her beau--one drive home from church did not make a beau, she argued, but she was hopeful, blushing pink the way she did.
Watching them, she knew what she had to do. There would be no more waiting, no more wondering when Ernest would strike next and who he would harm. Daisy's fiancé, Beckett, was bedridden, so wounded he was still unable to walk. Kellan, one of the cowboys, was back at work but he had twenty-five stitches in his back and side from a knife attack. She let her gaze stray to the window, where Burton walked the perimeter with a rifle resting on his shoulder. Who would be hurt next? Or worse, killed?
She wasn't worth that. She couldn’t live with what had happened already. The guilt was too much to bear.
"That bounty hunter is going to take care of this for you." Penelope reached out, touched Verbena's hand with a brief, reassuring squeeze. "I've never seen any man as capable. He looks as if he could move a mountain with a shovel if he had the mind to."
"Agreed." She managed a weak smile. She appreciated Penelope's attempts to comfort her, to try and put her mind at ease. Zane Reed flashed into her mind, the gentleness that had shown in his eyes right before he'd stormed out into the rain.
Gentleness.
She wouldn’t have guessed that from a man like him.
The sound of the back door unlocking echoed down the hallway. A key jiggled in the lock and a burst of damp air breezed through the house.
"It's only me," Daisy, back from checking on her fiancé, called out cheerfully. "Where is everybody?"
"In here!" Magnolia bellowed back. "How's Beckett?"
"He's feeling well enough to be crabby, so that's a great
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